1 - You seek
perfection
We form assumptions and
expectations based on what we read. We would like things to unfold a
certain way, and when reality doesn't fit our expectations,
suffering arises.
No we're not talking
about romantic relationships, its about how suffering arises in
general and how the same can happen to seekers.
For example, a seeker could have been misinformed that his
Kundalini
energy needs to rise or else he won't awaken. He or she will try
their level best to reach this state, without realizing that their
awakening might not be linked to where they're placed energetically.
Never get stuck in a
perspective or beliefs that things should happen only in a specific
way.
The key is to have a mind
willing to accept different outcomes for every situation.
2 - You push doubt aside
Don't push your doubts
away. Welcome them and anything that challenges your conditioning.
Discuss your doubts with
your teachers or peers. Contemplating and discussing doubts can
either lead to a new perspective or realization that the doubt is
invalid, in both the situations you are level up.
Imagine a
staunchly religious person who is so hooked to his dogma, that he
vehemently supports his point of view.
Only if doubt arises
within him will he gain the potential to open his eyes. Similarly,
be open to your doubts, it may open a new world of realizations.
The only thing one should
be afraid is to be stuck in a limiting belief system.
3 - You want too much, too soon
More often than not,
awakening is a gradual process.
Awakening may be faster
for people who surrender when they experience extreme suffering, but
in general it takes a while. Some say, "there is no time" and that
too is true for the formless/deathless part of us, but for the
dimension we live in and experience, time is an inseparable part.
One may lose patience and
expect faster results; if that is the case, change focus.
Take for example, someone who has the tendency to get angry quickly,
they might work on taming their anger.
But when they do not
manage to lessen their anger over an expected period of time not
only do they suffer because of their expectations but the impatience
becomes an obstacle on the path of the quest as well.
4 - You seek
too much information
I log into
Facebook to find my feed flooded with posts revolving
around how I can change my life.
There is too much
information hovering about on social media about changing yourself
and its highly possible that you may feel overwhelmed with the
number of articles you read or the things you assume you have to do
to reach a higher state of consciousness.
Stop the information
overload, like
Sai Baba
said,
"You seek too much
information and not enough transformation."
Focus on any particular
teaching you would like to implement and start working on that, at
first it will be tough but with practice this one teaching will get
ingrained into your subconscious and will become part of you.
This is when you can move
on to implementing something else.
Reading a couple of
articles a day will help you to find out what needs to be worked on
and when that is done spend your time converting the knowledge into
wisdom, implement rather than trying to quench the unending thirst
for knowledge.
5 - Are you
really a seeker?
Eckhart Tolle explains the difference between a
function
and a role.
For example if one is a
doctor, his function is to treat people when he is doing his job,
but if he lets his status get to his head he takes up that
identification and his ego takes over.
Even if he is having a
conversation with another person, he will feel superior or inferior
depending on the other person's profession.
Similarly we identify
with looks, the amount of money we make, our past successes or
failures etc. The game of comparison is always playing in our heads
which either leads to gratification or sorrow.
It's a similar scenario
with seekers, when spirituality becomes part of your ego. We make
mental images of ourselves either inferior or superior in comparison
to other seekers, non-seekers, followers of other teachings etc.
This is one trap we need
to avoid to let go of the mental burden.
6 - You're too
hard on yourself
"The highest
form of human intelligence
is to observe
yourself without judgment."
Jiddu
Krishnamurti.
Don't make your spiritual
quest a burden, observing and being aware of your own dysfunctional
patterns itself is an awakening.
You can make any kind of
changes in your lifestyle but never forget to focus on the timeless
part of you. All spiritual knowledge and practices point to that
reality.
But don't let your
knowledge become a hindrance to your spiritual growth.
You can always chose to
take a break from specific practices that don't resonate with you at
that moment and open yourself to ones that stir your soul.
Buddha compared his
teachings to a raft that is used to cross a river. Once you cross
the river, would you still hold on to the raft? Similarly teachings
and perspectives have an expiry date.
Your true essence is not
a perspective and you will realize that when you stop playing the
role of a spiritual seeker and simply be.
