M. R. Raghava Varier
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- July 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190121082
- eISBN:
- 9780190992118
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190121082.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Indian History
Historians have observed that the thread of social protest winding through these heterodox teachings was indicative of a perception of change. Central to this awareness of change is the law of ...
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Historians have observed that the thread of social protest winding through these heterodox teachings was indicative of a perception of change. Central to this awareness of change is the law of causality and it was around this that much of Buddhist doctrine revolves, claiming to derive from rational arguments and examples. The whole problem of causes of diseases was propounded by Gauthama Buddha. The concept of the peccant humors which is central to the Āyurvedic aetiology, which was most probably formulated in Buddhist monasteries. Keen observation of the decomposing bodies combined with the knowledge of anatomy of animals gathered from the butcher-house helped the early Buddhist monk-physicians develop an understanding of the internal and external structures of the human body. The earliest codification of medical knowledge in India is perhaps in the Buddhist canonical works. Buddhist monasteries and their medicinal services were probably instrumental in spreading the knowledge and practice of medicine to regions outside of the sub-continent. We hear for the first time about this cultural expansion from Mauryan sources. The major Rock Edict II of the Mauryan emperor Asoka speaks about this historical event. Monks including those with knowledge of medicine must have been visiting in these institutions for various purposes.Less
Historians have observed that the thread of social protest winding through these heterodox teachings was indicative of a perception of change. Central to this awareness of change is the law of causality and it was around this that much of Buddhist doctrine revolves, claiming to derive from rational arguments and examples. The whole problem of causes of diseases was propounded by Gauthama Buddha. The concept of the peccant humors which is central to the Āyurvedic aetiology, which was most probably formulated in Buddhist monasteries. Keen observation of the decomposing bodies combined with the knowledge of anatomy of animals gathered from the butcher-house helped the early Buddhist monk-physicians develop an understanding of the internal and external structures of the human body. The earliest codification of medical knowledge in India is perhaps in the Buddhist canonical works. Buddhist monasteries and their medicinal services were probably instrumental in spreading the knowledge and practice of medicine to regions outside of the sub-continent. We hear for the first time about this cultural expansion from Mauryan sources. The major Rock Edict II of the Mauryan emperor Asoka speaks about this historical event. Monks including those with knowledge of medicine must have been visiting in these institutions for various purposes.
Stefan Ecks
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814724767
- eISBN:
- 9780814760307
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814724767.003.0002
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Medical Anthropology
This chapter discusses popular notions of health, with a focus on perceptions of how different drugs are digested and on the humoral balance between the “hot” belly and the “cool” mind. The first ...
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This chapter discusses popular notions of health, with a focus on perceptions of how different drugs are digested and on the humoral balance between the “hot” belly and the “cool” mind. The first principle of Bengali body concepts is that the belly is the somatic center of good health. For Bengalis, health depends on the proper alignment between the belly and the mind. In this alignment, the belly is a “hot” source of energy that needs to be controlled by the “cool” sovereignty of the mind. The opposition between “cool” mind and “hot” belly is based on a humoral worldview. Indian Ayurvedic humoralism is based not on four but on three humors (tridosha) called vata, pitta, and kapha. Pitta tends to be hot and kapha to be cold, while vata is in-between.Less
This chapter discusses popular notions of health, with a focus on perceptions of how different drugs are digested and on the humoral balance between the “hot” belly and the “cool” mind. The first principle of Bengali body concepts is that the belly is the somatic center of good health. For Bengalis, health depends on the proper alignment between the belly and the mind. In this alignment, the belly is a “hot” source of energy that needs to be controlled by the “cool” sovereignty of the mind. The opposition between “cool” mind and “hot” belly is based on a humoral worldview. Indian Ayurvedic humoralism is based not on four but on three humors (tridosha) called vata, pitta, and kapha. Pitta tends to be hot and kapha to be cold, while vata is in-between.
