I was initiated in 1995 and remained a single Quan Yin practitioner for five years. During that time, my life was very simple, being composed only of study and spiritual practice. Apart from my school work, I devoted all of my spare time to studying Master's teachings, meditating, participating in group meditation sessions, and going to see Master whenever possible. I felt I was progressing and growing quickly, and was a happy, single, carefree Quan Yin practitioner. I had never thought of getting married and actually did not think I would do so in the future.

In 2000, however, on a very unexpected day, I met my present husband on the way to a job interview. It was so called love at first sight. To me, it was more like a reunion with an old partner. We hit it off quickly, getting married after six months, and having a baby afterwards. Though my marriage happened all of a sudden, I was not unprepared. Deep in my heart I knew that this was how I had consciously chosen to live out my life: being successful in both spiritual and worldly affairs. I wanted to test my spirituality through my mundane life, and to apply the wisdom and happiness I obtained from practice to everyday existence to see if I could make "heaven" out of it.

My husband is not a fellow initiate, and I cannot say he is one hundred percent in support of my spiritual practice. But he respects my personal beliefs and is tolerant of my practice, which is good enough to give me the space and freedom to continue on my spiritual path. I also fulfill my part of the job, sometimes giving up group meditation to visit his parents with him on weekends. I occasionally go to church with my husband to let him know that I fully respect Jesus Christ, even though I am not a Christian. And I treat his friends well when they visit our home to show him that I am not antisocial, though my own friends are mostly practitioners.

Since getting married, I have given equal importance to both mundane life and spiritual practice. Actually, I find that I have to give them equal attention in order to make them work better. Practicing the Quan Yin Method gives me constant inner happiness and inspiration, which in turn influences and renews my marriage. My secure relationship with my husband gives me the peace of mind to practice spiritually. I know that if I focus on only one part of my life, however, I will eventually spoil both .

If one knows how to handle both the mundane and spiritual aspects of existence at the same time, there is no conflict between marriage and spiritual practice. Practicing one-pointedly without distractions becomes simple, but in the context of marriage it requires some additional qualities such as people skills, quickness in doing housework, the ability to be romantic, etc. Actually, Master has taught us all the details of acquiring these skills in Her discourses.

However, I learn more from Master's example than from Her verbal teaching. Master never withdraws from showing her tears and laughter; She gives hugs to people to show Her love, tells us exactly what She likes and dislikes, and always dresses nicely to please our eyes. She never says, "I quit" and never leaves us alone in the world, no matter how hard the situation is for Her. The way She treats Her disciples, lovingly and patiently, provides us with a good example of a how to treat our lifelong partners.