How can I continue learning and practising when I temporarily cannot visit the temple?

Even when you temporarily cannot go to the temple, you can continue the practices available to you and find ways to keep learning. First consider what normally helps you there besides recitation and meditation. Exchanges with fellow practitioners and hearing others’ experiences often reveal further things to learn. When those interactions are missing, look back at which part you may now lack.

Dao Jing experienced this while staying home during the pandemic. Although the house had been cleaned and scriptures recited, sleep became light, the body felt tired and the mind remained overexcited. On reconsidering it, Dao Jing realised that learning together normally included sharing and reminders. Greater freedom at home had instead meant less reading and no continued personal development. After finding books to read again, a sense of steadiness gradually returned.

Dao Jing also greatly valued the online group practice and teachings at the time, waiting punctually for them to begin. Seeing familiar deities and hearing staff members’ voices brought a sense of closeness and happiness. This experience reminds us to continue the practices we can do and maintain learning and exchanges when unable to attend in person. Find the part that is missing for you then, rather than stop learning once the housework is done.