Deities and Faith
Are divine examinations like sitting a human written test?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
No. One good performance on examination day does not establish divine virtue. The tests discussed concern longstanding life and treatment of others: have compassion and goodness become natural habits, rather than behavior produced only when tested?
Religion includes sayings about deities above us and records of conduct. I use these to remind people that actions and thoughts leave traces. Even without discussing who records them, our lives reveal what we did well and where we fell short. One examination moment cannot represent a whole person.
Divine trials therefore concern virtues standing up to life. Experience, gradual understanding, and a habitual wish to help build this over time. Present work is improving heart and behavior, not learning a registration-and-answering procedure that makes someone a deity upon passing.