Karen Angela G.

Panganiban
BS Nursing 4-A

Buddhism on Health and Illness

For Buddhism, physical suffering is an inevitable part of life. Like old age and
death, sickness is unavoidable and bound to produce some degree of
suffering. This does not mean that one should not mitigate pain through
available medical means, but if suffering remains, it should be accepted and
mindfully endured. Within the Buddhist tradition, physical pain and illness can
provide an occasion for the cultivation of healthy and desirable mental states
including forbearance and patience. Therefore, it is not illness but rather our
response to it that has spiritual value in the Buddhist tradition. In his
teachings, the Buddha condemned any form of self-mortification and
mistreatment of either body or mind. Underlying this approach to health and
illness is Buddhism’s view that the body and mind are interrelated and
interdependent. Hence, the body is a valuable instrument whose good health
is indispensable for maximizing spiritual development. Meditation techniques,
a core part of the Buddhist tradition, are designed in part to prevent and
address physical and mental illness.

Diet
Many Buddhists are vegetarian or vegan due to the 1st precept and respect
for other sentient beings. Some may have taken a precept which involves
eating only one main meal a day. This is usually eaten before midday.
However it is not uncommon to find non-vegetarian Buddhists as the Buddha
asked his
monks to eat whatever they got.

Fasting
An individual’s health allowing, in all schools and traditions a one day fast is
recommended on New Moon and Full Moon days. There are also other
festival days such as Buddha’s birthday, death day, his enlightenment, the
first Sermon and others.

Attitudes to Medicine
Buddhists generally have no problem taking any medicine that helps. Some
Buddhists will be wary, and will wish to know the effects, of any drug which
alters their emotional state or clarity of mind due to the 5th precept. However,
the idea of the 5th precept is so that individuals do not perform harmful acts
whilst intoxicated. So, prescribed medication, that may be intoxicating but
which is healing or reduces suffering, is usually accepted. Nevertheless some
Buddhists may favour alternative health remedies or may be reluctant to
accept sedating medication for this reason.

Attitudes to Pain Relief

Because awareness is thought to be important in Buddhist practice, and
especially so around the dying process, many Buddhists will be concerned to
ensure that pain relief does not leave them completely disconnected from
what is happening to them. It is therefore prudent to discuss thoroughly the
range of possible pain relief options being offered, especially if the drugs are
likely to cause excessive drowsiness or confusion.

Transplantation
There is some spectrum of Buddhist opinion on this issue. Ultimately many
will have no religious objections since helping others is fundamental to
Buddhist belief –and organ donation during life seems to be universally
considered skilful and compassionate an act of supreme generosity. However
some may decline transplants and organ donation occurring after death due
to the belief that the mind may dwell within the body for some time after cardio
respiratory death; whereby the body should not be moved for 72 hours, and
where disruption of internal organs may be perceived to undermine the
optimal dissolution of consciousness.
Family Planning

Contraception may be discussed freely as necessary. Objections are unlikely,

though some Western Buddhists may consider certain kinds of contraceptive
pill to be unacceptable. Contraception is, for example, practised widely in the
Buddhist kingdom of Thailand today.

Abortion

Although this is a potentially difficult area for Buddhists, among others, it

would be prudent to make no assumptions and to provide the normal range of
options and information..

Buddha Images

Buddhists in hospital or other care settings may wish to have an image (rupa)
of the Buddha, either in the form of a small statue or photograph, at their
bedside. A Buddha rupa represents the wisdom, compassion and ability to
help others that Buddhists train to realize in themselves, and such an image
should be treated with respect, with care being taken when moving or
cleaning around them.

Funeral
Traditions may vary as there are different schools of thought. Buddhists can
dispose of the dead body by all four elements- whichever is appropriate to the
country and people. However, most Buddhists are cremated and the body
should be disposed of within 3-7 days.
CHINESE
The Chinese are guardians of a magnificent tapestry of legacies resulting in
an extensively diverse and dynamic culture. They are one of the most
heterogeneous groups of people and describing their culture is complex and a
challenging task necessarily full of generalizations. Their extensive origins,
varying countries of residence (even within Southeast Asia), numerous
dialects (more than a dozen in mainland China) and variety of traditions and
beliefs make categorization very difficult.

TRADITIONAL FAMILY VALUES

• Traditional families are extended with more recent trends tending towards
nuclear and ‘astronaut’ families (where the father of the migrant family spends
periods of time in the country of origin for business and returns to the family
when time permits)
• Eldest sons inherit family leadership and wealth and are expected to look
after the parents when they are older
• Younger sons are expected to leave the home and live close to the parents

HEALTH CARE BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

Factors seen to influence health:

• Life Force (Chi) and Body balance

It is believed that health is based on keeping the body elements in ‘balance’
and that certain kinds of diet, lifestyle, treatments and external factors can
influence this balance. Maintaining the balance of the Life Force or Chi is
essential for good health
• Yin-Yang is a complex and dynamic principle, and although a relatively
wellknown term in the west, it is often oversimplified and misunderstood. It
consists of 2 complementary forces inherently oriented towards the
maintainance of harmony within any dualistic system. Each opposite force
contains an element of the other and when the one reaches its extreme it
evolves into the other

o Yin in excess gives way to "cold" illnesses, e.g. depression, hypo activity,
hypothermia, abdominal cramps and indigestion
o Yang in excess would underlie conditions such as hyperactivity,
hyperthermia, stroke and seizures
o Treatment of hot/cold illnesses is through the use of the opposite force to
achieve balance. This can be done by regulating body temperature, or
through food and other means. (e.g. the common cold is treated with hot soup
made from bean sprouts
• Spiritual factors where moral retribution by ancestors, or deities for misdeeds
and negligence, is experienced (including fate or karma)
• Cosmic disharmony or astrological factors such as a person’s combination of
year, month, day and time of birth, and whether these may clash with those of
a family member
• Supernatural forces where there is an interference from evil entities such as
malevolent ghosts and spirits or impersonal evil forces
• Poor Feng Shui (the impact of the natural and built environment on the
fortune and wellbeing of inhabitants)
• Superstitions – many things can bring bad luck, (e.g. number 4 has similar
connotations as number 13 for western cultures because it sounds like death
in Chinese, Korean & Japanese languages)
• The Western concept of disease causation is accepted by most and may
coexist with any of the other attributions of illness
Common Traditional treatments and practices:
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and practices
o Patent medicines
o Acupuncture
o Acupressure or Massage o Coining or Scraping
o Cupping
o Moxibustion
o Herbal remedies and dietary therapy
o Use of shamans
o Feng Shui
o Qi Qong, and various martial art forms such as Tai Chi

Diet and Nutrition

• Foods are considered to have the qualities of either ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ and for
many clients diet is balanced according to needs around these elements
(health needs, climatic conditions, taste etc.)
• Daily meals generally consist of four food groups: grains, vegetables, fruit,
and meat
• Because of a general lactose intolerance, traditionally Chinese do not
consume large amounts of dairy products; soymilk and tofu are the normal
substitute
• Rice and noodles are a staple. Too much bread and pasta in hospitals can
cause distress to clients
• A common food, and much loved comfort food for most Chinese, is the rice
porridge congee/conjee which can be eaten at almost any meal. For clients
who find difficulty with western hospital food, families are usually happy to
supplement foods and could be requested to provide this porridge. They can
also advise re cultural dietary needs and preferences
• Herbs and special ingredient soups are used to replenish energy levels
when a person is feeling unwell, and to maintain health (called “gin bou," in
the North and "bo sheng" in the South). These may need to be prepared by
skilled home cooks
• When in hospital, meals may remain untouched if dietary needs cannot be
met
Stigmas
Mental illness and disabilities are regarded as stigmas

Death and dying

• Traditional Chinese bereavement customs are based on the blend of four
primary religions/practices (Buddhism, Taoism, Shamanism and
Confucianism). Funeral rites and burial customs are taken very seriously as
improper arrangements are believed to have dire consequences for the family
of the deceased
• Traditionally a younger person cannot be shown respect by an older person
so young children and babies have no funeral rites and are buried in silence,
a young man may not be taken home but left in a funeral parlour before the
burial
• The third day following the funeral and burial is ceremonially significant, and
ceremonies are also held on the 21st, 35th, 49th and 60th days following the
death
• Great respect is shown to Chinese dead throughout the lifetimes of surviving
relatives, both in memory and in ceremony over the years

SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
• Buddhism is the primary religion
• Christianity has increasing numbers in China

REFERENCES
https://www.ecald.com/assets/Resources/C2-S1-Chinese.pdf
https://journals.equinoxpub.com/HSCC/article/view/16921/13195
https://www.thebuddhistsociety.org/page/buddhist-health
https://www.ecald.com/assets/Resources/C2-S1-Chinese.pdf