Why is the way you serve people at a temple also part of spiritual practice?

How you treat people while serving at a temple affects how they understand the faith. Visitors directly feel whether they are respected and staff are courteous and warm, or merely finishing a task. If we believe deities are compassionate and virtuous, we should bring that heart into our own service.

When Dao Xuan and I visited Sanyang Yufu Tiangong, we particularly discussed its warm, hospitable, enthusiastic reception. A large temple and dignified statues can inspire awe, but the reception staff's speech and care bring human warmth and influence trust and affection for the temple.

I also had good experiences bringing a command flag to Zhulinshan Guanyin Temple in earlier years. Once I went with family; another time I carried it alone, and staff were equally respectful. In our faith, the flag represents deities and spiritual soldiers, and basic respect matters regardless of the number visiting. Fees for conducting services are reasonable, but visitors who simply worship without requesting services also deserve a proper welcome.

Another moving experience happened at Songshan Cihui Temple. We arrived on pilgrimage at noon without having eaten, and the head personally cooked vegetarian food for everyone. On another occasion, YOYO saw the head personally performing fright-cleansing for worshippers. Both experiences made us reflect on whether, with higher status and more helpers, we still willingly serve in person.

Greater scale and workload test whether we retain our original intention. With more visitors, do compassion and enthusiasm remain, or do irritation and complaint take over? Care means more than completing ritual tasks; it also means showing concern through everyday interaction. I often use this to remind myself and students.