Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c6.s2.t4.36

v1.c6.s2.t4.36

The *Sutra of Buddhist Medicine* has short contents. Baochang and Zhisheng, scholars of Buddhism Catalogue, thought that it was, in fact, selected and translated from a long Buddhist text instead of a complete *sutra* and that it should be an abbreviated sutra. The *Sutra of Buddhist Medicine*, from the perspective of Buddhist medical knowledge, explained the basic theory of Buddhist medicine in ancient India including theories like Four Discordance (earth, water, fire and wind), Si Bai Si Bing, Diseases and Diets in Four Seasons, Ten Causes of Falling Ill, Nine Causes of Dying, Four Kinds of Foods, Six Causes of Vegetarianism, Five Crimes of Eating Too Much and Various Kinds of Pains. It embodied the fundamental view of primitive Buddhism in India on physical and mental health as well as protection against diseases. It stated in the *sutra* that the human body is composed of four elements including earth, water, fire and wind and once the four elements are in disorder, a disease will come. In addition, seasonal variation, improper diet as well as bad psychological status and living habits will in company with growth and decline of the four elements, throw internal mechanism of human body into disorder thus causing diseases. Four Discordance, *Si Bai Si Bing*, the essential theories in the sutra, have exerted certain influence on medical concepts in ancient China to some extent. Some scholars thought that there were Yin-Yang and Five Elements as well as Taoism regimen in the *sutra*. So, it was an apocrypha, in which the contents were obtained from Taoism scriptures and the contained information was inaccurate.