Going Beyond Personal Cultivation and Letting Go of Selfishness

(Minghui.org) I am a doctor in the healthcare system. I was fortunate to become a Falun Dafa disciple during the Fa-rectification period. I have recently gained some insights through my cultivation that I would like to share.

Resentment Leads to the First Complaint Lodged Against Me

In October 2025, a patient’s family member filed a complaint against my colleague Mary and me because the patient was dissatisfied with the response she had received during the consultation.

This was the first time anyone had ever complained about me in my career. When my supervisor investigated the matter, I didn’t describe what happened in detail. I simply thought that I had done nothing wrong, that it was mainly Mary’s fault, and that the family was complaining for no reason. I also wanted to prove that I was not afraid of being fined and that I didn’t care about money.

However, I soon realized that the real problem lay with my xinxing. I didn’t like Mary. I looked down on her because she was lazy, did not take the initiative at work, and constantly passed her responsibilities on to me.

After I received the complaint, I didn’t look inward. Even though I knew I harbored resentment, I did not take the initiative to eliminate it. Instead, I amplified it, with every thought and intention focused on defending myself.

Because my heart was not upright, my efforts to send righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference had no effect. Ultimately, the complaint was formally filed with the Complaints Office. Mary and I were publicly reprimanded and fined.

Failure to Watch My Words Leads to Another Complaint

A year passed, and just a few days ago, a man came to me with a question. It was the same question that a woman had just asked Mary, who was sitting next to me.

I wondered to myself, “What’s going on today? Two different people have asked the same question, one that hardly anyone has ever asked before.”

I whispered to Mary, “Here’s another one asking about that kind of thing.”

I didn’t mean anything by it, but the man was sensitive and felt that I shouldn’t have said that. He filed a complaint against me, claiming that I had a bad attitude.

According to the hospital regulations, if someone complained about a doctor for having a bad attitude, the doctor would be fined and also required to make a self-criticism at the medical group’s review meeting. This would have been extremely embarrassing and could have made me a laughingstock.

The second complaint served as a wake-up call for me. I calmed down and reflected: As a practitioner, how could something happen to me that even an ordinary person could avoid? Did I fail to pass the xinxing test after the first complaint?

I realized that, after the first complaint, I had not truly examined my attachments or made any fundamental changes in myself. I had not taken my cultivation seriously. This time, I had to take it seriously.

I looked inward carefully and found that I had long failed to watch my words, often saying whatever came to mind. Also, I harbored many negative human emotions, including complaints, resentment, curiosity, a competitive spirit, and a desire for revenge.

When I learned that the man who’d complained about me worked in the service industry, I understood why he had been so sensitive. He must have felt he hadn’t been treated with the same respect as everyone else. As a Dafa disciple, I was truly wrong to disrespect others and fail to consider their feelings. I sincerely apologized to him in my heart.

I felt deeply ashamed because, as a Dafa disciple who has practiced for more than 20 years, I had failed to hold myself to sufficiently high standards.

Moving Beyond Selfishness and Personal Cultivation

Although I admitted my mistake, I still didn’t feel right. I felt all my thoughts and actions were centered on myself. I was always thinking about how to improve myself.

During the Fa-rectification period, the tribulations I encounter are not merely meant to help me improve personally. If I allow the evil forces to succeed in their schemes, it will not only damage the reputation of Dafa disciples, but it will also hinder our efforts to save people and validate the Fa.

Moreover, even if I made a mistake, I am still a practitioner; I can correct myself through the Fa. Even if I fall, I can get back up again.

Guided by Dafa, I decided to move beyond selfishness and personal cultivation and focus on validating Dafa. I firmly rejected the arrangement of the old forces, I even rejected the existence of the old forces. At the same time, I let go of my selfishness.

Gradually, righteous thoughts and compassion grew in my heart, and I felt sad for ordinary people. I realized that the man who filed the complaint has also come for the Fa. I would not allow evil factors to manipulate him to damage the reputation of Dafa disciples, thereby causing him to create karma.

My thoughts and actions were now entirely motivated by a concern for protecting Dafa’s reputation and for the future of ordinary people. While looking inward to identify and eliminate my own attachments, I also asked for Master’s help. I firmly believed that Master was right by my side.

The next day, under Master’s guidance, I went to the Complaints Office and clearly explained what had happened. It wasn’t that I had a bad attitude, but rather that an offhand remark had let the patient to misunderstand.

The department head called the man for a follow-up, and he admitted that I hadn’t been rude. In the end, the complaint was dropped.

Being a Qualified Dafa Disciple

The first time someone complained about me, I was motivated by self-interest, and the outcome was negative. Although my colleagues knew me well and understood my character, the incident still had some negative repercussions.

When someone complained about me a second time, guided by Dafa, I firmly maintained righteous thoughts, completely rejected the old forces, eliminated self-interest, and stepped beyond the confines of personal cultivation. I stood on the foundation of upholding the Fa and considering others, while seeking Master’s help. Only then did the outcome differ greatly from the first time.

Although I have practiced Dafa for so many years, I have not truly followed Master’s teachings. I have not studied the Fa diligently, nor have I persisted in doing the exercises. I have been heavily influenced by the Party’s culture, clinging to a mentality of seeking personal gain, craving comfort, pursuing happiness, avoiding hardship, and failing to let go of my fundamental attachments.

Master said:

“Have you paused to consider: is there really anything that you cannot let go? In the course of history you tasted honor and glory, and you endured enormous ordeals. In those long, drawn-out years of waiting, you went through everything possible all so as to arrive at the present. And by all accounts you should be able to, at the end, finish the journey well. Whether your validating of the Fa goes well or not is often simply your own doing.”(Fa Teaching Given at the NTD Meeting)

Indeed, after enduring so many tribulations lifetime after lifetime, now that we are walking the path of the Divine, what is there left for us to hold onto? How should a disciple practice sincerely and genuinely? How can we do the three things well and do our utmost to save sentient beings? What must we do to live up to the sacred title of Dafa disciple?

The only answer is to study the Fa more, study it wholeheartedly, and assimilate ourselves to the Fa.

In these remaining days, as we follow the path of Fa-rectification, I will heed Master’s teachings, strive to become a qualified Dafa disciple, and fulfill my vow.