Addressing Obstacles, Difficulties and Resistances That Arise for the Spiritual Seeker

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Traditionally, spiritual paths
have developed guidelines and

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practices that are applied to
everyone as set practices.

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Thus, some people wind up
learning particular forms of

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meditation or concentration,
devotion or dedicated work, or

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they practice specific forms of
Hatha yoga, pranayam, or other

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specialized approaches to
gaining mastery over the various

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aspects of their being.
The body, the life energy, the

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mind, while developing the soul
entity, the psychic being, and

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coming into contact with the
higher planes of existence

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beyond the mind.
While as a general protocol this

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may yield success, the process
does not take into account the

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variations that can occur
between individuals as to their

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nature, temperament, habits,
cultural background, variations

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due to the constant fluctuations
of the gunas, and even prior

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life developments that impact
the current incarnation.

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They also do not take into
account the need to focus on

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different aspects of the being
and different issues, obstacles

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or resistances that occur at
various times in one

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individual's spiritual
development.

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All of these factors lead to a
wide divergent in terms of the

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way any individual needs to
respond over time to

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difficulties and obstacles that
arise.

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Srioro Bindo and the Mother take
a more granular view of the

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matter and work to have the
seeker understand the various

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sources of the resistance they
are facing and then have them

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apply appropriate methods to
resolve those issues at their

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source.
This means that the same

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individual, at various times of
their spiritual practice, may

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undertake A strict meditation
form, may at another time move

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into a devotional practice, and
may take up one or another of

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the yogic forms that are the
hallmark of one path or another

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for a period of time and for a
specific intention and purpose.

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In this way they will
systematically address both the

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needs of their own nature and
the promptings of the spiritual

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aspiration within them with
insight, flexibility and

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dedication.
The transformation of human

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nature is not an objective to be
taken up lightly.

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It is not something that occurs
overnight, but requires patient,

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persistent and dedicated effort
over time.

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The physical nature, the vital
nature, the mental nature, all

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have their own habitual
patterns, grooves of response

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that need to be addressed if any
true and lasting change is to

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take place.
Trying to change human nature

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has been likened to trying to
straighten out a dog's tail.

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It seems to always go back to
its natural condition.

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This however is a short sighted
view rooted in the ego

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personality.
Over a span of what we may call

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evolutionary time, Human nature
can and does change.

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Just as we can see mutations
occur from one generation to

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another in the physical being.
The human individual today is

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not quite the same as the human
being 10,000 years ago.

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We can expect further
transformative change to

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actually speed up now that many
people are putting a conscious

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focus and effort into that
process.

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What might otherwise take
millennia may now be looked at

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in terms of centuries beyond an
individual lifetime.

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Yes, but that does not mean that
each individual should not

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become part of the process and
the change, and it does not mean

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that all of the effort is
without interim progress that

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can become noticeable even
within a single lifetime,

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Fiorabindo writes.
Quote.

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There cannot be any high
endeavour, least of all in the

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spiritual field, which does not
raise or encounter grave

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obstacles of a very persistent
character.

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These are both internal and
external, and although in the

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large they are fundamentally the
same for all, there may be a

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great difference in the
distribution of their stress or

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the outward form they take.
Yoga has always its

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difficulties, whatever yoga it
may be.

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Moreover, it acts in a different
way on different seekers.

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Some have to overcome the
difficulties of their nature

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first before they get any
experiences to speak of.

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Others get a splendid beginning
and all the difficulties

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afterwards.
Others go on for a long time,

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having alternate risings to the
top of the wave, and then a

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descent into the gulfs, and so
on till the difficulty is worked

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out.
Others have a smooth path, which

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does not mean that they have no
difficulties.

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They have plenty, but they do
not care a straw for them

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because they feel that the
Divine will help them to the

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goal or that He is with them
even when they do not feel Him.

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Their faith makes them
imperturbable.

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End Quote.
Reference Srioro Bindu and the

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Mother Looking from Within,
Chapter 4, Ordeals and

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Difficulties, page 73.