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World Religion

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World Religions
Midterm Paper

RELIGION: HINDUISM
RITUAL: ARYUVEDIC

Hinduism as we have learnt previously originated in India and has a large following, even outside of India in countries such as the United States and other parts of Asia as well. Many people debate as to whether Hinduism can actually be regarded as a religion due to the various ideologies it encompasses. It proposes ideas which are seemingly, should not be considered religious due to many people. The lack of a spiritual figure who can be looked up to and prayed to , as do the other familiar religions, give many a cause to disregard it as a religion but rather as a way of life. One of such practices which are incorporated into their rituals is Ayurveda. It is a practice which is concerned with providing holistic healing for individuals. In the following paragraphs, I will go into detail about Ayurveda, detailing its origins/ beginnings, types and its use across the world.
Ayurveda is an ancient medicinal form of science which was practiced in India (as Hinduism also started in India). It began centuries and the word Ayurveda in Sanskrit is “Ayur” which means “life” and “veda” which also means “science” Therefore, in keeping with its aim of providing holistic healing can be considered to be a life science. The practice of Ayurveda started in India centuries ago and is often referred to as the ‘mother of healing’. Ancient Greek and Chinese medicine too was influenced from Ayurveda and its natural healing techniques. Ayurveda is based on the principles of natural medicine and aims to cure the diseases form their very root as oppose to just healing the symptoms of the. It places emphasize on ensuring that eating habits are well balanced and the right nutrition is observed (pithya) as well as a good lifestyle which includes working out and making sure that the body can withstand diseases and is equipped to fight them (doshas).
There are many different practices of Ayurveda. All of these combine to forming the essence of Ayurveda. One may to choose to practice all of them or just one of them. Although they all complement each other in a sense, they are not inextricably tied to one another.
In the course of my research on this ritual, I discovered that the simple essence of Ayurveda is knowledge and awareness of the qualities of nature – called gurvadi gunah. By understanding the qualities inherent in the environment, in foodstuffs, in activities, a person is able to gain an appreciation of their effects on the individual constitution through the principle of similarities. The gurvadi gunah are listed in Vagbhata's Ashtanga Hrdayam as: “Guru (heavy) – laghu (light) ; Manda (slow) – tikshna (quick, sharp) ;Hima (cold) – ushna (hot) ;Snigdha (unctuous) – ruksha (dry) ;Slakshna (smooth) – khara (rough) ;Sandra (solid) – drava (liquid) ;Mrdu (soft) – kathina (hard) ;Sthira (stable) – cala (mobile) ;Sukshma ;(subtle) – sthula (gross); Vishada (non-slimy) – picchila (slimy)”
Since everything in the material world possesses combinations of the 20 qualities, ayurveda postulates that every material process or object can either harm or heal a person by influencing that person's unique original constitution (called prakrti). An ayurvedic practitioner will assess the qualities of a disorder, the patient's unique prakrti, and his/her influencing factors to arrive at a treatment plan. The treatment plan will consist of using herbs, therapies, diet, etc., with opposite qualities so as to assist the patient in re-establishing their prakrti.

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