RELIGION or POLITICS ?? Buddhism - Cause of illness....

Well, my friends, helloooooooooo! Gosh, here we again half way through the work week, and feeling great, hope you are feeling the same.   If not, think about the incredible religious philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism, or at best, look into it and learn how to be irrevocably HAPPY.  Today I am going to let you see how Buddhism works with the subject of illness.  I will present the contents therein and will take several blogs to cover the topic. You should be quite amazed at the wisdom. So let's get going.

(The contents herein are taken from the book, Unlocking The Mysteries of Birth and Death,  by Daisaku Ikeda, President of the Soka Gakkai International, the action arm of Nichiren Buddhism.)


CAUSES OF ILLNESS:
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DISEASES OF THE BODY 

* disharmony of the four elements (discussed later on).

* improper eating or drinking.

* poor posture or irregular meditation.

* attack of demons. (also discussed later).

DISEASES OF THE MIND:

* the work of the devils.

KARMIC DISEASES:

* the effects of karma.

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      In Buddhism illnesses are classified in many ways.   Some sutras categorize them according to the element whose imbalance is thought to be the cause.   Others, according to the part of the bady affected.   And yet other sutras classify illnesses according to the time they were caused --- that is, they differentiate between diseases caused in this lifetime and those whose causes can be found in previous lifetimes.    For example, according to Nagarjuna's,  Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom, diseases are divided into karmic diseases and present diseases, the latter category being subdivided into diseases of the body and diseases of the mind. Diseases of the body are yet further sub-divided into internal diseases ( arising from internal causes) and external diseases (whose causes are external to the body).

      T'ien-t'ai, the great sixth-century Chinese Buddhism teacher suggests six causes of illness that cover problems arising from dietary habits, viral infections (such as polio), mental disorders and genetic heritage.

      Nichiren, the last Buddha in our history, based his own teachings concerning illness upon this systematic presentation of the Buddhist view of disease and its causes.   In a writing called "Curing Karmic Disease",  he quoted from T'ien-T'ai's Great Concentration and Insight: "There are six causes of illness:
(1) disharmony of the four elements; (2) improper eating or drinking; (3) poor posture; (4) attack of demons; (5) the work of devils; and (6) the effects of karma." 

      In this classification, the first four causes correspond to illnesses of the body, the fifth to illnesses of the mind, and the sixth to karmic illness.


      Now, friends,  I've laid the ground for all the future content disigned to explain in greater detail, that I will begin on friday.  You will be healthier for sticking with me on all this and all the way through. I assure you will be far wiser and more enlightened about these mysteries.   Ta Ta     Cheers    CJ