Crossing over the Flood

Today I read the opening sutta to Samyutta Nikaya, Ogha-tarana (Crossing over the Flood). I’ve never heard of this one before but enjoyed it for its very short yet relevant message. Here is the key point Buddha conveys:

“When I pushed forward, I was whirled about. When I stayed in place, I sank. And so I crossed over the flood without pushing forward, without staying in place.”

Thinking about this was really insightful for me… while it is billed as a paradox, as always there are volumes to read into not what Buddha is saying but what he isn’t saying. He lists two actions he takes to cross the flood and the results of both being unpleasant and unable to bypass the obstacle (the flood). Then he says he bypassed the obstacle by not doing those two actions.

Oftentimes we find ourselves in a predicament where the options available to us don’t provide any easy way out, where neither obtain the desired result. The solution is to break down our preconceived notions and ponder the options that we may not be aware of.