The Three suttas (Tun sutta), the Damsak Pävatum sutta, and the Jaya Pirita are often heard being broadcast from the mass media as well as from temples and shopping malls when walking on roads. It is also popular to listen to such suttas with electronic devices at home. However, we all know that it is rare to hear satipaṭṭhāna sutta being chanted, and played mechanically. Isn’t that often done at funeral ceremonies? But when I visited the hermitage in Pannipitiya of Mr. Jayasinghe belongs to the Ayurvedic generation of Nambāpāna, who was a brilliant physician, I was surprised to see how the people coming to the hermitage were given opportunities to listen to satipaṭṭhāna sutta. It was also realised that it is a ritual that is continuously performed at the hermitage every morning after worshipping the triple gem. Is there any relevance of satipaṭṭhāna sutta for curing diseases? It is undoubtedly for a purpose that Dr. Jayasinghe, who was a descendant of a pious medicinal generation that is in the company of virtuous Mahā Theros, who meditated in places like Madakada Āranya Senāsana, made his patients listen to this sutta during bedtime and treatment. It is certain that he is aware that many medical studies have confirmed that the meditation method taught in the satipaṭṭhāna sutta has special relevance for physical as well as mental health.
It is a scientifically proven fact that listening to pirit sutta is very beneficial for physical and mental well-being. In order to activate the power of the truths contained in pirit sutta as an invoking the power of truth (satya kriyā) for our health, the sentence ‘Eetēna sacca vajjēna sabbarōgō vinassatu’ is recited thrice at the end of each sutta. As well as the wondrous quality of the triple gem, and the power of the blessings of the chanter’s kindness (mettā) and compassionate (karuṇā) thoughts are also added to the power of pirita. It has been found that the physically generated energy of the sound waves generated when chanting in a kind and stylised tone has a great effect on health. It was also reported that the power of pirit blessings works in a positive way for the growth of vegetation in a recent study on a fruit plantation in Sri Lanka. It is certain that all these positive blessings are contained in all the sermons including satipaṭṭhāna sutta.
However, is there any particular reason that would motivate a physician to choose the satipaṭṭhāna sutta over any other sutta in his clinic? Indeed, it is conceivable that the content of the sutta was a strong factor in that. By letting the patients hear it in a medical clinic, it is very likely that the listener’s mind will be drawn to the teachings contained in the satipaṭṭhāna sutta. When he preached the satipaṭṭhāna sutta, the Gautama Buddha said that it is the only way to suppress suffering. It has been proven that we can suppress the sufferings and get relief from the physical and mental restlessness and pains that we experience throughout the saṃsāra. It is significant that doctors themselves have revealed their experiences about it.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, a Professor of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, who is the founder of Mindfulness-Based (satipaṭṭhāna) Stress Reduction (MBSR) Clinic, is renowned for applying the satipaṭṭhāna sutta to healthy living. He says that no matter what people do he feels that there is a great lack in the lives of people who do not engage in meditation.
”Through mindfulness meditation (satipaṭṭhāna bhāvanā), we can gain the strength to face the biggest crises we face in human life. Tragedies that we never expect occur in life. Terrible things happen. We have to face the unexpected. How do we stay healthy while facing these? Mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna) helps us to face that enormous problem”. Like him, many doctors believe that there are mental causes behind many diseases that people suffer from. That’s why many diseases known as psychophysiological diseases have been diagnosed in addition to mental illnesses. Mindfulness meditation (satipaṭṭhāna bhāvanā) is used by Prof. Kabat-Zinn as a psychological approach to provide relief from many physical pains and ailments. More than 13,000 people have participated in the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Clinic or meditation training programs that he started in 1979.
According to Prof. Kabat-Zinn, pain is a response of the body and nervous system to some unpleasant, harmful, and dangerous stimulus, and he points out that it has a sensory physical aspect as well as an emotional and affective aspect that we feel and perceive. We fail to get our work done when we are in pain. Moreover, anger and heartbreaks occur simultaneously. It is the emotional aspect of us. Then we have problems with the causes of pain and then restlessness occurs. It leads to a decline in the quality of life. What is the solution to that?
We have learned from Karmasthānāc̄aryas of Bhāvana what to do if you feel pain while practising mindfulness meditation (satipaṭṭhāna bhāvanā). We pay attention to the pain and be mindful thinking that we are feeling pain. According to this concept of contemplation on feelings (vedanānussati), Prof. Kabat-Zinn, advises his patients to accept the existence of pain without suffering it. We suffer because of pain. We know that since pain is physical, it cannot be cured all at once. However, the sorrow caused by pain occurs in the mind. Therefore, our response to pain, or how we deal with it, must be changed. We should focus our mindfulness on pain. This mindfulness of feelings (vedanā satipaṭṭhāna) will reduce the suffering that occurs due to physical pain. This is why Buddhist meditation teachers are allowed to teach mindfulness meditation (satipaṭṭhāna bhāvanā) to patients suffering from diseases such as cancer in many Western hospitals. It seems correct to define meditation as not just a painkiller, but a medicine that suppresses the suffering caused by physical pains.
One could argue that it is more effective to forget the pain and focus on something else than to contemplate the pain. It is also possible that the argument may appear true. There is no need to be deluded as a formal investigation has been done on this. It had two groups of equally healthy people holding their hands in ice water with a cloth strap wrapped above their elbows. As the blood flow to the hand is thus obstructed, severe pain occurs when the hand is immersed in ice water. One group was instructed to think about something else without thinking about the pain, and the other group was instructed to focus on the pain with a meditative mind according to mindfulness (satipaṭṭhāna). The aim was to see who could hold their hand in ice water for the longest time. At first, those who focused their attention on something else were better able to bear the pain. Some shared stories. Some recalled the past. Some daydreamed. But as time went on, it appeared that the mindfulness team (satipaṭṭhāna) was more successful.
This does not imply that mindfulness meditation (satipaṭṭhāna bhāvanā) should be done with the intention of suppressing pain. It should be emphasized that the purpose of Buddhist meditation is to see the truth and not to fulfil worldly objects. Even so, it should be said that it has been found that those who contemplate meditation naturally become physically and mentally healthy people. Think of eating as an example. Mindful eating gives better results than just chewing and swallowing while engaging in other thoughts or work. Isn’t it better to eat in discipline instead of gulping down food in a hurry?
Meditation causes the ability to perform daily activities more successfully with a healthy mind, suppressing mental stress. According to a research report published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, 87 people were given an eight-week weekly mindfulness meditation training at the University of Kentucky. When tested after four weeks of training, their stress was reduced to a great extent, and pleasant personality traits were demonstrated.
Mrs. Margaret Webb Pressler has stated in her book ‘Cheat the Clock’ that exercisers can achieve strong mental growth through meditation in the same way they grow their muscles, and that the difference affects physical health. Harmful and uncomfortable thoughts arise in us not when we live in the present, but when we live in the past or the future. The Gautama Buddha said that living in the present is the secret of a Buddhist monk’s healthy and pleasant appearance. Therefore, by practising the mindfulness meditation (satipaṭṭhāna bhāvanā), which trains you to live mindfully in the present moment, you will be able to stay away from stressful thoughts and heal the sufferings caused by stress.
M.I. tests have confirmed the positive changes that the concentration and control of the mind bring to the brain physically. It has been observed that the parts of our brain that work in charge of attention control light up when we engage in meditation practice. Mrs. Pressler points out that the long-term effect of such meditations is the growth of tissues in those areas, thereby strengthening our attention skills. Research at Massachusetts General Hospital has shown that mindfulness meditation (satipaṭṭhāna bhāvanā) improves not only focus, but also kindness, introspection, learning, and memory. It has also been shown that it suppresses the brain’s grey matter that is associated with restlessness and stress. It is clear that many physical diseases also disappear when there is a healthy brain and a healthy mind. Isn’t a happy life a healthy mind and a healthy body?
At a time when there is great enthusiasm about mindfulness meditation (satipaṭṭhāna bhāvanā) all over the world, if we Sri Lankans also contemplate its meaning and get used to mindfulness meditation (satipaṭṭhāna bhāvanā), it will certainly be a great support for a healthy life.
Written by Prof. Chandima Wijebandara
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