What a curious phenomenon resistance is. Who has not experienced its heaviness and its sharp fangs? And moreover the resistance we have against our resistance? But during our entire life, yes the whole world over resistance is a constant factor.
Resistance causes friction and friction gives us our experiences and isn’t that what we’re here for on earth?
Without friction we cannot develop the strength required to act differently the next time and thus progress in our life.
Sometimes one hears people state: ‘If only this heavy load were lifted from my back, then Life, or the Path, would open up before me and I would be able to go the distance.’ But no, this resistance is the Life, is the Path and when you can fully accept this, then resistance turns into an adventurous experience and can become a very useful instrument for the spiritually oriented.
On the Internet we find that as of this moment there are 65 wars and armed conflicts in the world. The immense inner resistance I feel against this fact, as a [Rosicrucian and a] world citizen, gives me at the same time a driving motivating force on my Path.
My resistance against the violence, the coarseness and the extremes in books and on TV at the same time acts as a spur for my choice for a clear ‘No’ against these extremes in my own life.
The resistance against the behaviour of people in my vicinity provides me with a mirror in which I can see reflected my own unmannerliness, or else I would not be so affected by their antics.
These examples show us that the essence of resistance actually means: here I’ve got some work to do!
Resistance is a gift-wrapped lesson that will again and again be presented to me until I have unwrapped it and accepted it.
In essence the root of resistance lies in the fact that I do not accept what is there. Or that I do not want to be who I am. Do not want to be where I am.
Not accepting reality wastes a lot of energy and promotes turbulence in head and heart, and it is sure that I will never win this game.
Fighting against our resistance only makes it stronger, for ‘where attention goes, energy grows.’
No wonder the Buddha set the “Being without resistance” as 1 of his 3 main points alongside Non-judgments and Impunity.
With the help of the seismograph of my resistance I am made aware of my weak-points. Seen in this light I am always exactly where I must be.
Where is the Path? Where I am.
Where does the Path lead to? To where I am going.
There is no other Way.
One helpful entrance into working with the value of resistance is looking at the meaning you attach to a situation, to a human being, or an occurrence.
As soon as you remove the ‘story,’ the meaning, the interpretation, the label you have tied to the plain facts, then all that remains is just what it is in its simplest essence.
Thus life becomes very simple, it is we that make it difficult.
For we do not see things as they are, we see things as we are.
Resistance is very much an activity of the ego in the sense of: ‘something must change in my reality in order to make it more comfortable for me. ‘
As the Buddha states:
No ego, no resistance. No resistance, no suffering.
This does not mean that there will be no trials in your life. It means that while you wend your way through the labyrinth of life you will be able to travel with complete self-surrender to the quiet place in your heart.
Resistance wastes our life force. Surrendering to the heart gives us Energy.
