Tibetan Medicine Three year Course syllabus

(Distance learning)

BASIC LEVEL: BASICS OF TIBETAN MEDICINE
(1st year)

Introduction

History

• A short history of Tibetan Medicine
• Buddhism and medicine
• Golden sutra, Buddha’s teaching on medicine
• Medicine Buddha sutra and eight medicine Buddhas
• Tanadug palace: city of medicine
• Four medicine Mountains and materia medica concept

The Gyud-shi (rGyud-bzhi)

• Gyud-shi, the Four Medical Tantras
• Gyud-shi’s content
• Framework of Gyud-shi

Basics of the Tibetan medicine
Psychology

• The mind and the emotions

Physiology of the humors and constituents (nyes pa dang lus zungs kyi bya ba)

• Nyepas, the three humors
  •    General and sub- wind humor functions
  •    General and sub- Bile humor functions
  •    General and sub- Phlegm humor functions
• The seven body constitutions
• The digestion
• The physical body constituents
• The waste products
• The concept of health

Anatomy and subtle physiology (lus bkra dang lus kyi bya ba)

• The body and its development
• Tibetan embryology
• Similes of the body
• The vital and hollow organs and functions
• The food passages and orifices
• The general and specific channels
• The chakras
• Prognosis of death, dying and dreams

The study of the Medicine trees (sdong ‘grems)
Theory and practice guide

• Healthy and unhealthy trees
• The diagnostic tree
• The treatment tree
• Concept of the ideal health

Brief ethical code of conduct for Tibetan Physicians (man pa’i le’ u mdor bsdus)

• A short introduction on the development of the ethical code of conduct for Tibetan Physicians

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2nd year: ETIOLOGY, DIAGNOSIS AND METHOD OF TREATMENT

Etiology (nad kyi rgyu)

• General etiology (nad kyi spyi rgyu)
• The Buddhist concept on disorders
• Tibetan Medicine concept on disorders
• General cause of the disorders
• Four immediate cause of disorders (nad kyi rkyen bzhi)
  
  • Irregular climate and seasons
  • Unhealthy nutrition
  • Unwholesome behavior
  • Unwholesome emotions

• Development of disorders (nad ‘phel tshul)
  
  • Six entrance gates and locations
  • Three locations of the humors
  • 15 pathways of manifestations
  • Nine manifestation times
  • Nine ways of ending life
  • Unhealthy tree

• General pathology (nad)
  
  • General classification of the diseases (nad kyi dbye ba)

General diagnostic methods (ngos ‘dzin rtags)

• Pulse reading (rtsa la brtag pa)
• Urine analysis (chu la brtag pa)
• Tongue diagnosis (lce la brtag pa)
• Ear veins reading (mig pra brtag pa)
• Eye veins reading (mig rtsa brtag pa)
• Constitution examination (nyespa’i rang bzhin brtag pa)

Preventive methods (nad sngon ‘gog gi thabs lam)

• Three natural ways of life and related advice
• Seasonal behavior and advice
• General knowledge on nutrition
• Dietetics: cooking and the use of spices
• Constitution and wholesome and unwholesome diet
• General food items (from the East and West)

External therapy (dpyad kyi bcos thabs)
Theory - the practice is taught during the workshops (TMcourse A)

• Tibetan moxibustion (me rtsa’)
• Hor-me therapy (hor-me)
• Tibetan kun ye massage (bsku mnye)
• Oil therapy (snum ‘chos)
• Hot cupping therapy (me bum)
• General fomentation  (dugs)
• Warm salt fomentation (tsha dugs)
• Warm pebbles fomentation (bshag ma’i dugs)
• Warm earthen pot fomentation (rdza sros dugs)
• Warm stone cold and warm fomentations (rdo dugs tsha grang gnyis)
• Tibetan body/mind cleansing
• Medicine Buddha meditation, visualization and mantra healing

Materia Medica  (sman rdzas kyi rig pa)

• Materia Medica
• Traditional Tibetan  herbal medicine products
• Tibetan herbal products manufactured in the West

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3rd year: GENERAL AND SPECIFIC PATHOLOGIES

General and specific pathologies (nad spyi bye brag)

Humors disorders (nyes pa’i nad rigs)

• Wind disorder (rlung gi nad)

•    Pre-wind disorder
•    General Wind disorder, pathogenesis, pathology, classification of the Wind disorders, diagnosis and therapies.

o    Nine specific and combined Wind disorders
o    Five sub-Wind disorders
o    Two combined Wind disorders
o    Two important common wind disorders

• Bile disorder (mkhris pa’i nad)

•    Pre-Bile disorder
•    General Bile disorder, pathogenesis, pathology, classification of the Bile disorders, diagnosis and therapies.

o    Five specific Bile diseases
o    Five sub-Bile disorders
o    Two combined Bile disorders
 

• Phlegm disorder (Badken gyi nad)

•    Pre-Phlegm disorder
•    General Phlegm disorder, pathogenesis, pathology, classification of the Phlegm disorders, diagnosis and therapies.

o    Five specific Phlegm disorders
o    Five sub-Bile disorders
o    Two combined Bile disorders

• Synthesis of three humors treatment

Five vital organs disorders (don lna’i nad)

• Heart disorder: physiology, pathology, diagnosis and therapies.
  • Four specific heart disorders
• Lungs disorder: physiology, pathology, diagnosis and therapies.
  • Four specific lungs disorders
• Liver disorder: physiology, pathology, diagnosis and therapies.
  • Three specific liver disorders
• Spleen disorder: physiology, pathology, diagnosis and therapies.
  • Four specific spleen disorders
• Kidney disorder: physiology, pathology, diagnosis and therapies.
  • Five specific kidney disorders

Six hollow organs disorders (snod drug gi nad)

• Stomach disorder: physiology, pathology, diagnosis and therapies
  • Five specific stomach disorders
• Small intestine disorder: physiology, pathology, diagnosis and therapies.
  • Three specific small intestine disorders
• Large intestine disorder: physiology, pathology, diagnosis and therapies.
  • Six specific large intestine disorders
• Gall bladder disorder: physiology, pathology, diagnosis and therapies.
  • Three specific gallbladder disorders
• Bladder disorder: physiology, pathology, diagnosis and therapies.
  • Three specific bladder disorders
• Reproductive organs disorder: physiology, pathology, diagnosis and therapies.
  • Women's disorders
  • Men's disorders

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