Infallible Truths and Interdependence: Reflections of Clarifying Medicine Buddha's Teachings During the Covid-19 Crisis

This paper is the result of Dr Nashalla’s clinical perspectives of traditional Tibetan medicine, theory and practice during the COVID 19 pandemic.

Presented at the 2022 4th Vajrayāna Conference in ThimpuBhutan. The proceedings journal are now available.

Traditional Tibetan Medicine is based on understanding the interdependent arising of disease as an expression of the five elements and pathophysiology, all stemming from the three root poisons. Tibetan sMan pa (hereafter, Menpa/s) faced an emerging epidemic with varying symptoms affecting multiple bodily systems. While in global lockdown, they created a new treatment paradigm, remote diagnosis.

In the absence of palatable diagnostics, patients showed urine samples and tongues over video or spoke by phone. This unprecedented situation required Menpa’s to integrate how pathology might arise in the seven possible bodily combinations while determining pathways to adapt treatments.

This abrupt methodology shift forced them to rely upon the Buddhist Medical tantras, the rGyud bZhi's detailed instructions for disease manifestation. Understanding infallible truths found within Buddhist medical pathology and its merger within the human form became the new medium to work with intangible disease manifestation. Combating a complex and unknown epidemic was done by immersion into descriptions and remedies in the ancient medical literature.

This paper explores how Tibetan physicians clarify concepts of interdependence expressed within the human form and modern diseases. During the worldwide crisis of Covid-19, Menpa communities responded to, assessed, and treated an entirely new disease through instructions laid down in centuries-old Buddhist scripture. Trusting the foundations of relative or gross nature's expression, just as the Medicine Buddha taught, helped tackle the interplay between phenomena and theory in the various stages and variants during the arising of an unconventional disease ravaging humanity.

Keywords: Tibetan Medicine, Interdependence, Adapting Medical Theories, Relative Truth, Covid-19

https://www.academia.edu/143262644/Infallible_Truths_and_Interdependence_Reflections_of_Clarifying_Medicine_Buddhas_Teachings_During_the_Covid_19_Crisis