“You get your bachelor’s degree and think you know it all. Then you earn your master’s and realize you know only a little. But when you get your PhD, you understand you know nothing.”
One of my professors shared this with me long ago, and it struck such a chord that I both laughed and pondered it often in the years that followed. Over time, I began to wonder: what if we applied this same concept to the spiritual path?
In the pursuit of Self-realization, it might go something like this: You get initiated into Kriya Yoga and think enlightenment is just around the corner. Then, after a decade of daily practice, you know the technique, but your inspiration has run dry. If you remain determined, you seek further training, take deeper vows, redouble your efforts, and absorb all the wisdom you can find, only to realize you’ve been practicing just 1% of what your guru recommended, and even that imperfectly.
And then, finally, you smile. Because you understand that this is the Soul’s work, an undertaking that spans the vast cycles of time. It will take as long as it takes.
The journey to Self-realization is long, but the path becomes increasingly sprinkled with joy as we begin to experience life through the lens of Spirit. Many of us are empaths, deeply attuned to the suffering in the world: fear, anxiety, cynicism, and rage, often for good reason. Walking this path requires tenderness: to move through the suffering with an open heart while recognizing that each person is a fellow soul on their own journey. Some may be more lost than you. Others have found a better way—follow them. As Maya Angelou wisely said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
Paramhansa Yogananda’s Psychological Chart offers profound insight into this journey, mapping the development of human consciousness on the path to enlightenment. It is a powerful tool for Swadhyaya (introspection) , an essential step in Patanjali’s eightfold path of yoga. Certain qualities, he teaches, indicate an elevating consciousness. Some of them may surprise you:
- Dutifulness—out of love, out of respect
- Acting in accordance with the suggestions of superior minds
- Quiet
- Faithful
- Patient
- Amiable
- Having a sense of propriety
At first, I wondered—why these? While undeniably noble, some might be perceived as weakness in certain contexts. But as I reflected, I saw their deeper significance. These qualities mirror the wisdom in my professor’s words: the more we learn on the spiritual path, the more we realize how little we truly know.
Ultimately, our own willpower and experience will take us far—but not all the way to liberation. To reach ultimate freedom, we need a guide. And to accept such guidance—to surrender to Divine wisdom—we must cultivate great humility.
