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By Durga Charan Mishra

Mental health issues often lead to loss of equanimity. The Buddha was a mind specialist as can be seen from the change in the mental health of some of his followers in the Sravaka Sangha. The story goes that Patachara, the only daughter of a wealthy man, fell in love with the household help and eloped with him. On her way back to the paternal house, after her husbands death, she crossed a river that was in spate and lost one of her children. The second one fell prey to an eagle. When she reached the outskirts of her village, she witnessed a mass funeral that of father, mother, and her two brothers. Facing all these tragedies, one after the other, she lost her mental balance, and started wandering on the streets aimlessly. Once, she stopped to hear a sermon by Tathagata and her life changed; she was accepted by the sangha and dharma was imparted to her. It helped to heal her mental state.Angulimal, as his name suggests, wore a garland of fingers. He was a merciless robber. He had killed 999 people. He cut their fingers and strung them in a garland. The Buddha was his last target. He joined the sangha after the Buddha counselled him. Patachara suffered from dukkha, deep depression, and Angulimal was full of himsa, hatred. Both recovered and subsequently attained Arahanthood. But the Buddhas two followers, Devadutta, his cousin, and Prince Ajatashatru, could never be cured, though they too were part of the sangha, because they failed to practise the medicine, the dharma. The Buddha did not give importance to the individual, but to his bodha, understanding. He taught his followers anapanasati, concentrating on the breath. It is an exercise to connect with the body; it helps the mind regain its power to focus and the restlessness within subsides.

The Buddha revealed the marga, an eight-fold path to remove all the reasons for suffering. Taking the medicine in the Buddhas way, can eradicate the source of the problem, ushering in permanent relief. For example, according to the Buddha, stinginess creates trishna, craving; it can be annihilated by charity and loving kindness. Dharma is the medicine to be put into practice. The Buddhas teachings are not only meant to help treat mental health issues, the three essentials of Buddhist training and discipline sila, ethical conduct; samadhi, mental discipline; and panna, wisdom are aimed towards liberation also. Liberation is a lokattara, supra-mundane condition. It cannot be experienced through fasting, puja and morning bath, the Buddha would say.

The root cause of many mental health problems, according to Buddhism, lies in avidya, ignorance. Raga and dwesh, likes and dislikes, are generated from that. At the tranquil stage of samadhi, raga and dwesh do not dominate the mind and one can investigate what is the present moment about prajna and remove avidya. Prajna is defined as the direct insight into the truth taught by the Buddha, as a faculty required to attain enlightenment.

After the elimination of avidya, one starts seeing the truth and the marga, path, unfolds. Samadhi and prajna can aid in dealing with mental health issues.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

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The Buddhas wisdom can help to heal the mind - Times of India