Spiritual Cultivation and Movement
If spiritual cultivation is theoretically possible for everyone, why might some situations make it unsuitable?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
Theoretical ability to practice and present suitability to begin are different matters. From my faith perspective, people have souls and their original spirits possess awareness, so cultivation and spirit-induced movement are theoretically possible. This does not mean everyone should proceed regardless of their present physical and mental condition or ideas.
I compare it to driving: possessing a license and knowing how to drive does not make driving while drunk appropriate. Spiritual cultivation also requires considering your current condition, whether you understand the practice, whether your disposition is steady, and whether your ideas are seriously misguided. Mistaking attachment to supernatural powers for the whole of cultivation can instead lead you astray.
Warnings about risks aim to give you a proper understanding of what needs attention while learning. With sound ideas and continued understanding and adjustment through experience, spiritual cultivation does not necessarily go astray. But focusing only on increasing mediumistic abilities while forgetting to refine character and develop energy and wisdom loses the original direction.
Also distinguish access to this method from an obligation for everyone to choose it. When I worked at Cathay Life, a supervisor first encountered Western astrology, Seth, and the higher self, then learned about our place of practice and became uncertain which path to follow. The advice then was to try and explore personally, understanding whether this was how they wanted to learn. Eastern and Western traditions offer different methods. Finding what suits you matters more than forcing yourself forward behind others.
Nor does a temporary inability to experience spirit-induced movement mean you have no original spirit. In my understanding, the timing of awakening and the circumstances that initiate it differ. Beginners especially should not identify every dream and sound as a message from ghosts or deities. Discuss questions with a teacher and gradually learn discernment. If you only want to prove special abilities but cannot distinguish feelings from imagination, first steadying your mind becomes even more necessary.