Self-Improvement

J. Krishnamurti used to compare self-improvement to the renovation of a prison cell. Yes, objectively everything looks better after you are done, but you are still in the same prison. I was reminded of this statement when I was reading 'The Disappearance of the Universe' by Gary Renard who is visited by some of Jesus' disciples who claim the same thing: we are all living in a world of maya and all we should aspire to do is to break free once and for all. 

Well, I obviously haven't broken free so there is little I have to add to the discussion. What I would say though is that I seem to have experienced what a spiritual path is. It is a force that compels you to move in a certain direction and there is little you can do about it. Every misstep away from the path is followed by discomfort and it is immediately clear to you what you have been hurting yourself in the process. Every continued misstep brings bigger and bigger emotional discomfort while layer on layer of understanding is added why you are pulled away from your equilibrium in the first place. At one point you just get to tired to even bother doing something else than the Tao calls for.