Starting Spiritual Practice
Is choosing ordinary life rather than spiritual practice a bad choice?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
You can choose not to follow the path of spiritual practice and instead live your own life well. That is not a bad thing. People have different lives, work, and desired directions. Society is made up of many kinds of people.
I used to encourage people more often to keep elevating themselves. Later I reflected that everyone has different habits, choices, and aspirations, and I cannot require everyone to follow my direction. Some want to practice seriously; others want to live their present lives well. Both can begin by understanding what they truly want.
From my faith perspective, spiritual practice develops spirituality, wisdom, and how we deal with people and situations, in the hope of reaching a better state. If you aspire to the worlds of deities and Buddhas, or want to leave your existing troubles behind, you need to learn and change your thinking and behavior accordingly. You cannot hope to arrive there while leaving everything unchanged.
Your goal does not have to be grand from the beginning. Wanting a calmer mind and fewer worries is also a direction for learning. Whether to take this path remains your choice. First clarifying where you want to go and what adjustments you are willing to make also helps you understand what spiritual practice means to you.