Vejjavatapada
The Vejjavatapada is a medical ethical code of conduct for Buddhist doctors, comparable to the well-known oath of Hippocrates , the Jewish oath of Assaf or the Seventeen Rules of Enjuin . It was compiled by Shravasti Dhammika from Buddhist texts of the Pāḷi canon . In the original, the vow is written in Pāḷi , an Indo-Aryan language that was used in the first half of the 1st millennium BC. Was spoken in Northeast India and is now the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism as a literary language . The oath consists of a preface followed by seven articles, each taken from the Pali canon.
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The Pāḷi Canon contains a wealth of information on health, disease, medicine, medical ethics, healing and medical treatment. Early Buddhism did not regard the state of a body solely as a result of its karma , so the doctor played an important role. In addition to karma, the Buddhist teaching knows other causes of illness that are attributed to an imbalance in the body's fluids : These are bile (pitta) , phlegm (sema) , air (vāta) ; An imbalance of all three (sannipāta) , the influence of the seasons (utu) , unusual stresses (visamaparihāra) and external causes (opakkamika) can cause illness. The Buddha taught that improper diet and overeating can also make you sick, while discerning eating habits lead to "freedom from sickness and ailments, health, strength and a peaceful life." Buddha praised the able doctor and nurse: "Those who care for the sick are of great use [to others]." Since the Pāḷi canon was written before the division and specialization of medical professions, as assumed in the Ayurvedic scriptures , the script makes no distinction between the doctor (bhisakka, tikicchaka, vejja) and the nurse (gilānaupaṭṭhāka) . It is possible that the doctor was doing all of the tasks at the same time, including nursing.
The Vejjavatapada is derived from four passages of the Pāḷi canon, which were written between the 5th and 3rd centuries BC. And ascribed to Buddha. The preface contains two quotations from the Canon, the first line from verse 204 of the Dhammapada , and a line from the Vinayapiṭaka . In this, the Buddha instructed his disciples to care for one another when they fell ill after caring for a sick monk who had been neglected by his confreres. The first five articles are based on a discourse in which the Buddha sets out the attitudes and abilities that "enable those who serve the sick to care for them." The last article is taken from a discourse in which the Buddha describes three types of patient, each responding differently to treatment: the one who dies, whether or not he receives the right treatment; the one who heals, whether or not they get the right treatment, and the one who gets healed only when properly treated. The first type of patient should still be treated and cared for out of compassion, even if there is little hope that he will get well again.
In the seven articles of Vejjavatapada, the first emphasizes the importance of care (hita) , kindness (dayā), and compassion (anukampā) in the recovery process. The second deals with the physician's responsibility to be fully trained and able to prescribe medicines, as it is the physician's job to heal and some medicines and surgical procedures can be dangerous. Dhammika draws parallels between the second article and the third and fourth rule from Hippocrates' oath that the doctor should never harm the patient, even if asked to. The fourth article advises doctors to put the patient's welfare above their personal pursuit of profit. The fifth article recognizes that at times it may be necessary to deal with the unpleasant properties of the human body and advises doctors to keep their distance internally, both for their own good and not to shame the sick person. The sixth article emphasizes that mental well-being and comfort play a role in healing and that doctors must be experienced in this area as well. The seventh and final article directs physicians to serve the patient even when it can be seen that he or she is unresponsive to treatment and is likely to die.
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| Vuttāni hetāni Bhagavatā: "Ārogyaparamā lābhā" ti ceva: "Yo maṁ upaṭṭhaheyya so gilānaṁ upaṭṭhaheyyā" ti approx. | The Blessed One said: "Health is the highest good." He also said: "Whoever wants to serve me should serve the sick." |
| (1) Aham-pi: "Ārogyaparamā lābhā" ti maṭṭāmi, Tathāgataṁ upaṭṭhātukāmomhi, tasmāhaṁ mayhaṁ vejjakammena ārogyabhāvaṁ vaḍḍhemi ceva gilānaṁ hitāya dayena anukampahmia up. | (1) I too believe: “Health is the greatest good”, and I want to serve the enlightened one. Hence: I will use my art to restore the health of all living beings with compassion, compassion and mindfulness. |
| (2) Paṭibalo bhavissāmi bhesajjaṁ saṁvidhātuṁ. | (2) I will be able to prepare effective medicines. |
| (3) Sappāyāsappāyaṁ jānissāmi, asappāyaṁ apanāmessāmi; sappāyaṁ upanāmessāmi, asappāyaṁ nāpanāmessāmi. | (3) I know which medicine is suitable and which is not. I will not give anything unsuitable, always only the suitable. |
| (4) Mettacitto gilānaṁ upaṭṭhahissāmi, no āmisantaro. | (4) I serve the sick in a spirit of love, not out of gain. |
| (5) Ajegucchī bhavissāmi uccāraṁ vā passāvaṁ vā vantaṁ vā kheḷaṁ vā nīharituṁ. | (5) I remain motionless even when dealing with stool, urine, vomit, or sputum. |
| (6) Paṭibalo bhavissāmi, gilānaṁ kālena kālaṁ, Dhammiyā kathāya sandassetuṁ samādapetuṁ samuttejetuṁ sampahaṁsetuṁ. | (6) In due course I will use what I have learned to instruct, stimulate, inspire and encourage the sick. |
| (7) Sace gilānaṁ sappāyabhojanehi vā sappāyabhessajjehi vā sappāyūpaṭṭhānena vā na vuṭṭhāheyya, aham-pi kho tassa gilānassa anukampāya patirūpo upaṭṭhāko bhavissāmī ti. | (7) Even if I cannot cure a sick person with a suitable diet, the right medicine, or careful care, I will continue to serve him out of compassion. |
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Individual evidence
- ↑ Banthe Shravasti Dhammika: Vejjavatapada: The Buddhist Physician's Vow . Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society, Singapore 2013, ISBN 978-981-07-6546-0 , p. 4 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
- ↑ Kenneth G. Zysk: Asceticism and Healing in Ancient India: Medicine in the Buddhist Monastery (Indian Medical Tradition, Volume 2) . Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi 1998, ISBN 978-81-208-1528-5 ( limited preview in Google book search).
- ↑ Saṃyutta Nikāya , Ed. L. Feer, London 1884–98, Vol. IV, p. 230.
- ↑ Anguttara Nikāya , eds. R. Morris and E. Hardy, London 1885–1900, Vol. III, p. 144; Majjhima Nikāya , eds. V. Trenchner, R. Chalmers, London 1887–1902, Vol. I, p. 473.
- ↑ Api ca gilānupaṭṭhākā bahūpakārā , Vinayapitaka I, 303
- ↑ Kenneth G. Zysk: Asceticism and Healing in Ancient India: Medicine in the Buddhist Monastery (Indian Medical Tradition, Volume 2) . Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi 1998, ISBN 978-81-208-1528-5 , pp. 43 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
- ↑ Dhammapada, ed. O. von Hinüber, KR Norman, Oxford, 1994
- ↑ Vinaya Piṭaka , Ed. H. Oldenberg, London 1879-83, Vol. I, p. 302.
- ↑ Anguttara Nikaya III, p. 144.
- ↑ Anguttara Nikaya I, p. 121.
- ↑ Banthe Shravasti Dhammika: Vejjavatapada: The Buddhist Physician's Vow . Buddha Dhamma Mandala Society, Singapore 2013, p. 5 .