Radman622 wrote:Since Buddhism teaches that all pain and suffering is a result of Karma, I had an interesting thought about the use of medications designed to lessen or eliminate bodily pain. Obviously Buddha does not teach that you should not take medicine that will help you to recover from a sickness, this would be in violation of the Middle Way he taught. The Buddha himself became sick and accepted medicines to recover.
All suffering is a result of the akusala-mūla, the three unwholesome roots of greed, hatred, and delusion. Pain or discomfort may be caused by other things, but the suffering itself only arises with the indulgence of an unwholesome mindstate.
The five Niyama, or processes, which control the universe are:
1. Kamma Niyama, order of act and result, e.g., desirable and undesirable acts produce corresponding good and bad results.
2. Utu Niyama, physical (inorganic) order, e.g., seasonal phenomena of winds and rains.
3. Bija Niyama, order of germs or seeds (physical organic order); e.g., rice produced from rice-seed, sugary taste from sugar cane or honey etc. The scientific theory of cells and genes may be ascribed to this order.
4. Citta Niyama, order of mind or psychic law, e.g., processes of consciousness (Citta vithi), power of mind etc.
5. Dhamma Niyama, order of the norm, e.g., the natural phenomena occurring at the advent of a Bodhisatta in his last birth, gravitation, etc.
As you can see, kamma is only responsible for some things; diseases or other painful bodily phenomena can indeed be caused by past actions, but they can also be chalked up to seasonal effects, hereditary disorders, poor diet, etc.
Kamma is important but it is not the root of all possible pains. So I would encourage taking all possible medication or other preventative measures in order to stave off diseases caused by the other four Niyamas; after all, if you are due to suffer from a kammic misdeed, then a pill isn't going to stop the working of the universe.
Antidepressants are much the same way, although I would encourage those who suffer from depression to augment any chemical approach with an equally attended-to spiritual approach. I take a small antidepressant but I know that the real power player, so to speak, in my mental health is not Prozac but meditation
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Gain and loss, status and disgrace,
censure and praise, pleasure and pain:
these conditions among human beings are inconstant,
impermanent, subject to change.
Knowing this, the wise person, mindful,
ponders these changing conditions.
Desirable things don’t charm the mind,
undesirable ones bring no resistance.
His welcoming and rebelling are scattered,
gone to their end,
do not exist.
- Lokavipatti Sutta
Stuff I write about things.