What is the wisdom to discern right from wrong?

Discerning right from wrong means understanding a situation clearly, distinguishing what is right and wrong, and knowing what to do. It involves more than remembering a great deal of information. You also need to understand the reasoning, apply it to the issue at hand, and make an appropriate judgment.

You do not need to accept a statement immediately because it sounds pleasing, nor reject it at once because it differs from your view. First understand what it means and the circumstances in which it is said. Ask questions and keep learning where you do not understand. When I encounter unfamiliar spiritual matters, I also admit that I do not know. Before attending a shrine-opening ceremony for the first time, I reserved judgment about the actual situation until I could go myself and share afterward. Pretending to understand only spreads more errors.

Knowledge and everyday common sense both help judgment. When I said, 'Even if you lack knowledge, at least watch television,' I was reminding people to keep learning. At the same time, settle your emotions, understand the background and sequence of events, and consider whether someone is describing personal experience, advice for a particular situation, or a principle applicable elsewhere. Suspecting everything and declaring a problem from one clue can make life very difficult. The skill to develop is seeing clearly, rather than continual suspicion.

In the news story about drying thin noodles, a granddaughter wanted to promote her grandparents' business. Seeing enthusiastic online comments, she assumed people wanted to buy, without distinguishing comments that might have been mocking or sarcastic. After making the information public, the business was reported instead. Seeing roadside exhaust and dust, as well as noodles hanging to the ground, also made me think about hygiene. Drying noodles in traditional courtyard homes belonged to a different way of life, and there may have been fewer pollution sources then. As times and conditions change, both comments and practices need another layer of thought, or good intentions can lead to poor judgment.

Accepting advice also involves practical difficulties. During my first year offering services, I visited a client's home to discuss work and saw an old altar table left by the previous occupant, with a faded Guanyin picture behind it. I advised against continuing to use it. The client said another folk-religion teacher who had published books thought purification would suffice. I felt the home was not very suitable and mentioned my view, but I did not formally assess its feng shui. The client had practical constraints: the rent was affordable, and this was the only available rental. Another teacher was later invited for the move-in, and I said no more.

The next news came through the friend who had introduced the client. The client's wife had died in an accident while on a tour-bus trip. I felt very sad and wondered whether the home might indeed have had a feng shui problem. But the original consultation concerned work, and I had not specifically assessed its feng shui. This experience increased my concerns about used altar tables and deity pictures, making me feel that the energetic influence of old objects associated with deities should not be overlooked. Looking back at that choice also reminds me that a teacher's reputation, published books, and an answer matching our expectations can all affect willingness to accept advice. Practical constraints are part of it too.

The warm online story about living peacefully with a ghost also offers practice in judgment. Dao Xuan and I discussed how the three-year-old child's speech, the deceased person's wish to play a PS5, and the setting of a death many years earlier differed somewhat from situations we had encountered. We also raised another possibility: perhaps the deceased could see modern things and update their knowledge. These were questions arising from our experience, not grounds for excluding every possibility based on a timeline alone. Our comments about the child's response likewise compared it with what we had seen ourselves.

Our view at the time was that the story had many questionable elements and was probably fictional, and we welcomed discussion with the author. A heartwarming piece can be read as a short story. But it would be inappropriate to conclude that if you encounter a deceased person's spirit at home, buying things and chatting will necessarily change it. In our experience of handling such matters, changing the existing patterns of this kind of energy often requires time and communication. A few words are not enough.

When actually handling cases of spirit attachment, it is even more important to distinguish whether they concern ghosts or spirits with grievances, yin spirits or ancestors, external demonic interference, or inner mental obstacles. Without understanding the situation, you cannot know how to respond. I also use taiji and yin-yang to explain judgment. These involve more than two poles of black and white: there are relationships of advance, retreat, and mutual change. You cannot memorize one answer and apply it everywhere.

Besides judging, we need to examine how we explain things. Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva's teaching helped me understand that if someone does not understand the first explanation, perhaps I have not been clear enough. I can adjust and explain again instead of examining only the listener's shortcomings. Reasoning is meant to help people understand, not prove who is more capable. In my daily prayers, I place great importance on the opening of wisdom, hoping to understand problems and how to address them better.

This also needs everyday practice. When discussing training for Fu Mo practitioners, I mention learning divination from a teacher of good character, observing, listening, and learning when matters arise, and accumulating knowledge and practical experience. Meditation and quieting the mind help settle emotions first. Reciting scriptures can also help us understand the approaches religion discusses for addressing difficulties. The more we want to help, the more we need to demand clarity of judgment from ourselves. Otherwise, good intentions can mislead others.

Another error arises when we do something for so long that we stop noticing what is wrong. Discussing a news story about slacking off at work, I reminded people that if the environment continually allows it and we make no demands of ourselves, perfunctory work may gradually seem normal. Other people's silence does not remove our responsibility. By mistaken views, I mean incorrect thoughts and perspectives. We also need to notice whether we have become too accustomed to them to recognize them.

Watching competitions can also provide practice. Beyond remembering who won or lost, consider what you would do in the face of errors and pressure. Bring the athletes' experiences back into daily life and consider where preparation, adjustment, or appreciation is needed. Knowing about something must be followed by reflection before it gradually becomes your own understanding. This is also what I mean by wisdom in discussing the Six Perfections. It cannot be judged only by IQ or how many terms you remember. The principles learned must be put into action: see the direction clearly, then actually act.

Explaining something clearly does not mean intending to attack someone. I used to speak indirectly for fear of rejecting another person's view too bluntly. Later I realized that being too indirect can leave people without clear grounds for understanding what needs more thought. While respecting someone, you can still explain where you disagree and make the reasons clear.

Such judgment does not necessarily require spiritual powers. I learn what happened, listen to the people involved, speak with others connected to the situation, and consider the information together. Understanding more and continuing to learn are efforts people can make themselves. Even with spiritual experience, I would not claim to understand everything completely. I still leave room for other people's reflection and comments.

At Sheng Zhen Men, we also do not settle unseen matters based on one person's mediumistic account alone. We consider several people's views and use methods such as Chinese chess divination, divination blocks, or drawing lots to explore the situation together. This is how we exercise caution in our faith practice. I still believe there are always people beyond ourselves and things beyond what we know. Having expertise does not mean knowing everything. When something remains unfamiliar, do not rush to present your perception as the only answer.

I began teaching at thirty. Looking back in my fifties, I also felt that some of my judgments differed from before. It was not that I previously understood nothing. More experience gradually revealed things I had not considered. Knowledge, common sense, and practical experience all require accumulation. Education or age alone need not determine our judgment of someone's wisdom.