Four Methods to Deal with Obstacles

There are four methods to deal with obstacles, both worldly and spiritual:

1. Abhyasa Yoga (Effort-based Practice)

• Concept:
  Align yourself with the obstacle in the same direction or plane and counter it with equal and opposite effort (force). This method relies on consistent practice and perseverance to overcome challenges directly.

Examples:

Studying daily to pass an exam despite distractions.

Imagine you are trying to push a boulder uphill. You exert constant force in the same direction as the incline to move it against the gravitational force. Similarly, in spiritual practice, when faced with distractions or challenges like laziness, you apply consistent effort through regular meditation, study, or rituals to overcome them.

2. Vairagya Yoga (Detachment)

• Concept:
  Stay on the same plane as the obstacle but change your direction to avoid direct confrontation. Instead of absorbing the blow, you change your reaction or perspective, thereby neutralizing its impact. This method emphasizes detachment and adaptability.

Examples:

Ignoring gossip at work instead of confronting it.

Suppose someone insults you. Instead of reacting angrily (directly facing the obstacle), you detach emotionally and respond calmly or not at all. By shifting your reaction, you avoid the harmful effects of anger or hurt feelings.

3. Anasakta Yoga (Non-attachment)

• Concept:
  Change your entire plane of interaction with the obstacle. This means rising above the problem entirely, shifting to a different level where the obstacle no longer affects you.

Examples:

Choosing a peaceful rural life to avoid city stress.

In a workplace conflict, instead of getting involved in politics, focus on personal growth and excellence, effectively rendering the conflict irrelevant.

4. Asparsha Yoga (Untouchable Yoga)

• Concept:
  Cut the source of the obstacle itself. This method eliminates the root cause of the problem, such as ignorance or false perceptions, leading to complete freedom.

Examples:

If fear arises from misunderstanding the nature of the self, gaining wisdom (self-realization) eliminates the fear altogether.

If an archer fires arrows at you, cutting the string of the bow removes the possibility of more arrows being shot. In spiritual terms, ignorance is the bowstring, and desires or fears are the arrows. Eliminating ignorance removes all other obstacles.

Philosophical Insights

These methods point to how all experiences, whether obstacles or solutions, ultimately arise from the self (Brahman). For example, fear is born of ignorance, but when ignorance is removed, fear becomes fearlessness.

Similarly, poison can transform into nectar and vice versa when perceived with the right understanding.

Achieving harmony in these four approaches culminates in complete unity with Brahman and the end of dualities like fear/comfort or poison/nectar.

By practicing these methods, one can handle various obstacles - whether they arise from within (mental, emotional) or the outside world (situational challenges) - and progress toward spiritual and worldly growth.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi