In summary, those who claim to make money are deceiving you, and without virtue, it is impossible.
(You are a good person, but you may want to help others, yet not help the wrongdoers.) One must “be filled with virtue internally, and have dignity externally, with heaven and humanity converging, and spirits and gods observing”. Not only must one possess the dignity of teaching, but also sufficient internal cultivation, and a compassionate heart to help others. Therefore, becoming a high-level practitioner who dominates the altar is not an easy task.
In the “Luminous Lamp of the Cave and Mysterious Treasure”, Master Lu Xiujing requires that “virtue must be filled internally, dignity must be prepared externally, in all actions and stillness, one must not violate the legal form, under the influence of the three realms, observed by spirits and gods, to open blessings, connect with the true, summon spirits, resolve doubts and obstacles, and guide the wise”.
The Taoist scripture “Jade Frame of the Heavenly Altar” also states directly: “Without cultivation, one will not possess a body”.
These can all be seen as the strict requirements and encouragements from the Taoist ancestors for practitioners and high-level practitioners throughout history.
1. Throughout history, high-level practitioners have believed that a practitioner must undergo personal cultivation to possess the ability to help others through their practices.
The “Ten Regulations of the Taoist Door” also states: “All practitioners must first have moral conduct, followed by diligent inquiry… If one can cultivate the spirit and nourish the energy morning and evening, practice without slackening, and communicate with the divine, with words and actions untainted, what worry is there that the practice will not be effective, and that it will not provide assistance”. 2. High-level practitioners must engage in quiet contemplation and internal cultivation before performing rituals, achieving a state of forgetting both self and objects, harmonizing essence and spirit, and unifying yin and yang, so that they can ascend the altar to perform rituals.Regarding the requirements for internal cultivation in performing rituals, the “Great Golden Book of the Upper Clarity and Luminous Treasure” states: “At the beginning of establishing a ritual, one must first set up a screen of preserving the true, and should enter a state of tranquility, quieting the spirit and connecting with the Tao, transforming from nothing to something, merging all spirits into one heart, with the operation of the existent and the non-existent, gathering all transformations into one breath; only those who are truly learned can understand the subtle transformations within the pearl”.
3. High-level practitioners must possess a strong righteous energy; they should constantly accumulate blessings and merits. Only by doing so can their practices be effective. As a teacher, one must pay the utmost attention to moral character; only those who possess both virtue and conduct within the sect can comprehend the essence of high-level practices through countless experiences and grasp their subtleties.
The fourth point is also the most important; therefore, if one wishes to manifest externally through techniques, they must accumulate merits internally. As the saying goes, “Without the Tao, techniques do not manifest; without techniques, the Tao does not work. Virtue is the foundation of the Tao, and the Tao supports the effectiveness of the practices”. High-level Taoist practitioners use the special form of rituals to help believers resolve disasters and seek blessings, cultivating themselves while benefiting others.