Starting Spiritual Practice
After six months or a year of practice, can I rush to qualify and help others?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
Learning for six months or a year, or having a burst of enthusiasm, does not establish readiness to help independently. I too once imagined that a period of study ought to be enough to qualify. Actually walking this path later helped me understand the older generation’s reminder that haste prevents arrival.
Time is not the only standard. What have those days accumulated? Continuing to learn, actually encountering problems and knowing how to face them differ from knowing a few principles. Becoming a bridge between people and deities and assisting those seeking help requires experience and a lived background, beyond wanting to do it.
I do not judge students’ growth only by learned powers. Their hearts, greater ease, understanding of others and willingness to face practice earnestly all matter. Rather than rush to set a qualification date, build the present work solidly, so the wish to help is supported by actual learning and growth.