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Alexander Berzin
Mexico City, Mexico, August 30, 1993
Light ly edi ted course t ranscr ipt .
Introduction and History
I must mention before we begin that I am not a doctor, so please don't ask me abouyour various sicknesses. I have studied a little bit about Tibetan medicine and have
taken Tibetan medicine for years, so I can only explain something about the theory.
Tibetan medicine has a long history. There was a native tradition of medicine in Tibe
With the formation of the Tibetan empire in the seventh century of the modern era, t
emperors invited doctors from India and China, as well as from the Persian and Rom
areas of Central Asia. Later, toward the end of the eighth century, they invited more
doctors from these regions. Also at that time, the Buddha's teachings on medicine w
brought from India to Tibet. This coincided with the arrival of Padmasambhava and t
Nyingma teachings.
At that time, there was a big debate about what sort of Buddhism and what sort of
medicine would be adopted for Tibet. The Indian Buddhist systems won on both cou
for reasons that we won't go into. There was a great Tibetan physician at that time w
combined a few aspects of Chinese and Greek medicine, which had been in Centra
Asia, into the basic Indian Buddhist teachings on medicine. Just as many Buddhist t
were hidden at that time due of difficulties, so were these medical texts. They were
rediscovered in the twelfth century and were slightly reworked and modernized. It is
from this revision that the present Tibetan medical system derives.
Tibetan medicine spread from Tibet to Mongolia, northern China, Siberia and many
areas of Central Asia, going all the way over to the Caspian Sea. Tibetan medicine,
well as many other aspects of Tibetan culture, formed what would be analogous to L
culture in Medieval Europe. Its influence spread all the way from the Caspian Sea to
Pacific, and from Siberia to the Himalayas. It was a major civilization. Let's look at th
Tibetan medical system itself.
Classifications of Sicknesses
We find that diseases are classified into three groups. The first is thoroughly establis
diseases. Examples include genetic disorders, birth defects and so on. Diseases an
defects that are thoroughly established come from past lives. They are very difficult
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treat from the point of view of Tibetan medicine. One can only try to make the perso
comfortable. For example, if we have had a disease like asthma since we were bab
it will be very difficult to cure.
The second class is sicknesses that arise from other conditions. This includes
imbalances in the body that develop due to various circumstances: the environment
pollution, germs and various conditions. They are the usual type of sicknesses and s
this is the primary focus of Tibetan medicine. An example would be asthma that com
later in life due to living in a polluted city and experiencing a lot of stress.
The third category is literally called imaginary diseases. This refers to psychosomat
illnesses and to sicknesses that Tibetans generally view as having been caused by
harmful forces. This category includes shellshock and nervous breakdowns that occ
during a war. These diseases are primarily treated with various rituals. That might s
a bit preposterous to us, but if we look at an example from Africa, perhaps we can
understand it. If someone is very sick, his or her attitude very much affects the immu
system. This has been described and researched by modern medicine. If one's entir
community is staying up all night, dancing and doing rituals, it gives one a feeling th
everyone is really supporting them and it very much improves one's spirits, which ca
turn affect the immune system. The same could occur when we have a group of mo
and or nuns doing a ritual for us. It strengthens the immune system so that one can better more quickly.
Sicknesses that Arise from Other Conditions: The FiveElements and Three Humors
Let us look at the second class of sicknesses. First, we will look at the nature of
diseases. The body is examined in terms of a balance of either five elements or of th
humors. The five elements are earth, water, fire, wind, and space. These are not
abstract, weird things, unrelated to the body. Earth refers to the solid aspect of the b
water is the liquid, fire is the heat (including digestive heat and acidity), and wind ref
not only to the gasses within the body but also to the energy in the body, which inclu
the electrical energy of the nervous system. Space refers to the spatial aspects with
the body -- the position of the various organs, and the various hollow organs like the
stomach and so on. Sicknesses are seen as being imbalances of these. There is
something wrong with the system of these five elements.
Tibetan medicine's viewing disease in terms of an imbalance of the three humors is
taken from the Greeks, but the actual word in both Sanskrit and Tibetan is literally
"things that can go wrong." The humors are three systems in the body, each having
parts. It is not obvious to me why five constituents are lumped together as one syste
The three major systems are called wind, bile and phlegm. Let's look at what is invo
with these systems.
Wind refers primarily to the wind in the body. There are winds that deal with the upp
part of the body: the energy coming in and out of the upper part of the body as when
are swallowing, talking and so on. And winds that deal with the lower part of the bod
the energy coming in and out of the lower part of the body, such as with holding in o
releasing excretion, menstruation, and . One aspect of the energy deals with the
circulation in the body and the blood pressure. We also have actual physical energy
related to motion, and various types of energy associated with the heart.
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Bile deals with certain aspects of digestion, like bile from the liver. It deals with differ
aspects of pigmentation, as when we get sunburned, with the hemoglobin, the red b
cells, and with things related to the eyes. Phlegm deals with the mucus systems and
lymph systems in the body. It relates to colds, sinus problems and these types of th
as well as the liquid aspect for the movement of the joints -- I am not sure the techn
Western medical term here. For instance, rheumatism and arthritis are phlegm
disorders. Digestion is a complex process in which certain aspects of wind, bile and
phlegm are associated with different stages. These are all very complex systems. As
say, it is not so easy to see how the five categories of each of the three humors it fit
together in one humor.
Sicknesses are seen as imbalances of these three humors, which could mean eithe
that one of them is too strong or one of them is too weak. There can be simple disor
and there can be disorders of several of systems at once. Tibetan medicine is a holi
system, treating the entire body, since all the systems of the body as interrelated.
There are various ways of classifying sicknesses. Sometimes blood is taken as a fo
system, which includes muscles in the body. Within that division, we can divide the
systems of bile, blood and heat disorders as one category and wind, phlegm and co
disorders as another. Tibetans often analyze sicknesses in terms of their being hot o
cold sicknesses, but I am not quite sure what exactly is meant by hot or cold. It iscertainly not related to temperature.
The Causes of Sickness
In general, sicknesses could be due to diet: eating food that disagrees with us or is t
greasy. They could be due to problems with our behavior, like going out in the cold
without sufficient clothing. Sitting out on the cold ground or on a cold wet rock is a s
cause for kidney problems. Sicknesses may be caused by small organisms, germs o
microbes. This is similar to what Western medicine says. However, what Tibetan
medicine says beyond this is that we can look at a deeper level of the causes of
sicknesses. I think that probably the most interesting and useful way of looking atTibetan medicine in terms of our ways of thinking is the whole idea that the basic
underlying cause of physical imbalance is emotional and mental imbalance.
If we want to overcome disease completely we have to become balanced on all leve
particularly on the emotional/mental level. There are three primary disturbing emotio
or attitudes. The first is longing desire and attachment. It is the neurotic desire that f
I've got to get this and if I don't get it I'll go crazy. The second is anger. Third is naiv
closed-mindedness and stubbornness. These are correlated to the disorders of the
three humors. From desire comes wind disorders; from anger, bile disorders; from
closed-mindedness, phlegm disorders. This is very interesting. Let us look at it a litt
closer.
Wind disorders are very often characterized by becoming very nervous. They are
related to high blood pressure. We also get a very tight feeling in the chest. We get
we describe as a broken heart; we feel terribly depressed. These are very common
disorders associated with longing desire. For instance, if we are very attached to ma
a lot of money, we work and work, we get high blood pressure and we are nervous a
the time. If we are very attached to someone and they die or leave us, we get the w
broken heart syndrome. People who meditate incorrectly and push themselves too h
also develop wind disorders. When we push ourselves too hard in anything, it squee
the energies in the body and that causes the uptightness in the chest, nervousness,
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paranoia and so on. Nervous bowels or a nervous stomach are also a wind disorder
The underlying psychological cause for these problems is too much attachment or
desire.
Bile disorders come from anger. An ulcer, where there is too much bile in the stoma
is associated with being very angry. When we get angry we turn red. The bile affect
pigmentation. We turn yellow with jaundice and red with anger. There are also bile
headaches, which often come with anger: the eyes burn, the head burns.
Phlegm is related to being naive and closed-minded. We hold onto ideas verystubbornly and don't want to listen to anybody else. Or our hearts are closed to cert
people because we don't want to deal with them. Just as our mind and heart are clo
our sinuses close and we have sinus problems or we get problems with our chest, li
pneumonia, or asthma, or the body becomes closed and stiff with arthritis or
rheumatism. The body reflects the mind's inflexibility.
Although it may not be totally accurate, we can play with this type of thinking in term
other diseases as well. Often with cancer, we find that people have very self-destruc
attitudes. After my aunt died, my uncle had no desire to continue living. His lifestyle
started to become self-destructive and quite quickly he developed cancer in which th
body destroyed itself. He died within a year. One can think that the state of mind isreflected by the self-destruction of cancer. This is obviously not true with every case
cancer but it gives us something interesting to think about.
With AIDS, the body does not have any ability to fight things off. Many people with A
were not able to fight off addictions to drugs or to promiscuous sex. Just as they can
control
themselves against their desires, the body can't defend itself from anything. This is t
aspect of Tibetan medicine that I find most stimulating -- aside from the practical use
the medicine.
Diagnosis of Sicknesses
Let us go on with the actual medical system. To diagnose sicknesses, we have
questioning, visual examination and examination of the pulse. Tibetans don't put ver
much emphasis on asking what is wrong. More emphasis is on the second two. The
visual examination includes the tongue, but the main thing is the visual examination
the urine. The doctor looks at the first urine of the morning. This is taken to the doct
a clear or a white container and then he or she whips it with a stick. The doctor looks
many variables. First, they look at the color. Then they look at what type of bubbles
when it is whisked, how large they are, and how long do they last. When they disper
how do they disperse, and is there a certain oiliness there? Is the urine thin or thick?
Are there any precipitants? They also examine the odor. If they get it immediately in
morning, they can also observe how its color changes as it cools down. With all thes
variables, one can make a very precise diagnosis of the sickness.
Examining the urine is actually a very excellent system for diagnosis because, as wh
examining the pulse, the doctor has to take into consideration the age of the person
their sex, and the time of year. When they examine the urine, they also take into
consideration how old it is. This allows the doctor to examine urine that is a week or
old. That was helpful in Tibet where a family member might have had to carry a urin
sample by yak for a week or two to get to a doctor. In modern times, we might have
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send it by airmail to India.
The pulse is also examined. This is also very sophisticated. The doctor usually
examines the pulse on the wrist, a little above the thumb, using three fingers. With e
finger, he or she presses down with a different amount of force. The index finger fee
just the surface pulse. The middle finger presses down a little bit more and then the
finger presses down as deeply as is possible. Each finger rolls slightly from one side
and to the other. This is done on both wrists. In this way, each side of the finger rea
the diagnosis for a different organ in the body.
The rate of pulse is measured by comparing it to the breath of the doctor. There wer
wristwatches in ancient Tibet, so a doctor would count the number of pulses to, say,
of his breaths. In addition, one examines what happens to the pulse when one press
down. Does it disappear? Does it bounce back strongly? One looks at the way the p
travels in the artery by feeling how it flows past the three fingers. The "shape" of the
pulse is noted. Is it rolling? Does it come in sharp peaks? Does it twist from side to
side? There are many possibilities. This obviously requires that the doctor have very
sensitive fingers. While there are pulse examinations in the Indian Ayurvedic system
which is of Hindu origin, as well as in Chinese medicine, it is done differently in each
system. Urine examination seems to be unique to the Tibetan system.
Treatment
By examining these various things, the doctor can arrive at a diagnosis. Then we ne
treatment. Treatment involves regulating the diet, regulating the behavior and taking
medicine, but there are other ways of treating various conditions, including acupunc
and moxabustion, which is burning parts of the body.
Diet
If we have a wind disorder, then certain foods will be very harmful. For instancecaffeine, as in coffee, will aggravate a wind disorder. We are very nervous and our
blood pressure is high. Lentils, like beans, produce wind -- passing gas is an indicat
of this. For bile disorders, eggs and greasy or fried foods are very bad. For phlegm
disorders, we avoid dairy products and rice, since they produce a lot of mucus. We n
this in the West as well. Other types of food might be very helpful for these disorder
For instance, drinking hot water is very good for phlegm because it washes out the
mucus.
Behavior Modification
As for modifying the behavior, if we have a wind disorder it is important to keep warand to be with affectionate friends. Laughter is a great thing for wind disorders. If we
very upset and nervous, laughter releases it. Looking out at a long distance vista is v
helpful. Also, we can avoid things like standing in front of a fan or outside in a strong
wind. Often people find very high-powered machines that make noise, like power
lawnmowers or air conditioners, will make them even more nervous. For bile disorde
it is very helpful to keep cool and stay out of the sun. For phlegm, exercise and keep
warm are very good. That will put more flexibility in the joints and help with clearing
the mucus.
Medicines
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The taking of medicines is the primary treatment in Tibetan medicine. The medicine
made primarily of herbs. It also includes various mineral substances and so on. Eac
medicine can have fifty or more ingredients mixed together. Usually they are mixed
pulverized into a pill form. These pills are to be chewed and taken with hot water. If
don't chew them and just swallow them, they will probably just go right through us
without dissolving. They are very hard. Tibetans have very strong teeth. If we find th
difficult to chew, we can always wrap them in something in a handkerchief and smas
them with a hammer.
The medicines are taken either a half-hour before or a half-hour after a meal.
Occasionally, a fourth pill will be prescribed for around four in the afternoon, since
lunchtime for Tibetans means noon. Here in Mexico and other Latin countries, if you
have been prescribed four different medicines, you need to take the one that says lu
at noon and the one that says four o'clock after your afternoon meal.
One of the great advantages of Tibetan medicine is that in almost all instances --
although there are exceptions -- there are no side effects. However, it is a little bit lik
homeopathic medicine, not in the sense of being micro-doses but in the sense that t
medicine will first gather the sickness together so that it is concentrated. Then, it wil
destroy it. Because of this, in many cases, though not always, the sickness gets a litbit worse at first. That is simply a sign that the medicine is drawing the sickness toge
so it can get rid of it. One has to be patient and pass through the initial stage.
In taking the medicine, it is important to chew it not only so that we can digest it
properly, but also so that we can taste it. The taste is usually quite horrible. They ca
have tastes that one never imagined existed. The taste is important because it will
stimulate various secretions in the mouth and in the digestive tract. Part of how the
medicine works is through stimulating the body to give off various enzymes and so o
One has to have some patience with the taste of the medicine.
It is quite interesting that the foods and various ingredients of Tibetan medicine are
classified according to taste, not the Chinese classification of the five elements or yi
and yang, nor the Ayurvedic classification of the three qualities of rajas, sattva and
tamas. Tibetan doctors classify them according to primary tastes and aftertastes.
Certain tastes are appropriate for different types of disorders.
There is also a system of about eighteen qualities of foods as well as of herbs. Wha
interesting here is that where the food or herbs grow will affect their quality. Someth
that grows in a windy place will take on a certain quality different from something tha
grows in a dry place. It becomes quite a problem in terms of growing medicinal plan
because they have to grow in their natural habitat.
Massage and Acupuncture
In Tibetan medicine, there is not too much emphasis on massage. There is a little bi
rubbing on of medicinal oils for certain sicknesses, but it is rubbed on without doing
manipulative type of massage. Tibetan medicine does not manipulate the aura as th
Japanese Reiki system does. There is a form of acupuncture, which is different from
Chinese acupuncture. The points are different and the descriptions of the channels
which the energies move through the body are different. The types of needles used
also different. Tibetans use needles of various substances. The gold needle is one o
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the most common. It is put into the soft part of the top of the head to stimulate vario
nerves. This is used for things like epilepsy.
Burning
Moxa is the application of heat or burning on different parts of the body. These are d
on the same points at which you would do acupuncture. In high altitude, cold places
moxa is more effective; in hotter, lower altitude places, the needles are more effectiv
on the same points. For specific diseases, however, moxabustion is recommended.
The theory of this is that there is a blockage of the flow of the energy through the ma
channels and so, by either burning or stimulating these points with needles, the
blockage is removed. The burning can be done with various degrees of heat. The
mildest form is with a certain type of stone, which is mounted in a wooden handle. It
white stone with black stripes called a zi stone, a very special stone found in Tibet. I
heated by friction on a wooden board and then applied on specific points of the body
This is very effective. I have had it done to myself probably a hundred times for seve
disorders. Let me describe it to you.
I had the early signs of arthritic rheumatism, and so I was getting painful lumps in th
shoulders and hips. The doctor gave me medicine that drew what Tibetans call "lyminto these painful points and then he burned them. He did this over a course of three
four years. The burn is not that bad, it is about like a cigarette burn and does not hu
that much, although it looks very medieval. I don't know how you would describe it f
a Western medical point of view but my own interpretation of what was going on wa
that there was some sort of swelling within the lymph nodes on the joints. When the
doctor burned on those points, the liquid that was inside causing the painful pressur
went into forming a blister, because the pain was immediately finished when he burn
Another way I looked at it was that if the body is burnt at certain points it sends an
alarm; an enormous amount of white blood cells come to that place and they will the
help to heal whatever disorder is occurring at that place besides the burn. I found th
treatment a very helpful and I was cured.
I had another sickness. Sometimes when you do a lot of walking up and down in the
mountains, a tendon starts to rub against the bone on the knee. It is quite painful. I w
to a Western doctor who said, "Just wear an elastic bandage around it whenever yo
walk." Thank you very much. I had Chinese acupuncture done and it did not help at
Finally, I got back to India and saw my Tibetan doctor. He did a burning right on the
knee and another place on the upper part of the leg and I was completely cured. So
from my personal experience, I have found moxa burning to be a very effective type
treatment.
A more forceful type of burning is done with an iron or silver poker made - in coals. have seen this method used for problems with the spine where there is something
wrong with a disc or the spine is somehow out of alignment. They burn on specific s
next to the spine and that causes such an incredible shock to the body that the body
automatically corrects itself. Again, it looks very medieval, but it works.
The even more severe type of burning is burning little cone of a certain type of paste
burns slowly. That type of burning is used for very severe arthritis and rheumatism w
you cannot move your joints.
Other Types of Treatment
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Berzinarchives
needs your
Support
There are some types of ointments, made of oil or butter mixed with various herbs u
for skin disorders. There are even herbal enemas, which are helpful for disorders of
lower bowels. There are also certain types of powders that are inhaled like snuff for
sinus problems. Also, the Tibetans very much make use of hot mineral springs.
Training
The Tibetan medicine system requires a very long period of training. Doctors usuallytrain for seven years and they learn not only how to heal people, but also to treat
animals; and not only medicine, but pharmacology as well. They learn to identify the
medicinal plants, how to gather them and how to make the medicines.
Astrology
The Tibetan system also involves some study of astrology. In Tibetan astrology, one
aspect is the animal of the year one was born in. For each animal, specific days of t
week are life supporting or deadly. If the doctors are going to do some sort of strong
manipulation like a burning, then if there is time, they will consult astrology to determ
the most appropriate day of the week. That is not always possible, as when there is emergency or there is not enough time.
Surgery
Tibetan medicine in ancient times did have a form of surgery. We have pictures in th
texts of the surgical instruments. But once a doctor performed heart surgery on a qu
and it was unsuccessful. After that, operations and surgery were forbidden. Tibetan
medicine can treat many things with herbs that would require an operation in the We
like appendicitis. If we were in a car accident Tibetan medicine can help with setting
bones, there is very good medicine for shock and for speeding up the mending proc
but if we really need some sort of operation we are better off going to Western docto
The point is that we should not place all of our hopes on just one medical system.
Various medical systems from around the world are useful for specific types of thing
There are certain things that Tibetan medicine has never been able to treat, like
smallpox or tuberculosis. But it has excellent cures other things which we don't have
treatments for in the West, like arthritis and hepatitis. Certain -- not all -- types of can
respond quite well to Tibetan medicine. Even if it does not cure the cancer, it can m
reduce pain and improve the quality of a dying person's life.
Modern Adaptations
It is also quite interesting that the ancient texts predicted the development of new
diseases in the future. Now we have things like AIDS and pollution-related diseases
The formulas for making these medicines are in the texts, but are a bit obscure. Dr.
Tenzin Choedak, in addition to being the senior doctor to His Holiness the Dalai Lam
was the one who was able to decode these formulas and make new medicines.
A lot of these medicines are made from detoxified mercury. It is cooked with other
ingredients for several months at a time in a very slow detoxification process. This ty
of medicine has been very helpful for pollution-related diseases -- and an awful lot o
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modern diseases are related to pollution. This type of medicine was quite successfu
treating the people who were contaminated by the Bhopal chemical disaster in India
had the honor to travel with Dr. Tenzin Choedak in Russia a few years ago in which
was testing this medicine for radiation victims from Chernobyl at the invitation of the
Russian Ministry of Health. The initial results were very encouraging. So, although t
Tibetan medical system is old and complex, it can adapt to modern diseases as wel
and can be very useful for many types of disorders.
A Realistic Attitude toward Treatment
We should not expect miracles from taking Tibetan medicien. We also have to take
karma into consideration. We can have two people with the exact same sickness tak
the exact same medicine and it will work with one and not with the other. There are
many factors involved. One is the karmic connection from past lives with a particular
type of medical treatment and a particular doctor. If one has not built up the karmic
forces to be cured of a sickness, it does not matter what type of medicine or what ty
of doctor we have, nothing is going to help. We have to be realistic when we approa
any medical system, including the Tibetan. We also need to try to have a positive
attitude, since that certainly affects the immune system. But, we must not expect
miracles and then sue the doctor if the medicine does not work as we wished.
Questions and Answers
Question: Can you speak a little bit about healing rituals?
Answer: The discussion of healing rituals is similar to what we discussed with respe
karma. Imaginary or psychosomatic diseases, which are caused by harmful forces,
usually treated with rituals and prayers. Often Tibetans will have pujas or prayers do
as a supplement to medical treatment. One does not just have the puja done withou
taking medicine. To do so would be like the following joke.
A man was praying to God to help him. God finally said, "What do you want?" The m
said, "I would like to win the lottery." "Okay." So the man waited and waited and noth
happened. Then the fellow started praying again: "God, why have you abandoned m
God answered, "Idiot, buy a lottery ticket!"
The rituals are not going to be effective until we buy the lottery ticket, until we take t
medicine. Then they can be of some help, but they are not going to bring about
miracles. They will only help if we have the karmic potential to be helped by this type
ritual. One needs to approach these rituals in a realistic fashion. They can help boos
our confidence but they are really only to be done as a supplement to medical
treatment. They are not magical or miraculous.
Question: Can you talk a little bit about medicines made with precious gems?
Answer: Tibetan medicine has what are called "precious pills," which are usually ma
with detoxified mercury and some precious gems and metals. I know that they use
diamond dust, gold and silver. Certain minerals are used, though I do not know the
specifics. These precious pills are used for detoxification and so on. They usually co
wrapped in colored silk with a wax seal because they are light sensitive. We need to
to not expose them to light. Sometimes, we have to soak them in water, so we get a
porcelain cup and put a top on it. Or we just cut the silk off and pop it into our mouth
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right away.
Question: When you were being cured of wind disorders, did the doctors tell you to
bathe in hot or cold water?
Answer: No, they did not say anything specific about bathing. Some wind disorders
classified as hot and some as cold. For some, keeping warm is helpful, so a hot bat
may be helpful, but not a sauna. We can see that if we go to a sauna, for instance, it
not very good for wind and increases the blood pressure. Heat is quite harmful for b
disorders. For phlegm disorders it is very helpful to sweat because it gets the excesphlegm out, so a sauna would be very good for that.
Question: Is it possible to detect sicknesses that have not yet been manifest as
symptoms?
Answer: Tibetans certainly can treat diseases that are just in a potential form. I am
taking Tibetan medicine now for that reason for my eyes, which are getting weaker.
noticing that I have not had any trouble with my eyes. But that type of treatment is
usually long-term.
Question: If we do not have the opportunity to see a Tibetan doctor, what is availabl
our culture that is most similar, especially if we are taking Tibetan medicine and it ru
out?
Answer: It is hard to say which system in the West is most similar. Outside of Weste
treatments, however, probably either Chinese or Ayurvedic medicine is the closest.
Sometimes in the Tibetan tradition, we are given a powder that is made into a type o
tea, but it is not like the teas in the Chinese system. In the Chinese system, they do
mix the ingredients; they just give four or five loose ingredients and then we have to
make the tea ourselves. In modern times, the Chinese have made pills, but tradition
they did not.
If we find that the Tibetan medicine is effective, we can get more. If we have a
prescription, we can send a photocopy and a urine sample of the first urine of the da
a little unbreakable plastic bottle. For customs officials we can just write "urine samp
Question: What sanitary measures are taken in the fabrication of these medicines?
Answer: The medicinal plants are washed and dried in the sun, but I don't think they
would stand up to Western standards of sanitation. However, I have not heard of
anyone getting stomach problems from them. I only know of one example of an old
in the West with advanced cancer who got diarrhea from the medicine.
Question: Wouldn't the urine be contaminated in the little plastic bottle?
Answer: Well, hopefully we would wash out the shampoo first! Plastic does not reac
very much to urine.
Question: Can one combine treatment by Tibetan medicine with Western medicine?
Answer: That is done sometimes. It is recommended that we do not take the medici
at the same time, but that there be a couple of hours between them. Sometimes stro
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vitamin pills color our urine, so it is best not to take vitamins the day before we see a
Tibetan doctor, particularly vitamin B.
Question: If the patient that is not curable, does the Tibetan doctor ever perform
euthanasia?
Answer: No, they don't. They try to minimize the pain and make the patient as
comfortable as possible. The Buddhist attitude is to let the karma finish itself out
naturally. And, of course, they did not have machines that would artificially extend lif
Question: For example, dogs are often put to sleep in the West. Would they do that?
Answer: From a Buddhist point of view, that is not advisable. Of course, it depends
the situation. We have to judge in each case. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said
same. If we are in a situation where there are limited medicines and we have a choic
spending an enormous amount of resources to artificially prolong the life of someone
who is going to die anyway, and there are others with the possibility of recovering w
could benefit from those resources, then one has to make tough choices.
Question: Is there a time limit associated with the treatment of different diseases?
Answer: I don't know. Tibetans will often ask a lama for a divination either before the
start treatment or if a treatment has been ineffective. The lama will then recommend
a certain ritual or puja be done to supplement the treatment. In India, they will often
which medical system they should use, Western or Tibetan, and within the Tibetan
system, which doctor would be best to consult. Certain people might have more of a
karmic connection with one doctor than another, or one doctor might be better than
another for a certain type of disease.
In the West, it is difficult to have that type of prognostication. Tibetan medicine does
give instant cures for most things. If we have an asthma attack, Tibetan medicine w
not automatically open up our lungs like a spray. But once I had hepatitis in India an
after a day and half of Tibetan medicine, I could get up out of bed, which would have
been impossible in the West.
Question: Is there a mixture of Tibetan medicine and the shamanism of the Bon relig
Answer: The whole system of prognostication to see what ritual would be appropriat
inappropriate and what spirits might be involved is the aspect that comes from Bon.
Astrology was in the Bon system as well.
Question: How does Tibetan medicine deal with teeth?
Answer: As I said in the beginning, I am not a doctor so I cannot answer specific
technical questions. I am sorry. I do know, however, that dental problems are usually
looked at as being caused by microbes, which is how we would look at cavities as w
They don't have a sophisticated system of dentistry. I have never seen them do any
of dental work. There is "removing the worm from the tooth," which I think means pu
out the nerve. Besides just pulling out a rotten tooth, I do not think dentistry is
emphasized. As a race, Tibetans have remarkably excellent teeth. I think that could
attributed to dairy products being a primary element of their diets for so many
generations.
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Question: Dr. Choedak has said that certain sicknesses were caused by spirits. Cou
you talk more about that?
Answer: That is what I was referring to as the class of imaginary sicknesses. I think
of our understanding depends on how we understand spirits, whether that means a
ghost wearing a white sheet and saying boo or whether we take it a little more
metaphorically, as in the harmful forces of a war freaking somebody out. The
circumstantial causes of a nervous breakdown or environmental factors could be loo
at as harmful spirits. Often Tibetans speak of diseases caused by nagas. Nagas are
type of spirit associated with lakes, trees, and forests and when we pollute their terr
they cause problems. That is a way of viewing diseases that come from ecological
devastation.
Question: How about diseases that are caused by black magic or witchcraft?
Answer: There are rituals that Tibetans use for overcoming such things. Tibetans ta
all of that very seriously. They would be in the category of the imaginary diseases.
"Imaginary" is not the best way of translating the word but that is literally what it mea
Question: Are there specific meditations one can do for specific types of sicknesses
Answer: I don't know of meditations for a cold as opposed to meditations for an upse
stomach, but there are certainly healing meditations that can be used for any type o
disease. They are usually done with visualizations of specific Buddha-figures like Ta
Medicine Buddha, or Amitayus. They are usually done in terms of the five elements
we discussed in the beginning, so they involve imagining each of the elements being
healed in turn. We can also imagine that another person who is sick is in our hearts
we do the same type of healing visualizations. Then there is the healing meditation
called "giving and taking" which, again, is done with the imagination. In Tibetan
medicine or meditation, there is nothing like the laying on of hands. We become an
absolute fool if it doesn't work -- and in many cases it is not going to work, so it is
dangerous to pretend that we can do it. Visualizations of taking on other people's
sicknesses and giving them good health are common.
There are, of course, non-Tibetan systems, such as Reiki and so on, that involve cu
with the hands. From the Tibetan Buddhist point of view, these types of healings are
accomplished simply by a physical manipulation, like a physical laying on of hands,
through a mental action of healing.
No matter what system we use, there will be cases where it does not work. It depen
on how we present it. If we present something as a method that will work and it doe
not, we become fools. In any medical system, it is best to say that it may work; we w
try it and see.
Question: Are exorcisms a part of Tibetan medicine?
Answer: Not in Tibetan medicine itself, but in the rituals that can be done to supplem
the treatment.
Dedication
Let us end then with a dedication. May whatever positive energy or potential has be
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built up by this contribute to being able to overcome our sicknesses, shortcomings a
problems. May everybody be able to realize good health and realize all of their posit
potentials in order to be of best help to everyone else.
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Section Contents
Source of Inspiration Modern Adaptation of Buddhism Vows and Commitments
Introduction to Buddhism Sutra Teachings Prayers and Tantra Prac
History of Buddhism and Bon Tantra Teachings Tibetan Astrology
Comparison of Buddhist Traditions Kalachakra e-Books
Buddhism in the World Today Dzogchen Bibliographies
Buddhism and Islam Mahamudra
Page Contents
Introduction and History
Classifications of Sicknesses
Sicknesses that Arise from Other Conditions: The Five Elements and Three Humors
The Causes of Sickness
Diagnosis of Sicknesses
Treatment
Diet
Behavior Modification
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Medicines
Massage and Acupuncture
Burning
Other Types of Treatment
Training
Astrology
Surgery
Modern Adaptations
A Realistic Attitude toward Treatment
Questions and Answers
Dedication
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