Key to understanding the working of Ayurveda lies in knowing the difference between Western and Eastern philosophies of science.
Ancient Indian approach to health is individualistic which is different from the generalized approach of western systems of medicine. Here are some basic differences between the approach of ‘Western’ and ‘Eastern’ philosophies of health.
1) Allopathy: In this system, whatever is common in a majority of people constitutes the norm.
Ayurveda: This system says normality must be evaluated individually because every human constitution manifests its own unique temperament and functioning. This is the reason ‘Mind-Body Constitution Analysis’ is done.
2) Western philosophy believes in
- Questioning
- Analysis
- Logical deduction
Eastern philosophy believes in
- Acceptance
- Observation
- Experiencing
3) Western thought process trusts objectivity. This means concentrating on things based on physical structure. This includes brain but does not include mind or mental health. It is not influenced by feelings or interpretations.
Eastern thought process emphasizes on subjectivity. This means it includes the entity of internal thoughts. It teaches us to go beyond the division between subjectivity and objectivity.
This difference in approach may explain why people experience difficulty in understanding the concepts of Ayurveda.
Many things in Ayurveda may invoke questions like ‘How’ and ‘Why’ due to lack of knowledge of the subject. It needs to be observed that Ayurveda is a ‘Complete Work’ in itself; whereas allopathic system of medicine is ‘Work in Progress’, where not all the concepts could claim to be proved but they still work. So it is important to provisionally accept the concepts in Ayurveda to explore them further.
Relating to Ayurveda
Today is the age of information and technology. The concepts applied today prove that the essential base of the world is not ultimately physical but much beyond it. This age of Information and Technology can be equated to the age of consciousness. The modern medical science, which has a complete base of materialistic (cellular) concepts, is now looking towards the conscious-based understanding of the medical issues i.e. AYURVEDA. Nanotechnology – the newest concept of this age is said to be used,ages back, for the preparation of medicines in Ayurveda. There are researches done in the West since long which show that Ayurveda is a complete and a fully evolved ‘Science of Life’. The scriptures of Ayurveda can be equated to a coded computer language but the scholars who understand this language are scarce. As all the original Ayurvedic texts are in Sanskrit, it becomes a matter of decoding the language in its proper sense for proper understanding.
Reference: ‘Science of Self-Healing Ayurveda’
