Health is the
Greatest Wealth
Senior Lecturer, Pandit,
Dr. Ven. Dodamgoda
Sumanasara Thero
Faculty of Humanities and
Social Sciences
University of Sri Jayewardenepura
Humans are the most important and intelligent species on this planet. Human
beings are born with the vast capacity of inherent knowledge to grant their
services to the world in diverse fields.
Hence, if they are in good health in this life cycle, they will be able to
contribute their great services to everyone while living happily with their
family members, relatives, friends, neighbors, and the society.
As the Buddha proclaimed in the Dhammapada of the Khuddaka Nikaya, the greatest
wealth of human beings is good health “arogya parama labha”. One of the
disciples of the Buddha, the most venerable Arahant Bakkula Maha Thero lived for
approximately 160 years free from any disease, due to the immense merit he had
accrued with the meritorious deeds he performed throughout his transmigrations.
He was honoured by the Buddha as ‘the greatest healthiest monk’ amongst the
Sangha community.
Good health is of paramount importance to carry out one’s day to day life and
activities. If someone is not healthy he or she will fail to do each and every
deed in life. Hence, an unhealthy individual cannot be happy. Some people albeit
having sufficient wealth, are unhappy when they are suffering from ill health.
According to the Attassadwara jataka story, healthy people can make every effort
to develop their lives through various ways in this birth. Thus, healthiness is
extremely important for every individual in any society to live happily.
In the Buddhist canon, all diseases have been categorized into two main parts
1. Mental diseases
2. Physical diseases
according to the vivid natures of their symptoms.
In this mundane life, all the people suffer from different mental illnesses
because of ignorance (avijja). This ignorance is the principal source for all
the mental diseases which arise in the human mind through the six organs or
faculties (shadindriyani) i.e. eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. Every
person in this world likes to feel the sensation (vedana) whether it is pleasant
or unpleasant or neutral through the contact of physical and mental faculty with
the external world.
Consequently, each faculty experiences the sensation via the contact of the eye
with visible forms , ear with sounds, nose with smell, tongue with taste, body
with tangible objects, and mind with thoughts or mind-objects.
On the other hand, mental diseases may also occur due to impure mental thoughts
of the humans such as lust (raga), anger (dosa), illusion or delusion (moha),
greediness, pride, jealousy, selfishness etc.
According to Bhandari (2020), “Mental illness can be caused by a combination of
biological, psychological, and environmental factors. The biological factors
such as genetics (heredity), abnormal functioning of nerve cell circuits or
pathways that connect particular brain regions, brain defects or injury,
prenatal damage, and long-term substance abuse can cause mental illness.
Until each individual identifies his or her mind wisely, mental illnesses would
rise in the mind continuously throughout human life. Sometimes, some people may
look healthy in their physical body but they may be mentally sick. Recent
research has shown that nearly one in three people with a long-term physical
health condition also has a mental health problem, most often depression or
anxiety.
Once The Buddha said that all the humans are crazy “sabbe putujana ummantaka”
until they attain the Arahantship. Every human being may encounter a different
type of physical disease easily from birth to death in this life. Even in the
time of the Buddha, there were some monks and laymen who suffered in pain due to
numerous diseases, including Putigattatissa, Arahant Mahakashyapa Thero, Arahant
Chunda Maha Thero. In the Girimandanda Sutta, the Buddha has disclosed a list of
illnesses of the human body which people encounter in day-to-day life due to
diverse reasons. They are the diseases of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body,
head, mouth, teeth, skin diseases, scratching, vomiting, paralysis, cancer,
bagandara and so on. Further, the Buddha has explained in the same sutta the
reasons for these diseases to arise in the human body such as excessive pile in
the body, excessive phlegm, rheumatics factor, climatic changes, Karmic power,
and so on.
As we all know we can live only for a short time in this existence. Hence, each
person should realize the value of human life and strive to maintain healthiness
throughout his/her life. Physical health problems significantly increase our
risk of developing mental health problems, and vice versa. If one lives with
good thoughts doing virtuous deeds that person can spend his or her time
happily. Consequently happiness leads to long healthy life. Furthermore,
according to the Mental Health Foundation (2021), “physical activity is a great
way to keep you physically healthy as well as improving your mental wellbeing.
Research shows that doing exercise releases feel-good chemicals called
endorphins in the brain. Even a short burst of 10 minutes brisk walking can
improve your mental alertness, energy and mood. Eating well can improve your
wellbeing and your mood. A balanced diet is one that includes healthy amounts of
proteins, essential fats, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water.”
Spending your time sans stress, leisurely, reading books or doing your favourite
hobby, meditation, associating good friends, helping others, working according
to a schedule, etc. will direct you to build up good mental health. In addition
to this, avoiding smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, people’s cleanliness, getting
a proper sleep, following health guidelines etc. would help one to maintain good
health.
In conclusion, every person across the world is entangled in numerous problems
due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Some people opine that there is no value in money
due to the fatalities and seeing dead bodies every day from morning to night.
This sorrowful experience has made many people in the world to reflect on their
transient lives and they have realized that the greatest wealth is health in
human life than relentlessly running after rupees and dollars. The Buddha, the
Supreme one, has shown us through his noble sermons the reality of life and the
dire necessity to live our life righteously and piously now, and not to
procrastinate our quest to attain Nirvana.
May you be well and happy! |