All spiritual awakenings are inward journeys, they are journeys of deep Introspection. Hence every individuals exploration is unique, and thus there are naturally many paths to such awakenings.

We should not fail to recognize that there have been many folks, learned and wise monks and sages in every region and religion, who have had spiritual experiences that has made them fell closer to and connected to the divine. So if such folks show us a path that has helped them, and genuinely want others to experience the joy and bliss of such awakening, It would be wise for us mere mortals to heed to their advice.

However, If any individual claims that his path is the only way is fooling both himself and those who trust him / her. So the choice of whose advice we want to follow is upon us. We are given the mental faculty to weigh in on each of the way’s and make a choice most appropriate to our character and liking. Making that choice is easier said than done. our choices and resolve is influenced by our upbringing, our environment, our feelings likes and dislikes.

Many who are initially interested are swayed by this various influences and tend to keep switching paths. Sooner or later they get disappointed and slowly loose interest. Some folks complain none are good and give up on the quest. And in many cases the daily grind and responsibilities are burdensome. In such cases just as hobbies take a back seat, this Quest gets postponed with a hope to continue post retirement. Thus most objectives of spiritual awakening, never go past the planning stage.

Another issue with Spiritual Awakening is the end is not in sight. nor is the path well known. But we should not lose hope. Like the old story goes — When you only have a candle or torch and you need to cross a forest or climb a mountain, there is no point in worrying that the torch cannot show you the whole path. the wise person makes every attempt to go till where the light shines, and as that path is traversed, he finds that further path is revealed. So one should make every attempt to make progress, however small it is.

As seekers there are a few more aspects to be aware of. Not all Monks and sages who experienced the divine felt obliged to help others. And among those who did want to help, they did not keep a record of their travails and triumphs during the journey. Also many of them were not great literary geniuses, that they are able to fully articulate the emotions and bliss felt on reaching milestones or the view from the peak they reached. Hence whatever literature & stories we find are mostly pointers in the right direction. It is for us to make meaning from them and make progress. Here due to our limited cognitive abelites we have over many centuries mostly mis-understood, mis-interpreted and as a result further lost our way

Another bottleneck that as seekers we need to be aware of is. It is to be noted that our senses such as Vision, Touch, smell, taste and Hearing help us to perceive the outside world. and has minimal use for inward spiritual journeys. Our thoughts and ability to make meaning from what our outward senses perceive are the only tools we have. So the sages and monks have tried to convey their wisdom using using language / words, stories which appeal to the Outward focused Senses of the naive beginners

Hence it becomes even more difficult and abstract for us mere mortals to envision the path or the destination — even though we may desire to get there. Thus it naturally becomes that we are forced to explore our own way through this forest and hope to come to the other side of this and experience what may lie in front of us. The many folks who have been there through various paths have guided us and shared their experiences. But we are constrained by our our ability in making meaning and deriving wisdom from what has been passed on to us.

So it is that all inward journeys are to be made in solitude, we could use advice and lessons from those who have travelled before us but it is we who have to make the journey alone.