Nashalla Gwyn Nyinda

The Buddhist Practice of The Four Immeasurable’s aids in the highly unusual circumstances, unknowns and emotions experienced during the global Covid-19 pandemic. This practice turns one's mind towards seeing the nature of samsaric existence as something not to fear, but to befriend with curiosity and insight. Instead we look at interdependence and experience the global sufferings through the lens of loving-kindness, compassion, joy / appreciation and equanimity. Cultivating such a viewpoint helps one remain steadfast in seeking happiness for not only ourselves but all humanity.

In the post-covid era of using Traditional Tibetan Medicine, many patients face chronic post-covid syndrome symptoms. Many of such maladies can be address by the Traditional Tibetan Medicinal Bath therapy known as the “Dutsi 5 Lums” or 5 Nectars Bath. Praised for its ability to fight rLung or wind disorders, seen as a strong component in wotking wth both acute and chronic conditions this therapy has emerged in my clinic as a viable method to treat the post Covid-19 symptoms and subsequent long term effects on the nervous, muscular skeletal systems as well as with the chronic fatigue. Said in the Tradition Tibetan text, the rGyud bZhi, those extremely depleted and weakened from prolonged and difficult illness, suffering from joint and muscle pains, circulatory disorders, nervous system disorders, contagious disorders and issues with the plasma and subsequent rash and skin disorders will all benefit from this bath. What is unique about using this treatment within North America, is that the herbs are all grown here and thus is made easily. Bath therapy is also a logical way to employ treatment at a distance in mild cases and does not typically interfere with western medical treatments. This healing bath has multiple benefits for multiple disorders, and was used long before the Corona virus hit as a worldwide pandemic. Making this bath recipe available, with sinple how to use instructions is of great benefit to mankind in these troubled times.

Determining the most appropriate medical intervention for Fibromyalgia is challenging because it presents a myriad of pain symptoms. I assert that this condition primarily falls under the Tibetan medicine category of “wind” or rLung disorders. Consulting the chapter on wind diseases contained within the third volume of the classical four-volume Tibetan medical treatises, a direct correlation emerges. Due to the chronic nature of this disorder, involvement of other bodily systems often produces further symptoms of imbalance which may fall under other humoral or elemental classification. Treatment follows guidelines elaborated within the classical Tibetan medical texts. More specifically, wind disorders attacking muscles, tendons, ligaments or wind ‘running in the channels’ described in this paper provides accurate descriptions of and treatment models for this modern affliction􏰝􏰍􏰊􏰋􏰋􏰒􏰝􏰊􏰍.

Skill in observation, dialogue within the questioning, and investigation of the natural constituents and three nyes pa (humors/defaults) in the Tibetan system are the most important to master as a physician. Confidence in the complexity of the system is a certainty which comes with experience. Yet, without unbiased love and healing intentions radiating towards patients during the diagnostic process, a vital part of the diagnostic and healing process is lost. The more compassion is developed, the more it is practiced, then the more preceptive on subtle energy levels one becomes as a physician. How then can current fast diagnosis be transformed and returned to the slow, detailed understanding of peering deep into a patient’s heart, mind, and experiences? How can the body-mind-spirit be viewed as more than a set of visible and traceable pathology? This sorting out of a person’s needs is what every good Tibetan doctor does, regardless of their background. The key to this is the foundation of developing presence and compassion.

Rejuvenation and longevity practices, bcud len (pronounced chulen) in Tibetan and rasāyana in Sanskrit, are among the more famous aspects of Tibetan healing and yogic practices. Roughly translated as 'taking the essence' or 'providing vital essence,' it is accomplished via pills or medicine butters. Many historical accounts describe great masters taking essence medicines during prolonged retreats to sustain their bodies and increase the power of their practices. In modern day bcud len retreats, one relies upon such substances rather than food for twenty-one days to a month, whereas accounts tell of great yogis subsisting on essence medicines alone for years. The concept that one can support life-force without actual food is an amazing statement. Yet many narratives exist for this practice being utilized with great success. Methods for pursuing meditation without food can first be attributed to Buddha Shakyamuni himself. Siddhartha, the Indian prince who gave up everything , began his journey towards enlightenment using austere methods of Indian yogis and mystics. His biography details abandoning food during practices for extended lengths of time. This points to his use of classical Indian rasāyana, or essence practices. The Tibetan tradition known as zhi byed (pro-nounced shi je) which means "to pacify" or "bring peace" was brought to Tibet during the early 12th century by the great Indian Mahasiddha Padampa Sangye, a. He had an extraordinarily long life, resulting in passing his teachings in three full transmission line-age cycles, the early, intermediate, and late. The early transmission lineage contains three cycles of zhi byed. The title of a text he composed describes the practice results, Dam chos dug nal zhi byed byed pa, "The Profound Dharma that Pacifies Suffering." Zhi byed is said to contain four achievements attained through proper practice: (1) pacifying sicknesses, obstacles, mental obscurations and ignorance, (2) enriching merit, life span, prosperity and wisdom, (3) bringing the spiritual qualities, life force and all powerful energies under control, and (4) subjugating outer and inner negative forces. From this lineage viewpoint, aspects of bcud len are believed to have been transmitted from Vajrayogini to Padampa Sangye. I assert the second achievement of enriching ones lifespan is the result of rejuvenation practices combined with yogic methods. The third result, where spiritual qualities, life force and the powerful energies are controlled also demonstrate bcud len accomplishment. Talking of bcud len as a practice can be performed through various methods. Most famously, bcud len becomes a complete replacement for food during retreat by slowly substituting food for essence substances.

Within traditional Tibetan Medicine, healthy digestion is fundamental to prevention and healing of diseases, as well as developing stability on the tantric path of Buddhism. The majority of common health problems can be traced back to Ma Zhu Ba, or indigestion. Diet, as treatment, is profoundly important in this system of medicine. Once the physician gives guidance to match the disordered condition or elemental makeup; you have the primary mode of treatment and prevention without the need for the physician to constantly monitor you. Food is medicine, a well established fact in the majority of the worlds systems of healing. What is unique in the Tibetan system however is how refining our food as elemental substances can help in the clearing and purification of the subtle body channels for the development of the tantric or sublime body.

In Tibetan medicine it is said, “Without Wind, disease cannot grow, spread, harden or arise”, therefore in treatment of lumps, cysts, tumors and any abnormal growths, if you control the Wind, then you stop the spread and increase of these disorders. Hor me and Dugs are Tibetan external therapies which are described in the Phyima rgyud – the Final Tantra of Yuthog Yonten Gonpo’s great medical compendium, the Four Tantras (Rgyud bzhi). Hor me is a type of hot compress, whereas the term Dugs is used to cover a wide variety of both hot and cold compresses. This paper explores some aspects of using this method to dissolve fibrous benign breast growths.

The Buddha taught, through The Four Noble Truths, that there are basic sufferings we humans endure. Birth, Old Age (if we're lucky), Sickness, and Death. But the Buddha also taught there is a way out of this suffering. These various methods to get out of the cycle of suffering include multiple mind-body techniques to train the mind in order to not take on the world and our personal suffering as a personal burden. As if it were a heavy rock to carry on our backs or in our hearts. Instead, we can practice and free our minds from being stuck with this concept of suffering. Finding a transcendence to these realities of our human existence. When we cultivate compassion to liberate ourselves and others from the yoke of suffering, we can realize the profound reality of nature and the universe we exist within. Merging with the interdependent nature of phenomena. This is the long term freedom mediation offers.

The following presentation is a short version of the specific aspects relating to the dissolution of the five elements according to traditional Tibetan medical and dharmic principles. These images enhance the descriptions of the various states that are shared on the 'Stages of Dissolution' found in tradition Buddhist texts. This talk was given for the group Transitional Life Care (TLC) and includes a link to the slides as well as a video of the teachings.

This presentation was done for Shambhala Mountain Center in order to move the yearly teachings online during the global Covid-19 Pandemic. As we were limited to online only for the traditional weekend of teachings; these slides were given in the context of working with this practice. Both the origin of the Sādhanā and the deity known as Sangye Menla, or the Medicine Buddha, self and frontal visualizations.
Best practice in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, is to seek transmission from a fully qualified genuine teacher for the best results. This is certainly so when doing self-generation / visualization. Menpa Nashalla’s high lama teachers she consulted prior to this forum gave guidance that her online reading of the full Sādhanā text should not be considered as a traditional reading transmission for practice of self generation. Please seek proper transmission in-person when the situation again presents itself, otherwise she requests those who have not had full initiation only stay with frontal visualization.

The post-Covid world has left many with what is being coined as “Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome,”or “Post-COVID Syndrome” and “Long COVID”. Among lay public, news and radio sources, the phrase “Long Haulers” is often used. No clearly delineated consensus gives an exact definition for what these patients are suffering from after initial infectious phases. What is known, is symptoms and side effects following primary infection can extend well beyond the acute phase. Data coming from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and the IDSA (Infectious Disease Society of America) show America has been hit particularly hard by Covid-19. Many patients in the USA and in fact worldwide, are complaining of long term effects, very slow recovery times, accompanied by lingering symptoms. While aspects of Traditional Tibetan Medicine treatment have been discussed for both preventive and acute phases, less prominent is a discussion around Tibetan Medicine methods and treatments for post-acute phases of recovery for Covid Long Hauler cases. This lecture was given for the Sowa Rigpa International College in late December 2020, as part of a lecture series on facebook live. This presentation is based on the clinical observations of Nashalla G. Nyinda, TMD Menpa (Doctor of Tibetan Medicine) who employed Traditional Tibetan Medicine methods and protocols for patients effected by Covid-19.

In this blog post, Dr Nyinda further exploration to the benefits of using breath as a tool in meditation practices as it relates to the generation stage practices. This creates context for the development of the Vajra Body in view of Tibetan tantric practice. Understanding how these factors relate to the Six Yogas, also known as the Six Dharmas practice, typically preformed in three year retreat, is briefly explained from the point of view of traditional Tibetan Medicine.

When was the last time you just sat and felt the diaphragm below your ribs expand and contract? Just place your hands there, on your diaphragm. Feel the air come in, invite expansion in a naturally restful way. Notice if you do, that you more easily breath into the tips of your lungs, which are all the way into your shoulders. Simultaneously you might notice how you allow the expansion of oxygen and vital energy of breath to fill your abdomen below. Rest in that breath. Repeat. Have you stopped to consider the benefits of that deep breath? We do not think about our breath much of the time. It's run by the autonomic nervous system. Therefore, for the most part our breathing is set on autopilot mode. We do notice it in moments of rest, but more often it is during distress, panic, fear, upset and illness which hampers the breath that we notice. How often do you stop and deeply embody your living breathing habitat of body through your breath?

Hypocrites saying of “Food is Medicine” has been applied throughout the ages within many indigenous and ancient systems of medicine. Spices historically traded and sold created a force behind forming the silk road and the impetus behind ancient exploration by sea. Indeed this was in part precisely because these spices were known medicines in addition to their culinary value. The Tibetan Materia Medica is no exception. Many of the primary and important medicines still in use thousands of years later in this unbroken system of healing may be laying within the reach of your kitchen cabinet.

This book is a comprehensive review of thirty common kitchen spices used in the tradition of Sowa Rigpa, the traditional Tibetan Medical system of the Himalayan regions and beyond. Not only acting as primary medicines in the Tibetan Medical system, arguably these simple spices  also represent possible replacement for the demands of rare endangered herbs. Increased consumption of exotic Tibetan and Himalayan remedies, issues surrounding over-harvesting, climate changes and the subsequent global footprint impacts of trade, as well as cultural appropriation issues require immediate solutions. Why look farther than your kitchen cabinet?

Included are explanations and indication given from the precise and detailed medical theory of pharmacy according to the nineteenth and twentieth chapters of the Tibetan Medical text known as the Explanatory Tantra, this book further includes historical and modern Western herbology use, studies of active compounds, historical and cultural use as well as potential contraindications and potency. Originally written as a teaching manual for a Tibetan Medicine training curriculum, this text was designed for easy use and understanding by Tibetan Medical scholars, students, doctors, allopathic physicians and pharmacists. Yet it was also designed to be accessible and integrate into use for anyone without a medical background. All you need is a kitchen and these thirty easily obtained spices. Subsequent textbooks on Tibetan Medical Pharmacy as practiced in the United States were developed to build upon this simple easy to use guild to kitchen wisdom medicine.

*This research and portions of this book draft were presented at the 5th Tibetan and Western Integrative Medicine Symposium: Developing Personalized Care Approaches at Stanford University, CA in October 2018.
Slides from this talk Tibetan Medicine in your Kitchen Cabinet: Ordinary Spices as Transformative Medicine is available upon written request.
The full content of this book is removed while underging the publication process.

Interest in the practice of traditional Tibetan Medicine is burgeoning in the United States
and of increasing interest to allopathic medical communities. University classes, weekend seminars or longer training programs are appearing across the country. This paper examines the current development and operations of how lineage and transmission of gSo ba rig pa occurs in relationship to historical and modern Tibetan background, challenges and ethical issues related to translations, loss of lineage based training structures and standards, as of yet unregulated within the United States.
Traditionally, full training of Tibetan doctors ( sman pa ) emphasizes the protection and preservation of an unbroken lineage. Those seeking full or partial training face myriad issues in relation to lineage, the integration of allopathic, and other indigenous medical systems. Cultural appropriation, translation, authentic transmission from cultural and practical learning approaches all must be considered. Who is authorized to give and receive transmission? Likewise, what translational issues arise from moving the system into non-native languages?
This paper explores these crucial questions within the international gSo wa rig pa community. I assert that seeking clarification and unity while engaging in the opening of this unique system to the sciences and healing modalities of other countries and cultures is essential. Continuation of this system that values unbroken and authentic teachings is paramount. Nevertheless, of critical importance is allowing for preservation, even outside of the culture of origin, albeit with careful navigation.