Medicine and Tibetan Buddhism – The jouney, path and process
My encounter with Tibetan Buddhism took place in 1992, when His Holiness the Dalai Lama was present at Eco92, it was his first visit to Brazil. Somehow that Tibetan monk with his firm and gentle posture captivated my attention. A few years later I was invited to translate the lectures he gave on that occasion, they were on several cassette tapes, it was the first time I heard his teachings. His lucidity and clarity touched my soul. After a few years I had the opportunity to receive his teachings in person when he was in Curitiba and São Paulo.
I translated the documentary “Compassion in Exile” which tells a little of his trajectory and how he had to flee Tibet after the Chinese invasion, his establishment in India, in the city of Dharamsala as an exile and the tragedy of other Tibetans who also had to flee and leave their beloved country.
I continued my studies in Buddhism and learned the practices of meditation and compassion that saved me from a futile and meaningless existence. In addition to making it possible several professional projects that involved teaching and practicing meditation techniques for people who sought self-knowledge and health, almost thirty years have passed since I started this journey.
Despite having found a beautiful and bright path, I still felt that something was missing, I had the feeling that I was not doing enough, I wanted to help alleviate the suffering of my friends, family and students and I felt that I had to find a way to help balance the physical and mental health of those who came to me for advice and learning. That’s when I had a call to study Tibetan Medicine, at first I thought it was just a dream, an invitation made within an imaginary context and that it would be very difficult to find an authentic master who could introduce me to this field. I asked Lama Tsering Everest, who has always been present on this path through her teachings and wisdom, if she knew anyone in Brazil who could help me learn more about Tibetan Medicine. She couldn’t answer me if there was anyone who had this knowledge available and that could help me the way I wanted, so I started looking for other alternatives. That’s when I found the TME (Tibetan Medicine Education) website, which offered online and face-to-face medical training with Dr. Pasang Arya, a Tibetan physician, who had also escaped from Tibet with his family, he had been for many years learning and teaching medicine in Dharamsala at the leading medical and astrology teaching institution Men-Tsee-Khang and had been for over twenty years performing and teaching the theory and practice of Sowa Rigpa, the Tibetan healing science in Europe. It was an instant connection, I signed up for the course that started a process of self-healing and knowledge that would transform my life.
I still hesitated for six months before starting the training because I thought I would not be able to learn something so complex and profound, in addition to studying the four medical tantras it would be necessary to learn the terms in the Tibetan language because many words do not have a translation into English and this was a challenge that presented itself from the beginning. When I started my study, I was completely absorbed and enchanted by the wisdom and the way Buddha presented the knowledge of the diseases of the body, mind and even diseases related to karma.A whole new universe opened up in front of me. I feel an infinite gratitude for having had the courage to initiate such precious study at this time in my life. A gift that turned out to be a true blessing.In June of this year there was a workshop about the external Therapies and I traveled to Switzerland to meet for the first time my master.The place chosen to hold the workshop was in the highest part of Neuchâtel, next to the Collegiate Church, to get there you could go up by stairs or by the slopes, the place itself was already enchanting and the view from the top was breathtaking . There was even a garden next to the church that looked like something out of a fairy tale book. The colors, the flowers, the morning light prepared us for an experience of contemplation and meditation.
Now, two years after starting my studies, I had the opportunity to finally meet my master Dr. Pasang. In6 the workshop I was introduced to Tsa Lung, the practice of Tibetan Yoga, learned hands-on about external therapies, pulse reading and diagnostic evaluation through urine, tongue, eyes, ear veins and much more. There were many accomplishments and auspicious encounters during my stay in this beautiful city. The most incredible and precious thing of all was being cured of an illness that affected my legs and that had accompanied me for more than 15 years without any treatment, therapy or medicine that could alleviate my problem. A disease that compromised my path and made several aspects of my life difficult in all these years. In less than 20 minutes, with a treatment performed during the workshop period, he cured me. Not only did he heal me, but he also taught me how to apply the same treatment to people who suffer from ailments similar to mine. It was complete happiness, my friends who participated in the process had the same feeling of joy and were cured of other ailments that also made their lives difficult, it all happened there, in front of everyone and under the auspices of the Medicine Buddha. Miracle? Wisdom? Compassion? Technique? I think that all this together, there is a mystery involved in the process but learning how to help others was the most incredible realization that happened because life is in need of miracles, healing, mental and emotional health. I really want to contribute to helping those who come to me to find solutions to their physical and mental problems. This will be my way of thanking and repaying the gift I received, sharing what I learned and helping others with the wisdom and compassion of the Buddhas .
I have a lot to study and practice in the coming years, I still have one more year of training ahead of me but of course a study like this will never end, a lifetime would not be enough to learn everything about this knowledge. I will certainly put into practice everything I am learning, there is only the beginning of this journey, the end does not exist.
I will share here some of the best moments of this blessed encounter and the incredible people I met, but I will leave the images and descriptions of the places I visited during my stay for another story. If I were to report in detail all the experiences I had during the workshop, I could write a book but I will consider this article just as an introduction, the beginning of a new chapter in my existence, new chapters will come and certainly many cures too Those interested in knowing more about therapies, practices and if you need help you can look for me to receive guidance and if it is within my power I will try to alleviate suffering and promote health through the wisdom and treatments of Tibetan Medicine.
I would especially like to thank Dr. Passang Arya for her compassion and generosity in sharing her wisdom with us, to Sylvie, her assistant for organizing everything and being always willing to guide and welcome us.
Gratitude for the precious friendships I made with Aleksandra Phillips, Carolina Kintilha and Nancy Weinhold who were by my side at all times, learning, teaching, having fun and constantly spoiling us with little gifts, affection and complicity.
It was great to meet such beautiful, generous, and special people like you. My heart is full and nourished with love and gratitude for everything we experienced together during this time. I am certain that the bonds of friendship that united us will never be broken; you will always reside in my heart!
Tashi delek!
Regina Proença
