Deities and Faith
Are crowded holidays unsuitable for visiting a temple?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
If holidays are your only free time, you can certainly worship then. I personally prefer visiting Sanqing Temple on weekdays, when fewer people make the surroundings quieter. But if that timing is inconvenient, arrange the visit around your life. A holiday does not mean you cannot go.
From my experience of energy, crowds bring together many different states, and the qi can sometimes feel mixed or less comfortable. If I can choose, I therefore prefer a quieter time. This does not mean a temple necessarily becomes unfavorable on every holiday.
On one occasion, we celebrated a birthday early at Sanqing Temple on a Sunday because many people had to work on the winter solstice and could not join then. Worshipping together with students, disciples, and friends made everyone happy and moved me deeply. Feeling mixed energy in a crowd and experiencing good energy through a shared ritual are different circumstances. Actual feelings need to be understood in context. Weekday or holiday alone cannot determine one conclusion for every visit.