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Resistance tends to strengthen the energies
it attempts to oppose by giving them power and energy. We all know the feeling of being haunted by
an issue, no matter how hard we try to ignore it, avoid it, or run away from
it. Sometimes it seems that we can get rid of something we don’t want by
simply pushing it away. Most of the time, though, the more we push, the more
we get pushed back. There are laws of physics and metaphysics that explain
this phenomenon, which is often summed up in this pithy phrase: that which
you resist persists. Resistance can even strengthen the thoughts
and feelings it is attempting to fight by giving them power and energy.
Additionally, resistance keeps us from learning more about what we are trying
to avoid. In order to fully understand something, we must be open to receive
some of its energy. Otherwise, we remain ignorant of its lessons. There is a
Tibetan story of a monk who retreats to meditate in a cave only to be plagued
by demons. He tries everything — chasing, fighting, hiding — to get the
demons out of his cave, but the thing that finally works is surrender. He
simply lets them have their way and only then do they disappear. Now, this wisdom must be applied
practically. We are not meant to get ourselves physically injured. Instead,
this story speaks to our inner demons. What plagues and pursues us in our
minds has a way of manifesting itself in our environment, in the form of
people, events, and issues that appear to be beyond our control. But all
these external expressions are reflections of our insides, and it is inside
ourselves that we can safely experiment with surrendering to what we fear and
dislike. It may feel scary, and we may find ourselves in the company of a lot
of resistance as we begin the process of opening up to what we fear. But the
more we learn to surrender, the more the demons that plague us disappear in
the process and the more courageous we will become. |
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