Tibetan Medicine in the West

The Gyudshi transmission I

Gyudshi transmission by Dr Pasang Arya

In Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism, the oral transmission (lung) is regarded as the soul of the tradition. It is a sound or voice energy continuity that bears the power and energy of the masters lineage. Therefore it connects a student to a precious root teaching that has been transmitted across the centuries through unbroken masters lineages. It is through the voice of a master holding the tradition, and who reads or recites the teaching, that the hearer receives blessing and the self-confidence that removes doubts, and gains the spiritual awareness of the related lineage. The heart of the Gyud-shi’s ‘snyan rgyud lineage’ is the oral transmission, and its teaching and practice is a Tibetan medical tradition that comes from hundreds of masters to heal the body-mind’s five mental poisons by the five Medicine Buddha Dhyanis and four medical tantras.

oral transmission

The New Yuthok Institute for Tibetan Medicine (Milan-Italy), founded in 1999 by Prof. Pasang Arya, medical doctors and some of his students, has organized numerous courses and seminars on Tibetan Medicine since its foundation, in order to preserve and propagate the traditional Tibetan healing tradition ‘gsowa rigpa’ in the West. Yet, the treasured tradition of the Gyud-shi’s oral transmission had not been given so far. Therefore, the New Yuthok Institute made a special request to Prof. Pasang Y. Arya to convey that precious lineage blessing to the Institute and its students. For the very first time, Dr. Pasang Y. Arya accepted to fulfill that request, and gave the oral transmission of the precious Gyud-shi to the Tibetan Medicine students and ex-students of the New Yuthok Institute and of TME – Tibetan Medicine Education center.

The Gyud-shi’s lineage

According to the Gyud-shi (four tantras) itself, the lineage was transmitted from Medicine Buddha Bedurya to Kumara Jeevaka, then through an unbroken lineage to Nagarjuna, Vagbhata, Chandranandana and then to Vairochana who brought it to Tibet. Then from Terton Drapa Ngonshe, the lineage went in turn to Younger Yuthok Yonten Gonpo, Desid Sangye Gyatso, Chakpori, Lhasa Mentseekhang to finally reach the Dharamsala Mentseekhang. From the Dharamsala Mentseekhang, Prof. Barshee Phuntsog Wangyal and Dr. Jamyang Tashi Tsona (Personal Physician to H.H. the Dalai Lama) both gave the lineage transmission to Prof. Pasang Arya.
Prof. Pasang also received Medicine Buddha Initiations from H.H. the Dalai Lama and from several other Lamas, and he received the initiation of the Yuthok Nyingthik Tibetan medical tantric tradition from previous H.E. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

The lung transmission of Gyud-shi was divided in two parts:
– July 2-3 2011 (1st tantra, 2nd, 4th tantra (1st part) in Milan – Italy
Gyudhi transmission 2011

– April 5-7 2013, 3rd tantra and 4th tantra (2nd part), and closing with Medicine Buddha ceremony.
Gyudshi2013 group sw