The phrase “turning poison into medicine” was first articulated by Nagarjuna (c. 150-250), an Indian Buddhist teacher often described as the “second Buddha.” In his Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom, Nagarjuna presents the truth that any person can become “a great physician who can change poison into medicine.” His principle is astonishingly contemporary, optimistic, and hopeful because it specifically teaches that, with right effort and right thinking, a negative can be converted into a positive, suffering can be transformed into flourishing, and pain can be refashioned into power.
-Victor M Parachin, "Turning Poison into Medicine the Buddhist Way," Spirituality & Health
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