Do low periods or absent special perceptions mean my practice is declining?

Special perceptions alone cannot determine regression. Practice includes character, wisdom, and daily learning. During a period without images or sensations, first examine recent life, practice, and changed responses rather than hurriedly declaring failure.

I do not perceive things at every moment either. Discussing services, I explicitly said I often know those matters only while receiving deities and working. This is personal experience, not a requirement for everyone. It reminds us that constant feeling is not a practitioner’s necessary performance.

Understand what kind of low period it is. Miao Yuan described self-exploration as hitting a wall or a dark phase when recognizing disliked reactions felt hard to face. Knowing adjustment remained possible meant there was still a path. This was her experience, not a requirement that everyone pass an identical darkness to progress.

Occasional shortcomings still allow learning. I have said none of us, including me, is perfect. Improvement over yesterday is improvement; a little retreat can be corrected next time. Fatigue and illness naturally make emotional stability harder. Care for actual needs rather than only blame insufficient practice.

But worsening pain and continuing decline cannot be dismissed as a test requiring endurance. Clarify problems in methods, environments, or life, and discuss and adjust. Physical or mental difficulties also call for medical care first. Continuing practice means willingness to understand and improve, not treating every discomfort as something to endure.