{"id":23612,"date":"2020-12-04T17:19:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T17:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/2020\/12\/04\/roadblocks-to-enlightenment-knowing-when-we-wander-from-the-path\/"},"modified":"2020-12-04T17:19:00","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T17:19:00","slug":"roadblocks-to-enlightenment-knowing-when-we-wander-from-the-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/2020\/12\/04\/roadblocks-to-enlightenment-knowing-when-we-wander-from-the-path\/","title":{"rendered":"Roadblocks to Enlightenment: Knowing When We Wander From the Path"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"roadblocks<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Spiritual seekers face many obstacles. In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali names roadblocks to enlightenment and tells us how to get around them. These obstacles are listed in sutra 1.30.<\/p>\n

According to a translation<\/a> by Reverend Jaganath Carrera, roadblocks to enlightenment include disease, dullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness, sensuality, false perception, failure to reach firm ground, and slipping from the ground gained.<\/p>\n

Understanding Roadblocks to Enlightenment<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s not hard to see why these things create obstacles. A few\u2014disease, dullness, carelessness, and laziness\u2014happen when we don\u2019t take care of our minds<\/a> and bodies. If you\u2019re not well, you won\u2019t have the energy to focus on the good life of enlightened being.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re sick, whether physically or mentally, you probably don\u2019t have the energy for anything other than feeling better. And the more you give into lethargy, the harder it is to find the energy to get moving again.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever experienced \u201cbrain fog,\u201d for example, you know how difficult it is to see or seek truth when you\u2019re under the spell of mental dullness and physical fatigue.<\/p>\n

Doubt is another important roadblock to enlightenment. But it\u2019s important to realize that everyone has doubts. If you don\u2019t doubt anything, you probably won\u2019t grow. <\/p>\n

Anytime you discover something new or have an insight about something, you make a leap of faith from the limited view you had before. It\u2019s when doubt keeps us stuck that it becomes an obstacle.<\/p>\n

Doubts creep in when we try too hard to understand what can only be known by experience. It also weakens our faith. That\u2019s why the practice\u2014the experience<\/em>\u2014is crucial. If you wait for your mind to explain some things, you\u2019ll wait a long time.<\/p>\n

Another roadblock to enlightenment, Patanjali tell us, is slipping from ground gained. If you practice yoga\u2014or anything\u2014long enough, there will be moments, perhaps days or even months, when the things you thought you\u2019d discovered seem out of reach. <\/p>\n

We can\u2019t give in, the sage tells us. If we become careless about the practice, or worse, lazy, we\u2019ll stop making progress and may quit altogether.<\/p>\n

Getting Around Roadblocks to Enlightenment<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The great thing about a discussion of roadblocks to enlightenment is realizing that they\u2019re expected. Virtually all yogis encounter roadblocks, even\u2014perhaps especially\u2014those who travel far on the path.<\/p>\n

Once we recognize something as a roadblock, we can accept it and move on.<\/p>\n

For example, sensuality can be a roadblock because it tempts our bored minds. We want to be amused and entertained. We want to feel good, to do things. And there\u2019s nothing wrong with any of that!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s only when the pursuit of pleasure takes over our lives and distracts us from the greater purpose that it becomes a roadblock to enlightenment. Pleasure can also be a tool for enlightenment. The key is purpose.<\/p>\n

We Will Waver, But We Need Not Fall<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s not hard to see how false perception creates a roadblock to enlightenment. Patanjali warns that there will be times we think our yoga practice is a waste of time. The temptations of human life may seem more \u201creal\u201d than spiritual growth.<\/p>\n

Failure to reach firm ground may be the most frustrating obstacle we face. It\u2019s normal to become impatient and feel like we\u2019re not making progress. If we don\u2019t give up when we\u2019re frustrated, things will turn around eventually. The only way to find truth is to keep seeking it.<\/p>\n

The old saying \u201ctwo steps forward, one step back\u201d applies in yoga. The spiritual path is not straightforward or easy to travel, but it is rewarding. The Yoga Sutras help us understand and look out for roadblocks to enlightenment. <\/p>\n

So when you notice you\u2019re slipping into one of the distractions Patanjali describes, know it as mere illusion. Indulge it briefly if you must, then take the next step forward.<\/p>\n

The post Roadblocks to Enlightenment: Knowing When We Wander From the Path<\/a> appeared first on Yoga Circles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Spiritual seekers face many obstacles. In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali names roadblocks to enlightenment and tells us how to get around them. These obstacles are listed in sutra 1.30. According to a translation by Reverend Jaganath Carrera, roadblocks to enlightenment include disease, dullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness, sensuality, false perception, failure to reach firm ground, and … [Read more…]
\nThe post Roadblocks to Enlightenment: Knowing When We Wander From the Path appeared first on Yoga Circles.Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spiritual seekers face many obstacles. In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali names roadblocks to enlightenment and tells us how to get around them. These obstacles are listed in sutra 1.30. According to a translation by Reverend Jaganath Carrera, roadblocks to enlightenment include disease, dullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness, sensuality, false perception, failure to reach firm ground, and slipping from the ground gained. Understanding Roadblocks to Enlightenment It\u2019s not hard to see why these things create obstacles. A few\u2014disease, dullness, carelessness, and laziness\u2014happen when we don\u2019t take care of our minds and bodies. If you\u2019re not well, you won\u2019t have the energy to focus on the good life of enlightened being. If you\u2019re sick, whether physically or mentally, you probably don\u2019t have the energy for anything other than feeling better. And the more you give into lethargy, the harder it is to find the energy to get moving again. If you\u2019ve ever experienced \u201cbrain fog,\u201d for example, you know how difficult it is to see or seek truth when you\u2019re under the spell of mental dullness and physical fatigue. Doubt is another important roadblock to enlightenment. But it\u2019s important to realize that everyone has doubts. If you don\u2019t doubt anything, you probably won\u2019t…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23613,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[91],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23612"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23612\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sayloveyoga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}