Health.

The meditation practice that we use as our path to liberation is called Vipassana, translated as ‘to see things as they really are’.

Our investigation is always internal and so we begin to know intuitively the relationship between the mind and body. From the grossest level to the most subtle we are no longer deluded by what is presented as reality, and then consequently, from ignorance, acted upon.

At the grossest level, through the practice of awareness and love, we begin to understand the impermanent and unsatisfactory nature of the body (Dukkha Dukkha) and so our relationship to the mind, food, medicine, the body and to good health, naturally begins to change.

When the mind is disturbed by unwholesome thoughts the influence on the body is unsupportive for good health. It depletes our energy and colours our view of the world.

When the mind is pervaded by wholesome thoughts the body itself benefits. Love carries no weight and so energizes the body whilst fear and anger have the qualities of heaviness and dullness for health. So, our mental states are part of the basis for good health.

The food we eat is actually a preventative medicine. Whenever possible we should eat food that is local, seasonal and organic. It is my view also that is should always be completely vegan. Consuming the flesh of cruelly murdered animals, or by-products of their maternal milk produced solely for their own offspring, is not only unnecessary but harmful, filled as they are with steroids, antibiotics and other unnatural chemical compounds.

As we would only use the best fuel in an expensive car, so we should energize this body with the best mental and material fuel.

However, such is the nature of the body that no matter how much care we take, illness can still beset us.

In such a case perhaps a day or two of patience and rest should be encouraged as the body has an enormous capacity to find its own balance during times of difficulty.

We have to understand that the closer our intimate relationship is to our own physical form, the less it will hide from us, and so we will know whether to rest, seek medical assistance or work through it.

So, we must to ‘listen’ to the needs of the body. Sometimes immediate action is called for, sometimes patience, but with a growing attitude of love and awareness towards ourselves we will know when to act and when to be still.

Whether we use natural remedies or allopathic treatment is always a personal choice, and our intuitive knowing and experience will guide us in the right direction.

It is well understood in Dhamma training that nothing exists in isolation and everything we empower has a consequence. Eventually we will come to understand the Dhamma reminder to, ‘take care of this body from a loving perspective as it is our vehicle for awakening.

 

Good health is the greatest gift,

peace has the greatest value,

a relationship established in trust

has the greatest worth

and complete liberation

is the greatest happiness.

(Dhammapada Vs 204)

May all beings be happy.