An investigation on Buddhist ayurvedic hygiene

                                Buddhist medicine hygiene

                            

                             Aim in the Buddhism is included in the Ayurveda vejūpamo mahāvīro, agadūpamo mahāvīro, bhisakko, sallakatto are some other names about the Buddha[i]. Prince Siddhartha was very well versed and trained in the sixty four arts. Among them Ayurveda was also included. It is included in the Buddhist dispensation that the Buddha received treatment from the Ayurvedic physician named Jeewaka and there were many Aurvedic physicians ordained in the Buddhist dispensation. Emperor Alexander great (B.C. 333) accompanied Ayurvedic physicians with him to Greece majority of them were Buddhists. During the king Dharmashoka era among the priests who were engaged spreading Buddhism. There were Ayurveda specialists. The emperor Dharmashoka sent gift to king Devanampiyatissa and besides such gift there was “thripala”[ii]. There still remains ruins of Ayurveda hospital constructed at the foot of the Mihintala rock of the use of the them Buddhist priests including arahath maha mahinda thero.

Charaka of Kashmir was the person who renewed Agniweshatantra. He too was a monk of the Mahayana. It was reverend Nagarjuna who took pain to grow up the Sushutaya and bring it to the present state; He was a monk too. The king Buddhadasa who compiled Sarartha sangraha too was a Buddhist[iii]. It was the Buddhist priest who wrote the two books in Pali, named Bhesajja manjusa and Yogapitaka and hundreds of medicine books were compiled in Sinhala; all the authors were Buddhists. Buddhism and Ayurveda are considered two fold but the aim is one. The main aim of Buddhism is salvation while the main aspiration of Ayurveda is hygiene. And also Buddhism has not evaded the thought of body hygiene and the mental hygiene.as well as

ārogyā paramā lābhā

santuttī paramam dhanam

visvāsā paramā ñāti

nibbhāna paramam sukham[iv]

which means “health is the best of gain, happiness is the best of wealth, confidence is the best of relatives and emancipation is the best of pleasure. Moreover it is mentioned in several places about the hygiene. In texts named commentary of Thadiya, Vinaya vinichchaya, Khuddaka shikshana,Vinayalankara vinaya muttaka manjusa, Sikavaladavinisa, are explanations of hygiene for an example greed,  hatred, ignorance are cured from medicine such as virtue, concentration and wisdom. according to Buddhaghosa; suffering is disease, origin of suffering is root of disease, cessation of suffering is beatitude, the path is the medicine.

The cure body ailment induced vomiting, nasal cleansing, induced motion, raktha moksha, blood transfusion were used and taught in the Ayurveda. The arahant theros Kassapa, Chunda, and Moggallana became sick. the Buddha visited them advised them to meditate on the seven factors of enlightenment such as mindfulness, investigation of the law, energy, rapture, tranquility, concentration and equanimity. After concentrating on the those seven factors of enlightenment the arahant theros were cured. And also arahant Girimananda thero became sick and the Buddha was informed regarding the monks sick then the Buddha advised to concentrate on the ten perceptions and to meditate. Upon doing so the Girimananda thero became well. There are two type hygiene namely physical hygiene and mental hygiene. In Buddhism mind is identified as a Savana indriya similar to other faculties the mind too can be developed.

Dūraṅgamaṅ ekacaraṅ

 asarīraṅ guhāsayaṅ

ye cittaṅ saññamessanti

mokkanti māra bandhanā[v]

 Faring far, wandering alone, bodiless, lying in a cave; it is mind. Those who subdue it are freed from the bond of Māra.

Buddha identified the mind as a medium of attaining emancipation and disclosed mental happen is recognized in psychology as the ability to face any situation or any force with courage. The neurosis caused physically, economically, environmentally is called phychosis. Psychologists say that there are different section for these illnesses and this unfortunate section prevails situations such as examination failures, getting poison in to the body, economic problems, love affairs and such problems will automatically cause mental distortion important mental other factors which are rooted to some other physical illnesses are frustration and anxiety[vi]. In an agitated society to come up such mental situations are very much more. and at present meditations are being used to combat such situations mostly simple meditation methods should be used. Buddha has explained this is the Anguttara Nikaya. It goes thus; 

“nāhaṅ bhikkhave aññaṅ ekadhammapi samanupassāmi yaṅ evam bhāvitam bahulīkatam sukhāvaham hoti yathaidam cittam”[vii]  
monks, I am not aware of another way of achieving happen more than through meditation and cultivate further and further in rumination

there are thousands of suffering people due to various mental conflicts who were cured through the advice of Buddhism, found in the Buddhist dispensation. such clinical ways of fruiting could be identified in Theragāthā  psalms of  monks, pslms of nuns, detail of infernal states detail of  heavenly bodice etc. wich are good teaching examples for above[viii].

A psychological analysis has come up with regard to the above conflicts in the Abhidhamma; also There are thousands of  teaching examples found in Sutta discovers to cure the mental conflicts. to identify a mental conflict it is necessary to

  01. to receive him well (ehi āgatavādī)

  02. to converse with him closely (skhilo sammodako)

  03. to listen to the guardian or parents ( in front of the patient)

  04. to listen to the patient (alone or presence of the guardian)

  05. details about family or relatives

  06. environment

  07. details about name, age, religion, home etc.

  08.physical illnesses

  09. daily routine

 10. detail of horoscope

 11. other details

 12. reason of coming to the consulter and the method of arrival

Through these details the analysis of the illness could be ascertained correctly and accurately to cure the patient. The  phenomena or matter, suffering and consciousness in the pañcanīvarana centeredfor the confide of very small and young children; to to solve such problems it is fruitful to use little advise and to change their behavior patterns  when dealing   with such situations.

it is the mature of the young people to enjoy the images and sounds of the sense and when they do not receive such feeling the tollorons characteristics visible.

·         sensous desire

·         ill-will

·         sloth and torpor

·         restlessness and scrupls

·         sceptical doubt unsuitable

                                                       the unsuitable and wrong feelings maintained in the minds and thinking about these from time to time causing the following  characteristics

·         taking to be alone (ekāi)

·         not taking social (ūpakatta)

·         not speaking to the face (adhomukha)

·         to show an unwanted sublime (patthakkhandha)

·         to contemplate hard (pajjhayanta)

·         sacredness (bhīru)

·         to get trembled (utrāsi)

·         to leave away from people or society (palāi)

·         to stay firmly without trembling (camhi)

·         to speak less (mūga)

·         to like to listen to other way of speak wrongly (sotāvadhāna)