Introduction to Tibetan Medicine from the Berzin Archives

Alexander Berzin
Mexico City, Mexico, August 30, 1993
Lightly edited course transcript
Introduction and History
"I must mention before we begin that I am not a doctor, so please don't ask me about your 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 Tibet. With the formation of the Tibetan empire in the seventh century of the modern era, the emperors invited doctors from India and China, as well as from the Persian and Roman 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 were brought from India to Tibet. This coincided with the arrival of Padmasambhava and the 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 counts for reasons that we won't go into. There was a great Tibetan physician at that time who combined a few aspects of Chinese and Greek medicine, which had been in Central Asia, into the basic Indian Buddhist teachings on medicine. Just as many Buddhist texts 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, as well as many other aspects of Tibetan culture, formed what would be analogous to Latin culture in Medieval Europe. Its influence spread all the way from the Caspian Sea to the Pacific, and from Siberia to the Himalayas. It was a major civilization. Let's look at the Tibetan medical system itself.

Classifications of Sicknesses
We find that diseases are classified into three groups.

The first is thoroughly established diseases. Examples include genetic disorders, birth defects and so on. Diseases and defects that are thoroughly established come from past lives. They are very difficult to treat from the point of view of Tibetan medicine. One can only try to make the person comfortable. For example, if we have had a disease like asthma since we were babies, 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 so this is the primary focus of Tibetan medicine. An example would be asthma that comes 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 psychosomatic illnesses and to sicknesses that Tibetans generally view as having been caused by harmful forces. This category includes shellshock and nervous breakdowns that occur during a war. These diseases are primarily treated with various rituals. That might seem 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 immune system. This has been described and researched by modern medicine. If one's entire community is staying up all night, dancing and doing rituals, it gives one a feeling that everyone is really supporting them and it very much improves one's spirits, which can in turn affect the immune system. The same could occur when we have a group of monks and or nuns doing a ritual for us. It strengthens the immune system so that one can get better more quickly. "

Read more at link above.

http://www.netdania.com/Products/QuoteList/QuoteListFullscreen.aspx?m=q&t=worldmarkets