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)