Early on in his career as a physician-scholar and under challenging circumstances, Dr. Pasang Yonten authored and self-published three works in Tibetan language based on his personal textual study and clinical practice. These were among the first research publications on Sowa Rigpa to come out in exile since Men-Tsee-Khang (the Tibetan Astro-Medical Institute) was re-established in India in 1961 under the auspices of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After decades of being out of print, we are proud to make these rare pioneering books available once again, each with a new English preface that points out their remarkable contributions.
Treasury Of Tibetan Medical History
Treasury of Tibetan Medical History is a facsimile of Dr. Pasang Yonten Arya’s award-winning chronological account of the ancient origins, early development, flourishing, and spread of Sowa Rigpa from prehistoric times up until the twentieth century. Calligraphed in block-style script and first printed in 1989, this unprecedented textual research provides a comprehensive overview of the major time periods, events, and characters that have shaped the dynamic history of Tibetan medicine. Besides highlighting the underestimated contributions of the Bön and revealed treasure traditions and tracing the lineages of all influential medical schools, this monograph is also enriched with numerous biographical sketches of renowned scholars and physicians. Containing a unique chronicle of Sowa Rigpa’s survival in Indian exile, as well as the transition to modern Tibetan medical education, it is both a landmark reference and a primary historical source.
Dictionary Of Tibetan Materia Medica
Dictionary of Tibetan Materia Medica is a facsimile of what might have been the first Tibetan work of its kind. Originally handwritten in clear uchen script in the Indian Himalaya and published in 1991, this alphabetical dictionary documents an estimated three thousand unique ingredient names collected from the principal classical texts on medicine and pharmacognosy. Cross-referencing relatively unknown synonyms, Sanskrit-derived and other foreign terms as well as poetic and secret names to their respective main entries, it is an indispensable guide for the correct identification of the herbs, minerals, animal substances, and metals listed in traditional Tibetan medical formulas. Key quotations on their healing properties, subdivisions, and similar materia medica further increase the value of this pioneering lexical reference for practitioner-pharmacists and researchers of Sowa Rigpa’s vast pharmacopoeia.
Manual of Common Illnesses and Their Cures
Manual of Common Illnesses and Their Cures is a facsimile of a rare Tibetan medical text, first printed in 1990 to support the healing work of young amchi in Ladakh. A concise and highly practical guidebook, it covers the diagnosis and treatment of more than eighty diseases and presents more than two hundred formula names, also giving special attention to high altitude disorders and pediatrics based on the author’s extensive clinical experience. An emphasis on self-sufficiency and small herbal remedies ensures that these precious pith instructions continue to be relevant for traditional physicians and therapists in the Himalayan and Tibetan regions as well as for Sowa Rigpa health professionals worldwide.
