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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.