Starting Spiritual Practice
Why is spending time reading worthwhile?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
Because a single book may contain years of accumulated experience. What you see is a book, but behind it may be collecting material, research, thought and repeated revision. Taking time to read gives you a chance to learn from that experience.
For example, my book A Fu Mo Practitioner Teaches You to Subdue Inner Demons and Avoid Spirit Interference took roughly five years overall, including about two or three of writing. I needed to plan the arrangement and revise completed material. Initially I wrote more ghost stories, then decided readers should understand faith rather than only find things eerie or magical. Many further adjustments followed.
Some authors visit locations, gather material and research for a book. Mentioning a price of several hundred dollars, I felt it valuable to access years of someone’s accumulated work for that cost. I wanted people to recognize the effort inside.
Buying the book still requires reading and digesting personally. Consider why the author says something, how it relates to your experience and what remains unclear. Reflection after reading offers a chance to turn another person’s experience into your own learning.