In
Tibet the Medicine Buddha is revered as the source of the healing arts
for it is through him that the
teachings embodied in the Four Medical Tantras, the basis of Tibetan medicine,
came into being.
The Buddhist view holds that everything within the universe is in a constant
state of flux, that all
phenomena are characterized by impermanence, and that their only permanent
feature is
impermanence. It is this very impermanence of creation that causes every
being, at one stage or
another, to suffer.
The Buddha traced the root cause of all suffering to Ignorance, which
obscures our mind from
understanding the Reality of Phenomena. This gives rise to the "three
poisons" of attachment, hatred
and delusion. According to the Four Tantras, the fundamental cause of
every disease is to be found
in these three poisonous delusions which give rise to imbalances in three
humors of Bad-kan,
Loong
and Tripa
(phlegm, wind
and bile). Along with these, the four contributing circumstances of
time, spirits, food and behavior cause the humors to increase and decrease.
The imbalance then
spreads over the skin, increases in the flesh, moves along the vessels,
meets the bones and
descends upon the solid and hollow organs.
Treatment of disease and the maintenance of health are therefore primarily
a matter of bringing the
various elements of the body back into balance and this is accomplished
through four progressive
types of treatment. The first two involve changes in the type of food
we eat and behavior we engage
in. Only when these prove ineffective is the physician advised to prescribe
medicine and only when
this also fails is he or she to resort to external forms of treatment
such as cauterization and the like.
However, none of these types of treatment will have a lasting effect unless
they are accompanied by
spiritual transformation. If ignorance and its associated delusions remain
festering inside, sooner or
later they will give rise to disease and the recurring miseries of cyclic
existence. Thus Buddhas such
as Shakyamuni and the Lapis Healing Master are referred to as great physicians
because they have
the compassion, wisdom and skillful means to diagnose and treat the root
delusions underlying all
mental and physical malaise.
Tibetan medicine is a science, art and philosophy that provides a holistic
approach to healthcare.
Tibetan medical theory states that everything in the universe is made
up of the five proto-elements
sa (earth), chu (water), me (fire), rLung
(wind) and nam-kha (space). Although the five proto-elements
are responsible for the formation of each tissue cell of the body, each
element has a specific influence:
sa exerts a greater influence over the formation of muscle cells,
bones, the nose and the sense of
smell; chu is responsible for the formation of blood, body fluids, tongue
and the sense of taste; me is
responsible for body temperature, complexion, the eyes and the sense of
sight; rLung is responsible for
breathing, skin and the sense of touch and nam-kha is responsible
for body cavities, the ears and the
sense of hearing
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