What is Ayurveda?

by David Bruce Hughes

First of all, the Ayur-veda is a book; a very old book. Ayur means longevity and health; not just physical health, but also spiritual health: body, mind and soul in harmony. So let's take these ideas one by one.

There is a type of medicine associated with Ayurveda: natural herbal medicine. Just like here in Mexico, we have the tradition of the curanderos. This tradition is very good; it is similar to the traditional medicine of Ayurveda. In fact if you go to the drugstore, 90% of the medicines there originally come from plants. Maybe they're refined or concentrated, but basically their ingredients come from natural substances. 

The real source of medicine is nature; and of course nature works under the direction of God. Health comes from following the natural laws of God. So the original healer, the original doctor is God. And when we're in harmony with God, then our health automatically is good. I haven't been to an allopathic doctor in many years, but my health is fine because I'm staying in harmony with God. 

Ayurveda is also a lifestyle, including diet, lifestyle, the type of work that we do, the way we dress, sexuality—everything is included. With what aim? To keep us in balance: body, mind and spirit in harmony. In this case, harmony means balance; and there are many factors that Ayurveda teaches us to keep in balance. This balance comes from the practice of meditation.

Meditation is a big subject. What is meditation? Really, meditation means when consciousness is focused spontaneously on a transcendental object. There are many different kinds of practices that are called meditation; but real meditation is about consciousness. Unfortunately, knowledge of consciousness has been suppressed in our Western society. This was a deliberate decision made back in the days of the Roman Empire. So we don't have much knowledge about consciousness. But the Vedic tradition knows all about it.

I mentioned that the first word in Ayur-veda, ayur, means health; the second word is Veda. The original meaning of Veda is knowledge; but it also applies to an entire class of literature. And all this literature has one thing in common; it speaks of Absolute Truth. What is Absolute Truth? It means truth that never changes. 

For example if I say, "It is raining," is that true? Maybe not right now, but what about the last time it rained? Then it was true. This is relative truth; its truth is dependent on circumstances. Sometimes it's called conditional truth, because it depends on conditions. But if I say, "The soul is immortal," or "God knows everything," is there ever a time when that's not true? No. Is there ever a condition when that is not true, or a person for whom that is not true? No. So that is Absolute Truth; Absolute Truth is unconditional, meaning it's always true in past, present and future, in every place and for every person, and in every circumstance and in every condition of life. 

So any book that is full of Absolute Truth is Veda. Catemaco Ayurveda Institute is an esoteric school based on the Vedas; we follow the tradition of the Vedas, because it's based on Absolute Truth. So when we talk of Ayurveda, Ayurveda exists within a context; the context of the Vedas. It is a Vedic science. Therefore we have to understand at least something about the whole Vedas and Vedic culture so that we understand the context, because the context determines both the meaning and the value of something.

Let me give you an example. Say we have a nice video camera. But if we take this camera in the middle of the jungle in Brazil, what will happen? It won't work. There's no electricity, no videotapes; it will get wet and some animal will crawl inside and make a nest. If I try to explain this camera to a tribeman living there, will he understand what I'm talking about? No. Why? We have taken the thing out of its context, therefore it loses both its function and its value. 

A similar thing has happened with Vedic knowledge, especially Yoga. Yoga has been taken out of its context, and just like the camera in the jungle, it's now practically useless. But if you read the original Vedic knowledge about Yoga, it states very clearly the purpose of Yoga: "The purpose of Yoga is to finish all miseries." And there are eight branches of Yoga; that's why it's called astanga-yoga. There are eight branches called asta-anga; astanga means 'eight limbs.' But if you go to any Yoga school in the West, they're only teaching one branch: asana. That's one branch, but there are seven more branches: yama, niyama, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi. 

If you teach all eight branches, that's Yoga; if you teach only one branch, that's not Yoga. It's just like if I offer to sell you my car for $1000, and when you pay, I give you only one wheel. What's the use? You can't go anyplace. So in order to have the function of real Yoga, you have to have the complete science, and it must be practiced within a proper context. Just like the camera without electricity, if you bring Yoga outside that context, it gives only a tiny fraction of its real function and value. 

The same is true of Ayurveda. Just like Yoga, Ayurveda is meant to exist in the context of the Vedas. The Vedas are a vast literature. If we had all the Vedic books, they would fill a whole house, and nobody could come inside. So many books, all full of Absolute Truth. Just imagine; in the West, we have one book, the Bible, and it's mostly history. Here and there, there's a little bit of Absolute Truth. And for that, it's very valuable. But just imagine ten thousand books full of Absolute Truth! That's the Vedas. 

When I tell people this they often ask, "How come we don't know about this? Why don't we see it on TV every night?" I have asked myself the same question. And after a lot of research, I've concluded the answer is: it's deliberately kept hidden. Deliberately hidden, to keep people weak. Because if we understand what is consciousness, if we understand what is the self, if we understand what is God, how to be really healthy and strong, then no one can control us; no one can deceive us; no one can manipulate us; no one can cheat us. We will not become victims of people who want power over us, because we will know that the only source of power is God. 

Whenever something happens that seems very strange, ask yourself, "Who benefits?" Just like it says in Latin, cui bono? So who benefits from the suppression of Vedic knowledge? The people who want power think that they benefit by keeping the Vedas a secret. So they publish all kinds of nonsense about the subject to keep everyone in the dark. That's politics; but we're not into politics, we're into Truth. We're into giving all the secrets away. 

Science of the Soul

The first secret is: Ayurveda's secret meaning is self-realization or God-realization. Because the truth is, we can can never be perfectly healthy in this material world. Everything in this world is relative, and it's also temporary and imperfect; so there's always going to be some problem. Eventually we have to die. Nobody in this world is immune to death. So real health means to understand the soul, because the soul is eternal; the soul does not die. Just like God; God never dies, and the soul is the child of God. 

So we are like God. The difference is not in quality, but only in quantity. In other words we are very small, insignificant, and God is everything. In fact, the basic definition of God in the Vedas is the sum total of everything: both what we know and what we don't know; both what we can understand, and what is beyond our understanding; both what we can imagine, and what is unimaginable. That's God: the sum total of everything that is and can be, the Complete Whole. 

The Absolute Truth is knowledge that comes from God. Every bona fide scripture comes from God. They may be written by human beings, but they are inspired by the Supreme Lord through the medium of the heart. Therefore, love of God is given as the highest religious principle. So everybody can have spiritual realization. There's no limit, no conditions, no requirements other than a sincere desire. And the first part of that desire is to know the real Absolute Truth. 

On this site we say many things that you probablynever heard before. That doesn't mean that we're trying to trick you; it means that we have access to knowledge that has been kept secret, so you've never heard it before. So, be patient with us, and be willing to ask questions. I've been studying the Vedas now for almost 40 years, so I'm very very familiar, very at home with this Vedic knowledge. But we may say some things that seem really crazy to you; so instead of just rejecting this knowledge, you have to ask questions. That's what our online forum is for. So ask your questions and we will respond.