Ayurvedic Holistic Health

by Master Teacher David Bruce Hughes

Holistic (or wholistic) health means that we consider the human being as an integrated whole instead of the sum of his parts. The principal parts of the human being are soul, mind and body. The spirit soul, subtle mind and physical body combine to make something that is more than merely the sum of the parts; that is, a human being, the pinnacle of God's material creation. 

What is a human being, and how is he different from the animals? After all, we humans eat, sleep, mate and compete for material resources, and in that way we are similar to the animals. But human beings also have developed intelligence with which to contemplate, worship and serve God. A so-called human being who has no spiritual life is really no better than an animal. Ignorance of spiritual life naturally leads to disease and suffering, because the soul is the most important part of the human being.

Health means that all the parts of our existence are balanced and in harmony with natural law. When we follow natural law or the Law of God, then we are healthy and at ease. When we become imbalanced, we are living in conflict with the Law of God, and the result is dis-ease. If we are feeling ill at ease in any respect, this is a symptom of being in ignorance of—or in conflict with—the Law of God. Western culture is full of knowledge of material laws; our science is based on this knowledge and has produced many benefits based on it. But we have very little knowledge of spiritual laws, especially the proper relationship between the soul and God. Therefore we suffer from much disease that is entirely preventable simply by knowing these subtle laws of spiritual nature.

Ordinary medical science knows something about the operation of the gross physical body and the subtle mind, but nothing about the soul. The soul is the source of consciousness and life energy. Without consciousness or the soul, there are no other issues, either about health or anything else. Therefore knowledge of the soul and understanding of the operation of consciousness is absolutely essential to health. After all, when the soul leaves the body, this life is finished. So to maintain perfect holistic health we must have complete knowledge of the soul, and its primary function of consciousness. This knowledge is given in the Vedic literture, especially Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.

If we are ignorant of the laws of the state, then it is very possible that we may unintentionally break the law. However, that will not excuse us from punishment by the police or courts. Similarly, whether we know the Law of God or not, or whether we break it intentionally or unintentionally, we still will receive the result: suffering in the form of disease. It is much easier to prevent disease through education and training in the laws of nature and spiritual practices, the Law of God and how to follow it, than it is to restore a diseased human being to the natural state of health.

But knowledge of the soul, consciousness, the spiritual world and its laws has been suppressed in Western culture. Therefore we have to approach the most ancient source of knowledge, the Vedas. The Vedas, or the ancient spiritual wisdom of the East, are the most voluminous, complete and scientific source of spiritual knowledge on this planet. There is a specialized section of the Vedas for health, known as the Ayur-veda. Ayur means longevity and Veda means knowledge, so Ayurveda means 'knowledge about longevity'. Longevity automatically includes good health. So Ayurvedic knowledge describes the physical, mental and spiritual laws of achieving and maintaining good health and long life.

Four Principles for Spiritual Health

Imagine that you are a doctor, and a patient comes to you complaining that he feels very bad. You ask him what he is doing, and he says, "Well, every day I take some poison." Of course he is feeling bad! So the very first step in the treatment of this patient is that he must stop taking poison; otherwise, any other treatment that you give is simply wasted. Similarly, breaking the laws of God is just like taking poison. Unless we stop breaking God's laws, there is no chance of being healthy or happy. Therefore the first step of Ayurvedic treatment is to stop breaking the spiritual laws, otherwise any other treatment is simply wasted effort.

The first spiritual law is vegetarian diet. So many diseases are linked to eating meat, fish and eggs. Why? Because the Law of Karma states that whatever actions we perform toward others ultimately comes back to our own selves. So when we kill animals and fish, or hire others to do so, the results of those actions accrues and returns to us as disease. But even before it manifests as disease, the karma of eating meat causes mental distress and instability. So we find that a person who eats meat cannot be peaceful or understand spiritual knowledge. They are blocked from comprehending the subtle laws of spiritual nature by their mental agitation. Therefore the first principle of Ayurvedic holistic health education is to keep a vegetarian diet. 

Similarly, a person who indulges in intoxicants cannot have good health or understand the more subtle laws of material and spiritual nature. Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes and cigars, marijuana, cocaine and other intoxicating drugs—even coffee and black tea—stimulate the lower animal nature and numb the finer parts of the brain, leading to a loss of spiritual knowledge and scientific understanding. Almost all fermented and artificially concentrated preparations contain toxic substances that damage the nervous system. Such intoxicants must therefore be avoided completely if we are to experience or even understand the principles leading to optimum health. 

Illicit sex life is another debilitating source of disease that must be avoided to remain healthy. Sex life is the main deluding principle of material existence. It is the shackle that binds us to material life. Because of sex life, we are thinking that we can enjoy this material life, even though it comes with so many problems and difficulties. Such illusory enjoyment is anticipation only; the actual fact is that we are suffering in so many ways. Having sex outside of duly sanctified marriage exposes us to so many dangers and sorrows. People who indulge in extramarital affairs become degraded morally and physically, and venereal disease is rampant. So our attraction and attachment to sex life must be minimized.

Finally, one must cultivate a devotional relationship with the Supreme Lord, making love of Godhead the highest aim of one's life. God is the source of the soul, our spiritual Father and most intimate eternal Friend. Ordinary religion tries to become a middleman between the individual soul and God, but history has shown that this approach is ultimately unsatisfying. Therefore we teach our students to develop a direct, personal relationship with God by chanting His Holy Names according to one's particular spiritual orientation. This practice is the foundation of a healthy spiritual life and is actually the source of all other benefits of spiritual, material, moral and even financial health. 

Another way to look at our Vedic holistic health principles is the cultivation of four positive virtues: truthfulness, cleanliness, austerity and mercy.

• Truthfulness is cultivated by abstention from lying, gambling and mental speculation, and accepting spiritual knowledge from authentic scriptural traditions, especially the Vedas.
• Cleanliness is cultivated by abstention from illicit sex life, by regular bathing and other external purification, and internally by study of scriptural knowledge and regular chanting of the Holy Name of the Lord according to one's faith.
• Austerity is cultivated by abstaining from intoxication, accepting a simple lifestyle based on spiritual principles, hard work and service to the devotees of the Lord.
• Mercy is cultivated by abstention from killing and eating animals, and engaging in systematic propagation of authentic spiritual truth in human society, beginning with ourselves.

These four principles are essential for anyone wishing to achieve and maintain optimum health; indeed, they are the very foundation of the civilized life of a human being.

Conclusion

In summary, Ayurveda is a natural extension or application of the standard Vedic philosophy to health. The human spirit and body are God's energy, and God is the source of all perfection; so if we just stop doing the things that make us sick, we automatically get well. As long as the body and mind have not been too badly damaged, the life force (prana) itself will do the healing. Vedanta-sutra affirms that prana is another name for Visnu. Therefore Visnu, as prana, is the original physician. By breaking His laws we invite suffering; but by following His spiritual laws and stopping harmful activities, we accept His healing process. This simple spiritually-based program is the essence of Ayurveda.