Do many ritual lamps mean a temple only wants money?

We cannot say that a temple only wants to make money simply because it charges fees or many people sponsor ritual lamps. Prayers for blessings and star-lamp rites can be religious services, and temples also need funds. What we should watch for is whether the wish to collect more has crowded out people’s feelings and the purpose of worship.

I once visited a temple with so many star-lamp arrangements that it was rather difficult to walk through, and the deities were almost hidden from view. At that moment I wondered whether it had gone too far. Were they trying to fit in more and earn more without considering the space and appropriate proportions? These were my feelings and questions at the time, not a statement that this was definitely what had happened.

For example, a place might hold a hundred star-lamp arrangements while still feeling comfortable, but feel very different if five hundred were forced into it. The point is proportion and restraint. The numbers one hundred and five hundred are not fixed standards for judging every temple.

There are also large temples with many visitors and many people sponsoring lamps whose service still feels caring and warm. So we need to consider funding, scale and the spirit of service together. Religious activities can be offered, but they should not become solely about money while forgetting why serving living beings mattered in the first place.