Ayurveda means: “knowledge of life”. The word Ayurveda consists of two parts: Ayur (which means life) and Veda (which means knowledge). The word ayur is derived from the term ayus. Ayus has two meanings, first the union of the body, the senses, the mind and the Self. Secondly, the period between birth and death.
Vedas
The Vedas are very ancient literature, some say the oldest literature in the world. A knowledge that expresses the entire process of creation in the most fundamental way.
Some important Vedas are:
- Rigveda (the oldest Veda)
- Samaveda
- Yajurveda
- Atharvaveda
Rishis
This Vedic knowledge comes from the rishis. These are seers from ancient times. Through extremely fine perception the Rishi experiences in his own silence the expression of the Vedas. They are impulses of eternal knowledge, which only come about through the process of vision (cosmic insight).
That is why Ayurveda is not only a healing method, but above all the knowledge of a long, happy and healthy life.
Sources
The main sources from which this Ayurvedic knowledge has come to us are the Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita. Samhita means collection. These sources have been translated into English by, among others, Dr. Pukh Raj Sharma of the Ram Rukmini Institute in Jodhpur, India. In this institute a lot of work is done on the synthesis between Eastern and Western medicine.
The knowledge of Ayurveda has been known in India for a long time. Probably long before the time of Buddha (5th century BC). Ayurveda has never been a secret doctrine.
Origin
Ayurveda originally comes from Northern India.
It must be realized that the theory and practice of Ayurveda date from a time when philosophy, medicine and natural sciences were far from being separate and distinct areas of knowledge. This means that understanding the meaning of the terms and the formulation of the concepts still used in Ayurveda require a lot of study.
Today
This study takes us back to the basics of the principles that underlie our own contemporary views on health, disease, lifestyle including diet and healing. For this reason, Ayurveda is one of the classical works and systems of thought that have been produced in cultural history.
It is clear that the founders of Ayurveda were intellectually and wisely equal to the great personalities of our time. Today, Ayurveda is taught at various universities around the world. The great interest in Ayurveda has led to the World Health Organization stating that Ayurveda (especially in India) makes an important contribution to public health (1975).
Balance
Ayurveda respects man as a social being.
There must therefore be a balance between
- dharma (duty)
- artha (prosperity)
- kama (joy and pleasure, also sexual pleasure)
This balance gives people good health and a long and happy life. This is the premise of Ayurveda. This balance will then lead to Moksha (enlightenment). Here a connection is visible between Yoga and Ayurveda.
Holistic
Man, as a social being, is, as it were, a microcosm that interacts with the macrocosm (or the Universe).
This is a statement from the Samkhya, but also a clear message from Ayurveda. Moreover, Ayurveda is a truly holistic science in which, in the sum of the countless elements, the truth is contained (Samkhya).
Driving forces
According to the teachings of Ayurveda, every human being has four biological and spiritual drives:
- a religious motivation
- a financial motivation
- the desire for procreation (to produce, reproduce)
- an instinct for freedom
Health
Balanced and good health is the foundation for satisfying these instincts. After all, Ayurveda helps healthy people to maintain their health and sick people to become healthy again, or at least to deal better with this disease. This is the basis of the knowledge that is Ayurveda.
Vedas
Ayurveda is a widely discussed subject in India that has deep roots in its culture and society. This structural knowledge comes from the Vedas, which systematically reveal the laws of nature.
Ayurveda is also an awareness process that needs to be further developed, so that people gain more insight into the natural way of life. This is then displayed in a holistic manner. Ayurveda is applied as universal knowledge from the whole. As a multifunctional system, it addresses the mental and physical situation.
Ayurveda gift from the gods
There are a number of different legends about how Ayurveda came to humanity. One describes Ayurveda as a gift from the gods. This legend is described here. To understand this, it is important to realize that not every culture uses the same time division as we do. Ayurveda has different eras than we do.
Kali Yuga
Creation consists of four ages (Maha yuga):
- The Golden Age: Satya Yuga, the Age of Truth
- The Silver Age: Treta Yuga
- The Bronze Age: Dvapara Yuga
- The Iron Age: Kali Yuga
Kali yuga is the age we are living in now, the age of cosmic destruction. After this, creation comes to rest (Mahapralaya).
New creation
After this age, Brahma (the creator) will recreate the world in the same way, with the same people and gods and living and inanimate beings. At the beginning of this new creation, Brahma will then impart the knowledge of Ayurveda to people. That is why Ayurveda is also called gift from the gods.
This knowledge of Brahma was passed on to Prajapati in 100,000 verses and was further embodied by Bharadwaja (a rishi) through the Ashwins and Indra. After his contemplation he passed on his knowledge to Atreya Punarvasa.
The preserved texts were written by Charaka (Charaka Samhita). These classical works are the most widely read, as is the Sushruta Samhita. Later these works were edited by Vaghbata under the name Astanga Hrdayam.
Ayurveda and Western Thought
Western medical science places the individual in a box, as it were, a lot is generalized and a distinction is made between object and subject.
Interaction
However, subject and object are in interaction with each other (Samkya). Ayurveda says that everything should be evaluated on the basis of individuality. This is because every person has their own special and spontaneous temperament and each functions in their own way.
That is the big difference between the East and the West. From a logical point of view, the West is more focused on the object, while the East is more focused on the subject and states that these (object and subject) interact with each other. It is therefore of the utmost importance that Western medical science will become more open to this very old knowledge. This is to understand the underlying causes of many diseases.
Step forward
If the ancient Ayurvedic knowledge can be placed in interaction with modern science, this will certainly be a great step forward in the pursuit of unity of man. Of course, Ayurveda, with its great wealth of empirical and experiential knowledge, will take some time to be verified with modern research methods.
Positive
It is therefore a positive fact that more and more people in America and Europe are using Ayurvedic healing methods and medicines.
This article is part of the final project for the yoga teacher training at the Training Institute for Yoga Teachers in Zolder in Belgium. It was written by Ed van Hoof and published here in his memory.
