| I have a friend studying Ayurveda in India. He is in his 5th year. Learned Sanskrit in order to be able to read the texts in original, because translating them into English is extremely reductionist by the very nature of the two languages. So, Ayurvedic texts in English, carry only extremely narrow interpretation of the translator who may or may not have been aware of the context. When reading these translations, the readers don’t even know of the difference in thinking and language. This is only one of the aspects: the literature’s content has been severely reduced and detextualized by translation. Another aspect: his English-only speaking colleagues started opening YouTube channels trying to establish themselves as Ayurveda experts from the first semester of the first year. So there’s that. In short, what do we mean by the word Ayurveda? Appropriation of the word and confidently spreading ignorance? The “alternative medicine” industrial complex which builds upon that and is satisfied as long as it can add its tolls and collect $$? Or do you mean the nearly obscure medical practice which requires years of education and refinement of one’s abilities, senses and knowledge, putting in thousands of hours seeing patients under supervision etc.? Some of it is legit and some of it is complete new age bs, just like “yoga.” |