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Chevitanamai, also written as Jivitanamai, Jivitanamaya, Shivitanamai, or Cheewitanamai is an area of Thai Dhammanamai (Dhammanamaya) and is about engaging in a healthy lifestyle and observing appropriate behaviors in one’s daily life.
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The words Chevita, Jivita, Shivita, or Cheewita come from the Pali and Sanskrit “Jivita,” which can mean life (body, sense organs, mind and soul), existence, living, span of life, livelihood, sustenance, subsistence, vitality (either physical or mental), and/or that which keeps alive.
The practice of Chevitanamai contains many different aspects, which include taking good care of oneself, others, one’s house, and one’s environment, earn one’s living by doing an honest job, abiding by the law, living the Buddhist Middle Way (avoiding extremes and taking both material and spiritual aspects in consideration), observing the Buddhist Five Precepts (not to kill, steal, or lie, avoiding sexual misconduct, and not to take drugs or other intoxicants), and being close to Nature.
The most important aim of Chevitanamai is to lead a life that supports physical and mental health and peace of mind. Moreover, the Kayanamai (Healthy Body) and Jitanamai (Healthy Mind) practices within Dhammanamai are seen as instrumental to achieve Chevitanamai, which means that it’s difficult to observe the Chevitanamai practice correctly without a healthy body (Kayanamai) and healthy mind (Jitanamai).
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Let’s give an example: having (or living in) an appropriate environment according to Thai Traditional Medicine concepts means to keep one’s surroundings orderly, clean and airy, having trees for shade and moist, avoiding pollution and littering, having access to clean food and water, and living in close contact with Nature. In addition, it also involves cultivating flowering plants, fruit trees, and edible vegetables to use as spices or food.
In view of the above it’s obvious that without a healthy body and applying the means of maintaining a healthy body (physical exercise and consuming healthy food and drinks i.e. Kayanamai) and without clarity and stability of mind and the right mind-set (Jitanamai), it would actually be impossible to implement the above for oneself (or for others).
What’s more, a healthy mind (Jitanamai) is seen as a prerequisite for a healthy body (Kayanamai), meaning that when we master our mind, we’ll be able to control our behaviors of exercising, healthy eating and drinking, as well as the other aspects of our lifestyle according to the Chevitanamai practice.
If you want to know more about the Dhammanamai Self-Care practice, check out our main article What Is Dhammanamai? | Thai Dhammanamaya.
