My biggest obstical in spiritual growth so far has been the tendency to use certain substances to numb out or get high whenever life becomes uncomfortable. I simply cannot allow myself to feel pain, emptiness, depression, angst etc. without "using" something.
According to the laws of Karma, every action produces an equal and opposite reaction. This means that in the big picture (the really big picture), every experience of pleasure is balanced by and equal amount of suffering.
To me, this is the single most difficult concept to come to terms with, especially within the present day urban environment that intentionally encourages and pressures people into sense gratification. I believe it is also the reason why Krishna Consciousness is not as popular as one would think it ought to be given the exemplary qualities of Srila Prabhupad and the amazing legacy of knowledge that he left behind. People find it very hard to accept the idea that material pleasure is actually illusory, and therefore embrace the rigorous spiritual discipline that Krishna Consciousness ultimately requires.
Luckily, I stumbled accross an excellent article that really helped me to understand the concept better:
"Good/bad: When you know the truth, you take the two sides of life, the good and bad side, and see them as one whole. You do this by understanding what the balancing force means. It means all bad times will pass and be compensated for by an equal amount of good times. It also means all good times will pass and be paid for with an equal amount of bad times. It will always balance."
http://www.truthcontest.com/entries/the-present-universal-truth/
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