TUG OF WAR

[Pravin Kumar]

Tug of War:

The tools of pushing or pulling are developed to cope with life, this is why life is seemingly full of problems, but whatever arises doesn't cause the problems, it's the pushing or pulling that does.

Nothing needs to be dismissed for one to be free, but freedom cannot be found by pushing away or pulling in what’s occurring. Pushing away or pulling in is linked to thinking we’re getting rid of something, but truly getting rid of something will only happen when it's dealt with as it it, if it’s not it will never go away. When it's dealt with it won't have to be pushed or pulled so it will naturally fall away. This is how one has to approach each moment if freedom is to be had. The way we develop tools to cope with things is why there's problems, but whatever it is that arises doesn't truly cause the problem. Granted it may be something that really hurts and has no benefit whatsoever, like the death of a loved one, but if it's not dealt with in a way that it's not dismissed or a made up story is attached, the energy of the situation controls your reactions and it will get stored until it's time to rise up again. This is why the same thoughts are repeated over and over, they have to because of the trace energy in place.

The awareness this is happening can allow you to be with what arises and not want it different. After all the only reason a person pushes or pulls something is because it's not wanted, this pushing or pulling is the same energy as grasping it's just being used differently. Pushing or pulling is attachment to either wanting or not wanting and grasping is strictly attachment to wanting, slightly different with a pushing action, but the same attachment. This is very subtle to see and it will only be noticed when one is with the moment as it arises and doesn't want it to be different. So regardless if it's labeled good, bad, like, dislike, or whatever, it's all the same attachment, and the only thing the applied label does is it determines if one reaches for something by pushing it away or pulling it in.

MICHAEL CUPO