The Buddha as a Doctor

[Wizard in the Forest]

I'm trying to compile some Suttas in the Pāli Canon and the Agamas where the Buddha is compared to a doctor and gives his disciples advice on Sickness and Pain or heal them with Dhamma talks

So far there's most of the Bojjhaṅgā Suttas. One where he visits Mahā Kassapa, One where he is sick and is reminded of the Bojjhaṅgās, one where the Buddha tells Ānanda how to help Girimananda. There's a few times when he describes the types of patients who will recover and won't recover with medicine but I can't remember which Sutta it is.

[Sam Vara]

Monks, doctors give a purgative for warding off diseases caused by bile, diseases caused by phlegm, diseases caused by the internal wind property. There is a purging there; I don’t say that there’s not, but it sometimes succeeds and sometimes fails. So I will teach you the noble purgative that always succeeds and never fails, a purgative whereby beings subject to birth are freed from birth; beings subject to aging are freed from aging; beings subject to death are freed from death; beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair are freed from sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair. Listen & pay close attention. I will speak.”

“As you say, lord,” the monks responded.

The Blessed One said: “Now, what is the noble purgative that always succeeds and never fails, a purgative whereby beings subject to birth are freed from birth; beings subject to aging are freed from aging; beings subject to death are freed from death; beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair are freed from sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress & despair?

https://suttacentral.net/an10.108/en/thanissaro

Bhikkhus, there are these three kinds of patients found existing in the world. What three? (1) Here, one patient will not recover from his illness whether or not he gets suitable food, suitable medicine, and a competent attendant. (2) Another patient will recover from his illness whether or not he gets suitable food, suitable medicine, and a competent attendant. (3) Still another patient will recover from his illness only if he gets suitable food, not if he fails to get it; only if he gets suitable medicine, not if he fails to get it; and only if he gets a competent attendant, not if he fails to get one.

2“Food and medicine and a competent attendant are prescribed particularly for the sake of the patient who will recover from his illness only if he gets suitable food, not if he fails to get it; only if he gets suitable medicine, not if he fails to get it; and only if he gets a competent attendant, not if he fails to get one. But because of this patient, the other patients should also be served. These are the three kinds of patients found existing in the world.

3“So too, bhikkhus, there are these three kinds of persons similar to patients found existing in the world.

https://suttacentral.net/an3.22/en/bodhi

[JohnK]

I'm trying to compile some Suttas in the Pāli Canon and the Agamas where the Buddha is compared to a doctor and gives his disciples advice on Sickness and Pain or heal them with Dhamma talks
...

Bhikkhu Analayo does something similar in his book Mindfully Facing Disease and Death. He translates from the Agamas and indicates the Pali parallels. I can give a quick list of the parallels, some of which may be relevant to you.
SN22.1
SN 36.6
AN5.123 & 124
SN46.14
SN52.10
SN1.38
SN47.30
SN55.27
SN22.88 & 89
AN10.60
SN3.22
SN47.13
MN97
MN143
SN55.3
SN55.54
SN36.7
AN6.56
SN35.74
SN41.10
AN6.19
AN8.73

[form]

More of a Doctor for a mental disease.

[JohnK]

More of a Doctor for a mental disease.

Yes indded, but also apparently:
Per SN46:14, Mahakassapa, gravely ill, is visited by the Buddha who reminds him of the seven factors that have been rightly expounded, and when developed, lead to enlightenment. Ven. Mahakassapa, delighted, "recovered from that illness...was cured of his illness" [from Bodhi translation].
Bhikkhu Bodhi's footnote there goes on to refer to the commentary (Spk): "...Thinking, 'The master's teaching is indeed emancipating!' his blood became clear, his bodily humours were purified, and the disease departed from his body..."
https://suttacentral.net/sn46.14/en/bodhi

[form]

More of a Doctor for a mental disease.

Yes indded, but also apparently:
Per SN46:14, Mahakassapa, gravely ill, is visited by the Buddha who reminds him of the seven factors that have been rightly expounded, and when developed, lead to enlightenment. Ven. Mahakassapa, delighted, "recovered from that illness...was cured of his illness" [from Bodhi translation].
Bhikkhu Bodhi's footnote there goes on to refer to the commentary (Spk): "...Thinking, 'The master's teaching is indeed emancipating!' his blood became clear, his bodily humours were purified, and the disease departed from his body..."
https://suttacentral.net/sn46.14/en/bodhi

Maybe there are some links between mental and physical conditions.

But apparently the Buddha has many health problems at older age and he linked it to aging. He did not do anything to cure himself.

Some writings link four noble truths as a medical model.
Like what are the signs and symptoms of cov19, what causes the signs n symptoms, what when taken out cure cov19, the way to develop and admister the cure.

[confusedlayman]

More of a Doctor for a mental disease.

Yes indded, but also apparently:
Per SN46:14, Mahakassapa, gravely ill, is visited by the Buddha who reminds him of the seven factors that have been rightly expounded, and when developed, lead to enlightenment. Ven. Mahakassapa, delighted, "recovered from that illness...was cured of his illness" [from Bodhi translation].
Bhikkhu Bodhi's footnote there goes on to refer to the commentary (Spk): "...Thinking, 'The master's teaching is indeed emancipating!' his blood became clear, his bodily humours were purified, and the disease departed from his body..."
https://suttacentral.net/sn46.14/en/bodhi

Maybe there are some links between mental and physical conditions.

But apparently the Buddha has many health problems at older age and he linked it to aging. He did not do anything to cure himself.

Some writings link four noble truths as a medical model.
Like what are the signs and symptoms of cov19, what causes the signs n symptoms, what when taken out cure cov19, the way to develop and admister the cure.

body is burden so there is no need to continue it using artificial ways.

[JohnK]

Just providing another sutta example of apparent healing from physical disease due to hearing the Buddha's teachings.
To be clear, I am not saying this is the primary way in which the Buddha can be described as a doctor.
AN10.60 concludes:

Then Ānanda, having learned these ten perceptions from the Buddha himself, went to Girimānanda and recited them. Then after Girimānanda heard these ten perceptions his illness died down on the spot. And that’s how he recovered from that illness.

https://suttacentral.net/an10.60/en/sujato

[form]

Just providing another sutta example of apparent healing from physical disease due to hearing the Buddha's teachings.
To be clear, I am not saying this is the primary way in which the Buddha can be described as a doctor.
AN10.60 concludes:

Then Ānanda, having learned these ten perceptions from the Buddha himself, went to Girimānanda and recited them. Then after Girimānanda heard these ten perceptions his illness died down on the spot. And that’s how he recovered from that illness.

https://suttacentral.net/an10.60/en/sujato

In modern psychology theory, mental problem can cause somatic problem.