Obstacles faced while studying Spirituality

    Following are some of the difficulties a person faces when trying to study a spiritual text.

1. Confusion about terminology:
       Several words have been used with different connotations in various holy texts. For example, Jagadguru Shankaracharya used the word 'Antahkaran' to imply four different parts, namely, mind, subconscious mind, intellect and ego. Another school of thought refers to ‘Antahkaran’ as three parts, that is, mind, intellect and ego.

       The word 'Soul' is referred to as Bramhan in some places, and the embodied soul, the cosmic energy sheath or mental body sheath in others places.

       The word Bliss is used as happiness in some books, while it is used as sattvik happiness in some, and as an experience beyond happiness and unhappiness in others.

       Due to the confusion in terminology it becomes difficult and often impossible to understand the subject.

2. Difference in literal and implied meaning:
       In Spirituality, an attempt is made to express in words that which is beyond words. Consequently there is a difference in the literal and implied meaning. Therefore, inspite of reading all the spiritual texts a seeker is not able to grasp the true meaning till their own spiritual level rises.

       For example, Saint Tukaram says, "I saw death with my own eyes.” The implied meaning of this is Tukaram Maharaj saw the death of his ego or ‘I’ness, not his physical body.

3. Different meanings of the words used in the spiritual context and conventional context:
       As a result it becomes difficult to understand the spiritual literature.

4. An extremely condensed form:
       In the olden days since there were no facilities for writing, all the information had to be memorized. As a result, it was in a condensed form.

       The Guru would then explain the meaning of this condensed form to his disciples. However since there was a decline in the Guru-Disciple relationship, it has become difficult to interpret the real meaning.

5. Language difference:
       The scriptures were written thousands of years ago. The languages then were quite different from what they are today.

6. Absence of worldly suggestions:
       Worldly suggestions which are applicable for this day and age are absent in most of the holy texts. For example, Lord Patanjali mentions that ‘restraints and regulations’ should be observed but does not specify which ones and how to follow them.

7. Absence of explanation:
       Some books describe the path of spiritual progress as to what are the milestones on the way, while some of them do not describe the process in detail.

8. Absence of comparative studies:
       A book about a particular path of spiritual progress will describe that path alone. One does not come across a book, which compare various paths and illustrate their advantages and disadvantages.