One has to overcome all obstacles in the way, whether by way of fickle mind or senses that demand lustful enjoyment or the body which is too used to comforts, believes AJIT KUMAR BISHNOI
There are many hindrances to spiritual practices. Some are real and the rest are imaginary. I have compiled a list of some of them. The reader can add to them based on his or her knowledge and experiences. let me start with the most common reason why people do not do spiritual practices and even if they do, they do them as rituals.
Even that is nice but rituals hardly give much spiritual realisation because they are mostly done mechanically as a burden taken upon self. Yes, they boost one’s image amongst family and friends but they don’t contribute much to spiritual progress.
Even if there is some forward movement in the spiritual domain, it is painfully slow. Some people even do them surreptitiously because they are doing them more out of fear of God than love for him. They also do not wish to be branded as weak. In this material world, atheists vastly outnumber the faithful ones. Anyone acting differently draws the wrong kind of attention.
One needs strong faith in God to motivate oneself to do spiritual practices, and it is not easy to develop such faith. One must be born with either goodsanskars or have excellent company, either of someone in the family or someone who is truly advanced spiritually.
Next comes faith in scriptures. Here the blame is not entirely unjustified because there are so many bogus texts being promoted as God’s words or instructions. Still, a genuinely faithful person is able to choose what is bona fide. How is this doneIJ It is very simple; what has been told in a genuine scripture will match our experiences and realisations in life.
Not only bogus literature going in the name of scriptures, but the fake gurus damage the faith in God more. These cheats can fool some people for some time but are ultimately exposed, which ruins one’s faith in God. Bad publicity of such persons worsens the situation.
If this was not bad enough, crimes are committed in the name of religion, which do serious damage to spirituality. One must be truly intelligent to choose the right guru, one who practises what he or she preaches. One must then do spiritual practices, which are mentioned in genuine scriptures, ie containing God’s instructions.
As far as hindrances go, personal nature is also a big enemy. If one is naturally negative, depressive, and fearful, his or her faith in God will be weak or non-existent, though such a person really needs God’s help to be able to overcome his or her faulty nature. And God does help if one seeks such help by being truly surrendered to him. Poor habits are no help either.
Good habits promote the mode of goodness which is conducive in making spiritual progress. Also the consciousness, if it is entirely material, will act as a big enemy. Same goes for intelligence; we need spiritual intelligence which comes from genuine gurus and bona fide scriptures.
Spiritual practices done sincerely will bring spiritual realisation. Therefore, if one really wishes to make proper use of the human life, one should find time for doing spiritual practices, which suit one’s nature. One has to overcome all the obstacles in the way, whether by way of fickle mind or senses which demand lustful enjoyment or the body which is too used to comforts. Only then such hindrances can be overcome and believe me, this is possible, and is very practical. I welcome your comments.
Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com