Like all other human endeavours, spiritual journey is also filled with its share of obstacles. In verse 7.3 of the Bhagwad Gita, Krishna says that among many who strive for spiritual perfection, only a few reach the final goal. One of the reasons which makes any material or spiritual endeavour especially difficult is that there are long periods of time when the journey seems too tasteless and even painful. Some people choose to change track during such times and pursue greener pastures, which may not be such a bad thing in some cases. But some get really depressed since they still have faith in the chosen path, but don't know how to get over the rough patch they are going through. In spiritual pursuits, this may manifest either in the form of an unwillingness to carry out the practices (sadhana) for an extended period of time or as a lack of special experiences even after doing the practices sincerely for a long time.
The usual advice that enlightened Gurus give for handling such a spiritual depression is to keep doing the sadhana irrespective of all mental conditions. The reasoning behind such advice is that the unevolved mind likes to stay on the material plane and so resists attempts at spiritual cleansing. Though this may be good advice for the core disciples of each Guru, it generally does not work very well for others who do not have direct access to such Gurus. What keeps the core disciples going is the direct contact with the Guru and a certain spiritual ambience of the ashrama in which they live. For others, carrying out spiritual sadhana during such times of depression can be a very frustrating experience and needs to be dealt with somewhat differently. Here, it is important to note that this is not just a problem on the spiritual path but even for any material pursuit. Anyone who has tried to build a great career in any profession knows that there are times when the going gets very tough and there is a deep reluctance to keep doing the required effort. So its not a question of the mind not wanting to cleanse itself, but it not wanting to do the same thing repeatedly.
If we agree that the problem is mind's dislike for repetition, the solution is very clear and mainly has two aspects to it. Firstly, we should try not to let the mind reach such a state of depression in the first place. The mind needs to be treated as a child and an adult at the same time. It demands to be treated respectfully, but also likes to be allowed to keep jumping around here and there. Trying to forcefully channelize the mind in one direction is as much of a problem as freely allowing it to do what it likes. We need to be constantly aware of the state of the mind and make regular changes in our routine instead of waiting for the mind to start throwing big tantrums. Secondly, we need to have a good mix of different kinds of spiritual practices (Yoga cocktail) instead of trying to pursue just one path in a regimental manner. Having a good mix of spiritual interests leads to a healthy growth and prevents spiritual stagnation or depression.
It is true that no matter how careful we are and no matter how many diverse spiritual interests we have to keep the mind interested, there will be times when all will fail and we will land up in a state of complete disdain for these practices. In these times, the most important factor is not to loose faith on our chosen ideal. One could also think of these times as helping us in deeply assimilating the fruits of our earlier sadhana. A period of rest is as important as a period of intense work. So, a reluctance to pursue our sadhana may not necessarily be a negative thing, but an indication that we have accumulated more things than our mind and body are able to assimilate. One way of utilising these times well could be to go on a tour to spiritually elevating places, of which there is no dearth in India at least. One could also go and live in an ashrama for a while to absorb the positive energies of the place.
What could be a negative thing during times of spiritual depression is if we feel we are loosing faith in our chosen ideal. That could be quite problematic and needs to raise some level of alarm within us. This is perhaps a sign that tamasic tendencies are taking over our mind and the only way to deal with these times is intense introspection. We need to carefully evaluate the importance of the spiritual path for us and the reasons that got us interested in this path in the first place. Perhaps we need a change of Guru, or perhaps we need to prepare a different Yoga cocktail. As they say, change is the only constant in life and it is this ability to navigate a changing landscape that is crucial in ensuring our long-term progress.
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