This slideshow presents an introduction to the oldest medical system in the World- Ayurveda. I have tried to offer a story of Ayurveda that, like its name (Ayu-Life and Veda-Knowledge) would give anyone an understanding of the fundamental principles, necessary to make the best use of their life and health.

1. AYURVEDA

2. ayurveda
is the science or
knowledge
(veda)
of
the nature of Life
(Ayu)

3. ayurveda
is not just a medical system that is
practiced by ‘doctors’
it is a wisdom of life and health
that can be practiced by all

4. Ayurveda is the
‘mother’
of all healing systems
it accepts
all things as medicinal
and all things
as poisonous

5. Like a Mother
accepting all her children
ayurveda accepts
all the qualities of life
and all
the different healing modalities
and explains
‘why’, ‘how’ and ‘why not’
each and every thing and system
works

6. The ancient Ayurvedic physician-
Caraka defines Ayurveda:
“That science, through the help of
which, one can obtain knowledge
about the wholesome and harmful
types of life, happy and miserable
types of life, things which are
beneficial and harmful for such
types of life, the span of life as
well as the very nature of life”

10. Ayurveda was not invented
Like Gravity it was discovered or revealed
to the vision of the rishis or seers

11. the quality of ‘not originating’ is
called in Sanskrit-
Anadi
it refers to something which is
eternal
This is the quality of TRUTH
This is what the vedas represent

13. the buddha practiced ayurveda
B
buddhist monks carried the principles and
practice of ayurveda throughout
southeast asia

14. Angkor Wat, Cambodia is the largest religious
temple in the world
on either side of the main entrance are huge
stone sculptures of the gods and demons
churning the ocean of milk

17. the gods or devas pulling on the snake

19. on the other side the demons or asuras

26. the Elements

27. I want to know God's thoughts ... the
rest are details
- Albert Einstein

28. ayurveda
uses the ‘metaphorical’ language of the
elements
to consider the world around us
and
our bodies and minds
with the language of the elements
ayurveda evaluates all things
relates all things to each other
and understands all things

37. Everything in creation
without exception
is made up
of different combinations
of
all
of the
five elements
together

39. the quantity, quality and
proportion of the elements
always show themselves in the
nature of a thing
-charak samhita

41. Lets look at some examples:
a desert
exhibits the predominance
of the ether, air and fire
elements

58. because of the varying climates and
conditions all around the world
ayurveda advises people to eat locally
and seasonally
ayurveda was concerned with the
balance of the individual with their
environment
this is the ayurvedic reasoning
to eat locally and seasonally

59. the Law of Karma

70. Ayurveda in Nature

71. since we are talking about trees
Lets look at a well known
recent and ongoing occurrence
in the
local environment
of california
SUDDEN OAK DEATH

81. THIS CONFUSION OF CAUSE AND EFFECT
STANDS
AT THE HEART OF WESTERN MEDICINE
AS IT IS PRACTICED IN AMERICA TODAY
OUR MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT IN ITS
PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE
SEEKS
TO REMOVE OR PALLIATE THE EFFECTS
NOT
REMOVE THE CAUSE
THIS WAY OF THINKING IS BACKWARDS
AND CAN BE HARMFUL

82. ACCORDING TO THE
AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
THE THIRD LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN
AMERICA TODAY
AFTER HEART DISEASE AND CANCER
IS IATROGENIC DISEASE
IATROGENIC MEANS :
TREATMENT BY A DOCTOR

83. the Doshas

84. When the Five Elements
are considered
in terms of the body
they are called
the doshas

89. Vikruti
means that which
‘covers over’
prakruti

90. there is the dosha of your
prakruti
and the dosha of your
vikruti
If they are the same
you are healthy
if they are different
you are not

92. One way of considering these doshas
is as the very stuff of the universe
as it occurs within the human body
Vata is energy
Pitta is light
kapha is materiality
each of these can change
into the others

93. another way
to consider the doshas
is
in terms of the
varying typologies
of
human beings

94. we have said that
‘ayurveda is not idealistic’
rather, it is based on Sama- balance
and that balance is different for
different individual elemental
or doshic types
it is the individual not the disease
that is at the root of ayurveda

95. ayurveda seeks to balance the
elements of each unique and
differently composed individual
relative to their ever changing
environment
this is why your dosha
is so important
to know

114. Just as
the Sun, the Moon
and
the Wind
are necessary for the regular
functioning of the world
so are
vata, pitta and kapha necessary
for the regulation of health in the
human body
-Sushruta

115. The Cause and Causes of Disease

116. According to
Ayurveda
the original and ultimate cause
of disease is
avidya-‘ignorance’
also known as
prajna apradha

117. Avidya
gives rise to
improper feeling evaluations
which give rise to
wrong thinking
which leads to wrong actions
Wrong actions
create all the symptoms of illness
and
suffering

119. Ultimately,
ayurveda says that we must
remove the cause-
this means we must do away with,
remove, overcome and replace avidya
with vidya

120. It is this linking of all suffering to
avidya
and its removal to
vidya
that contextualizes ayurveda
as a ‘spiritual practice’
it is the lack of spiritual realization
that is at the root of all ignorance

121. Yoga and Moksha
eliminate suffering
absolutely
and
finally
-Caraka Samhita : IV. 1. 137

122. Fate and Free Will

123. Ayurveda
recognizes both
the law of karma-fate
and
free will

125. ayurveda
is based on the law of karma
this means
that fate is taken into account
and
free will is taken into account
and
both are true

126. Free Will demands
knowledge or vidya
by means of avidya
our choices are limited
we only think we have free will

128. one of the ways i learned about
fate and free will was quite
extraordinary
let me tell you about it

133. if you stand on one foot
that is free will
now try to raise you other foot at
the same time
that is fate

134. Ayurveda
is a sister science
of jyotish or vedic astrology
traditionally, ayurvedic medicine
as well as all the great medical
systems of ancient times
were practiced along with astrology

135. “No one should call himself a doctor
unless he or she was also an a
astrologer”
-Hippocrates

136. jyotish
is the vedic science
traditionally practiced
along with ayurveda
used to determine
those aspects of life
that
lie out beyond the horizon
of the individual
and yet
affect him or her

137. Limitation

138. on my first day of class in
ayurveda
the teacher said
“everything in the world
is medicinal
and everything in the world
is poisonous”

140. something good for you
at one time
is not good
at another

142. that ‘context’ is found
by taking into account
our own
elemental make-up
and
that of our environment

143. ayurveda addresses
the unique
limitations of each person
as well as
the unique limitations and qualities
of that person’s environment
once we know
these unique and specific qualities
then we can create
balance or health
we must recognize our limitations

144. the Dynamics of the Elements

146. ‘Like Increases Like
and opposites
decrease one another’
these are the ‘principles’
of how to remedy
anything that is out of balance

147. Agni

148. one of the unique contributions
of
ayurveda
for
understanding disease and diet
relative to our health
is the concept of
agni

151. Agni
can get out of balance due to stress or
change of any kind:
emotional
psychological
passage of time
change of seasons
inappropriate food
wrong use of the senses
wrong use of a thing
too much or too little of anything

152. in our body
agni is disturbed by the doshas
or elements
and
if agni is disturbed
agni will disturb the elemental makeup
they are like two legs of a chair
pull one
and the other will move along with it
if the agni is very strong
it can take much more disturbance from
the elements without being dimmed
if the elements are overwhelming
they will overpower agni

154. agni
can be likened to the
fire of digestion
if you do not have good agni
you will not have good digestion

155. ayurveda
always considers the
condition of
agni
in an individual
without good agni
any diet will not work
nutrition
is the relationship
between agni and food

156. ‘A person is as old as his Agni’
“The span of life, health, immunity, energy, metabolism, complexion,
strength, enthusiasm, luster,and the vital breath
are all dependent on Agni
Agni is necessary for the normal process of digestion
and the subtle energy of Agni transforms the lifeless
molecules of food, water and air into the consciousness of the cell”
-Charak Samhita

157. AMA

158. In both
body and mind
whatever you do not digest
becomes toxic
ayurveda calls this
undigested or improperly
digested food-
ama

161. Knowledge or Vidya

166. the Qualities
of the Environment

167. Vidya-
knowledge
and
discrimination
allow us to tell
whether something is
medicinal or poisonous

189. The principles of
how to use the elements
are these:

190. “The earth is a very big cooking
vessel
the Sky is the lid to this vessel
The cook called Time puts all
movable and immovable things in to
this vessel
He takes the firewood
of night and day
and lights them up with Sun.
He stirs it with ladles called
seasons and months
and this happens daily”
-mahabharata

191. Food

192. When diet is wrong
what good is medicine?
When diet is correct
what need is there of medicine?
– Ayurvedic Proverb

193. So important is diet or food that
the Ayurvedic vaidyas or
practitioners of old
used to say:
“If you will not eat my diet, do
not take my medicines”

194. Ahar or food
builds tissues
medicines
do not build tissues

195. With this in mind
lets consider food

197. In addition to your dosha
what is your vikruti?
What level of activity are you
engaged in
what are the environmental factors
of season
time of day
time of life?

206. Any and every food
must be considered
in context
one of those ‘contexts’
is a person’s
dosha

207. ‘dosha’ means ‘error’ or ‘that which
goes out of balance or decays’
This is because of their inherent
tendency
to change
every ‘thing’
is in a state of constant change

208. This ‘change’ tends to happen to each
person in a unique way
Every dosha and every person
is composed of differing
combinations of the elements
this is why each person needs a
unique and individual approach to
attain and preserve
balance or health

209. the Doshas . . . again

210. Let us briefly consider
the qualities of the doshas
or the elemental make-up of a person
as well as
the general principles
of how to bring about a healthy-
balance
to the three main
elemental
or
doshic types

211. The ‘general principles’
of how to bring about
balance of the doshas
are based on the observed-
‘dynamics of the elements’
like increases like
opposites decrease each other
now, keeping this in mind,
lets look at the qualities of the
doshas themselves:

212. VATA

215. Pitta

218. KAPHA

221. We can look with more detail
at the
qualities of the doshas
and what
systems of the body they control

223. Summary Considerations

233. “A person is called healthy, whose
physiological processes and tissues
are in balance, whose digestion
functions normally, whose elimination
processes are working well, and whose
Self, mind, and senses remain
always full of bliss”
-Sushruta Samhita

234. the ayurvedic/sanskrit word for
health
is
svastha
‘one who is established
in the
self

235. The universe is the macrocosm
and
man is the microcosom
the realization that the universe and
and the individual are the same is
called ‘satya-buddhi’ or true and
balanced intelligence
-charaka

237. Those desirous of a long healthy
life
which is
the means of achievement of
dharma (right action
artha (wealth and prosperity
and sukha (happiness)
should give their utmost attention
and apply themselves fully
to the teachings of ayurveda
-charak samhita

238. let us go forward to
dancing
and laughter
assuming a longer
and
better life
-rig veda

240. created by: Peter Malakoff
Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner
Kalidas Sanskrit University
Nagpur, India
2004

241. There is no end to learning
Ayurveda
You should carefully and
constantly devote your self to its
study.
Increase your skill by learning
from others without jealousy.
the wise regard the whole world as
their teacher, while the ignorant
consider it to be their enemy.
charaka