humility

Oct

2017

Sun Simiao’s Code of Medical Ethics

✍️Wendy Brown, Lic. Ac.

Sun Si Miao 孙思邈 [581—682 A.D.], a revered Chinese alchemist, scholar, monk, and clinician, has been venerated as the ‘Medicine God,’ Medicine Buddha, a deity invoked during healing practices, and commonly referred to in China as ‘King of Medicine.’ During the Ming Dynasty [1527 A.D.], eight stone tablets engraved with quotations from his works were erected in his birthplace in Shanxi Province, and to this day there are activities each year in his hometown that celebrate his memory. Sun Simiao is credited with the first Chinese code of ethics for doctors, less a formal code per se, and more of the philosophy of a virtuous physician and values that suggest an ethical practitioner. The principles primarily focus on compassion, humility, conduct, and beneficence rather than physician truth-telling and self-importance. A Heart of empathy and quiet, free of wants and desires, pledged to heal and rescue sentient beings from their suffering.

• First develop compassion, not giving way to wishes, desires, and judgments.

• S/he sympathizes with those who experience grief as if s/he has been affected by it.

• S/he does not ponder fortune or misfortune of self, above preserving life and having compassion for it.

• By no means should there arise an attitude of rejection. Sympathy, compassion, and care should develop for whoever suffers from conditions looked upon with contempt by people.

• Treat all patients alike, whether powerful or humble, rich or poor, old or young, beautiful or ugly, resentful relatives or kind friends, locals or foreigners, fools or wise men.

• Neither dangerous mountain passes nor the time of day, neither weather conditions nor hunger, thirst nor fatigue should keep her/him from helping wholeheartedly.

• S/he makes a dignified appearance, neither luminous nor somber.

• It is not permissible to be talkative and make provocative speeches, make fun of others, raise one’s voice, decide right from wrong, and discuss other people and their business.

• The wealth of others should not be the reason to prescribe precious and expensive treatments. The object is to help.

• It is inappropriate to emphasize one’s reputation, belittle other physicians, and praise one’s virtue. Indeed, in actual life someone who has accidentally healed a disease then strides around with head held high, showing conceit, and announcing that no one in the entire world could have measured up to yield such results; underscoring one’s own merits and abilities. Such conduct has to be regarded as contrary to the teachings of magnanimity. In this respect, all physicians are, evidently, incurable!

Adaptation derived from a review of related articles by Paul Unschuld, Subhuti Dharmananda, and S.Y. Tan, MD.

Sep

2014

The Humility of Mr. Bai Fang Li

Using the money he earned from peddling rickshaw, Mr. Bái Fāng lǐ contributed what is estimated to be 350,000 yuan ($57,000. usd) to financing more than 300 students’ school tuition and living expenses, helping them to advance by way of their studies. Mr. Bai’s daughter recalls, “He suffered and curtailed his own needs throughout his life, cutting down on food, stitching his torn pants over and over. When I would throw his worn out pants away and buy new ones, it would irritate him and he would not want to wear them.”

The old man rickshaw peddler resembled in his appearance someone who was indigent. “I have never bought any clothing,” Li had said. “The clothes that I wear are all picked from what people have thrown away. Look at my shoes, even the socks inside are unmatching! I collected them from a junkpile. The same for my hat.” His family who disparaged such habits would advise him, but never to any avail. In response to such admonishment, Mr. Li once picked up some bread and simply said to his children, “What is so hard about this? This bread is the product of the farmers’ hard work. People throw it away; I pick it up and eat it. Isn’t this a way to reduce wastefulness? In 2001, at nearly 90 years old, Mr. Bai Fang Li determined he was no longer able to peddle rickshaw any longer. At that time he donated his last substantial sum of money. From then onward he tended peoples’ cars at a gas station and saved his final sum of 500 yuan ($82.00 usd), which he saved and donated, but stated that he could no longer work and would no longer be able to contribute to others.” This was the first time his daughter, Bai Jin Feng, said that she had ever heard her father say anything like that.

Rickshaw Effigy to Mr. Li
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bai_Fang_Li

Mr. Bai passed away on September 23, 2005, in a hospital. Hundreds attended his funeral to honor him.