Chinese Health & Healing
Stephen Lau
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
Buddhism and Healthy Living
by
Stephen Lau
by
Stephen Lau
Buddhism is more than an Eastern religion: it is a philosophical way of life that promotes healthy living.
Buddhism focuses on the balanced interaction between the mind and body as a prerequisite for healthy living. The Buddhist approach to health and wellness is its emphasis on spiritual strength of the mind to overcome any physical disease, which is no more than imbalance and disharmony of the mind and body. According to Buddha, only a change in lifestyle and health attitudes could bring about genuine healing. Specifically, in healthy living, one has to become enlightened about the real meaning of life and existence. Buddha's approach was similar to the wisdom of Hippocrates, the father of medicine, who believed in the innate healing power in humans, which came from within and not from without.
Natural healing begins with the mind first, not the body. The reason is that disease originates from the disharmony of the mind and the spirit, leading to their imbalance within the physical body, resulting in disease. Healthy living is achieved when the mind and the body are in unison, functioning and interacting as one entity.
One of the most damaging factors to the mind is stress. Nowadays, stress comes in many different forms. Stress adversely affects your physical, mental, and spiritual health.
In the Buddhist world, there is no stress, and you create your own stress through your ego-self, which is essentially your "no-self" because it simply does not exist, except in your own mind. Buddhism focuses on "emptiness" -- which is not self-denial, but rather the wisdom of knowing the impermanence of materials things and therefore the abandonment of the futile pursuit of these elusive and evasive materialistic goals in life. With enlightenment, you will change your perception of what you really are, and, more importantly, the insignificance of your attachment to all materials things, including success and love of money. Buddha said, "Craving is the fountainhead of all human miseries." Once your craving ceases, your stress dissipates, and you are filled with composure, which constitutes wellness in your body and mind.
Even if there are remnants of stress, they can be dispelled through Buddhist meditation. According to Buddha, everyone has a "light" within him or her. To find that "light" you need to practice meditation. Through meditation, you are awakened to self-knowledge, which opens the door to ultimate wisdom: you see who you are, and what is important to you in your life. In other words, you begin to see the realities of things around you; you begin to prioritize your life; and you begin to perceive the true meaning of your existence.
Look upon Buddhism not as a religion abour reincarnation, but as a philosophy, a way of life for healthy living. There is so much wisdom in healthy living even in this contemporary world.
Buddhism focuses on the balanced interaction between the mind and body as a prerequisite for healthy living. The Buddhist approach to health and wellness is its emphasis on spiritual strength of the mind to overcome any physical disease, which is no more than imbalance and disharmony of the mind and body. According to Buddha, only a change in lifestyle and health attitudes could bring about genuine healing. Specifically, in healthy living, one has to become enlightened about the real meaning of life and existence. Buddha's approach was similar to the wisdom of Hippocrates, the father of medicine, who believed in the innate healing power in humans, which came from within and not from without.
Natural healing begins with the mind first, not the body. The reason is that disease originates from the disharmony of the mind and the spirit, leading to their imbalance within the physical body, resulting in disease. Healthy living is achieved when the mind and the body are in unison, functioning and interacting as one entity.
One of the most damaging factors to the mind is stress. Nowadays, stress comes in many different forms. Stress adversely affects your physical, mental, and spiritual health.
In the Buddhist world, there is no stress, and you create your own stress through your ego-self, which is essentially your "no-self" because it simply does not exist, except in your own mind. Buddhism focuses on "emptiness" -- which is not self-denial, but rather the wisdom of knowing the impermanence of materials things and therefore the abandonment of the futile pursuit of these elusive and evasive materialistic goals in life. With enlightenment, you will change your perception of what you really are, and, more importantly, the insignificance of your attachment to all materials things, including success and love of money. Buddha said, "Craving is the fountainhead of all human miseries." Once your craving ceases, your stress dissipates, and you are filled with composure, which constitutes wellness in your body and mind.
Even if there are remnants of stress, they can be dispelled through Buddhist meditation. According to Buddha, everyone has a "light" within him or her. To find that "light" you need to practice meditation. Through meditation, you are awakened to self-knowledge, which opens the door to ultimate wisdom: you see who you are, and what is important to you in your life. In other words, you begin to see the realities of things around you; you begin to prioritize your life; and you begin to perceive the true meaning of your existence.
Look upon Buddhism not as a religion abour reincarnation, but as a philosophy, a way of life for healthy living. There is so much wisdom in healthy living even in this contemporary world.
