Acharya Shree, what causes people to fall off the spiritual path
or not take up the spiritual path
That is a beautiful question
I will say in one word
A very strong word
People are not on the spiritual path, they don't take the spiritual path, or they fall off the spiritual path
Because of "Ignorance"
In our holy text in the Hindu culture
What they call the holy text
it is called Avidya, Avidya
means simply, ignorance.
because people are not wise enough
even though they start
as following the spiritual path
and there are many obstacles on the way
It has to happen, obstacles
when a person is on the good path
other people will criticize him or her, it is natural
because it doesn't seem
like that person who is on the spiritual path is
like them, so they try always
that this person is
off the track. There is something wrong with
it. There is something wrong with this person.
Because they are not acting normally. I will suggest
that when a person is awakened, all the
people will consider that person is a crazy person.
because they don't belong to them anymore.
It is the ignorance of the people. Sometimes,
that person who is following the spiritual path
can get trapped into the people's idea
he or she will think
that if one person says, that
I am wrong or something wrong with you, that is okay. But two persons say
three, four, hundreds of people say the same thing
and they begin to think that maybe something is wrong with me
And the drop the spiritual path because of
their own ignorance. It is the ignorance
the root of all these
sufferings. That is why people need to take
a spiritual path. But because of ignorance Avidya
they cannot take it. The people
who are
wanting to take the spiritual path, is not easy to take
because the first step is very very hard to take
and once the first step is taken
it is possible that the person will go all the way on the
spiritual path. But still ignorance
Ignorance is the root
of all the suffering and karmas
so somehow we have to
dissolve this ignorance by
if we meet someone enlightened
An enlightened person will advise you
and will take you to the right direction to the right view
the right path
the first thing that an enlightened one will attack on your ignorance
and human is full of ignorance
even though they consider themselves the most civilized people on the earth
or the galaxy even.
but, it is not true
Because it is their ego
I would suggest, that if you want to take steps
towards the spiritual path
I would suggest Vinao Dhammassa Mulam
Humbleness, politeness is the root
towards the spiritual path
You must be humble, be polite. Then inside
you are peaceful. Once you are peaceful and you have a good advisor
You have a master with you then you can be
awakened and your ignorance can be shattered.
If ignorance is there even
God himself or awakened one
or enlightened one in front of you cannot
awake you, because ignorance is so
strong, it cannot
be broken, unless you take the step
and the first step is very important
once you take the first step. There is a possibility, a chance
that you will be on the spiritual path
I will suggest all spiritual people
that try to work on your ignorance
Avidya ignorance
because of ignorance there is attachment
Because of ignorance there is Murchha There is Asakti Craving
because of ignorance there is anger, ego
deceitfulness, or greediness
The root is ignorance
so, work on your own ignorance
take advice from the enlightened one but don't get trapped
into religions. If you are trapped into religions
you might be a scholar of religion
you might have a lot of knowledge about the religion about the text book
but you cannot
you cannot
dissolve, you cannot shatter ignorance
I will say this is the seed, this seed
has a big tree, big branches
so you need to work on the seed
once the seed, if a person works on the seed it will never
grow like a tree, so you need to dissolve it
the very strong seed is ignorance
I will call it again and again. Ignorance.
That is why people fall off from the spiritual path
take to the spiritual path
because of ignorance.