I've Prayed for So Long. Why Is There No Answer? Ji Gong on Spiritual Resonance

When people think of spiritual practice, many imagine deep philosophy and mysterious experiences. But if we haven't yet mastered the basics of being a good person, how far can our practice really go? In a teaching from almost fifty years ago, Mo Zhenren uses a few passages from Confucius to give us a lesson in "how to be a person." Practice is not about how lofty our words are. It is about whether every word and every action truly lives up to them.

10/19/20268 min read

I've Prayed for So Long. Why Is There No Answer? Ji Gong on Spiritual Resonance

A Plain-Language Reading of a Teaching by Ji Gong (济公)

Many of us know this feeling. We bow sincerely and pray again and again. We think about it by day and dream about it at night. The years go by, yet there seems to be no answer at all. Doubts begin to creep in: Am I not sincere enough? Can the divine not hear me?

A teaching from more than sixty years ago gives a surprising answer: perhaps the problem is not how sincere we are, but what we are actually asking for.

About This Teaching

This teaching comes from the Sage Sayings (《圣哲嘉言录》), a collection passed down in the Daoyuan (道院). It was given by Ji Fo (济佛) on the 23rd day of the 4th lunar month of the Wuxu year, which was 10 June 1958.

Ji Fo is better known as Ji Gong, the Living Buddha (济公活佛). He was originally Daoji (道济), an eminent Chan (Zen) monk of the Southern Song dynasty. With his torn hat and broken fan, he cared little for rules and often looked a little mad. Yet his heart was full of compassion: he helped the poor and the weak wherever he went and guided people toward awakening. His stories are known in every Chinese community, and his famous saying, "Wine and meat pass through the gut, but the Buddha stays in the heart," is still widely quoted today.

The original text is written in classical Chinese. What follows is our plain-language reading, so that readers of every background can take something from it.

The Opening Verse: A Sage Asleep in a Small Boat

禅机浑化入真清，醉卧扁舟任纵横。
感应无形昭普渡，光辉虚室通神明。

In simple English, the four lines mean something like this:

Zen wisdom, fully absorbed, returns to pure clarity.
Tipsy, I lie in a little boat, drifting wherever it goes.
Resonance is unseen, yet it reaches and saves all beings.
Light fills the empty room, and it opens to the divine.

The wisdom of Zen, once truly understood, brings us back to a pure and clear heart. It is like lying in a small boat, drifting freely with the waves. This is the carefree spirit Ji Gong is known for.

The key idea of this teaching is spiritual resonance (感应). Think of two tuning forks: strike one, and a matching fork nearby begins to hum by itself. In the same way, when something stirs in our heart (感), an answer arises (应), between us and the divine, and even between one person and another. But it only happens when the two are "tuned" alike.

Spiritual resonance cannot be seen or touched, yet it is truly helping all beings. When the heart is like an empty room with no clutter piled up, light can shine in, and a person can connect with the divine.

1. Two Ways to Help People

The teaching begins by saying there are two ways to guide people:

The visible way: explaining the truth with compassion, so people understand;
The invisible way: connecting through spiritual resonance, so people can feel it for themselves.

Without explanation, people will not feel moved to practise. Without the experience of resonance, they cannot truly sense how deep the truth is. One works through understanding, the other through feeling. Each needs the other.

2. Whatever Is Felt Will Be Answered

Resonance comes in many forms, and not always the ones we expect:

Sometimes what is felt unseen is answered in something we can see;
Sometimes what is felt in something we can see is answered unseen;
Sometimes it is felt in one place, and the answer appears somewhere else.

But one thing is certain: whatever is truly felt will be answered.

When something is felt, the mind "moves." When the mind moves, a tiny first sign appears, which the ancients called ji (几). Good fortune and bad fortune often begin from that small sign. So paying attention to the thought that has only just appeared is better than fixing things afterwards.

3. Seven Kinds of Movement in the Mind

Ji Gong describes seven kinds of "movement" in the mind:

Movement of Heavenly principle (天理之动): thoughts that follow conscience and the right path;
Movement of desire (人欲之动): thoughts that come from selfishness and craving;
Natural movement (自然之动): changes that arise naturally;
Passive movement (被动之动): reactions pulled out of us by things outside;
Movement of the spirit (灵体之动): stirrings that come from our spiritual nature itself;
Movement of the hidden mind (识界之动): old habits buried deep inside, similar to what we now call the subconscious;
Movement without movement (无动之动): a mind as still as water that, without trying, naturally connects.

The hard part is that these movements often get mixed up. A genuine, heartfelt feeling can get tangled with selfish desire. A state that seems pure and calm may really be just an ordinary natural reaction.

The teaching says that with self-cultivation, we can still notice selfish thoughts. But movements of the spirit and of the hidden mind can sometimes stay unclear, even for those who have practised.

4. The Key Question: Is My Heart Like a Mirror?

To tell our thoughts apart, everything depends on our own heart. The teaching asks a few questions that are well worth asking ourselves every day:

Is my heart as clear as a mirror?
If this thought comes from my head, is there any selfish desire in my head?
If this thought comes from my spirit, is it truly natural and pure?

As long as our cultivation is not yet pure, the heart, the mind and the spirit can all mislead us with things that only look right. Seeing ourselves clearly takes wisdom, and even more, it takes long and steady practice.

5. Once We Can Tell Them Apart, What Do We Do?

When a thought arises, first ask: Is this Heavenly principle? Is it desire? Is it the spirit? Or is it an old habit from the hidden mind? Once that is clear:

What follows Heavenly principle, we grow. What goes against it, we let go of and dissolve.

It sounds simple, but it is not easy to do. Why? The teaching puts it plainly: people tend to enjoy their desires, and Heavenly principle often runs against those desires.

The hardest to recognise are the old habits of the hidden mind. They lie hidden in the body and surface whenever they get the chance. They seem to make sense, and nothing about them feels wrong. Because they happen without our noticing, they look as if they arise naturally, free of any desire. But that is not really so.

This is why self-cultivation is so precious.

6. Meditation and Understanding: We Need Both

Just talking about cultivation does not help, and real practice cannot be given up after a quick try. The teaching shows a clear path:

Learn stillness → Dissolve desire → Recover clarity → Grow sharper → Stay undisturbed

First, learn to be still;
In that stillness, slowly let go of selfishness, greed and wishful cravings;
The clarity that was always within you begins to show;
As clarity shows, your ability to observe becomes more and more precise;
With that precision, you are no longer disturbed by material desires, and not easily misled by cravings.

To get there, we must truly practise sitting meditation. If we only understand the theory but do not practise, desire will still find a gap to slip through. If we only sit but do not understand the principles, we will not get far either.

The teaching also reminds us: while practising meditation, read the scriptures and teachings often. Sometimes everything suddenly becomes clear, and progress speeds up. The benefits go far beyond good health of body and mind.

7. Worldly Pleasures Come at a Cost

Most people are limited by their surroundings and find it hard to taste the true joy of spiritual practice. Of course, the world has its attractions too: the satisfaction of being clever and capable, the thrill of sights, sounds and things we like, the enjoyment of luxury and glamour.

These can make us happy for a while, but they quietly drain our energy. Many people actually fall ill because of them.

8. I've Prayed for So Long. Why Is There No Answer?

This is the most thought-provoking part of the whole teaching.

Some people believe that whatever they ask for, they must receive. Their bowing is sincere and their prayers are earnest. They think about it all day and dream about it at night, year after year, day after day, yet no answer ever comes. So they say, "My sincerity must not be enough yet."

But Ji Gong points out: this is not only a misunderstanding of "spiritual resonance." It is also a misunderstanding of what "sincerity" means.

"If you seek it with a sincere heart, even if you do not hit the mark exactly, you will not be far from it." (心诚求之，虽不中，不远矣)

This line comes from the Confucian classic The Great Learning (《大学》). It means that if we pursue something with a truly sincere heart, even if we do not fully reach it, we will not be far off. It is true that whatever is felt will be answered. But first, we need to be clear whether what we are asking for comes from Heavenly principle or from selfish desire.

True sincerity is not asking harder. It is bringing our thoughts in line with the right path.

9. The Secret of Hearts Connecting

Resonance does not only happen between people and the divine. It also happens between people. What I feel in my heart can be answered in someone else's heart, and what someone else feels can be answered in mine.

If the heart is not clear and alive, it cannot feel. If it cannot feel, there is no resonance. Everything depends on whether our heart is full of light.

If we can connect our own spirit with the spirit of the immortals and buddhas, resonance comes naturally, and we may even know things before they happen. As the saying goes, "Wish to become an immortal, and you will; wish to become a Buddha, and you will." This is truly so. It is just not easy to reach.

The teaching closes with a line we pass on to every reader: "May each of you strive for this." (望各勉之)

Five Simple Tips for Beginners

1. Notice thoughts early: catching a thought the moment it appears is much easier than fixing things afterwards.

2. Often ask, "What kind of thought is this?": Is it conscience or selfish desire? Once you know, decide whether to grow it or let it go.

3. Learn stillness first: even ten minutes of sitting meditation a day lets your mind slowly grow clear.

4. Study and practice together: alongside meditation, read the classics too. Neither should be left out.

5. Before praying, ask yourself: Does what I am asking for follow the right path? That matters more than whether I am "sincere enough."

Going Deeper: Notes for Fellow Practitioners

The following notes touch on deeper practice and are offered for fellow members of the Daoyuan.

"几者动之微，吉凶所以显现也" (Ji is the subtlest beginning of movement, from which good and bad fortune appear): The original teaching treats ji as the turning point of spiritual resonance. As soon as a movement of the mind appears, we must first examine which kind of movement it is. This can serve as a starting point for watching the mind during sitting practice.
"识界潜藏于体魄之内，遇机而发" (The hidden mind lies within the body and surfaces when the moment comes): The original teaching notes that movements of the hidden mind "seem to make sense when examined, and do not feel wrong in sentiment." Because the hun (魂, the higher soul) moves without our awareness and is taken over by the po (魄, the bodily soul), these are the hardest to recognise. What seems to move without intention, or appear without desire, is not necessarily a truly natural movement.
"知其理论而无实功，则魄仍可伺隙而动" (Knowing the theory without real practice, the po can still wait for a gap and move): The original teaching stresses that sitting practice and theory must not be separated, and that the scriptures and teachings should be studied carefully as sitting practice progresses.
"不灵不感，不感不应，均在灵台是否光明" (Without clarity there is no feeling, without feeling there is no answer; all depends on whether the spirit-tower is bright): The original teaching takes the brightness of the lingtai (灵台, the inner seat of the spirit) as the root of spiritual resonance. Only when our spirit connects with that of the immortals and buddhas can there be resonance in "movement without movement," and the natural spirit can then know things before they happen.

Source: Sage Sayings (《圣哲嘉言录》), Daoyuan. Teaching by Ji Fo (Ji Gong, the Living Buddha), 23rd day of the 4th lunar month, Wuxu year (10 June 1958). This article is a plain-language reading and is for reference only.

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