Displaying 1 - 15 of 15
Precious pills represent a special kind of Tibetan drug that once was, and still is, highly sought after by Tibetan, Chinese, and Mongolian patients. Such pills are generally taken as a potent prophylactic remedy, and can be used to cure various diseases. The present study seeks to discuss the dispensation and efficacy of precious pills according to the presentations of historical Tibetan medical scholars. Several treatises dealing with these instructions will be analysed, thereby revealing their underlying concepts, and highlighting their points of both general consensus and disagreement. The analysis of these detailed instructions will reveal the fact that these precious pills were not merely given to a patient but, in order to ensure their full efficacy, involved an elaborate regimen concerning three chronological periods: (1) the time of preparation, (2) the time of dispensation, and (3) the time after dispensation. Thus the present study surveys not only the ritual empowerment of drugs in Tibetan medicine, but also the importance of social relationships between doctors and patients in Tibetan medical history.
The Eye-healing Avalokiteśvara. A National Icon of Mongolia and Its Origin in Tibetan Medicine
The Four Tantras and the Global Market: Changing Epistemologies of Drä ( bras) versus Cancer
In this brief study, the origin and spread of the alchemical process of refining mercury in Tibetan medicine will be explored. Beginning with early sources from the eighth to the twelfth centuries, it will be argued that Orgyenpa Rinchenpel (O rgyan pa Rin chen dpal) caused a turning-point in the processing of mercury in Tibet by introducing a complex alchemical process previously unknown. This knowledge, including the manufacturing of new pills containing mercury, soon spread through Tibet and was incorporated into the medical expertise of local schools such as the Drangti school (Brang ti). Later it was most prominently practised by Nyamnyi Dorjé (Mnyam nyid rdo rje) in southern Tibet. This particular tradition was upheld by Chökyi Drakpa (Chos kyi grags pa) of the Drigung school, who taught it to his gifted student Könchok Dropen Wangpo (Dkon mchog 'gro phan dbang po). During the seventeenth century, two main transmission lines for refining mercury emerged, one associated with the Gelukpa school (Dge lugs pa) in Central Tibet and one with the Kagyüpa school (Bka' brgyud pa) and the Rimé movement (Ris med) in eastern Tibet. Both will be discussed in detail, highlighting important proponents and major events in their development. Finally, the situation in the twentieth century will be briefly explained.
The article explores the "Khog 'bugs legs bshad dngul dkar me long/The Silver Mirror of Elegant Sayings," a written work by Khenchen Kunga Gyaltsen which focuses on medical art of healing and basic work of Tibetan medicine. The pierced art of healing in object of knowledge is explored. The work starts with Buddha teaching, learning to treatises classification and studying vows classification. A brief biography of the work's author is offered.
The Making of the Blue Beryl – Some Remarks on the Textual Sources of the Famous Commentary of Sangs rgyas rgya mtsho (1653–1705)
<section class="abstract"><h2 class="abstractTitle text-title my-1" id="d213e2">Abstract</h2><p>This article will explore the relationship between Tibetan medicine and Tibetan Buddhism by analyzing early Tibetan medical treatises. It will investigate mantras, meditative visualizations, and rituals that were used to prevent and to cure diseases and will study their medical context. Some of the questions addressed will be: Are these techniques employed in the case of special diseases or at particular stages of medical treatment? If so, how firmly are they established in medical texts? Are they just accessary parts and not really “medical,” or do they form an integral part of medical expertise in premodern Tibet? This article will thus question our current understanding of Tibetan medicine from an emic textual perspective on healing practices.</p></section>
A review of the book "Mongolian Buddhist Art: Masterpieces From the Museums of Mongolia Volume I, Parts 1 & 2: Thangkas, Appliqués and Embroideries," edited by Zara Fleming and J. Lkhagvademchig Shastri, written by D. Narantuya and Sh. Enkhtuya is presented.
Some Preliminary Remarks on Human and Animal Materia Medica in Tibetan Medicine
The substitution of materia medica in Tibetan medicine was an important issue in the past, and still is today. This article will offer a brief survey of references found in Tibetan written sources, and discuss the only three Tibetan treatises that deal exclusively with the subject. It will explore the underlying modes of substitution, and provide insights into the criteria that are used to determine suitable substitutes. Ultimately it will be demonstrated that one can distinguish seven criteria--namely the taste, healing potential, type, substance, name, shape, and smell--that are used to determine an appropriate substitute for rare or expensive materia medica in the Tibetan medical tradition.
Tibetan Medicinal Plants and Their Healing Potentials
The practice of using animals and their by-products has a long history in the Tibetan medical tradition. Such therapies also often include products deriving from insects, some of which will be discussed in the present paper. After a brief
The article presents the origin of the rGyud bzhi, a book of Tibetan medicine in reference to the views of Zurkharwa Lodro Gyalpo, a physician of the 16th century. Gyalpo stated that rGyud bzhi was expounded by Buddha who had epistemological explanations and reasoning. However, Gyalpo marks a break in his life when he turn to the party that supported that rGyud bzhi is an original Tibetan treatise.