Anatomy of Traps – Part Two
Notwithstanding the seeming plurality of sources of traps, all sources of trap are amenable to similar remedy.
Gautama Siddhartha, otherwise known as Buddha, a great and extraordinary being like you and me, enjoined us a remedy to handle the body. This remedy, I think, can also apply to disentangling oneself from the numerous sources of traps enumerated in Part One of this blogpost.
Gautama said one who is on the path of enlightenment should treat his or her body as he or she would treat a wound, an injured member of the body.
Several questions swarm to the fore of my consciousness when I reviewed this injunction. Some of these questions came from the words of Gautama himself.
He said, “Don’t love your body”.
I ask, “Do you love a wound on your body?”
He said, “Pay attention to the wound.”
I ask, “Do you pay enough attention to the wound?”
He said, “Treat the wound.”
I ask, “Do you apply remedy to treat the wound?”
And, “Why do you pay attention to and treat the wound?”
Well, I’m certain that no one who operates with his or her analytical mind would love a wound on their body. I know I don’t and can’t.
Of course, everyone who operates with his or her analytical mind would find it beneficial to pay good enough attention on a wound they have on their body. I guess that’s right with you too.
Applying remedies that will engender the complete treatment of the wound and restore the injured part of the body to full activity is vital, nay mandatory.
But why would one pay attention to and treat a wound? We do these to effectively return the injured part of the body to full activity, right?
Let’s take someone who slammed the door on their right thumb causing injury and accompanying pain.
First, the whole of the right hand will be of little use, especially the injured thumb.
Second, the entire body itself will be less keen to perform any function as it is fixated on the sufferings of the injured member.
Third, the Analytical Mind of the person will be in some level of abeyance of operation – this Analytical Mind doesn’t like fooling around with pain; therefore, the animal/body mind, the crude, unthinking Reactive Mind finds joy with the painful condition the person and body suffer, bringing about more difficulties, including inability of the person to focus on the usual things of life, becoming tired, feverish, and so on. And of course, the personal, social and economic activities of the person will suffer some decline as well.
What’s this, but a trap.
So, what do we do?
- We don’t ever love, desire, or crave any trap or any of its sensations.
- We pay just enough attention to the trap, whatever variant of trap that is.
- We apply applicable remedies that will give us the ability to confront the trap and see it for what it is; and by so doing make us less subjected or enthralled to the trap and its cruel sensations.
- Additionally, we, rather than loving or desiring the trap, could just admire it. When we admire anything, condition, or person so thoroughly, we overcome our fear or wonder of the thing, condition, or person; the thing, condition, or person becomes less intimidating, strange, new, or wonderful to us. And there lies the freedom for us to express our power of choice.
- And not desiring or undesiring, not wanting, loving or hating a trap, we prevent the interchange of energies with it, thus becoming less susceptible to the vagaries and atrocities of any trap.
Because the universe and physical life are subject to two-way energy manifestations which appear in different guises as, you know, ‘give and take', ‘have and have not’, ‘inflow and outflow' et al, we become entangled with people, things, and conditions of life as we enter into energy exchanges, particularly of the negative types.
Anger, hate, sly hostility, unrequited love, fear, anxiety, antagonism, apathy, grief, pain, and sundry negative emotions are energy manifestations that are capable of entangling and entrapping one with the person or thing or condition one engages with. Talk of fixation, compulsions, obsessions, allergies, stupidity, insanity etc., talk about the entanglement of energy flows and counter flows between one who has a highly charged negative emanation and another of similar wavelength. That’s a trap!
My injunctions:
- Stay away from negativity, unwholesome desires, and treat all sources of traps as you would a wound on your body.
- Admire everything, particularly those things we ordinarily shun or fear.
- Confront (be there comfortable and perceive that which is in front of you) everything, again of everything we ordinarily dread, e.g., mathematics, mother in-law, work.
- Make your power to choose (your self-determinism) count, always, on everything.
Babatunde, signing out!