Looking Inside and Reflecting on One’s Behaviour Repeatedly

Most modern people will regret and look inside themselves only after they did a wrong deed. Even though the so-called “wrong deed” usually refers to things that hurt their own personal gain or fame or hurt their relatives, we can still see the reflection of the traditional moral standard for a human being.

One day, a manager told me that she was scolded by her boss in front of many people because of a small mistake she made. She said that she lost face and felt really sad. Based on my observation and the comments from other employees, she and her boss have a very similar management style. She also criticized her employees with hurtful words and tone in front of many people. This time, the role has been reversed. She was the one who was admonished by her boss. But the manager did not realize this about herself after this incident. She did not think about how the employees who were scolded by her probably felt the same way. Looking at this, I found that I had similar problems. I often yell at others when I am in a bad mood. I yell at my parents and relatives. How sad they must be when I behaved like that. I realized that it would be selfish and frightening if one can not look inside himself very often.

Ancient people talked about “looking inside oneself repeatedly.” The phrase “looking inside oneself repeatedly” was excerpted from “Lunyu Study.” There is a story from the past. During the Spring and Autumn Period in China, Kong Zhi had a favourite student called Chen Shan. Some people called him Chen Zhi. Chen was honest and kind. He worked very hard and became Kong Zhi’s favourite student. When Kong Zhi’s other students asked Chen Zhi to talk about his experiences in cultivation, he said: “I need to look inside myself repeatedly everyday: was I honest when I gave ideas to others; did I keep my promise when I was with friends; did I review teacher’s lesson?” This phrase refers to looking inside oneself very often. People use this phrase to describe a modest person.

A person who is modest and willing to look at himself from other people’s point of view must be a gentleman with excellent moral qualities. The Three Imperial Lords from the Pre-historical Period and the Five Emperors of the Ancient Historical Period always checked themselves to see if their behaviours were against the Will of Heaven. It is because they followed the Will of Heaven and always corrected themselves that they eventually became wise emperors who were respected for many generations.

As a cultivator, we should look inside and always consider others first. Whenever we do something, we should think: will this thing harm other people? When we have conflicts with others, we should check ourselves to see if there is anything that we did wrong. When we see other’s problems, we should check if we have similar problems. I remember an elderly cultivator talking about her cultivation experience. Her unselfishness melted many cold hearts. Many broken families became harmonized again, as a result. She also made evil faces become smiling faces. Because of her behaviour, one policeman said emotionally: “If everyone practices Falun Gong and follows the principles of ‘Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance,’ we do not need police in this world.”