The purposes of this research were 1) to study the concept and process of health care and therapy through the Thai traditional treatment in Buddhist Tipitaka, 2) to study the health care and therapy of forest monks in Chiang Mai province and 3) to analyze the health care, therapy and treatment methods of forest monks in Chiang Mai province in line with Tipitaka.

The result revealed that there are two types of health care and therapy through Thai traditional treatment and Buddhist Tipitaka, which are the physical health care and therapy and the mental health care and therapy. The physical care and therapy relies on four different necessities which are 1) clothes (monk’s robes)  2) food 3) shelter and 4) medicine. As for mental care and therapy, it requires meditation and Dhamma practice through Satiphattana 4 (the Four Foundation of Mindfulness), Four Right Exertions, Indriya 5, Five Strenghts, Iddhipada 4, etc. It is the way to gain concentration and consciousness. It is the way to get rid of temptation, tantrum and any causes of unhappiness.

For forest monks in Chiang Mai province, they have adopted a few different methods for health care and therapy which are physical exercises combining together with the traditional medicine or herbs. The physical exercises include morning alms round, nutrition and daily hygienic watch (via taking shower twice a day; in morning and evening), cleaning up chapel, sweeping the floor. The traditional herbs include the usage of medicine from the plants’ roots, leaves, branches and other parts. The use of these traditional Thai herbs needs to be implemented together with the Buddhist’s general practice like daily chanting, sitting, squatting, and walk meditation to get rid of the unhappy feelings or tantrum. It is proved that some paralyzed monks were healed by the treatment of this method.

The health care and therapy of forest monks in Chiang Mai province, in line with Tipitaka, has been conducted as stated in Tipitaka. Therefore, both physical and mental illness have been treated altogether by the use of traditional Thai medicine and Buddhist practice such as meditation and daily exercises as much as the Buddhist rules and disciplines allow (through daily cleaning of the monastery).

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