There are many pitfalls, disappointments and obstacles in this world for the spiritually inclined. There can be the dual problems of not only being misunderstood by others but also not clearly understanding ourselves. Many spiritual seekers search, work and struggle towards the enlightenment, the desire for which animates their hearts and minds. For many people this becomes the main preoccupation in life, a burning ambition, and they can seem strange and different from their friends and family. This can be a source of conflict in some people's lives, and lead to all sorts of twists and turns in life's road.
Many spiritual seekers run into severe problems, obstacles and conflicts.
Some people get lost in the sensations of spiritual experiences, and seek after yet more sensations. This is regarded by genuine spiritual teachers as a mistake. They would point out that the object of spiritual endeavour is not in having a wonderful ego-trip. Unfortunately many, if not most seekers go through a stage where their egos become inflated by the new experiences, as the ego strives to take all the credit for everything that is happening. This can happen particularly if people are getting most of their learning from books, without personal guidance by a teacher, who would usually oversee the person's preparations for spiritual experiences, and carefully guide the person's progress.