Ayurveda Basics - Sankhya

Ayurveda is a system of life preservation and health restoration. It aims to maintain the health of the healthy, and restore the health of the sick. It deals fabulously with intercepting small symptoms before they become fully fledged disease. It can personalise treatment and recognises that not every treatment works for every person. In this series of articles, we will explore how the underlying framework of ayurveda enables it to achieve all these things.

Ayurveda is not a new thing. Depending on the source it can be dated anywhere between two and five thousand years old. It is not necessarily that because it is old, it is good, but it has certainly passed the test of time. Yet, is continues to dynamically adapt and well represent the world through its constant transformation. Even the technological advancement and fast paced activity of the modern world can be defined and well treated according to ayurvedic principles.

SANKHYA - A PHILOSOPHY OF ENUMERATING MATTER

One key pillar of ayurvedic understanding is the study of cosmic principles, and how these effect and interact in our everyday life, our body and mind, and our health.

These principles, or 'tattva', are drawn from the Sankhya philosophy which systematically enumerates the nature of matter, called 'prakruti'.

A brief and summarised version of tattva includes:

• The gross elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether;

• Subtle elements of mind, intellect and ego;

• The senses that retrieve information about the world (ears, eyes, skin, tongue and nose);

• The ability of those senses to perceive (to hear, see, smell, taste and touch);

• The objects of sense perception (light, sound, touch, taste and smell);

• The senses that perform action in the world (speech, hands, feet, genitals, excretory organs);

• The maha gunas of sattva, rajas and tamas, or subtle influences that effect change, behaviour and structure;

• Some other extrapolations on sankhya include time and karma (action) as tattvas as well.

As well as prakruti, purusha also exists as the life giving element, which is distinct from all matter, as pure consciousness. Purusha is the ultimate animating force.

Purusha and prakruti interact as the force of life, and the playthings that life interacts with. Purusha is the 'knower', and prakruti is the 'known'.

Basically, this is a simple (or maybe not-so-simple!) categorisation system by which we can identify the components of the world. Ayurveda then takes these components and understands their interaction and works to understand their appropriate and healthy use.

SANKHYA + AYURVEDA

For example, one recognised cause of disease or disturbance to the body or mind is the regular underuse, overuse or inappropriate use of the senses with their objects (tan matras). This might be in the form of regularly hearing very loud or aggressive sounds, watching violent movies or video games, or eating food that is very bland. In these cases the senses are going to the extremes of the perception, of taking in information that is over or under stimulating. Balance is key!

There is also acknowledgement of the effect of the subtle body - the mind, intellect and ego - on the physical health of the individual, and vice versa. For example, a disturbed mind that is constantly overwhelmed, a perverse intellect that has erroneous beliefs, or an inflated ego that doesn't have an appropriate sense of itself in relation to other egos, can gradually transmute into gross symptoms or changes in the body.

A common causation of disease is what is called 'prajnaaparadha', or crimes against our own wisdom. I.e. we know we shouldn't do something, but we do it anyway. This is a way that our disrespect of our own intellect can undermine our health. If we go against our better understanding on a regular basis, not only do we jeopardise our health, but we denigrate our self-esteem and learn to switch off useful discernment, which is a function of healthy intelligence.

Time is the best transformer of matter. It shifts us through uncountable mutations in life. Of course, time cannot be stopped, but ayurveda addresses the need for the recognition of the passage of time through regular rituals (kaya kalpas) that help us to accept and appreciated both what is lost and gained through this powerful force, and thereby keep us harmonised with the innate laws of nature.

These underlying philosophies give a glimpse into the holistic nature of ayurveda - not just a magic pill to swallow, a diet to be followed or a fad exercise craze. With such a comprehensive understanding there is incredible power to positively affect every aspect of our life.