The Prodigy of The Lord Buddha In Medicine: A Study of The Bhesajjakhandhaka

Abstract

The Bhesajjakhandhaka, a part of the Vinaya proclaimed by the Lord Buddha, contains 27 teachings of the Lord relating to pharmaceutical substances.This article studied three of the teachings in order illustrate how prodigious the LordBuddha was, the Panjabhesajiakatha, Mulathibhesajjakatha and Pilinthavajchavadhu,and compared the efficacy of pharmaceutical substances as explained by the Lordwith that of the Thai Herbs. The study confirmed that the Lord Buddha wascompetent in pharmaceutical prescription and healing. Most of the pharmaceuticalsubstances that he prescribed were easily obtainable herbs which have beencontinuously consumed as food and medicinal drugs by oriental people in order tonourish their health. The study also confirmed that the merciful Lord Buddha washighly concerned with the health and livelihood of his disciples. Without neglectingthe important roles and duties of the Sangkha, the Lord Buddha was a model forhome disciples on proper practices regarding the storage of pharmaceuticalsubstances and the handling of related instruments, the appropriateness of healingmethods and the proper time to accept the offered substances. Although the Lordhad preached about the ultimate truth of life that no one could escape from oldage, sickness and death, when his disciples were in sickness, His Merciful did notlimit himself to rely solely on the spiritual healing. The Lord Buddha permitted theuses of available cures in order to lessen pain and sickness. This illustrated that inaddition to preaching people on ethical and spiritual virtues, the Lord also gaveimportance to health. In other words, body and spirit were complementary. Whenthe physical body had problems, the spiritual body would encounter problemslikewise. Thus, the Bhikkhu needed to take care of their health by keeping thebalance of the two bodies. The three conclusions illustrated the obvious prodigy ofthe Lord Buddha in medicine.