Tibetan Buddhist Medicine An Introduction Foreword by Lama Ole Nydahl In a world with so many sources of knowledge it is a true enrichment, when practical experience and useful methods meet to create happiness or avoid suffering. May the work of my close student Anna Elisabeth Bach give rise to a broader awareness of the potency and effects of medicinal plants. T ibetan Buddhist Medicine is an holistic healing system encompassing body, speech and mind/ perceiver. his system is comprised of information and experience transmitted in the Himalayas for more than a thousand years. It also incorporates inluences from other cultures originating in India, China, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Ladakh, Greece, Persia, Kashmir as well as ancient Afghanistan. Tibetan Buddhist Medicine is a living system of knowledge which has been transmitted from teacher to student in an unbroken lineage until the present and continues to be taught today. he philosophical foundation of this healing system is Buddhism. Fig. 1 The Eight Medicine Buddhas History and Sources Buddha Sakyamuni (563–483 BCE), who spread Buddhism throughout India, also gave medical teachings to his students at several locations. He taught Buddhist Medicine in the Medicine Forest near present day Bodhgaya (Bihar, India), in Udhiyana (now Afghanistan) and other places in India. Buddhist medical science (Tib. so wa rig pa) has been passed down through an unbroken lineage of great Buddhist masters that includes Manjushri, Jivaka, Saraha, Nagarjuna, Chandrabiananda, Bibyi Gahbyed and Belha Gahdzesma (also called Bimala Lhatse), Vaghbata I, Vaghbata II, Yuthog Yönten Gönpo the Elder, Shantirakshita and Padmasambhava. It was the great Indian master Padmasambhava (Tib. Guru Rinpoche) who brought Buddhism, and along with it, Buddhist Medicine, to Tibet in the 8th century and taught it there, aided by his Tibetan consort Yeshe Tsogyal. Some sources report that the irst Buddhist Medicine teachings reached Tibet as early as the 2nd century CE. here is mention of four medical transmissions: two early ones in the 2nd century by Bibyi Gahbyed and Belha Gahdzesma and in the 8th century by Padmasambhava and Yuthog Yönten Gönpo, the Elder (708-833 CE); and two later ones in the 11th century by Atisha and in the 13th century by Yuthog Yönten Gönpo, the Younger. Copyright © 2016 Anna Elisabeth Bach. All rights reserved. This document may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, in whole or in part, without express written consent from the author. 2 Tibetan Buddhist Medicine An Introduction Fig.2 Bodhi Tree Fig. 3 Cardamom he Himalayas and Tibet have long been known as the “Land of Medicinal Herbs”, renowned for the abundance of natural herbs which sustain health and prolong life. housands of years ago, indigenous peoples there developed their own medical tradition, practising shamanic rituals and sacriicing animals to gain well-being and healing for their communities and livestock. As Buddhism spread throughout Tibet, use of these ancient traditions and rituals declined as people adopted a new view and behaviours. Overview of the Tibetan Buddhist Holistic Healing System Philosophy he cause for any imbalance or disharmony in the way sentient beings experience things lies with mind/ perceiver. his fundamental ignorance (Tib. ma rig pa) is the source and basis for every kind of sufering, both mental and physical. From this ignorance arises the illusion of the existence of a “self ” or “ego” which in turn gives rise to the three major disturbing emotions: attachment, aversion and confusion. hese bring about our experience of sufering. Buddha Sakyamuni recognized this and taught methods for how to overcome and transform sufering. he result is called enlightenment. Enlightenment is achieved by putting Buddhist teachings into practice and using their methods, meditation and behaviour in everyday life. here is a root text which precisely deines the meaning of health: mind/perceiver and body are in harmony. Illness is deined as a disharmony of mind/perceiver and body. he text goes on to explain what measures are necessary to re-establish harmony and to reach the ultimate goal of enlightenment. his base text known as “he Four Tantras” (Tib. gyü zhi) contains the essence of Tibetan Buddhist Medicine. I) Basic causes of illness - ignorance, - self / ego, and - the disturbing emotions which are: attachment – wind energy principle aversion – bile energy principle confusion – phlegm energy principle he three principles of wind, bile and phlegm preserve harmony or health but can also cause disharmony or illness in the body and the mind / perceiver. Warning: The substances, methods and therapies described in this brochure should only be used by fully trained medical specialists and therapists of Tibetan Buddhist Medicine and are not suitable for selfapplication. Therefore, the author, translators, and editors of this document shall not be liable for the misuse or non-professional application of the information contained herein. All reasonable care has been taken in the preparation of this booklet, however, the information it contains is not meant to take the place of medical care under the direct supervision of a doctor. Before making any changes to your health regime, always consult a suitably qualified doctor. Any application of the information presented in this document is at the reader’s sole discretion and risk. Tibetan Buddhist Medicine An Introduction he mind/perceiver inluences the body and the body inluences the mind/perceiver. his interplay may cause sufering, disharmony and illness, but also happiness, harmony and health. II) Speciic causes of illness - behaviour of body, speech and mind/perceiver - nutrition - seasons and climate - disturbing energies and environmental inluences Fig. 4 Camphor Tree III) Diagnosis An imbalance and the reasons for it are determined by means of pulse, tongue and urine diagnosis and interviews. IV ) Healing methods he following methods are used for healing: – Meditation – Behaviour – Nutrition - Body exercises – Herbal infusions – Herb mixtures - Jewel pills – Massage – Mugwort heat treatment – Hor ire treatment – Hot stone treatment – Baths – Blood-letting – Cupping - Golden Needle Fig. 5 Bamboo Fig. 6 Gentian Explanations of Tibetan Buddhist Healing Herbs in the Himalayas Plant medicine is connected with the Medicine Buddha. According to the Medicine Buddha teachings, everything found in nature can be used as medicine. However, today this is unfortunately no longer true, since many plants are already extinct or endangered and much precious knowledge about the healing powers of plants has been lost over the millennia. Tibetan Buddhist texts explain that in former times, Bodhisattvas, liberated beings who are on the path to Fig. 7 Rhododendron 3 4 Tibetan Buddhist Medicine An Introduction enlightenment, made many strong wishes for the beneit of all beings. hey wished to manifest in ways that would bring the utmost beneit for all beings, whether human or animal. All the love, compassion, wisdom and power of the Buddhas is represented in three Buddha aspects: one is called Loving Eyes, also known as Avalokiteshvara in Sanskrit or Chenrezig in Tibetan, another is the Wisdom Buddha (Skr. Manjushri, Tib. Jamyang) and the third is Diamond in Hand (Skr. Vajrapani, Tib. Channa Dorje). According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, there are explanations for the origins of things. For example, a special medicinal plant grew from the tears of Wisdom Buddha which fell to the ground. his plant is the size of a hand and has many yellow lowers. he lowers hold many drops of water which do not evaporate even when the sun shines directly on them. A similar explanation exists for the activity of the Bodhisattva Loving Eyes. His tears, shed for the sufering of beings, also fell to the ground and from them arose a special white medicinal plant which is one of the most precious ingredients of Tibetan Buddhist Medicine. he tears of the Bodhisattva Diamond in Hand created a dark blue medicinal plant, which is thicker and stronger than both the aforementioned plants. Fig. 9 Tanadug, Healing Powerfield of the Medicine Buddha works with the six main organs in our body. Its ingredients are as follows: hen there is the story of a great Bodhisattva who fell ill with leprosy again and again. When he saw that his time of death was near, he made strong wishes that many healing plants with the ability to heal leprosy would grow from his dead body in the ground. With his lesh he especially blessed the Tibetan medicinal plant Arura, endowing it with the same power and potency that meat would have. And with his bones he blessed the Tibetan medicinal plant Ruta, which looks like a bone. - nutmeg for the heart; - bamboo pulp or earth chun for the lungs; - safron for the liver; - black cardamom for the spleen and the stomach; - white cardamom for the kidneys; and - clove for the Tibetan tso rtsa, a part of our energetic system where our consciousness resides (connected with the mind/perceiver), which can experience happiness and sufering. here is a very useful and easy-to-use explanation of the Tibetan bZang.sman, the “Superlative Medicine” or the “Six Kings of Medicine”. his herbal or aromatic medicine Buddhist medical texts describe 14,000 diseases which can be attributed to problems with various combinations of the wind, bile and phlegm principles. In addition to treatment with herbal remedies, patients are given nutritional guidelines and are encouraged to develop healthy behaviour with body, speech and mind. Readers interested in obtaining more detailed, in-depth information about Tibetan Buddhist Medicine can ind a list of specialist texts and reference books at the back of this booklet. Fig. 8 Edelweiss Please note that a close examination of the specialist medical texts mentioned as sources at the end of this booklet reveals that, depending on the authors’ background and lineage of transmission, there may be diferent explanations of the various healing plants. his is a fact that should be explicitly pointed out and that readers should be aware of. Tibetan Buddhist Medicine An Introduction Collection and Preparation of Tibetan Buddhist Medicinal Plants he medicinal plants used in Tibetan Buddhist Medicine are explained and described in Chapter 4 of the Tibetan rGyud zhi, the last or Concluding Tantra. Medicinal plants should only be collected under certain speciic conditions, for example, from clean places, hills or mountains, in the right season and month and at the correct time of day. Flowers have to be collected at a time when their fragrance and colour will be preserved. he individual parts of a medicinal plant should each be collected at a speciic time, e.g. the medical leaves should be gathered before the plant blooms and when the water inside the stem lows upward. If the medicinal plant has already bloomed, then it is no longer medically efective. Fruits should be collected after the leaves have fallen of. Moreover, the medicinal plant’s fruits should be free from insects and they should not be completely ripe. he bark or skin of a medicinal plant should be collected when the plant blooms and its roots should mainly be gathered in winter. Fig. 10 Himalayan Aster Contacts and Links: Medicinal plants growing at higher altitudes are used to treat hot diseases and those from lower altitudes are used for cold diseases. If medicinal plants are intended for the treatment of speciic diseases, they are prepared under special conditions. If a medicinal plant is, for example, intended for the treatment of hot diseases, then the plant, lowers, leaves, and roots are dried in a cool place away from the ire or the sun. Author Anna Bach currently resides in Kathmandu, Nepal and Boppard-am-Rhein, Germany. Questions about the material presented in this brochure, may be directed to her at anna.elisabeth.bach@web.de. To learn more about Medicine Buddha teachings, Institute of Sowa Rigpa study courses, or to view Anna’s travel plan and Medicine Buddha retreat schedule, please visit www.sowa-rigpa-de.org . For cold diseases, medicinal substances should be dried in the sun and not in cold and windy places. Medicinal plants should not be touched by smoke (ire smoke, cigarettes or snuf ), since this would destroy their potency. herefore a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhist Medicine should not use any substances of this kind. For information about Anna’s development work in the Himalayas, visit www.himalayaprojekt.org. Other sites of interest: www.himalayasherpaherbs.net www.healingbuddha.eu www.adleradeventure.com he knowledge of the exact recipes for the various herbal mixtures is only disclosed to the best medical school graduates of each year. In the Himalayas, this knowledge is still transmitted within so-called family lineages by the amchis or practitioners of Tibetan Buddhist Medicine -from father to son or from mother to daughter. In rare cases it may also be disclosed to students outside a family lineage. Amchis are bound by an honour code to only collect healing plants in a manner that minimizes environmental impact. Of the 7000 plant species in the Himalayas, 700 are still used today for medicinal applications. However, due to lack of formal conservation eforts, 220 of these are now considered to be moderately endangered, while 20 species have been listed as endangered including several varieties of orchids. 5 6 Tibetan Buddhist Medicine An Introduction Medicine Buddha Wishes of the 4th Shamar Rinpoche Chökyi Dragpa (1453-1524), Lineage Holder of the Karma Kagyu Lineage I bow down to the victorious conqueror, Medicine Buddha, the king of aquamarine light. May the power of truth grow. May the knowledge of the healing teachings bloom without degeneration in every universe including this place of meditation. May body, speech and mind of all beings be free from illness and sufering. May all diseases that are arising or are already present be cured. May all healing conditions come together. Fig. 11 Sangye Menla, the Medicine Buddha May there not be a single medical practitioner who rejects his patients. May there not be a single patient who abandons his medical practitioner. May all food, medicine and behaviour be counted among the healing conditions. May they not lead to death. May the exact cause, condition and nature of sickness be fully understood and, after this understanding, may all exist in highest joy due to joyful completely recognized knowledge. May it be known that every disease arises from confusion and karma. May everyone work on removing these (confusion and karma). If sickness arises, may the motivation arise to take the sufering from all beings on oneself. May especially the mental diseases – craving, hate and ignorance – be completely eliminated. Fig. 12 Mount Kailash, Tibet Tibetan Buddhist Medicine An Introduction Acknowledgments I am grateful for the ininitely precious substantial support which continues to make my work with Buddhist Tibetan Medicine possible. I expressly wish to thank the 17th Karmapa haye Dorje, head of the Karma Kagyu lineage, Löpon Tsechu Rinpoche (departed 2003), Lama Ole Nydahl, and Hannah Nydahl (departed 2007), the Tibetan doctors Kunsang Dorje, Dr. Tashi Pedon, and Prof. Dr. Pasang Yonten Arya; my husband Lhakpa Gyalje Sherpa, who knows the plants of his home region Solukhumbu and Sharkhumbu in Nepal by heart; and my parents Liselotte and Engelbert Brager. Fig. 13 Dr. Kunsang Dorje, Nepal I also wish to thank Claudia Krysztoiak, who translated this text into English, Randall Sommerfeld for the layout and design and who gave me the idea for this booklet, and the many Buddhist friends in the Diamond Way centers of the Karma Kagyu lineage. A great wish has come true, to make Tibetan Buddhist medical science better known in our Western culture. After many years of studying and gaining experience with this special medical science, I have come to the conclusion that this knowledge is indeed applicable in our culture. he Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism holds great knowledge which yet has to be discovered and explored. his text was written to the best of my knowledge; if it contains errors, I wish to apologize for it. May all beings be happy and possess the causes for happiness. Fig. 14 Dr. Tashi Pedon and Anna Bach May they be free from sufering and the causes of sufering. May they never be separated from the highest bliss which is free from sufering. May they abide in equanimity, free from attachment and aversion. Karmapa Chenno, Activity of all Buddhas Anna Elisabeth Bach Fig. 15 Anna Bach and husband Lhakpa Gyalje Sherpa 7 8 Tibetan Buddhist Medicine An Introduction List of References and Further Reading he Ambrosia Heart Tantra Dr. Yeshe Dhonden Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, India Oral explanations: Tibetan Buddhist Medicine and Psychiatry: he Diamond Healing Terry Cliford Samuel Weiser, USA, 1990 Dr. Kunsang Dorje and Dr. Tashi Pedon, Kunphen Men Tse Khang, Kathmandu, Nepal; Prof. Dr. Pasang Yonten Arya, New Yuthog Institute of Tibetan Medicine, Italy Dr. Trogawa Rinpoche (tape recordings from Kamalashila Institute Wachendorf, Germany) Chakpori Institute, Darjeeling, India Publications: Dictionary of Tibetan Materia Medica Prof. Dr. Pasang Yonten Arya Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, New Delhi Tibetan Medicinal Plants Dr. Tenzin Dakpa Paljor Publications, New Delhi, 2007 A Clear Mirror of Tibetan Medicinal Plants Doctor Dawa, Dharamsala, India Cultural Association Tibet Domani, Rome bod ldschongs rgyum spyod krung dbyi’i sman rigs 1973 ‘khrungs dpe dri med shel gyi me long dg ‘a wa’i rdo rjes brtsams Tibetan-English Dictionary of Tibetan Medicine and Astrology Dr. Tsering hakchö Drungtso and Lady Astrologer Tsering D. Drungtso he Way hings Are Lama Ole Nydahl O Books, USA, 2008 Entering the Diamond Way Lama Ole Nydahl Blue Dolphin Publishing, USA, 1999 Buddhistische Grundbegrife Manfred Seegers Joy Verlag GmbH, Germany, 2000 Dakinis: Lifestories of the Female Buddhas Angelika Prenzel (ed.) Buddhistischer Verlag, Germany, 2007 Tibetische Heilkunst Terry Cliford Scherz Verlag, Germany, 1986 Gesundheit durch Harmonie Dr. Yeshe Dhonden Diederichs Verlag, Germany, 1990 Healing from the Source Dr. Yeshe Dhonden Snow Lion Publications, New York, 2000 Tibetan Medicine Rechung Rinpoche University of California Press, USA, 1976 he Quintessence Tantras of Tibetan Medicine translated by Dr. Barry Clark Snow Lion Publications, New York, 1995 Anna Elisabeth Bach Author Anna Elisabeth Bach has been living in Nepal since 1998, studying Tibetan Buddhism and Buddhist Tibetan Medicine. For six years during the lifetime of Löpon Tsechu Rinpoche, she lived in the Sangye Chö Ling Gompa near Swoyambhu Stupa in Kathmandu. The Medicine Buddha Transmission is passed on to her from Löpon Tsechu Rinpoche, Tenga Rinpoche and Chokling Rinpoche. She is a qualified amji or practitioner of Buddhist Tibetan Medicine, having received the transmission and traditional teachings from Dr. Kunsang Dorje of the Kunphen Tibetan Medical Clinic in Kathmandu and completed a three year diploma course with Prof. Dr. Pasang Yonten Arya of the New Yuthog Institute of Tibetan Medicine (Milan, Italy). She is fluent in German, English and recently Tibetan, frequently leads Medicine Buddha retreats and provides Tibetan healthcare.