Tibetan medicine: a unique heritage of person-centered medicine

EPMA Journal, Dec 2011

With a history going back approximately 2,500 years, the Tibetan medicine, known as Sowa Rigpa in the Tibetan language, is one of the world’s oldest known traditional medicine. It originally developed during the pre-Buddhist era in the kingdom known as Shang Shung. As a traditional medicine, the future development of Tibetan medicine in Western countries is linked to being recognized as a popular and viable healthcare option providing an alternative clinical reality. Its inherent ability to incorparate predictive diagnostics, targeted prevention, and the creation of individualized medical treatment give Tibetan medicine great potential for assessing and treating patients.

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Tibetan medicine: a unique heritage of person-centered medicine

EPMA Journal Tibetan medicine: a unique heritage of person-centered medicine Paolo Roberti di Sarsina 0 1 2 4 5 6 Luigi Ottaviani 0 1 2 4 5 6 Joey Mella 0 1 2 4 5 6 0 P. Roberti di Sarsina Charity “Association for Person Centred Medicine” , Bologna , Italy 1 P. Roberti di Sarsina Observatory and Methods for Health, Universtity of Milano-Bicocca , Milano , Italy 2 P. Roberti di Sarsina Expert for Non-conventional medicine, High Council of Health, Ministry of Health , Rome , Italy 3 Via Siepelunga 36/12 , 40141 Bologna , Italy 4 J. Mella Shang Shung Institute , Conway , USA 5 L. Ottaviani International Shang Shung Institute for Tibetan Studies , Arcidosso , Italy 6 P. Roberti di Sarsina ( With a history going back approximately 2,500 years, the Tibetan medicine, known as Sowa Rigpa in the Tibetan language, is one of the world's oldest known traditional medicine. It originally developed during the preBuddhist era in the kingdom known as Shang Shung. As a traditional medicine, the future development of Tibetan medicine in Western countries is linked to being recognized as a popular and viable healthcare option providing an alternative clinical reality. Its inherent ability to incorparate predictive diagnostics, targeted prevention, and the creation of individualized medical treatment give Tibetan medicine great potential for assessing and treating patients. Tibetan medicine; Sowa Rigpa; Chögyal Namkhai Norbu; Predictive diagnosis; Targeted prevention; Individualized treatment Introduction Tibetan medicine is an intricate medicine with a long history of treatment effectiveness. As this medicine begins to spread globally, as with Chinese, Indian Ayurvedic, and other traditional healing modalities, it is important to accurately inform as large an audience to its salient features. Primarily through alliance and collaboration with Western MDs, Tibetan medicine can express its principles in a clear and beneficial way. This would develop through dialogue, research, and ultimately the sharing of intellectual resources. This article is intended as a brief survey of Tibetan medicine’s ancient history, its development into the present, and an exploration into future collaborations. Upon review it can be seen that Tibetan medicine is an excellent example of personalized and preventive medicine. History of Tibetan medicine Aspects of Tibetan medicine can be found in ancient cultures as old as 2,500 years. It was in the Kingdom of Shang Shung that practitioners of the Bön Shamanistic religion recorded formal texts describing healing rituals, medical divination, and astrology. Practices such as medical divination lead to much the same nature of treatment. A divination would be made indicating a particular elemental disturbance and a ritual remedy prescribed. Divinations would not be limited to medicine but were connected to all actions considered important, such as marriage, beginning a business, and funerals. The indigenous cultures of pre-Buddhist Tibet also included the use of natural herbal remedies. In particular for wounds, very common when living in harsh environments, various poultices and wraps were used. These basic treatments formed one branch of medicine that when combined with Bon ritual practices offered its people relief. The shamanistic practices, although often relying upon what can be described as superstitious beliefs, also put emphasis upon personal meditation and the balancing of one’s body both internally and externally. It is precisely this notion, of the relation of mind and body, that would continue to develop with the introduction of Buddhism into Tibet. King Songtsen Gampo, in the year 641 CE, unified Tibet through military conquest and took two Buddhist wives, princess Bhrikuti of Nepal and princess Wen Cheng of China. The subsequent introduction of Buddhism to the King is thus credited to these two princesses. Although many changes of political power occurred, a steady stream of great masters and scholars of Indian and Chinese Buddhism were welcomed. These masters, such as the famous teacher Padmasambhava, did not dismiss the predominant Bon religious views. Rather they incorporated into the Buddhist view many aspects, including deities of worship and ways of relating to the environment. While collaboration with its neighbors regarding religious teachings increased, so to did knowledge of medicine. In this way a synthesis began to develop, between the indigenous Bon doctors, Ayurvedic Sanskrit texts and doctors, Chinese doctors, and a continued focus on spiritual practice now developed with Buddhist knowledge. During the subsequent rule of King Trisong Deutsen (755–795 CE) an international conference on medicine was organized, inviting physicians from India, Nepal, Persia, Greece, China, and other neighboring countries. It is thought that from this large sharing of knowledge the great Tibetan physician Yutok Yonten Gonpo then synthesized the essence from each tradition and rewrote the F (...truncated)


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Paolo Roberti di Sarsina, Luigi Ottaviani, Joey Mella. Tibetan medicine: a unique heritage of person-centered medicine, EPMA Journal, 2011, pp. 385-389, Volume 2, Issue 4, DOI: 10.1007/s13167-011-0130-x