Why do so many people pursue spiritual cultivation these days, yet very few achieve genuine spiritual attainment?
People often ask: why are there hardly any widely‑renowned Taoist masters or great spiritual practitioners in modern times?
Liu Yiming, a distinguished Taoist master of the Qing Dynasty, pondered exactly this question long ago. Every human being, regardless of natural gifts, will encounter unavoidable hardships in life. According to Liu Yiming, these are life’s “passes.” Without breaking through these passes, one cannot elevate their inner spiritual state. Demonic obstacles will keep appearing on the spiritual path, and true spiritual accomplishment becomes impossible.
Liu Yiming’s classic Tong Guan Wen (Treatise on Passing Through Spiritual Barriers) was written as a guide for spiritual practitioners. In this text, he laid out fifty critical spiritual passes, together with corresponding methods to overcome each one.
A handful of these passes reflect the specific historical context of his era, such as alchemical practices related to internal and external formulas. But most passes are universal struggles ordinary people still face today: laziness, greed for wealth, jealousy, poverty, ego‑conflict, fear of death, and more. Below are selected reflections still meaningful for modern readers.
The Pass of Glory and Status
“What people call glory and nobility used to mean riding fine carriages, wearing luxurious silk garments, and feasting on exquisite meats and seafood. These only adorn the body, satisfy the appetite, and impress onlookers. Yet they harm the mind and spirit. Such blessings do not last long. When death arrives, glory vanishes completely. Those who once enjoyed high status end up no different from common folk. Where is the true nobility in that?”
In modern society, material wealth and social standing far exceed what existed in ancient China. Still, fame and luxury remain external things. If you treat them as the whole meaning of life, you will become trapped by them.
To pass the barrier of glory is not to flee from wealth and status. It means you can live within prosperity without craving or clinging to it. Arrogance because of status, obsession with luxury, lingering attachment after losing privilege, craving high position, or fawning over powerful people—all show you have not crossed this pass.
True Taoist practitioners do not reject worldly prosperity entirely. Instead, they may use favorable circumstances to benefit society. Historical figures such as Bao Qian, Huainanzi, Dongfang Shuo, Xu Jingyang, Master Mei, Ge Xianweng, Ge Hong, and Luo Zhuangyuan lived among official circles. They practiced spiritual cultivation within secular life and attained great spiritual progress amid worldly power and fame.
The Pass of Wealth and Profit
Liu Yiming distinguished two kinds of wealth: worldly wealth, meaning gold, silver, jewels, and material possessions; and dharma‑wealth, referring to accumulated merit, sincerity, and spiritual virtue.
Those who chase worldly wealth value money above virtue. They scheme, take advantage of others, and seek to grab every possible benefit. Their desires never get satisfied. Even if they pile up mountains of treasure, they cannot escape death and karmic cycles. Nothing material can be carried into the afterlife; only accumulated karma remains.
Living in the mortal world, we cannot reject material resources entirely. Still, we should seek gains with moral judgment, take only what is rightfully ours, and examine whether resources come from proper sources. Ancient masters always prioritized dharma‑wealth: they valued merit and compassion far above gold.
Many modern spiritual seekers chase worldly riches instead of building spiritual merit. No amount of gold can buy liberation from birth and death. More wealth brings more entanglements; greater profit carries greater hidden harm.
The Pass of Poverty and Hardship
“If you cannot endure poverty, if hunger and cold fill you with irritation, and difficulties stir anger in your heart—physical suffering poisons your mind. You prioritize trivial worldly comforts and abandon genuine spiritual truth. You drift far from the Dao. When will you ever reach the spiritual shore?”
The pass of poverty tests your spiritual resolve during hardship. Liu Yiming criticized practitioners who could not bear plain living. Faced with deprivation, they complain against heaven and others, give way to chaotic thoughts, and lose their inner ground. This barrier becomes a huge mountain blocking spiritual advancement.
If you hold firm your aspiration toward the Dao and practice earnestly, those who have not yet heard the true teaching will one day encounter it. Those who already understand the Dao can reach spiritual fulfillment. Genuine spiritual devotion will not go unnoticed.
The Pass of Laziness
Master Wang Chongyang once said: “Fragrance emerges from stench; sweetness comes out of bitterness.” Spiritual seekers must be vigorous and diligent, never indulging in comfort and idleness.
The study of human nature and spiritual life is humanity’s most important yet most difficult pursuit. It demands hard work, steady willpower, and consistent effort from start to finish. Great, lasting spiritual achievement can only grow from persistent long‑term practice.
Many modern practitioners avoid hardship. They hope a famous teacher can grant instant enlightenment with a few words, without sustained personal effort. Without real dedication, progress cannot happen.
The Pass of Self‑Abandonment
Old Taoist records tell of thousands who achieved ascension, hundreds who attained household transcendence, and countless masters who departed the world consciously. None reached such heights without learning and enduring hardship. No one succeeds in spiritual practice without effort.
Self‑abandonment means giving up on yourself: disregarding your own life and moral nature. People fall into this trap when they fail to recognize human potential for spiritual growth. They make excuses: fate fixes our life span; ancient masters possessed special innate gifts ordinary people lack; the Dao is too profound for common people. With such thoughts, they waste their lifetime. To lose this precious human body means unimaginably long cycles of suffering.
Modern life brings many more inner barriers: jealousy, vanity, false intellectual pride, hidden malice, fear of hardship, addiction, lack of an inner anchor, and so forth. Ordinary people and spiritual practitioners face similar categories of trials, differing only in intensity.
No one escapes life’s inner passes. Face them bravely, overcome them, and your inner world deepens and elevates. Avoid them, and you get trapped in self‑doubt and surrender, ending up with wasted years.
“Passing through barriers” means clearing obstacles ahead of your spiritual journey. Recognize, confront, and transcend inner trials. Correct distorted mindsets, purify delusive thoughts, and advance steadily toward your highest purpose.