 |
Research by Region
Tibet
A brief history of Tibetan Medicine
Medical Education and Commentaries on the Gyushi
Over the centuries the transmission of the Gyushi took place from teacher to disciple, or from father to son in family lineages. From the 15th to 17th centuries, two prominent medical schools developed and co-existed in Tibet. They were known as the Northern School, or Janglug (Byang lugs), and the Southern School, or Zurlug (Zur lugs). Both schools were united by the Minister of the Vth Dalai Lama, Desi Sangye Gyatso (1653-1705), at the end of the 17th century.
Over the centuries, the corpus of Tibetan medical literature was enriched by numerous commentaries on the Gyushi and by textbooks for compounding medicines, which adopted the materia medica of the flora and fauna in Tibet. The most famous commentaries on the Gyushi, which are still studied today, are the "Oral Instruction of the Ancestor" (Mes po'i zhal lung) by Zurkha Lodo Gyalpo (1509 - 1579), the "Blue Lapis Lazuli" (Vaidurya sngon po), completed in 1688 by Desi Sangye Gyatso, and the "Amplifications" (Lhan thabs), completed in 1691 by the same author. A series of medical paintings were created in Lhasa between 1687 and 1703 under the aegis of Sangye Gyatso as a visual aid for the study of the "Blue Lapis Lazuli" commentary of the Gyushi. The series, through its scope and the originality of its conception, constitutes an exceptionally rich document, not only for Tibet, but for the history of medicine in general (Meyer 1992: 12).
Following the wishes of the Vth Dalai Lama, the Regent Sangye Gyatso also founded a new medical school, called "Iron Mountain" or Chagpori (lCag po ri) in Lhasa, which became a stronghold of Tibetan medical education. It existed until 1959, when it was destroyed during the Lhasa uprising. In 1992, the Chagpori Medical Institute was established in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India, by the Ven. Trogawa Rinpoche in commemoration of Chagpori in Lhasa
The early 20th century saw the beginnings of a movement to modernise health care in Tibet, presumably partly inspired by the thirteenth Dalai Lama's encounter with British public health measures during his exile in India, which lead to the foundation of Men-Tsee-Khang (sMan rtsis khang) in Lhasa in 1916 (Samuel 2001: 262). Its director, Khenrab Norbu (mKhyen rab nor bu; 1883-1962), published numerous medical text books to adapt Sorig to the contemporary health care needs of Tibetans. This trend of adaptation has partly continued in Indian exile with new publications, for example, the three volume "Textbook of Tibetan Medicine" (Bod kyi gso rig slob dpe) by Men-Tsee-Khang in Dharamsala, aiming at easier comprehension of the Gyushi for modern students.
Text supplied by Barbara Gerke
|
|
