The Paradox of Seeking: How the Search for Enlightenment Becomes an Obstacle

One of the most shocking statements about spirituality is uttered by Jiddu Krishnamurti. He said:

I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized …

One of the greatest paradoxes on the spiritual path is that the very act of seeking can become an obstacle to what is sought. Across various contemplative traditions, particularly in Buddhism, this paradox is well recognized. The problem of seeking manifests in several ways, each reinforcing the illusion of separation and perpetuating suffering rather than alleviating it.

The Duality of Seeker and Sought

The moment one embarks on a spiritual quest, a division arises: the seeker and the sought. This duality reinforces the sense of separation, strengthening the ego rather than dissolving it. Seeking implies that something is missing, that there is a gap between the present state and an imagined future state of enlightenment. However, many spiritual traditions emphasize that what we seek is already present. Parables and tales…