BYJ Seen through Ayurveda - Part 1

My friend satovic is passionate about at least two things in life; BYJ, and the world of Ayurveda. Combining the two, she provided a good piece of writing for the members of B.S.J. (“Blue Sky Joonie” or “Bae Supporters in Japan”):

Originally posted in Japanese on B.S.J. on Oct. 1, 2004
Translated by flowerbossa (courtesy of satovic)

Bae Yong Joon Seen Through The Science of Traditional Indian Medicine

I’m sorry for not being able to come to this site very often recently - I was busy assisting my Indian teacher. If you are wondering what I am doing, I basically act as a translator between my teacher and patients. When my teacher diagnoses his patients, he silently takes their pulse. He would not even ask their names.

After he concentrates on taking their pulses for about a minute, he begins to tell about what is going on in their bodies in Indian English, occasionally using Sanskrit terms. It is then my job to write to them down in a real hurry, and explain it to the patients in Japanese. The content of the doctor’s diagnosis is not limited to the problems of physical health. The human exsistence is a combination of the heart, the soul and the body.

So, for example, if you happened to experience a psychological shock caused by a tragic incident 5 years ago, you might have liver problems stemming from this. The two aspects are related. The doctor is also able to tell your physical history from the time you were in your mother’s womb. And this is not fortune-telling. It is a form of medical science with its own theory. A record of our past is firmly stored in our bodies. Of course, it would require a long period of training to be able to tell these things, just by reading one’s pulse. However, without going through such rigid training, we do become capable of recognizing some aspects of our bodies, if we learn about this science. That is the wonderful part about Ayurveda, the science of traditional Indian medicine.I will like to talk about wuri Yong Joon through the perspective of this Indian science.

First of all, Ayurveda is founded on the premise that there are three major forms of energy in this universe. These three are symbolized in wind, fire, and water - however, we are not talking about wind itself. We call them such, as the characteristics of these three forms of energy resemble them to a large degree. For the sake of convenience, we will call it “the energy of wind”, but it is important to remember that this is not an accurate expression. This is an essential point as it will become clearer later on.

So, these three forms of energy works in everything in nature, and it is no exception with human beings. The predominant energy in each individual is determined at the moment fertilization occurs, and this depends on factors such as our parents’ physical and mental constitution, timing of conception and environment. What is determined at this time remains unchanged in the course of one’s lifetime. Although all three types of energies are functioning within us, we generally display the characteristics of two, with one slightly more dominant than the other. Therefore, if “wind” is the most predominant energy in a certain person, with “fire” about medium, and “water” functioning in an even lesser degree, we would call him a “wind-fire” type.

In Yong Joon-ssi’s case, I think his constitution is the typical “fire-water” type. The reason I say “I think” here, is because this analysis is only based on my indirect observation. I have never met him in person, let alone gotten to know him to a degree that I can see his true thoughts. Therefore, what I am talking about is the YJ I see through his works and what we hear about him through the internet – and I cannot say anything for sure.

So, how can we determine a person’s constitution? We can learn many things about a person through his build, hair, skin, eyes, lips, his way of speaking, the way of thinking, his way of behavior, his digestion, patterns of sleep, habits, hobbies,etc.

Then, when we discover the type of one’s constitution based on these observations, we are able to predict how a person might think or behave in certain situations. This will make things easier in terms of human relationships, and because we will become more accepting of the idea that we are all different, we will not get upset as much. Also, we will learn to step into other people’s shoes. And, because our constitutions will determine the type of illness we are prone to and how we can deal with them, it is useful in taking care of one’s own health and that of our family’s.

The more we learn about the relationship between one’s constitution and what one should eat, how we should sleep etc., the more interesting it gets, and the knowledge is useful in our daily lives. Not only do we become healthier physically, we can become happy through attaining a calmer state of mind. That is the great thing about this science. Although “treatment of illness” is a part of this knowledge, the prevention of illness is the essence of Ayurveda.

Alright, I’ve babbled enough on the wonders of this science. Let’s go back and talk about Yong Joon.

(to be continued)