Lzh Mu Bu Pm Np 30The Five Tonics
Pāli / Sanskrit:Bhesajja
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The Sutta on the Five Medicines (Bhesajja)
Background
The Sutta on the Five Medicines is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition, where rules concerning the daily life of the monastic community are laid down. This text reflects the medical principles that the Buddha allowed bhikkhus to use in order to protect their health and capacity for practice. In the context of ancient Indian society, the health of practitioners was a vital matter, because illness not only caused physical suffering but also obstructed progress in virtue.
The Buddha did not encourage attachment to things that easily cause illness or to overly elaborate methods of treatment. Instead, he instructed the monastic community to use simple remedies in accordance with the spirit of humility and self-control. This text is therefore a valuable document for understanding the medical approach in Theravāda Buddhism.
Main Content
The five medicines (Pāli: pañca bhesajja) that the Buddha allowed the monastic community to use are: ghee, oil, honey, sugarcane molasses, and salt. These remedies are not prohibited items in the Vinaya Piṭaka, but are things permitted for use during illness or when health needs to be restored.
The important point is that these “medicines” are regarded as basic medical supports, not connected with improper activities or attachment. Ghee and oil nourish the body, honey provides natural energy, sugarcane molasses, a kind of medicinal sap from a plant, has healing effects, and salt is a seasoning with basic medicinal properties.
The Buddha established this rule to balance humility with the actual needs of the body. A monk or nun should not neglect health, and so using these medicines is proper; but they must not become a reason for attachment or abuse. Only when illness occurs, or when there is a real medical need, may these items be used.
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