Q As a Buddhist Monk I would like
to know how you relate spiritual growth and development to your "holistic"
approach to health and wellness?
A As I have emphasized in previous columns, a holistic (whole-istic) approach to health and wellness must address all aspects of the being: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. To try and cure the physical body alone, without regard to these other dimensions of the being, is a very "shallow" and spiritually unproductive form of medicine. The most profound or consequential forms of healing occur at the depth of our being when we are touched and transformed at the heart.
Such heart-level healing requires a deep understanding of what the growth process involves and how it unfolds at each stage along the way. Unfortunately this understanding is not "common knowledge," or a part of our present cultural inheritance and education. The current explosion of interest in alternative medicine, Eastern forms of healing, tantra, yoga, self-help movements, and the multitude of other "growth-oriented" trends are expressions of the Heart-necessity for a more profound understanding and involvement in the real growth process and spiritual potential that lies dormant in each of us.
This is not to say that forms of medicine that address the physical dimension alone are not important. Understanding how the physical body works and being able to treat the body at the levels of its genetic, cellular, and tissue structures is extremely useful: it saves lives everyday. But to save a life and to transform a life are two very different things. The Taoist monks and sages of ancient China were not concerned with bodily health and longevity merely as ends in themselves, but rather they were seen as means to help them on their spiritual journey. The same is true of all of the ancient healing traditions from different cultures around the world. In fact, the modern approach to medicine in which the spiritual dimension of our being is divorced from the physical is a relatively recent historical phenomenon.
In the conventional approach to health and wellness a person's state of health is determined solely by their physical characteristics and their ability to perform their "normal daily functions." It doesn't really matter what their lifestyle is like as long as they have the energy and the capacity to fulfill all of their social and economic obligations and responsibilities. In a truly holistic approach to health and wellness a person's degree or stage of human growth and spiritual development is the essential indicator of one's state of health. And, the more mature and responsible a person becomes in the higher stages and dimensions of his existence, the more he is able to consistently demonstrate the spiritual characteristics of true freedom and unconditional love in all of his relations.
In this holistic view of healing it is not really possible to separate the process of health from the process of growth: they are one in the same. The question of how spirituality fits in with holistic medicine is a good one because all of our philosophical and religious presumptions about life, death and the purpose of existence are reflected in how we treat our bodies and how we live our lives. Likewise, our view of life, death, and the purpose of existence are also a direct expression of our current stage of human development and spiritual growth. Therefore, both of these critical factors of our well-being -- the kind of lifestyle that we choose and our underlying assumptions about the meaning of life -- are dependent expressions of our present state of spiritual development.
The key to health, then, in this holistic approach, is growth. It is only by our continued growth that our view of ourselves and of the entire world-process is transformed, and it is only by such a transformation that we are willing to change our life-habits and live in a more wholesome manner. This is why spiritual practices and other growth-oriented endeavors can play such a significant role in our health and healing. This is also one of the principle reasons why there are so many people suffering from such a wide variety of chronic illnesses; everything from digestive complaints, allergies, and sexual dysfunction to anxiety, depression, and fatigue. Not only are such ailments influenced by genetic and biochemical factors, but they may also be strongly influenced by various psychological, emotional and metaphysical factors as well.
In this holistic model of wellness the approach of the doctor, or healer, is not just to treat the symptoms of a patient but to serve as a guide to the patient and to help him to identify the areas in his life where he needs to take greater responsibility and thus to facilitate his growth. Such a healer not only needs to have a good understanding of all the different levels of the growth process but, ideally, he must also have already gone through the process himself in order to truly be able to demonstrate as well as to guide people on the way. This is why, traditionally, the greatest healers have always been great spiritual teachers such as Jesus and Buddha. This is also why practitioners of holistic medicine need to honor and appreciate authentic spiritual teachers and the unique function that they can serve for their students and disciples.
In the words of a great spiritual teacher:
Do not cease to grow.
Do not prevent (but always serve) the process of constant growth (and out-growing) in all others.
Always notice when growth has stopped.
Always remember to begin to grow again.
And always grow beyond, by growing from the heart (and into the heart itself).
Grow beyond your own self (or the habit of feeling, thinking, and doing separation).
Grow beyond illusion (or the habit of thinking and feeling two, or otherness).
Grow beyond all limitations, and into The-Only-One-That-Is, so that you will see (or realize) Only One, even if the body and the world arise, and even it they cease to arise, and even if they do not arise.
There Is Always Already Only One."
(from the Epilogue of The Basket Of Tolerance by Da Love-Ananda.)
This is a good description of the spiritual vision and
orientation that must ultimately guide and integrate our understanding of
holistic medicine and health.
David Simon AP of Palms of Largo Wellness Center, combines acupuncture, nutritional and lifestyle counseling, and chi gong in a holistic approach to wellness. Also yoga instructor and a committed spiritual practitioner. For a free consultation or information on yoga classes call (813) 582-9993.
Send your questions to: "Q&A", Tampa Bay New Times, P.O. Box 6143, Clearwater, FL 33758