Deities and Faith
If Xuantian Shangdi is not visibly seen during a ritual against malicious influences, does that mean he did not come?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
Whether someone sees the deity’s full form cannot be the sole criterion for deciding whether the deity has arrived. Introducing the ritual against malicious influences, Dao Xuan said the full form of Xuantian Shangdi was not seen every time, but the deity’s energy could be felt and inspiration received about where to begin. This was Dao Xuan’s experience of providing services.
Xuantian Shangdi presides over this ritual. Dao Xuan invokes divine assistance and uses a written petition. Besides the principal deity, other deities, Dharma protectors, and divine generals are invited to help. For us, what matters is connecting with the deities and truly invoking their assistance, not simply whether a concrete image appears at the site.
However, invoking deities is easy to say and difficult to do. A practitioner’s great vows, love, and determination to help people all matter. Dao Xuan was entrusted with this work not because the name contains the character Xuan, but because of willingness to help people resolve problems. Understanding that intention shows why a ritual is more than outward movements.
Similar situations occur in perceptions during deity installation. Dao Xuan shared seeing streams of multicolored light later entering the protector statues, while the principal deities had their own light. No complete divine figures were seen flying down. What matters to me is honestly describing the experience rather than adding unseen images to appear impressive. This was the experience of that particular installation. It does not establish that every installation can show only light and no other perceptions.