Medicine Buddha and the Karma of Healing

Each of us a Healer: Medicine Buddha and the Karma of Healing ~Nitin Kumar Goel   A glamorous fashion consultant was once diagnosed with cancer. This is how she attempted to alleviate her suffering: She sent a message through a friend of hers, a student at the Vajrapani institute in California, to ask for advice about healing practices. She was advised to buy animals that were in danger of being killed and to then free them in a safe place, thus enabling them to live longer. This charming woman saved many animals from places where they were going to be killed. She actually freed two or three thousand animals, mostly chickens, fish, and worms. She had the chickens taken care of on a farm, and she freed the fish in open water. She also bought two thousand worms because they were cheap and readily available, and released them in the garden outside her home. Liberating worms was believed to be a particularly good idea as they go straight under the ground when they are released. Since they have some protection there from predators, they have a chance to live longer. It was less certain that animals freed in forests, lakes, or the ocean would have lived longer because they have natural enemies in those places. It is said that when she returned to the hospital for a checkup after doing these practices, the doctors could not find any trace of the cancer. True or not, this story should not come as a surprise to those subscribing to the karmic theory. In the words of Deepak Chopra: "No debt in the universe ever goes unpaid. There is a perfect accounting system in the universe, and everything is a constant 'to and fro' exchange." Thus by granting those helpless animals the boon of life the lady vindicated her faith in the authenticity of the karmic law, namely that "karma is both action and the consequence of that action." The actions she took were not magical or miraculous but rather a patient planting of causes which eventually bloomed into the effects of health and happiness. Indeed if we want to create happiness in our own lives, we must learn to sow the seeds of happiness for others. As with Buddhist practices more generally, the result one receives depend on one's past karma. Indeed everything that is happening at this moment is a result of the actions we have performed in the past. This is but an illustration of the proverb 'as we sow as shall we reap.' If we have loving kindness and compassion, our prime concern will always be not to hurt others, and this itself is healing. According to Buddhist belief a compassionate person is the most powerful healer, not only of their own diseases and problems, but also those of others. Many of us will vouch that in a sickbay a doctor's friendly smile among the prevalence of disease and suffering all around can work wonders for the overall well being of the patient. Truly the use of love is to heal. When it flows without effort from the depth of the self, love creates health. In Buddhist tradition the first and primordial healer was the great Buddha himself. Known popularly as the Medicine Buddha he is said to have revealed the teachings embodied in the sacred bodies of texts known as the Four Medical Tantras. The whole of Buddhist medicine is said to have derived from this sacred scripture. As explained in the first of these texts, Buddha the Great Healer was once seated in meditation surrounded by an assembly of disciples including divine physicians, great sages, non-Buddhist gods and bodhisattvas, all of whom wished to learn the art of healing. Rendered speechless by the radiant glory of his countenance, they were unable to request the desired teachings. To accommodate their unspoken wishes, the Medicine Buddha manifested two emanations, one to request the teachings and the other to deliver them. In this way, then, the Buddhist explanation of the various mental and physical ailments, their causes, diagnoses, and treatment is said to have originated. Other than that, the action of the Buddha in understanding his disciple's needs without their explicitly stating so is in itself a reminder of his infinite compassion. Indeed healers such as the Buddha are referred to as great physicians not because of their medical abilities - as great as these are - but because they have the compassion and wisdom to diagnose and treat the root causes underlying all mental and physical malaise. In visual arts the Buddha of healing is sometimes represented as golden in color, though his characteristic color is blue. In either representation his left hand rests in his lap in the mudra of meditation, supporting an iron begging-bowl. His right palm faces outwards, offering, in a gesture of generosity, a stem of the myrobalan plant. This is a healing fruit well-known in Tibetan medicine and a symbol here of the botanical realm's restorative fecundity, reminding us that the earth provides freely, asking for nothing to sustain her fertility but gentle care. However Buddhist science of medicine grants only a limited application to external medicine. These are considered sufficient only up to the level of removal of external symptoms of the disease. The cure for humankind's root illness is stressed to be spiritual illumination, the way to which lies within our own selves. Towards this end the Medicine Buddha is often shown surrounded with various fragrant and healing plants of the Tibetan pharmacopoeia, as also innumerable gods sages, and other exalted beings. Such a densely packed arrangement is referred to as the 'Paradise of the Medicine Buddha.' This paradise represents an idealized universe where remedies exist for every ailment. The Buddha himself is said to have stated, "For as many sentient beings as exist in this world system, there is a path to liberation." According to Romio Shrestha "The Medicine Buddha is our complete spiritual apothecary. To discover the healing force within our being is to enter the paradise of the 'master of remedies.'" In other words this paradise lies within our own selves, only a conditioning of the mind is required to identify it and partake of its pleasures. Romio Shrestha further says: "Our body has the capacity to cure itself of any ailment. Every plant, every herb, every remedy has its counterpart within the subtle essences of the human body." We have the capacity to heal not only ourselves but also those around us as the following story will... Read More If you need further assistance with your order, please write to Customer Service at: info@indianartss.com All rights reserved. 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