When a goal remains unfinished, should I persist or take another path?

Persist in a positive direction, while adjusting your approach to actual circumstances. If you have worked hard but results remain disappointing, look back at the strategy and process. Having invested a great deal does not mean the current method must never change.

An athlete who wants to finish a competition needs continued training. But if the training is unsuitable, the method or intensity needs adjustment so effort does not remain stuck in the same place. Other pursuits are similar. First understand why you are doing something, then consider whether the present need is more practice or a different method.

Once, we planned to attend a deity's birthday celebration at Sanqing Temple in Yilan. Although we left earlier than usual, we were stuck in traffic for two hours with a long way still ahead. I thought about how tired the driver would become and how another traffic jam on the return might even prevent us from reaching Sheng Zhen Men's own celebration in time. After seeking guidance, we went to another temple instead. Our original intention had not changed, and we could visit Sanqing Temple another day. The immediate conditions had changed, so a choice was needed.

After changing the route, everyone still worshipped and had time to eat and talk, then returned to Sheng Zhen Men to share reflections. Not following the original itinerary brought other gains instead. We learned that missing one planned stop did not mean the entire day was wasted. Seeing the conditions clearly and adjusting the approach can also keep the original intention moving forward.

Dao Shan relayed Master Ji Gong's reminder that when persisting in something, we need to check whether it is moving in a good direction. If repetition brings no improvement, consider changing. Applying this perspective to learning, Dao Shan felt that life had genuinely improved and therefore understood more clearly why to continue. Besides how long you persist, understand what that persistence is bringing.

I have also reminded people that effort does not necessarily lead to spiritual fruition. If the results of trying are unsatisfactory once, twice, and three times, consider whether the direction or purpose needs correcting. Willingness to contribute, examine results, and change methods creates an opportunity to move beyond the existing impasse.

However, at the beginning of a new path, distinguish a mistaken direction from simply being in the early stages. When I first began offering services, I was unknown. Less than six months in, income was insufficient, and relatives and friends worried about me. I chose to continue and accepted help such as financial support and loans from them to get through the early hardship. That was the path I took at the time. Persistence also requires practical support for immediate living needs. We cannot ignore those needs with a simple instruction to 'hang in there.'