Ancient Indian medicine in early Buddhist literature : a study based on the Bhesajjakkhandhaka and the parallels in other Vinaya Canons

Abstract

Buddhist literature not only contains teachings on doctrines and practices, but also ancient Indian knowledge such as medicine. This study investigates ancient Indian medicine in various versions of the Chapter on Medicine (CM) in the extant Vinaya Piṭaka-s, namely, the Theravāda Bhesajjakkhandhaka, the Dharmaguptaka Bhaiṣajyaskandhaka, the Mahīśāsaka Bhaiṣajyadharmaka, the Sarvāstivāda Bhaiṣajyadharmaka, the Mūlasarvāstivāda Bhaiṣajyavastu, and the relevant parts in the Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya.

The CM contains numerous data on materia medica, cases of diseases and treatments, foods and drinks, and so on. This study focuses on the medicinal substances and the illnesses with their cures. The method employed is a three-fold interpretative method: narration of the relevant accounts of drugs and diseases in the primary sources; explanation of such data based on Buddhist commentaries and Āyurvedic lore; and translation of the information into modern medical/scientific terminology. This method involves rendering the records on medical data from original languages of Pāli, Sanskrit, and Chinese into English, and interpreting them with the help of Āyurvedic and modern biomedical knowledge.

Before proceeding to the analyses and discussions of specific medical details in the CMs, preliminary information on certain aspects are provided. The history of ancient Indian medicine up to the Buddha’s time is described for understanding the context of medical knowledge recorded in the research materials. The sources – viz. the Vinaya Piṭaka and its Skandhaka section and the CM – are introduced. Concise histories and basic principles of the medical traditions of Āyurveda and modern biomedicine – through which the medical particulars in the CMs are interpreted – are presented. In addition, concepts of health and disease as well as medical principles found in early Buddhist discourses and disciplinary texts are generally discussed.

Then, the medicinal substances listed in the CMs are categorised into seven-day medicines comprising lipids and sweets, and tallows; as well as medicines for use throughout one’s life, including roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, gum-resins, decoctions (astringent medicines), alkaline ashes, salts, and others such as scented substances, powders, putrid medicines, and some unclassifiable drugs. These drugs are reported as described in the CMs, explained by means of commentarial notes and Āyurvedic information, and translated into modern common and scientific names.

Likewise, the accounts of diseases are classified and narrated, exposited with the help of Buddhist exegeses and Āyurveda, and then rendered into modern medical knowledge. The examined illnesses include: autumnal disease, wind diseases, disorders of humours or elements, fever, gastrointestinal disturbances, headache, jaundice, snakebite, poisoning, ocular diseases, itchy lesions, carbuncles, wounds, other skin problems, perineal diseases, foot ailments, and insanity.

This research makes contributions by presenting Buddhist perspectives on health/disease concepts, supplying much information about ancient Indian medical lore preserved by the early Buddhist community, and interpreting such medical facts to help readers better comprehend them. It also provides a suitable method for examining other medical materials in Buddhist texts. Furthermore, it could give rise to future studies on various topics relating to “Buddhist medicine”.