Actually to my knowledge one of the core teachings of the Vedas is that one has to experience higher states of understanding  They can not be taught though a teacher comes in handy at many points in the process to guide one away from misunderstandings  In the Hindu worldview of course it might takes many lifetimes before one is at a stage capable of experiencing the higher states but still  the fact that you may spend your whole life devoted to a given teacher is not a goal in itself but merely a step towards the eventual experience    It doesnt matter what domain of life youre talking about really  its the height of the human spirit to live in an effort to understand