ABSTRACT

             Two objectives of this thematic paper were to study the Buddhist medicine in Buddhism and to analyze the relationship between diseases with medicine and health care according to Thai traditional medicine. This was a qualitative research with the documentary research. A result of this study was found in the following aspects.

             Buddhist Medicine in Tipitaka was allowed for monks to keep medicine to release properly the suffering from the exploiting disease. This medicine was the oil butter, fresh butter, oil, honey, and cane juice, generally used both for medicine and food. The Buddha allowed a monk who got the wasting disease and left food. The ill monk could keep this medicine for seven days and took it for all times. Moreover, the monk could use the herb from each part of trees: a bark, a leaf, gum, and many minerals: salt, sulfur, dried cow dung for the blister and the body odour, and snuff for the head ach, etc.

             The Buddha compared the physical disease, cured by the recent doctor with  the mental disease, i.e. the thinking disease or the disease of defilement, namely mind or a deep part of mind, attacked by defilement, especially ignorance and wrong view that could be cured by the mental doctor, i.e. the Buddha and his teachings as medicine. The Buddha used the insight to diagnose the disease. When he knew a state of beings, he was unique to give medicine (delivering a sermon), i.e. Dhamma medicine to eradicate the root of diseases in mind: greed, anger, and delusion. 

             The relationship between diseases with medicine and the health care according to Thai traditional medicine was in an idea that the herb doctor had to learn the disease’s origin, name, medicine and usage. The inquiry of personal information and bodily check helped greatly the herb doctor to examine the diseases, give medicine and cure the diseases. Here, the herb doctor had to hold knowledge and experience to take care of the patients in all aspects of a little illness or great illness.

             To cure diseases according to Thai traditional medicine was to give medicine proper for the disease according to the principle of curing the disease by means of Thai herb. The change of behaviour as a cause of diseases depended upon the Dhamma care. To cure diseases was done with massage, herb sauna, herb massage with hot press, cooking with salt pot, health care in a natural way, and the counsel of self-practice. Here, the herb doctor had to hold the Dhamma practice, compassion, and good courtesy towards all patients.

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