Noble research to happiness and tranquility

by Dr. Wasantha Gunathunga

Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo

Can one achieve complete health and happiness? What really is health and happiness? Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) (1).

Though this definition includes the term "complete" health, what is meant by, it is not described. Let yourself imagine what is the health you want in your life? Though it is difficult to convert what you have in mind as health, into words of a language, you have an intuition as to what health means to you. There may be subtle differences between people, but many will agree with this description of health. However, in addition to health you need happiness too. You may also realise that happiness is inseparably linked with contentment, and happiness is not always linked with material achievement. Happiness does not generally go hand in hand with wealth.

Is there a package that gives you complete health and happiness in one? If there is such a package, that will be attractive and consoling to human kind.

A method to achieve complete health has been a distant reality to the WHO and many health professionals and scientists. Though it is possible to achieve some degree of temporary happiness and health, a state of complete health and how to achieve this state has been an illusion to modern scientists and health professionals.

The aim of this article is to present a method that can be used to achieve complete health. Before describing the method it is appropriate to define the "completeness" of health.

Ill health and dissatisfaction

A state of complete health was first discovered 2500 years ago by an exalted humanbeing by the name of Siddhartha Gautama Samma Sambuddha also called the Buddha. He comprehensively described four universal Truths (Four Noble Truths).

The first one describes extensively and comprehensively the state of ill health, dissatisfaction and distress summarized into one word in applied language as "Dukka". This description includes mental and physical illness, changes due to ageing and death, the invariable occurrences in living beings.

The second Noble Truth describes the reasons for ill health and dissatisfaction "Samudaya" which is the attachment of mind to the body. All beings (mind and body) inflict enormous damage to physical, mental and social health in their endeavour to achieve sense pleasure.

People feel worried and sad when they realize that they are getting old. They are bothered about themselves, their loved ones, wealth and reputation. Because of attachments one feels the need to maintain themselves (mind and body) in good order. This need becomes the cause for worry about ill health, getting old and death.

State of complete health and happiness

The third Noble Truth is a state of complete detachment from the physical body, the sensory inputs and the discriminative consciousness. This is an extreme and a real situation, where mind remains in an unconditioned happiness that is permanent. This is a situation where mental health is complete. The person is capable of bringing about complete separation of mind from body so that no bodily feelings are felt by the mind, and the body is still and the mind giving no commands to the body. This silence of detachment is also called "Nirodha Sampattiya". This is not just tranquility or high level of concentration but a state resulting from complete detachment. The individual who can achieve this is called an Arahant, the perfect human being. The state of such a mind is called "Nibbana". This is the complete mental health where mind remains unruffled whatever happens.

When such a person passes away the separated mind stays and the body disintegrates. This mind does not couple with a body again but stays for ever. As there is no physical body there is nothing to age, get sick and die and no reputation to safeguard. This is where one achieves complete physical health as well.

The method, the nobel Research

According to modern researchers the discipline called qualitative research offers a better option to get into the depth of an issue. In participatory observation, a method used in qualitative research, the researcher unveils minor details of behaviour of people that cannot be revealed by other means. In this kind of research what is sought for is, in depth inquiry and the transferability of the method.

The fourth Noble Truth is the path to achieve state of complete health. This method is in line with modern qualitative research or action research, strategic planning or reflective practice. Only when one gets into this path, that person realizes that these modern concepts are nothing new but been practised two and half millennia ago.

The Ultimate aim of health research should be achieving complete health with cessation of disease, decay and death. Such action research, a one hundred percent qualitative research of which ultimate outcome is complete health has been developed by the Lord Buddha 2500 years ago. This research called the Noble Research was described in the discourse on noble research Ariyaparyesana Sutta, discourse on the wheel of dhamma Damsakpewathum Sutta and many other discourses. The methodology of this research was called Middle Path or Noble Eight-Fold Path which is probably the most transferable participatory research method ever to have been discovered. Eight components can be sub grouped into three as virtue (Seela), separation of mind from attachments (Samadhi) and realization, seeing or comprehending such detachment (Panna). At the end of this path the practitioner becomes competent in separation of mind from attachment to the inputs from five sense doors and consciousness (Physical "I", mental "I" and the third "I").

Actual practice

The practice described below is not the conventional descriptions in the texts but a true practice that leads to realization. Without sitting down to practise reading and discussions have no meaning.

The eight components in The Path should be practised together. First component is the vision that I should attain the perfection, complete mental health or the ultimate happiness. This is called the Right Vision, also meaning vision for detachment from defilements. This should become the attitude, driven in to the person and remaining with him or her. This is called Right Attitude or attitude of detachment.

With this vision and attitude the practitioner sits on the ground preferably in the lotus position or semi lotus position. He has to sit for a pre-determined time period. He practises the third component of the Eight-Fold path by not using any language, primarily by closing the mouth.

This completes right speech or language of non attachment (Aryathushnimbutha).

The Practitioner does not move his body or part of it, thereby not doing any action stopping any wrong doing by the physical body, Right Action or action of non attachment. Right Speech and right action will automatically lead to Right Livelihood or livelihood of non-attachment.

Sitting down in this manner with mouth shut and body still with the Right Vision and attitude will complete five components of the Eight- Fold Path. To sit like this and to stay in this position it needs an enormous amount of courage and effort without which the completion of journey in the Path is not going to be possible. This effort of non attachment is called Right- Effort. With this the practitioner starts contemplation of the body (kayanupassana), pain (vedananupassana), the behaviour of mind (Cittanupassana) and practises for a state of non-attachment (Dhammanupassana) through wisdom. When contemplation of body and pain is done the other two will follow.

Contemplation of the body (kayanupassana): The practitioner is asked to consider 25 parts of the body. head, forehead, right eye, nose, left eye, right cheek, left cheek, mouth, chin, neck, upper chest, lower chest, upper abdomen, middle abdomen, lower abdomen, right thigh, right knee, right lower leg, right foot, right toes, left thigh, left knee, left lower leg, left foot and left toes. The practitioner takes his mind to one part at a time and contemplates "may all be well, happy and peaceful" and goes on to the next part and contemplates the same thing. He does this for all twenty five parts from head to the toes of the left leg, and re-starts from head. This method trains the mind to give up those body parts with loving kindness.

Contemplation of pain (vedananupassana): When the parts of the body are given up like this with loving kindness without changing the posture the practitioner starts feeling pain in various parts of the body. To the maximum point of pain the practitioner contemplates "may all be well, happy and peaceful three times. If he feels pain elsewhere he wishes the same to that part. The practitioner goes on like this. Whether the pain subsides, or not he gets back to the contemplation of the body. When this is being practised, sounds from the environment are heard. They are recognized as sounds and refrained from trying to identify these further (stopping at Vedana Sanna and not going to Sankara).

Thoughts that are generated from the consciousness are also identified only as thoughts and not tried to identify these further thereby preventing a thought process being generated.

This way the practitioner trains himself to detach from fifteen places that the mind dwells. When the mind detaches from the fifteen places the practitioner experiences this non-attachment.

The practice of non-attachment is called in Magadha language "Samatha". The practice of non-attachment is "Samatha" and the seeing the detachment is "Vidharshana" as taught by the the Buddha. One who practises this regularly and with vigor will attain the fruitions of the Path and finally the permanent detachment from all defilements, which is Nibbana, Perfection, the complete mental health. During this exercise, the practitioner realizes the four Noble Truths (ill health and dissatisfaction Dukka, reason for ill health and dissatisfaction Samudaya, state of complete health Nirodha and the path to achieve it, Marga). A person who has achieved complete mental health will subsequently achieve complete physical health too once the mind gives up the body. That is when he goes into Parinibbana where only the mind remains in a state of happiness associated with non attachment.

Recognizing an Arahant (a person with complete health)

The popular belief that only an Arahant can recognize another Arahant is not entirely true. What happens is that, one who becomes an Arahant will fully realize what it means to be an Arahant. This is the best way to recognize Arahantship comprehensively.

However, there should be a way to recognize an Arahant by ordinary people. Otherwise, this teaching will be hidden and others will not benefit. An Arahant who can teach the path (sivpilisibiyapath) declares that he is an Arahant and is ready to help people to get into the Path. When someone declares that he is an Arahant and that, what has to be done to achieve this status has been completed and that this is the last physical body he bears in the journey of life in Samsara, it has to be taken very seriously. Then one has to listen to him and see, what he teaches is the Eightfold Path and what he mentions fits into the Path. It should also be realized that one who practices the exercise he teaches, diligently, can get into the Path and achieve fruitions of the Path. It can also be seen whether there are people who have achieved these fruitions of the path (Sovan, Sakrudagami, Anagami and Arahant). This is what is called the "miracle of teaching".

(Anushasana Prathiharya.) Then, it is very likely that he can be none other than an Arahant.

Acknowledgement: writer wishes to acknowledge the guidance received when writing this article, from the most venerable Lankapura Sariputta.