Ayurvedic cosmology and the law of Karma
Ayurveda is based upon a specific cosmology, common to the Yoga system, which supposes the existence of a Higher Self, all pervasive, present in all manifestations of the Universe, at all levels. As a Self Healing science, Ayurveda aims to alleviate disease and promote physical and psychological well being; however, its ultimate goal is, as in Yoga, the Self-Realization. Yoga and Ayurveda are sister sciences, Ayurveda being looked at as the healing branch of Yoga and Yoga being considered the spiritual side of Ayurveda.
Ayurveda is also based on the principle of Karma, the law of cause and effect, the rule of absolute justice in nature. Ayurveda considers that suffering, be it of a physical or emotional nature is the direct consequence of our own actions, us being entirely responsible for our condition. This implies that we also have the power to undo what has been done and have the access to the remedy of our present health condition. For this reason Ayurveda is different from the other systems of medicine that exist today in the world, for it supposes an active role of the patient, for each individual himself can ultimately, through his own CHOICE alter his karma and therefore his condition.
The principle of Karma should be seen an understood for what it is: the law of cause and effect. We are continuously creating our future, of this life and of future lives, through each thought, through each idea we have about ourselves, through each emotion we harbor and through each action and habit. A sickness can be a karmic consequence coming from past lives, like a chronic disease for instance; or it can be simply the result of our wrong life style and wrong habits of this present life time. When we identify the root of our present problem, we can start making conscious choices and changes that could help re-establish balance and the harmony, which according to Ayurveda is our natural state.
In its outer aspect, Ayurveda is a natural alternative remedy of herbs and diet to heal the body. Its inner part, which deals with the subtle bodies and the mind, employs Yoga practices (such as asanas, meditation, pranayama, mantra, meditation). Through its techniques, Ayurveda helps us restore our constitution and harmonize ourselves with our own nature, leading us towards the healing energy which exists latent in each of us.
Ayurveda, among all the other systems of medicine, has probably the longest clinical experience. It is based entirely on the analysis and the observation of the human being in his own environment and at all levels, not only at their physical level but also at the level of the emotions, of the mind and of the space beyond the mind.
