What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is literally called ‘Science of Life’. It is a complex and oldest medical system about how to achieve a healthy and balanced lifestyle by knowing and looking within oneself. According to Indian mythology, Ayurveda’s concept and ethos came into existence by Brahma (the creator of the universe). It represents a healing approach that is holistic and in harmony with your external and internal physical health and conditions. By knowing oneself, it can reveal deeper causes of one’s health conditions.
Ayurveda looks upon the human being as an indivisible and mutually interconnected complex of body, vital energy, mind and soul. Thus, in accordance with healthy lifestyle principles, Ayurveda tries to restore the natural state of harmony in the human body, which manifests itself as mental and physical health.
Ayurveda has played a vital role in influencing ancient Greek, Chinese and Tibetan systems of healing and medicine. Therefore, Ayurveda is called the Mother of all healing sciences. Ayurvedic teachings were taught orally and were passed down from Guru (teacher) to Shishya (student) for a time span lasting 1000s of years. During 400 AD, the Ayurvedic texts were translated into Chinese context, and around 700 AD, Chinese students started visiting India to study medicine at Nalanda University.
Ayurveda has greatly impacted the basic healthcare principles in the East and the West. Ayurvedic concepts and principles has greatly influenced Buddhist philosophy, Chinese medicine and principles of herbology. The spread of Ayurvedic teachings in the non Indo-European countries really staretd with the dawn of Buddhism (around 6th century BCE). Buddhist monks were instrumental in introducing Ayurveda to other Asian countries like Mongolia, Tibet, China, Sri Lanka, Korea etc., leaving an ever-lasting legacy in their healthcare systems.
(Source: planetayurveda.com)