“Tibetan Medicine in America”: the 2008 Symposium of Tibetan Medicine.
This June 13th through 15th, the American Tibetan Medical Association(ATMA) hosted its debut public event, “Tibetan Medicine in America”: 2008 Symposium of Tibetan Medicine. The symposium was co-sponsored by the Shang Shung International Institute for Tibetan Studies, USA, and the local university of Amherst College. This unique event was held in two of the stately lecture halls of Amherst College, in Amherst Massachusetts. The symposium was made possible largely due to the inspiration of Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo, president of the board of ATMA and director of the Shang Shung Institute School of Traditional Tibetan Medicine; also by the invaluable efforts of Paola Zamperini, President of the board of the Shang Shung International Institute for Tibetan Studies, USA, and professor of Asian Languages and Civilizations at Amherst College. After much hard work, the circumstances for the symposium arose favorably; the auspiciousness of the event greatly increased when our precious master Chogyal Namkhai Norbu graciously accepted to personally inaugurate the event.
The symposium participants consisted of numerous Tibetan physicians, including the guest keynote presenters as well as physicians residing in the local region, Tibetan medical students of the Shang Shung Institute, members of the academic community from across the country, and interested people of the local community.
Chogyal Namkhai Norbu inaugurated the symposium with an opening keynote address. He described the ancient roots of Tibetan culture in the kingdom of Shang Shung, and the necessity to protect Tibetan knowledge and culture today. He encouraged the participants to utilize the opportunity to learn from traditional Tibetan physicians, who carry the valuable ancient knowledge of the Tibetan Healing Science.
In the following two days the keynote speakers delivered presentations on topics of traditional Tibetan Medicine, and its current situation throughout the world. The guest speakers consisted of Tibetan physicians trained in the traditional Tibetan Healing Science both in Tibet and India. All of the presenters had extensive experience with their specialized practice of medicine, as well as with teaching and practicing abroad in countries beyond their homeland.
Dr. Yang ga, professor at the Tibetan Medicine Institute of Lhasa and board member of ATMA, presented from his current PHD research on the historical precedent of the traditional texts of the Tibetan Healing Science lineage. Dr. Kunchok Gyaltsen, doctoral student at the UCLA School of Public Health and current board member of ATMA, demonstrated the fundamental theory of the Tibetan Medicine system. He also shared his broad experience in teaching and applying Tibetan Medicine among diverse groups of patients and medical professionals, from the far East to the far West.
The presentations continued with Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo, graduate of the Tibetan Medicine Institute of Lhasa. Citing the classic Tibetan Healing Science Text, “Remaining Free from Disease”, Dr. Wangmo lectured on vital themes such as seasonal and dietary considerations for maintaining health and wellness. These topics were further expounded by Dr. Yangdron Kalsang, graduate of the Tibetan Medicine Institute of Lhasa, the Five Branches Acupuncture Institute in Santa Cruz California, and current board member of ATMA. Dr. Kalsang offered health tips and lifestyle guidelines for modern living, from the Tibetan medical perspective.
Dr. Tenzin Dakpa, current instructor at the Shang Shung School of Traditional Tibetan Medicine, provided a thorough account of the current situation of Tibetan medicine in India, and described in detail the curriculum for contemporary students at Men Tsi Khang University in Dharamsala, the largest school of Tibetan medicine and astrology outside of Tibet. Dr. Yangbum Gyal described the current condition of Tibetan Medicine inside Tibet, presenting the successes and the challenges facing modern practitioners. Dr. Tashi Rabten lectured on the opportunities and challenges of practicing Tibetan medicine in the United States, insightfully recounting his experience in the context of modern urban communities in America.
The keynote presentations of the symposium provided clear insight into the world-wide Diaspora of the Tibetan Healing Science, its burgeoning seeds across the modern world, and its role in modern society. Tibetan medicine has endured for so many centuries as a highly regarded science of healing. However today Tibetan medicine faces modern challenges. It must maintain the integrity of its ancient tradition, while adapting to share its rich benefits around the world of today. Through the works of the American Tibetan Medical Association(ATMA), and other groups, Tibetan physicians world-wide are beginning to collaborate to continue the authentic lineage of the Tibetan Healing Science, and secure its legal protection and precedence in the United States.
For the fortunate medical students of the Shang Shung Institute, the symposium was an unprecedented privilege to learn from these eminent physicians of renowned lineage. The physicians shared with the students moving accounts of their personal experience. They described their reverence for their teachers above them, their exhaustive studies and rigorous training. They shared their individual practice, innovative research, as well as their experience within the United States. These laudable senior physicians reiterated the pivotal role of the students in perpetuating the authentic Tibetan Healing Science, and their continuing support in that work. Thus the Shang Shung Institute Tibetan medical students, representative of many different nations, developed their global perspective on the contemporary situation of the Tibetan Healing Science, and were greatly inspired in their pursuit of this dynamic medical lineage.
Thanks to the dedicated work and generous contributions of the sponsors, organizers, symposium volunteers, and of course the continual support and blessings of Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, “Tibetan Medicine in America” was a complete success. The Tibetan Healing Science lineage is rooted in thousands of years of history. Compared to this root, its seeds here in the West are tiny young sprouts. But as one keynote guest observed, America is the Land of Opportunity. In this fertile soil, Tibetan medicine is free to develop, to continue its ancient lineage for the benefit of people today, and for all beings.
