Different Belief Systems in Medical Care

by Lincoln Gadberry, April 2015

1200 words

4 pages

essay

“Belief is the truth held in the mind; faith is a fire in the heart” (Joseph Fort Newton).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well being, i.e. the absence of disease or infirmity. It is a dynamic condition resulting from a body's constant adjustment and adaptation in response to stresses and changes in the environment for maintaining an inner equilibrium called homeostasis (Business Dictionary). It means that health refers to the general condition of the body and mind. To be healthy refers to the soundness of a living organism, i.e. vitality of the body and mind, and freedom from defect or disease.

The modern medicine considers the recovering as a physiological process by which the cells in the body regenerate and repair themselves in order to reduce the size of the damaged area. An appropriate medication is supposed to be an essential part of that process.

However, the fact of the spiritual healing is rather controversial in the scientific world, but a lot of patients still regard it as one of the most important causes of their recovering so that it also should be taken into account. Let us have a closer look at this issue and analyze the spiritual perspective on healing from the position of Sikhism, Buddhism and Shintoism in order to compare the philosophy of providing care from these beliefs to the perspective of the Christian philosophy of faith and healing. Let us find out how patients view health care providers who are able to let go their own beliefs in the interest of the beliefs and practices of the patients.

Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world. The word comes from “budhi” and means “to awaken”. It originated in ancient India about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of 35 (Buddha Dharma Education Asossiation).

Buddhism is so different from other religions that some people question whether it is a religion at all. Its spiritual traditions focus on personal spiritual development and the attainment of a deep insight into the true nature of life.

The foundation of Buddhism is the Four Noble Truths: the truth of suffering (Dukkha); the truth of the origin of suffering (Samudāya); the truth of the cessation of suffering (Nirodha); the truth of the path to the cessation of suffering (Magga).

About 2,000 years ago Buddhism divided into two major schools, called Theravada and Mahayana. The two schools differ primarily in their understanding of a doctrine called “anatman” or “anatta”. According to this doctrine, there is no “self” in the sense of a permanent, integral, autonomous being within an individual existence. Anatman is a difficult teaching to understand, but understanding it is essential in order to make sense of Buddhism.

Buddhism states that there is no primary cause or a basic component that works as a determinant causing something or an event to happen.

Another Buddhist concept that explains human life is …

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