There are many medical contents in Buddhist scriptures. According to records, there are more than 400 Tripitaka, which is a collection of Buddhist classics. There are treatments for internal and external diseases, women and children, and five senses only in the Tripitaka Book 1-5, such as Buddhist medical code, Buddhist Brahman's death-free sutra, Buddhist monk's bath sutra in greenhouse, Buddhist heart-guarding sutra and Buddhist pregnancy sutra.
Next, take the Pregnancy Buddhist Sutra as an example to talk about the relationship between Buddhist Sutra and modern medicine.
This Buddhist sutra, which was born more than 2,500 years ago, tells us many secrets, such as why people are pregnant and what are the conditions for pregnancy? What kind of gynecological diseases and male diseases lead to infertility? From the most intuitive development of embryos and fetuses, from the first day of development to the day of birth, everything is perfectly explained, and many things can only be known under the electron microscope or modern medical technology:
"Jing" says: "After seven days of pregnancy, it will not increase or decrease at the beginning. Erqi is like a thin cheese; Three or seven days is like raw cheese; Four or seven days is like cooked cheese; Five or seven days is like a crisp; Six or seven days are like meat; Seven or seven are like meat; August 7, as solid as gold; On September 7, it became five bubbles, two elbows, two moustaches and a neck; 17, she continues to have five bubbles, two wrists, two ankles and a head. ...
There is no change in fertilized eggs in the first week. The second week looks a little like thin cheese; In the third week, it looks like raw cheese ... in the sixth week, it looks like a piece of meat (shaped like a shrimp); The seventh week is like a big piece of meat (the head is like a mass of meat, and the embryo is about to enter the fetal period) ... The tenth week is like a trunk, with five bubbles, two wrists, two ankles and the head (the human form can be distinguished, and it is called a fetus after this stage); In the eleventh week, twenty-six bubbles, ten fingers, ten fingers, and eyes, ears, nose, shoulders, fingers and knees all grew out ... In the thirty-third week, ears, nose, shoulders, fingers and knees matured. Pores were born at the 34th week, but they are not yet mature. In the thirty-fifth week, the pores of the whole body are sufficient; At the 36th week, claw nails grew rapidly. ...
The Buddha described in detail the development process of the fetus in the mother, which is almost exactly the same as the changes of the embryo observed by modern medicine through anatomy and various precision instruments. However, 2,500 years ago, there was no surgical anatomy and no sophisticated instruments. Only from this classic can we know that the wisdom of the Buddha is beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
The King's Classic on the Big Roof describes Buddha as a great doctor, who is good at knowing the cause, condition and treatment, and is good at saving all beings from suffering.
Although Buddhism focuses on eradicating ignorance, it also attaches great importance to human physical diseases. One of the ten wishes of the Bodhisattva shown in Huayan Jing Pu Xian is "obeying all beings", including "being a good doctor despite all diseases". The pharmacist Buddha, the drug king and the drug bodhisattva are all famous for their good use of drugs. Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes "seeking Buddha in five Ming dynasties", and the "clear medical prescription" in five Ming dynasties is medicine. A?vagho?a, Dragon Tree and other Bodhisattvas left medical monographs, such as Medical Classics, Eight-Mind Theory of Medical Treatment and various prescriptions. At present, Tibetan Buddhism still regards medical prescription as one of the compulsory courses for monks and nuns. Now many Tibetan medicines come from Tibetan Buddhism, and Tibetans go to temples to ask lamas for treatment. Buddhism in the Han Dynasty also has a tradition of attaching importance to medicine, such as Tibetan Medicine and Shimen Materia Medica.
There are many similarities between the pathogenesis and treatment of human diseases in Buddhist scriptures and traditional Chinese medicine from Zhouyi and Huangdi Neijing. During the development of Chinese medicine for thousands of years, influenced by Buddhist medicine, it has enriched the content of Chinese medicine.
According to the theory of great wisdom, diseases have two factors, namely "outer edge" and "inner edge", and "outer edge" is external conditions, such as cold and heat, hunger and thirst, falls and contusions. "Inner edge" refers to the inner state, such as lust, anger, fear, thinking and so on. On the other hand, according to Maha's wisdom, lust for color, sound, fragrance, taste and touching the "five dusts" will lead to diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine also lists seven internal injuries and six exogenous diseases as pathogenic factors from the perspective of the unity of man and nature. Buddhism and Chinese medicine say that psychology and behavior lead to diseases thousands of years earlier than modern psychosomatic medicine and behavioral medicine.
In the basic theory of saving the suffering of all beings, Buddhism provides all beings with the skills to cure their "heart disease" and "physical disease". Not only can the whole Buddhist teaching system be used as a profound method to treat body and mind, but it is also famous for its good management of Buddhist medicine.
The pharmacist Buddha Zeng Li 12 is willing to save all beings, and several of them are related to people's mental health care, such as "seeking satisfaction", "standing at attention" and "relieving distress". The pharmacist Buddha also has two incarnations, one is the medicine tree king, which specializes in treating human diseases (that is, physiological diseases), and the other is the wishful pearl king, which specializes in treating human mental diseases (that is, mental diseases). According to Hokkekyo, taking Ruyizhu can make people happy, and mental illness can be cured, thus making people relaxed, happy physically and mentally, healthy and happy. It can be said that the pharmacist Buddha is not only a great doctor and a king of medicine, but also an excellent physiologist and a protector of the mental health of all beings.
Buddhism's "medical prescription is clear" and Chinese medicine theory absorb and influence each other. There are many Buddhist thoughts in ancient Chinese medical books, such as Sun Simiao's Qian Jin Fang Yao and Qian Jin Fang Yi, Shenrou's Five Books, Shenzhai's Suicide Book and so on.
From the point of view of modern medicine, the eight correct ways, three studies and six degrees of Buddhism are all effective physical and mental therapies. They are of great significance in guiding correct psychological outlook and attitude towards life, maintaining physical and mental health and improving personality.
From the perspective of psychosomatic therapy, worship, confession, chanting, meditation and caring for patients in Buddhist practice have the effect of preventing and treating diseases.
For example, Buddhists often kowtow and worship Buddha, while those who don't believe in Buddhism don't say superstition, but also think feudalism. But as far as the effect of worship is concerned, from the appearance, the whole body exercise of flexing and stretching limbs is a good fitness gymnastics, which can play the role of relaxing muscles and activating blood circulation, treating diseases and strengthening the body.
Meditation is also very beneficial to your health. Through meditation, the body and mind can be reconciled, so that the mood is stable, which is beneficial to blood circulation and the five internal organs are unobstructed. In addition, people's intellectual potential can be tapped through meditation. Professor Qian Xuesen said that "wisdom gives birth". Some old practitioners are eighty or ninety years old, with quick thinking and clear thinking. They can also write books and make statements, which is different from ordinary people.
It's also good for body and mind to hold a mantra and recite Buddha. Chanting Buddha's name can stop delusions, put aside troubles and clear your mind, which is not only beneficial to practice, but also helpful to your career. There is an old lady in Qishan who used to be ill. By chanting Buddha, she can not only take care of herself, but also take care of her grandchildren.
According to the principle of Chinese medicine, everyone's life span should be above 100 years old, just like a machine, you should be able to maintain it and use it normally. People's life is like this, and they need to be well maintained. Buddhism is the best way to keep healthy. The most important thing in health care is to know how to nourish the heart. Your heart is quiet, your heart is clean and there is nothing in your heart. The sixth ancestor said, "Nothing." Therefore, it is necessary to cultivate the mind, and the heart should be clean and ethereal. When the heart is clean, the body tissues are normal. This body may last for a hundred years.
Where does the disease come from? Because I've been thinking. This paranoia will change the organization of all parts of the body and mind, in other words, this organization will gradually become abnormal; Tissue abnormalities can lead to various diseases, so diseases come from delusions. Modern science also studies that the life expectancy of people is 120 years old. If you know how to keep in good health, everyone can live to 100.
If you can meditate by worshipping Buddha, chanting Buddha and meditating, you will think nothing. Many intractable diseases in modern medicine will be cured in a few months, and you will naturally live a long and healthy life without illness. Therefore, Buddhism is the best way to keep fit! It can be said that the more advanced the technology, the more it can prove the truth and greatness of Buddhism.
Japanese psychosomatic physician Jiro Ikebe said: When western doctors and psychologists study and absorb Oriental Buddhism, as orientals, we should not only inherit the essence of the precious spiritual heritage of the Eastern world, but also study it with the achievements of modern science.
Modern people should re-recognize the value of Buddhism from the perspective of modern medicine and other disciplines, contribute the essence of Buddhism to mankind, learn from the spirit of salvation of Buddha and Bodhisattva, and be as merciful as Guanyin Bodhisattva, without mercy and compassion; Wise as Manjusri Bodhisattva, making correct diagnosis and treatment for patients and relieving pain; Like samantabhadra bodhisattva, do whatever you want and fight for the medical cause all your life. Fearless and selfless like a bodhisattva, the hell is not empty and it will never become a Buddha.
In a word, the significance of Buddhism in modern medicine lies not only in treating physical diseases, but also in eradicating modern heart diseases. This is not only a matter for Buddhists, but also the responsibility and obligation of contemporary doctors whose purpose is to cure diseases and save lives.
References:
Speech report on Buddhism and medicine by Yi Xiujuan, a famous old Chinese medicine practitioner in Yantai and a municipal hospital of traditional Chinese medicine.