Making Herbal Bundles from Local Plants
We at the Bodhi Sangha School, honor the human culture of medicine making. It is a tradition in all old cultures to use plant medicine to aid us in our work. Florida is the land of abundance when it comes to medicinals. Our yards, gardens and forests are rich in little plant beings that can aid us in our lives.
Metta
Making Herbal Bundles out of local plants
Local Medicinal Plants for making Bundles!
*This first group of plants are Edible, Medicinal, and appropriate for Topical use. I am using the acronym "EMT" to refer to these plants.
EMT-
Bidens Alba, Tickseed, SpanishNeedles
- Anti Inflammatory
- Anti Microbial
- Stops bleeding
- Good for Internal inflammation,
such as sinuses, or the bladder
-Ant Rumatic
EMT- Plantain, Plantago Virginica
EMT- Floridabetony, Rattlesnake root, Stachys floridana
EMT- Chickweed, Stellaria meolia
-Good for the gut
EMT- Gotukola florida, lentella erecta
- put leaves in smoothies
- Grows under fruit trees in South India and SE Asia
- Good for connective tissue
EMT- Cleaver, Galium Aparine
The following plants are Medicinal and Topical Only "MT' for short
MT- Sweetgum, Liquidambar, Styraciflua (Styraaflua)
- Used widely in Mexican folk medicine
- Good for wounds that wont heal
- Leaves used for cough remedy
- Chew on bark for teeth
- Resin is anti microbial
MT- Bayberry, Myrica cerifera
MT- Juniper, Red cedar, Junipiterus Virgininia - Used for malevolent spirits
In Memory of my teachers
With the wish to help all beings to be free from suffering
I will always go for refuge
To the purity of all phenomena
It's direct perception
And it's manifestation
Enthused by wisdom and compassion
Today in the presence of enlightened awareness
I generate the awakened mind
For the benefit of all beings
For as long as space endures
And sentient beings remain
May I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world
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From my precious teachers
And the pristine nature of existence
I take the open path
With myself clear
As a vessel for wisdom and compassion
I present my offering
Following teachings of kindness and right livelihood
I remain committed to purity of thought speech and activity
Enjoying the fruits of study and practice
I benefit others
With the giving of shelter sustenance guidance and love
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May the supreme jewel Bodhicitta
Arise where it has not arisen
And may that which has arisen
Never diminish but increase more and more
Due to all these merits may all the father and mother sentient beings have all happiness
And may the lower realms be empty forever
Wherever there are bodhisattvas, may their prayers be accomplished immediately
May I cause all this by myself alone
May people be happy and their years be blessed
May crops grow well and may religion prosper
I pray that all happiness arises for everyone
And that whatever they desire shall come to pass
Written by my teacher Paul Davenport in dedication to my teacher Kam Thye Chow
✨You are both my ancestors now.
Balancing a heart centered Business with Purity
Those of us who have chosen massage therapy as an occupation probably have noticed that sometimes there is a conflicting element in charging money for something as sacred as holding space for someone's heart.
Those who know me you may also know that I specialize in a very old system of massage. Thai-Massage is an ancient practice of sacred touch. Although it is still very much massage therapy, it is also shamanic in its application to bodywork. I say this because there is a tradition in our field where all of our merits, our skills, and our good results are from the ancestral lineage. The only reason we are able to do what we do is because of all those before us who dedicated their lives to the preservation of these beautiful massage moves. Thai-Massage is actually a yoga in which one shares one's own ability to be fully present, loving and skilled in the application of hands-on massage. So how do I bring a professionalism and a business approach to something so precious and sacred like Thai-Massage? There is no is simple answer however the word that comes to mind is “Soft” . Be soft. Find a balance where you are able to sustain your financial needs by charging what is acceptable in your field and also be open to offering time without the expectation of anything in return and notice how they both feel.
Generosity fuels our hearts and inspires us to feel the beauty of impermanence and the sacred moment that can be shared between two humans. When one is too generous and doesn't feel appreciated the heart shut down. So once again I would say, be soft. Be soft in your intention. Trust in the evolution of your career that is heart based and it will not only provide for you but also nourish your soul so that your yoga is developing along with your career.
There is a tradition in India when eating food. Noticed the beauty in your food. Notice the colors and textures and flavors on your plate. Be grateful for the journey of these plants to your plate and all it took for them to arrive onto your plate. Remember that not all have food so be generous. Make sure to share your food. This makes eating a sacred yogic act. We can apply this to all things.
Your job is a beautiful gift. You have a functioning human body that allows you to share presence and sacred touch. Notice all of the beautiful moments that help to arrive into this moment. Charge a fair price. Sometimes you will get paid more than you expected. Sometimes you'll be offering your services with an open heart and no monetary compensation. Let both of these things feel equally good. This is how we can balance our Heart centered business and purity. May we stay passionate in our field and may our bodies stay strong so we can continue to evolve and develop for as long as we choose. What a great gift to find a livelihood such as this.
Honoring our Lineage of Masters
The Art of Traditional Thai Massage is a documentary about the roots of Thai Massage.
Filmed in Thailand in the early 1990s, it features Thai Massage master teacher Asokananda, one of the first non-native Thai person to write and spread Thai Yoga Massage around the world.
It also includes interviews with two of his Thai Massage teachers, namely Chaiyuth Priyasith and Pichet Boonthumme. This video traces the history of the massage to its roots in India, through Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka, Laos and Thailand.
It reveals footage of some 17th century scriptures written in palm leaves, some of the oldest remaining texts about Thai Massage. The video delves into the theory and practice of Thai Yoga Massage. That includes discussion of ayurveda, sen line or energy line theory as well as demonstrations of various Thai Massage techniques.
The last part of the video includes aspects of a whole body Thai Yoga Massage given by Asokananda. This video provides an intimate look at Thai Massage culture in Thailand in the early 1990s. It also includes footage and works of some of the pioneers of Thai Massage in the West such as Anthony B. James, Lucas Earnst, Kam Thye Chow and Saul David Raye.
Reusi Dat Ton
The hermits massage from Thailand is a rare art that allows the Thai Yogi to take care of themselves. It is believed that Reusi Dat Ton came first then Thai Massage.
The hermits massage from Thailand is a rare art that allows the Thai Yogi to take care of themselves. It is believed that Reusi Dat Ton came first then Thai Massage.
We may never know what, if any Ancient texts on Reusi Dat Ton may have existed and were lost when the invading Burmese armies destroyed the old Thai capital of Ayutthaya in 1767. Today, the closest thing to an original source text on Reusi Dat Ton is an 1838 manuscript commissioned by Rama III entitled The Book of Eighty Rishis Performing Posture Exercises to Cure Various Ailments. Like other manuscripts of the time, this text was printed on accordion like folded black paper, known in Thai as “Khoi.” This text, popularly known as the Samut Thai Kao features line drawings of the 80 Wat Po Reusi Dat Ton statues along with their accompanying poems. In the introduction, it states that Reusi Dat Ton is a “…system of posture exercises invented by experts to cure ailments and make them vanish away.” (Griswold, 321) This text is housed in the National Library in Bangkok. There are also other editions of this text housed in museums and private collections as well.
The Samut Thai Kao seems to follow an old tradition also found in ancient Indian, Nepali and Tibetan Yoga manuscripts that list 80 to 84 different techniques. The Samut Thai Kao is, however, only a partial collection of all the various Reusi Dat Ton techniques. A 1958 Wat Po publication, The Book of Medicine includes a section on Reusi Dat Ton. While it contains verses based upon the poems at Wat Po, many of the accompanying illustrations depict completely different techniques.
In the Southern Thai town of Songkhla, on the temple grounds of Wat Machimawat is a pavilion known as the “Sala Reusi Dat Ton.” High up on the inside walls of this pavilion is a mural which depicts 40 of the Reusi Dat Ton techniques along with the accompanying poems from the Samut Thai Kao.
There is a special section devoted to Thai Medical history at the Mahidol University’s Siriraj Medical Museum on the Bangkok Noi campus in Bangkok. There one can view a Reusi Dat Ton display featuring small painted wood Reusi figures that depict over 60 different Reusi Dat Ton techniques. This display is based upon the 1958 Wat Po text The Book of Medicine.
In Nonthaburi, on the Ministry of Public Health Campus at the Institute of Thai Traditional Medicine, there is the Thai Traditional Medicine Museum. Inside the museum is a small display of Reusi Dat Ton statues. Outside the museum is an artificial mountain upon which have been placed various Reusi statues demonstrating Reusi Dat Ton techniques. Within the mountain is the “Hermit’s Cave” which houses numerous small Reusi statues also depicting Reusi Dat Ton techniques. These statues depict techniques from both the Samut Thai Kao and The Book of Medicine.
On the outskirts of Bangkok, in the town of Samut Prakan, is the cultural park, the Ancient City or “Muang Boran.” One of the many attractions is a “Sala of 80 Yogi” which features 80 life- sized Reusi statues illustrating various Reusi Dat Ton techniques. There are even depictions ofReusi Dat Ton techniques not found in either of the two Wat Po texts. While most of these statues are fairly accurate depictions of Reusi Dat Ton techniques, a few actually show Indian Hatha Yoga techniques, which are not part of the Reusi Dat Ton system.Students of Reusi Dat Ton should bear in mind that while some of the Reusi Dat Don statues, drawings, paintings and poems are beautiful works of art, they were created by artists who were not necessarily all practitioners of Reusi Dat Ton. In fact, a number of images do not illustrate the actual techniques entirely accurately. Even in 1836, there was some uncertainty as to which technique produced which effect and some poems were used for more than one technique. Therefore, students of Reusi Dat Ton should also seek out living teachers who have learned from authentic sources such as actual Reusis, who can teach the techniques in their authentic form.
There are also additional Reusi Dat Ton techniques practiced by Reusis today, which are not found in any text, nor depicted in any sculpture or paintings. These are also traditional techniques, which have been passed down from teacher to student over the centuries. There are close to 300 different exercises and poses, including variations, in the entire Reusi Dat Ton system.
David Wells has collected as much text and photos of this art as he could in the last 20 years. He has taught Ariela the self care and yoga techniques. If you would like to learn more about Reusi Dat Ton, contact her.