(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1997. My childhood dream was to become a doctor and save lives. Since obtaining the Fa, I have cultivated my mind and character according to Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. I have applied these principles in the medical field where I work to validate the goodness of Dafa.
Today’s society is riddled with materialism, and the supposedly pure medical profession is no exception. As a student, I decided to dedicate my career to saving lives and healing the wounded. However, this chaotic world upended my ideals.
I personally believe doctors are respected by the public because they use their knowledge to relieve pain and suffering. After patients started expressing their gratitude with money, this led to a social custom of presenting doctors with red envelopes. In reality, genuine doctors will do their best to relieve a patient’s pain, even if no gratuity is received. No doctor will willingly worsen their patients’ condition, nor desire to see them pass away before their eyes.
Under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), people no longer have faith in anything and instead place an elevated importance on material gain. Doctors not only accept red envelopes, but even hint at their patients about the need to give them. Patients feel forced to give these gratuities and fear the quality of their treatment will be affected if they fail to deliver these red envelopes. Many patients criticize such doctors behind their backs for being heartless.
Master has taught us the principle of “No loss, no gain” (Lecture Four,Zhuan Falun). Accepting such ill-gotten gains from a patient will cause the doctor to accumulate karma. I have never accepted a single red envelope throughout my 20 years of practicing medicine.
When pharmaceutical salespeople approach me with offers of kickbacks for prescribing their drugs, I explain that, as a cultivator, I do not accept kickbacks. As doctors, we have a duty to prescribe the right medications for our patients, instead of prescribing according to the kickbacks we would receive. I also do my best to clarify the truth about the persecution, help them understand the goodness of Falun Dafa, and persuade them to withdraw from the CCP to stay safe. Many pharmaceutical salespeople, initially shocked by my refusal to accept kickbacks, later expressed concern about my safety and kindly advised me, “Just keep this truth about Falun Gong between us. Don’t share it with anyone else and stay safe.” I sincerely thanked them in return.
Without Master and Falun Dafa’s guidance, I would have been led astray in this materialistic world, pursuing petty gains while harming others and myself. I would have destroyed my chances for salvation.
When I first started practicing medicine, I refused to order tests that I felt were unnecessary so that I would save the patient some money. But one day, a hostile patient confronted and belittled me in front of my colleague, saying, “This doctor only ordered a few simple tests and didn’t make an effort to order the full set.” I was truly disheartened and thought, “Being a good person is so difficult.” Yet in the next heartbeat, I thought, “Being a good person is fundamental for a cultivator. Why should I feel so disheartened?”
A while ago, I had a patient who asked me, through her family, to order tests for her so she could complete them before her consultation with me. I advised the family that doctors needed to see the patient before ordering any tests and turned down their request. This patient immediately lodged a complaint to the hospital. She said she had suffered a fractured bone and was trying to save time by undergoing the tests first. Why did the doctor insist on having a consultation beforehand? She lodged her initial complaint with my department director before escalating her complaint upward. No doctor desires to be the subject of a complaint, especially if they are not at fault.
At first, I wondered what she had against me. Was it wrong of me to reject her request? Was it because I failed to consider her fracture? But her family did not tell me she had one either. Was she lying to achieve some goal? Or had she even given herself a fracture so that she could lodge an effective complaint against me? My disgust and resentment welled up, “If you want to complain, go ahead. Heaven sees all, and our personal desires don’t matter.” I also lamented the fickleness of the world and the viciousness of human hearts, before realizing, “That’s not right. I am a cultivator. I have to look inward and truly cultivate myself according to the Fa.”
This patient helped me improve my character, so I should be grateful instead of resentful. I looked inward and discovered my failure to realize her difficulties. I should have communicated to her family in detail the reason why this request was unreasonable. Perhaps she had some personal difficulties that were hard for her to express? I was in the wrong for brushing her off. I resolved to have a good talk with her if the opportunity came up, to see if she would drop the complaint. My resentment faded, and my heart became compassionate and peaceful. The department director soon resolved the issue, and the patient did not pursue her complaint any further.
The CCP has spent the past 26 years conducting its persecution and smear campaign against Falun Gong. Some people have been deceived by the CCP and remain unaware of the truth. In the course of my daily work, I strive to treat every patient with compassion while looking for opportunities to share the truth about Falun Gong.
I once encountered a patient who refused to accept the custom of presenting red envelopes to doctors and even looked down on those in the medical profession. I reassured her that not all doctors are like that, encouraged her to believe in the existence of kind people in the world, and advised her to avoid viewing society so negatively. When she remained silent, I resolved to show her the truth of my words through my actions as well. I found opportunities to explain the truth about Falun Gong to her. My patient remained silent throughout all our sessions until my last consultation with her. She said, “Because of you, I am now convinced there are still good doctors out there.” I replied, “Even so, I hope you will remember ‘Falun Dafa is good.’” She agreed, “Okay, because of you, I think Falun Dafa is good.” Her words brought tears to my eyes.
Over the past 20 years, I have experienced helplessness and confusion during tribulations, self-blame and guilt after setbacks, and joy and relief after overcoming challenges. Colleagues and friends say that I walk with a spring in my step. It is true, and it’s because I practice Falun Dafa. My body is illness-free; I feel light and unhindered by this troubled world full of karma. I understand my purpose and the reason for existing in this world.
No words can express my gratitude for Master’s compassionate care and salvation from the suffering in this human world. I can only repay Master's kindness by striving even harder!