What are we really cultivating through spiritual practice?

Spiritual practice is about working on ourselves: our thoughts, our temper, and how we treat others, so that we gradually become more mature and wiser. It is not only preparation for what happens after death. We also hope to live this life well while we are here. When we understand where we want to go and then learn and act accordingly, spiritual practice becomes part of everyday life.

The deities are like teachers. They can teach us knowledge and methods, but understanding what we hear does not mean we have mastered it. Whether we can apply those principles when something happens still depends on us. What we experience ourselves can also become a source of learning. The principles we truly understand through those experiences become our own wisdom.

When I was left with debts from running a company in my earlier years, I understood very well what it meant to struggle through one difficulty after another. I worked hard, tried to change, and asked the deities and Buddhas for help. That was how I gradually made my way through. Looking back later through my faith, I felt those experiences had also trained me, helping me understand how to accompany others through hardship. Having faced difficulties, searched for solutions, and walked that road myself gives weight to what I say. This is my understanding of my own experience; it does not mean that everyone's suffering is arranged by the deities.

In everyday life, we can begin with repentance, gratitude, and good deeds. When we do something wrong, we sincerely acknowledge it and are willing to start again. When others have helped us, accepted us, or given us opportunities, we remember to thank them. When we are able, we do something to help others too. Putting these things into practice gives our intentions and actions a chance to move in a better direction together.

In learning from the deities and Buddhas, we also hope eventually to handle matters we once did not understand and become less dependent. This does not mean we cannot ask for help when we face difficulties. It means that after asking and learning, we should try to turn our understanding into our own judgment. We still have to take part in deciding how to choose and how to live; we cannot leave everything to the teacher.

Doing good and helping others are basic responsibilities as human beings. When I discuss deeper spiritual cultivation, I also include sitting practice, quiet sitting, and meditation: looking inward to understand our minds and improving both our inner character and our conduct. The number of activities we attend cannot substitute for actual inner change. We can begin with good deeds and carry that intention into deeper learning.

The most direct check is whether we handle things differently. If, after learning spiritual practice, we still face life with exactly the same temper and methods as before, we need to ask ourselves what we have really taken in. We learn the good qualities of the deities and Buddhas in order to use them in daily life and help those around us, gradually developing more mature ways of responding.

From the longer-term perspective of faith, this is not only about what we can gain right now. We work on our behavior and learn the wisdom and compassion of the deities and Buddhas, hoping to improve the present and give our lives a chance to develop further in the future. This is what I mean when I speak of fulfillment across successive lifetimes: first becoming a better person, then learning from the deities and Buddhas we respect, so that our intentions, outlook, and treatment of others gradually come closer to those qualities.

We should also ask ourselves from time to time why we first entered spiritual practice. Wanting life to improve when things are difficult is a very natural starting point. But as we continue learning, we cannot remain focused only on calculating how many scriptures we have recited or how much practice we have done and what money or benefits we should receive in return. I hope people gradually gain wisdom, broaden their hearts, and consider whether their abilities can help someone else.

At a deeper level, I also describe the direction of spiritual practice in terms of becoming an immortal or a Buddha and attaining freedom from the cycle of rebirth. This differs from simply wanting spiritual sensations or supernatural abilities. Even without those abilities, we can still learn in that direction. Doing good and helping others are worthwhile in themselves. Calling ourselves spiritual practitioners does not automatically make us superior to other people. Rather, alongside good deeds, we are willing to keep developing our character, wisdom, and spiritual life.