Can a group push others out of a shared practice space because its deity needs to carry out spiritual work?

No. Everyone is practicing and hoping for divine blessings, which makes mutual respect all the more important. Having a large group or believing your deity is powerful does not justify pushing or bumping others aside and forcing them to surrender their practice space.

On one pilgrimage, I was concentrating on the Jade Emperor’s energy and watching the condition of the disciples accompanying me. Another group arrived, said they needed to carry out spiritual work, and crowded people aside. I understand that limited space makes contact difficult to avoid when many people gather. I also understand that a larger group needs more room. But forcibly driving others away leaves those already there feeling very uncomfortable.

Every temple has strengths and things worth learning. There is no need to compete over whose deity ranks higher. You want to practice, and so do others. Taking a step back and accommodating each other creates space for mutual respect. The virtues learned in cultivation must be expressed in these actual interactions.

Respect also includes the temple’s arrangements for spiritual work. When conducting sacred duties at Zhulinshan Guanyin Temple and Taipei Fengtian Temple, we followed their respective rules. At Zhulinshan Guanyin Temple, we reported matters in the front plaza, ended the deity’s descent, and then entered to worship. At Fengtian Temple, we first asked the temple, confirmed that simply reporting matters was allowed, and proceeded as agreed. Later, practicing on the second floor, we also chose somewhere that would not obstruct others.

I have encountered other teams who pushed people aside while declaring that a deity needed to work, making others very uncomfortable. Claiming to represent a deity is no reason to be arrogant. Those truly learning spiritual practice should be even more careful with their words and actions, allowing others to experience respect in their interactions.