Having spent more than 55 years deeply exploring a variety of paths in spirituality and religion, I have come to recognize several significant gaps that are quite apparent in many spiritual approaches today. Spirituality is central to our experience as human beings. For more than half the world, it serves as the source of core values, guidance on how to find fulfillment and peace, and how compassion is cultivated. Without question, it provides some of the greatest sources of inspiration and peace. However, it can also be a significant source of limitations in several areas. This experience of both immense fulfillment and frustration seems to be shared by many who have undertaken a spiritual journey.
Therefore, it might be helpful to identify some of the missing pieces within our most sacred traditions and teachings and what needs to be added. While this may seem presumptuous, I believe it is a necessary exercise, one that can offer practical insights into enhancing the spiritual practices and teachings we already have.
Why Personal Vulnerability Is Vital for Teaching Students
One of the most noticeable gaps in spiritual teachings is the lack of sharing personal vulnerability from leaders and how this could be used to guide students with their own issues. Teachers in many spiritual and religious traditions rarely acknowledge their own ongoing personal struggles, especially the ones that they are dealing with in the present or recent past. While this is not true for all teachers—it is overwhelmingly true for most well-known figures in the field.
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to approach approximately 50 spiritual leaders and ask, “Why do you not share your greatest current challenges and how you apply your teachings to deal with them, as it seems like it could be so beneficial to your students?” The responses have been notably consistent, and very few have really addressed the needed emotional integration and intelligence.
Honoring Tradition: The first response I commonly receive is that it is not part of their tradition to speak about their personal struggles. They suggest that doing so would dishonor the lineage of teachers from whom they’ve learned. I understand that, in the cases of ancient spiritual figures like Jesus, Buddha, or Moses, their lives might not have involved the same psychological frameworks we work with today. However, most modern spiritual teachers do not claim to be beyond human struggles. Acknowledging their ongoing challenges could be incredibly valuable in helping students see that spiritual practice is not about transcendence but about integrating and transforming life’s difficulties.
The Need for Inspiration: A second reason often given is that students need figures who inspire hope by presenting an image of someone who has “arrived” spiritually. While the desire for role models is understandable, it’s also clear that idealizing teachers who present themselves as fully realized can lead to unrealistic expectations and a kind of spiritual bypassing, where students believe they need to be “perfect” before they can fully engage in their practice.
Self-Reference Concerns: The third reason often cited is the desire not to make the teachings about themselves. Spiritual teachers may fear that sharing their own experiences could be seen as self-indulgent or distracting from the core teachings. While there is a valid potential concern here, I believe it’s possible to integrate personal stories of struggle in a way that illustrates how the teachings have been applied to the real-life challenges of your students. This could help students feel less isolated in their own struggles, more trusting, and at peace in themselves, and inspired to use the teachings to work through their own challenges.
The reason this is so essential is that the students of all spiritual or religious approaches could gain the most if the teacher modeled the ways they were challenged, especially in the present or recent past, and applied how the teachings helped them move from this challenge toward healing, faith, or peace. There is nothing like someone you trust the most showing you how they, too, are human and they show the way to heal. This lessens the dangers of idealizing teachers and infantilizing oneself. This is a key need to enhance these traditions.
How Does Money Factor Into Spirituality?
Another significant gap in many spiritual traditions is the way money is addressed. As a society, we have an unhealthy relationship with money—particularly within wealthier communities. Spiritual teachings have largely failed to provide effective guidance on how to address this imbalance. Money, throughout history, has been a root cause of alienation and inequality, and the concentration of wealth continues to contribute to social unrest, crime, and even war.
Spiritual and religious leaders have a central role to play in addressing these issues. I have often spoken with teachers from various faith traditions, and while most agree that the topic of wealth and its ethical implications deserves more attention, very few have tried to enact any significant changes within their communities.
Wealth and Inner Fulfillment: For those in wealthy communities, spiritual teachings need to address the question of “How much is enough?” and help individuals explore this question both practically and emotionally. Over the years, I’ve worked with many financially successful clients who report a profound sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction. Guiding these individuals to see for themselves the illusion of how wealth alone could bring happiness and peace has led to much greater balance, freedom, and generosity toward themselves, disenfranchised communities, and the planet. Teachers can surely see that this attachment to money robs them of qualities like faith, trust, intimacy, and generosity.
The Act of Giving as a Path to Peace: Another important area to address is guiding students to experiment with how they use their wealth to become more fulfilled and inspired. It is vital to avoid guilt or pressure and instead encourage individuals to find their own wisdom, free from conditioning passed down through the ages. This can be achieved by asking questions like, “What’s your fantasy of what else you’d like to do with your money that might be touching to you? What would be your first experiment to see if it seems more valuable than accruing greater wealth?”
Inclusive Spirituality: Moving Beyond Religious Superiority
A third critical area for growth in many spiritual and religious traditions is the attitude of superiority that often arises between different faiths. The idea that one religion is “better” than another contradicts the core values of love, compassion, and unity that all spiritual paths advocate. History is littered with religious conflict, and in many cases, violence and exclusion have been justified in the name of religion.
Religious leaders across traditions need to unequivocally claim that there is no hierarchy of religions and that all paths can lead to truth and wisdom. Spiritual leaders need to emphasize inclusivity and mutual respect, moving away from divisive ideologies and toward unity. The focus needs to be on common values, shared humanity, generosity, and the universal desire for peace. Of course, every teaching will have its unique approach and benefits, but not supporting the illusion of being the chosen or superior wisdom allows everyone to move in an inclusive direction.
Creating a More Holistic Spirituality with the Missing Elements
These three areas—spiritual leaders embracing their vulnerability as a vital teaching method, addressing the role of money in spiritual life, and promoting religious inclusivity—are not revolutionary ideas. They are, however, essential pieces missing from many traditional spiritual teachings. By integrating these elements into existing traditions, we can help spirituality evolve in ways that make it more relevant, accessible, and transformative for today’s world.
These changes are not about creating new teachings or practices; they are about enhancing and deepening the traditions that already exist, bringing them more fully into alignment with the challenges and opportunities of the present moment. If spiritual traditions are to remain a source of genuine peace, purpose, and fulfillment, they need to evolve to include these missing elements. In doing so, they can heal divisions, foster the realization of our shared humanity, and bring about a more balanced and peaceful world.