Medicine Buddha and the Three Poisons
This week while teaching Aromatherapy at The Vancouver School of Bodywork and Massage (VSBM), we had the opportunity to listen during an aromatic compress treatment to the Medicine Buddha Chant.
A student commented how profoundly healing and soothing that felt while receiving her treatment (we were working with a blend of ginger, fennel, lemon, and clary sage).
It made me think more about the Medicine Buddha, this benevolent healer known as our enlightened essence. This means at our most awakened we are our own healers. In our highest consciousness we affect our health and wellbeing.
This includes the wisdom to choose the right methods and medicines as well as and especially the most enlightened mental attitude towards our own healing.
With the help of some powerful and simple healing Ayurvedic herbs we can restore ourselves to health and use these plant medicines as a catalyst for ongoing vitality and longevity.
In the right hand The Medicine Buddha is holding out as an offering the sacred Chebulic myrobalan plant. This is known as haritaki and is one of the three ingredients in triphala, the Ayurvedic ‘Mother of Medicines’
The revered Haritaki by itself is a powerful medicine and one of the best herbs for balancing Vata.
It acts as a gentle cleanser, removing accumulated toxins in the digestive tract. It is a restorative herb, nourishing and rejuvenating the tissues while maintaining regular elimination. It is the base of many medicines used in rasayana/restorative Ayurvedic therapies.