The Medicine in the Tripitaka

Abstract

This academic article has a purpose to study medicine in Buddhism. After studying Tripitaka, It was found that the Lord Buddha spoke about medicine and two types of disease: Physical disease and mental disease. Methods for treating disease are divided into two: Treating physical disease and treating mental disease. For the treatment of physical diseases, there are the following methods of treatment: 1) Using food as medicine, such as the clear boiled rice water, the Yaku boiled rice water, for sick monks to use for maintaining their health. 2) Resting in the correct posture, such as lying on the right side, etc. 3) Tumor surgery. 4) Allow them eat some kinds of meat and forbid them eat some types of meat. 5) He sets rules about when they eat food as medicine in order not to violate the Dhamma and discipline. As for the treatment of mental diseases, they will be treated with Dhamma medicine. That is the use of Dhamma to treat mentally ill patients. For Dhamma medicine, it will be used differently according to the mental state of each person.