A TARA MANDALA VIRTUAL RETREAT - REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
The Root Tantra (rTsa rGyud) of the Heart-Essence of Ambrosia is a 12th century medical text composed by the illustrious physician Yuthok Yönten Gönpo (1126-1202), the father of Tibetan Medicine. It is the opening text of his famous Four Tantras (rGyud bZhi) collection, widely renowned as the quintessential medical corpus in the Himalayas and beyond. Offering a pithy overview of medical topics and theories expounded in the Four Tantras, this pithy text offers an insightful immersion into the rich world of Sowa Rigpa, making it an important first step on the path of study for Tibetan doctors and interested patients alike.
This text is one of the very first ‘revelatory’ works composed in Tibet, posthumously established as a terma (revealed treasure) by the scholars and patriarchs of later centuries. Few texts in the Tibetan corpus have been the topic of more heated and prolonged debate, largely due to the contested provenance of the Four Tantras. While orthodox accounts trace their origins to the time of the Buddha, others identified them as the original work of an enlightened Tibetan polymath, inspired by a lifetime of careful research, visionary experiences, and clinical experience. Modern scholarship – crucially led by Tibetan researchers – has provided a great deal of clarity on the history and origins of this work, illuminating Tibet’s important position in the global transmission and development of scientific knowledge.
In this in-depth retreat, Erik Jampa Andersson will guide students through a medical, historical, and philosophical reading of this essential text, exploring the many ways that medicine established itself at the intersection of science and spirituality on the Tibetan plateau. We will see how healing, personal health, and collective wellness are understood in the context of Buddhist medical theory, and how the teachings of the Buddha impacted the development of science, medicine, and technology in the ancient world. As an important syncretic work of Eurasian medicine, the Root Tantra offers a glimpse of a medical paradigm that is at once familiar and foreign, integrating many different streams of wisdom in an earnest and ambitious project to alleviate the physical and mental sufferings of sentient beings.
According to tradition, to study the medical tantras is akin to studying the great spiritual tantras of old, because both provide an 'authentic education' in the profound inner workings of reality, as well as wonderous tools for benefitting oneself and others through expedient means. In the Mahāyāna tradition, acquainting oneself with the five fields of knowledge (buddhadharma, logic, linguistics, arts & crafts, and medicine) is a crucial component of traversing the path to liberation. The Root Tantra offers a profound and highly relevant education suitable for practitioners, healers, and anybody interested in achieving more resilient and authentic balance in their body and mind.
Topics Covered in this Retreat:
An overview of the history of Buddhist medicine and Sowa Rigpa
The basis of health and disease
Tibetan elemental and humoral theory
Introduction to pulse and urine analysis
Dietetics and behavioural therapies
Tibetan herbalism and basic medicine preparation
Hormé (Mongolian moxibustion) and other external therapies
How to apply Sowa Rigpa principles to better align with seasonal and environmental changes
Resources for further study in Sowa Rigpa
In addition to its medical and historical layers, we will also explore the spiritual and philosophical dimensions of this sacred text. A ‘chantable’ version of the first chapter, with phonetic transliteration, will be provided for those who want to engage with this text as a part of their practice.