KUNPEN TIBETAN MEDICINE CENTER IN KATHMANDU 1

Kunphen Tibetan Medical Center in Kathmandu (Tib: kun phan sman khang, literally: "A center of Tibetan medicine that benefits everyone") It was founded by traditional Tibetan Doctor (emchi) Kunsang in 1962.

Emchi Kunsang (kun bsang) was born in 1924 in the small Tibetan town of Dingri (Tib.: sding ri), in the literature he was assigned the name "Gateway to Mount Everest". At the age of twelve, he set out on foot for Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, and thanks to his intelligence and good memory, was accepted as an apprentice to the medical luminary Professor Kienrab nor bu (Tib: mkhas dbang mkhyen rab nor bu, 1883-1962).

In the history of Tibetan medicine, Kyonrab Norbu is known as a prominent scientist, practicing doctor, author of numerous medical works, personal physician (tib.: bla sman) of the XIII Dalai Lama Agwan Lobsan Thubten Gyatso (tib.: ngag dbang bio bzang thub bstan rgya mtsho, 1876-1933), who played a significant role in the development and transformation the Tibetan medical system in the XX century.

For many years he taught at the Institute of Tibetan Medicine and Astrology (sman rtsi khang - "House of Medicine and Astrology") in Lhasa (founded in 1916). At the same time, Kyonrab Norbu headed the state medical school in Chagpori (lcags po ri, "Iron Hill"), founded in 1696 by Desi Sangye Gyatso (Tibet.: sde Srid Rgya Mtsho, 1653 - 1705), an outstanding Tibetan scholar, astute politician and regent of the V Dalai Lama Agwan Lobsan Gyatso (Tib.: ngag dbang rgya mtsho, 1617-1682).

While studying in Lhasa, the student Kunsang, who possessed outstanding abilities, mastered a wide range of medical disciplines, studied the subtleties of pharmacology, pharmacognosy, pharmacopoeia, which were separated by the XVII century into an independent branch of medical knowledge in Tibet, as well as Buddhist philosophy, natural sciences, Buddhist art and wood carving. According to Kunsang, only a comprehensive and systematic study of traditional knowledge as heuristically valuable contributes to the formation of a highly qualified specialist.

In 1959, Dr. Kunsang, like many Tibetans, came to Nepal after a long and difficult journey through the Himalayas. Life in the new country wasn't exactly easy. Tibetan refugees faced difficulties in mastering the language, customs, customs and traditions of a different culture.

A follower of the old sect of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism, snying Ma pa, he began a private practice of Tibetan medicine in the Nepalese capital without permission from the official authorities. The motivation of compassion for all living beings gave Kunsang confidence in treating patients suffering from serious illnesses. With some of them, the doctor did not meet in his medical practice and focused on how to find a solution. Emchi concluded that climatic conditions, different lifestyles and diets lead to the birth of diseases that are characteristic only of South Asia.

The doctor carefully studied the symptoms, developed a treatment strategy aimed primarily at maintaining the full balance of the body, and made prescriptions. Prescribing treatment, he proceeded from the fact that Tibetan drugs, mobilizing the internal reserves of the body, cure not only the underlying disease, but also contribute to prevention. The Tibetan doctor has achieved good results in the treatment of complex diseases and during his short stay in Nepal has gained a reputation as a skilled specialist.

In 1982, Kunsang told the author of these lines the story that when " King Mahendra of Nepal became seriously ill and local doctors diagnosed a stroke with paresis on one side of the body, and modern European medicines did not bring a positive result, the members of the

1 The article is based on material collected by the author during research trips to Nepal from 1981 to 2008 and numerous interviews with traditional Tibetan physicians Kunsang, Lobsan Shrestha, Karma Choydon, Tseden Gyurme, Kunsang Dorje, Tashi and Nawang Dhagpa (Jimmy Lama). I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the Tibetan doctors for their help, understanding and assistance in their work.

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the royal family turned to Kunsang. Emchi, based on the key principles of Tibetan medicine, developed for more than 2500 years, conducted diagnostics for the patient and made the necessary appointments. Mahendra, having recovered, highly appreciated Kunsang's professional level, appointed him as an assistant to his personal doctors and gave Kunsang permission to open the first center of Tibetan medicine in Kathmandu with the symbolic name "Center of Tibetan Medicine that benefits everyone". For almost fifty years of its existence, the center has gained great popularity not only among the population of Nepal, but also among the staff of the diplomatic corps accredited in Nepal, among the staff of numerous international missions and all those who are interested in the Tibetan medical system and are deeply convinced of the high effectiveness of Tibetan medicines.

Kunsang was the director of the center from the day it was founded until the end of his life. There are no specializations in Tibetan medicine, so the traditional doctor is a generalist, he is a pharmacognostic, pharmacologist, pharmacist, geobotanist, and drug production technologist. It must be said that the study of pharmacognosy has been and still is given a special role, since this branch of medical science occupies the main place in mastering the deeply developed disciplinary knowledge of the Tibetan Materia Medica.

Dr. Kunsang's merit lies in the fact that at the center he founded a factory (Tib.: sman bzo grwa) for the production of Tibetan multicomponent drugs, including precious pills (Tib.: rin chen ril bu). The availability of medicines of our own production contributed to the successful operation of the center and confidence in their high quality.

Tibetan physicians have been perfecting dosage forms for many centuries. The following medicinal forms are described in medical treatises: powders, decoctions, pills, ground mush, medicinal oils, ash medicines, medicinal wines, medicinal extracts, medicines made from precious metals and medicines made from stones. Many of these drugs are made in the Kunpeng Center.

Precious medicines or precious pills are multi-part medicines containing anywhere from eighteen to one hundred and twenty ingredients. Complex technology, principles and methods of manufacturing medicines, as well as indications for their use are described in special medical manuals, which also contain historical information about who first made certain drugs, what diseases they are intended to treat, etc.

Tibetan manuals provide prescriptions for medicines with each ingredient and specific dosages. These medications are called precious for two reasons. First, all preparations without exception contain precious metals and stones, such as gold, silver, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, rubies. They are mixed with medicinal plants, animal organs, and minerals. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, precious medicines can cure the most complex pathologies that are poorly or almost impossible to treat with the methods and means of modern European medicine.

Dr. Kunsang had an encyclopedic knowledge of the flora and fauna of Tibet, and he was deeply convinced that their specificity was determined primarily by the geographical location of the "Land of Snows". The doctor annually participated in seasonal expeditions to collect and identify high-quality medicinal raw materials used in the preparation of Tibetan multi-ingredient preparations. Tibetan medicine has a huge arsenal of medicinal products of plant, animal and mineral origin. Emci strictly followed the rules for collecting, drying and storing raw materials, based on the recommendations described in the practical manuals.

The Tibetan physician trained medical personnel with his usual energy, supervised the work of two medical centers in Kathmandu and Nyelam, and assisted in the production of Tibetan medicines using herbal medicinal raw materials grown in the ecologically clean high-altitude areas of the Himalayan Mountains. Dr. Kunsang was a recognized theorist in the field of traditional medical knowledge, which he skillfully combined with many years of successful practice.

During his long life, Emchi has treated a huge number of patients in many regions of Nepal, in Nyelam and in neighboring territories. His grateful patients live in different countries of the world.

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Kunsang has participated in scientific conferences, symposia, and congresses in Europe, the United States, and Asia, and has made presentations outlining the principles of proper approach, study, research, development, and preservation of Tibetan medical culture in the modern era.

Kunsang was professionally generous and easily shared his knowledge. Having a special gift as a teacher, Kunsang brought up a whole galaxy of worthy students who became fine specialists in the field of clinic and therapy of Tibetan medicine and medicinal science. His students Lobsan Shrestha, Tseden Gyurme and Karma Choydon, who received private education under his guidance, create a vast space for living, practicing and promoting Tibetan medicine in Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Germany, France and the United States.

It is no exaggeration to say that in the last few decades, people in the West have developed an interest in the knowledge of Tibetan medicine, which is regarded as the highest value. The perception of Tibetan medicine by people who have a different mentality and live in a completely different socio-cultural space has led to the formation of a specific perception of the phenomenon of Tibetan medicine and its highly effective treatment methods.

Employees of the World Health Organization (WHO) showed an increased interest in Kunsang's medical practice. They visited the Kunpen Center of Tibetan Medicine and got acquainted with the principles of diagnosis, treatment methods and preparation technology. At the initiative of the World Health Organization, a poster has been published showing patient diagnosis and individual methods of treating Kunsang using physiotherapy procedures used in Tibetan medical practice.

In the last years of his life, Dr. Kunsang lived and worked in Nyelam, where, with the support of local authorities, he founded the Institute of Tibetan Medicine and a drug factory.

Emchi Kunsang made vigorous efforts to develop and revive the traditions of Tibetan medical culture and modernize it. Guided by the medical ethics carefully elaborated in the thirty-first chapter of Tantra Explanations, the second volume of the seminal treatise on Tibetan medicine, Chud-shi, he treated the people of Nyelam. The doctor paid great attention to preventive and health-improving medicine, explaining to the population the importance of these areas in modern conditions. The Tibetan physician made a significant contribution to the creation and development of the sanitary and hygienic service of the territory and its environs, contributed to the preservation of traditional ecological culture, the sacred landscape and the formation of the socio-cultural space of the microdistrict.

Emchi passed away on August 12, 2006 in Kathmandu. It is important that the business he started lives on, the medical center he created is working fruitfully, factories in Kathmandu and Nyelam are successfully functioning, and medical personnel are being trained. In the memory of many people who knew him, and especially numerous patients, he remains an amazing professional who had all the fullness of medical knowledge.

The Kunpen Center conducts medical, educational and scientific activities in contact with research institutes and medical institutions in India, Japan, France, Germany, Switzerland, England, Russia, Kazakhstan, USA, Chile and Brazil. There is a well-established scientific exchange of specialists between institutes and clinics located in the above-mentioned countries, especially with those centers that conduct research in the field of alternative medical systems and develop areas related to the study of drugs of natural origin. The Kunpen Center organizes international expeditions to collect medicinal raw materials, through joint efforts of the expedition participants, it is identified, Latin equivalents are determined, and experimental studies are conducted to identify its pharmacological action and effectiveness.

It is worth noting that in Kazakhstan there is an increased interest in new knowledge, namely in the medical culture created in the Tibetan ethno-cultural region. They see the knowledge of a holistic system of values as an axiom in the fundamental teaching of the Buddha, the Lord of beryl Radiance, the Supreme Healer, which he taught to four groups of listeners in Lta na sdug (Tib.: lta na sdug, lit.: "Beautiful to look at"). Awareness of the importance of new knowledge led Kazakhs to master a large array of theoretical information contained in classical Tibetan medical treatises, with access to practice.

The study of an alternative medical system is taking place in Dharmasala (northern India). Dharmasala Institute of Tibetan Medicine and Astrology, founded on his initiative

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His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Tenjin Gyatso (born 1935) opened the doors to them in 1960.

Kazakh students enthusiastically immerse themselves in a distant culture, learn classical and modern Tibetan. Training lasts six years.

In turn, traditional Tibetan doctors from the Kunpen Center are invited to Kazakhstan, they teach an introductory course in Tibetan medical culture, introduce students to the basics of pharmacognosy, pharmacology, and drug science. Many patients are treated by Tibetan doctors and receive treatment courses prescribed by Tibetan doctors.

The line of succession in the transmission of medical knowledge from generation to generation from Teacher to student (Skt: guru shishya parampara), which originated in Tibet during the initial spread of Buddhism, is one of the characteristic features of traditional medical education. Its origins should be sought in India, where it was formed and firmly rooted in ancient times. The tradition of transmitting medical knowledge "without relying on written signs" was successfully introduced into the ethno-cultural space of the vast Mongolian world and has been preserved to this day.

The relationship " Teacher-student "(in Tantrism) is described in detail by Buryat scientists B. D. Dandaron and V. N. Pupyshev in the work "General scheme of improvement along the path of Mantrayana", published in the book "Tibetan Buddhism. Theory and Practice" (Novosibirsk, 1955).

In the modern era, the Teacher, following the spirit of the times, masters the latest technology, in particular the computer, which makes it possible to radically change the educational process and introduce into practice the visual forms of the studied texts, their fragments, illustrations of medical content. Innovative approaches do not disrupt traditional education, on the contrary, they give an impetus to faster assimilation of traditional knowledge and improve the quality of education.

Kunsang Dorje is a monk belonging to the Nyingmapa sect of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism, a practicing physician and a rare expert in Tibetan pharmacology. Currently, he is the head of the Kunpen Center in Kathmandu, while for many years he holds the position of lamen (Ya sman), the personal physician of the largest Buddhist master Choki Nyim Tulku Rinpoche (chos kyi nyi ma sphrul sku rin po che), whose monastery is located in Bodnath, near the world-famous Buddhist stupa Zharonkhashor (near Kathmandu).

In accordance with tradition, the children of Kunsang continue their father's work with dignity: their son Kunsang Dorje and daughter Tashi have been trained as traditional Tibetan doctors and practice at the Kumpen Center.

It should be said that in the old days, a female doctor in Tibet was very rare. Medical schools, so-called manba datsans (sman pa grwa tshang), functioned at Buddhist monastic universities, so medicine was the prerogative of the clergy. In the 60s of the last century, Tibetan society decided that women should also have access to the wisdom and secrets of medical science. Thus, the centuries-old veto was lifted. There were female doctors. Practice shows that they are not inferior to men in this art.

Kunsang's daughter, Tashi, learned the basics of Tibetan medical culture at a young age under her father's guidance, worked for several years in the center's pharmacy, and acquired a deep knowledge of Tibetan medicine medicine. She successfully graduated from the Tibetan University of Traditional Medicine in Lhasa, qualifying as a doctor of not only Tibetan medicine, but also modern European medicine.

Tashi is the leading doctor of the center and combines medical practice with the manufacture of Tibetan multi-ingredient drugs. Tibetan medicines are prepared manually, so they are very effective and retain their medicinal properties for a long time. The machines are only used for grinding components.

Kunpen Center has a license to export a number of drugs that have passed laboratory and clinical tests in accordance with international standards. Please note that the introduction of medicines containing aconite and mercury into medical practice is prohibited in Western and Central European countries. The center's staff, together with Nepalese specialists, conduct research aimed at updating the classic Tibetan recipe and searching for appropriate substitutes. Such a process requires a lot of analytical and experimental work and considerable financial investment.

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Before starting to prepare a drug, the pharmacologist needs to properly prepare for an important process. The specialty of a pharmacologist requires a certain set of instructions and initiations, which he usually receives from a Teacher or lama (Tib.: bla ma, short for bla med, lit.: "There is no higher"). It is also necessary to perform a number of ritual actions: meditation, recitation of mantras, etc.

Young doctor Nawang Dhagpa (Jimmy Lama) also works at the Kunpeng Center. He received an excellent education at the Chagpori Institute of Tibetan Medicine in Darjeeling, Northeastern India, founded by the Buddhist Dzogchen master and practicing physician The Venerable Trogava Rinpoche (1931-2005) in 1992. Nawang Dhagpa then moved to Dharmasala, Northern India, and successfully completed a full course of Tibetan medical education at the Institute of Tibetan Medicine and Astrology.

Nawang Dhagpa is proficient in the principles of pulse diagnostics, using modern technologies, and is able to make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment with amazing accuracy, using methods and means of drug and non-drug therapy that are widely used in practical Tibetan medicine.

The doctor is recognized as an expert in spiritual practices and kumnye massage. He has amazing oratory skills and a fine sense of humor. Dr. Nawang Dhagpa gives lectures on various aspects of Tibetan medical culture in Eurasian countries. His lectures were highly appreciated in Kazakhstan, where emchi gained many followers, grateful students, patients and fans.

Dr. Nawang Dhagpa is engaged in scientific activities-analyzes the medical histories of his patients, carefully observes the course of diseases of his patients, and the results of treatment.

Based on the collected material, Nawang Dhagpa is writing a book on the history of medical thought in Tibet, principles of diagnosis, methods and treatment of Tibetan medicine. The app will provide statistical data indicating the results of treatment. The author is going to provide the publication with a rich visual series, including a large set of diagrams, tables, graphs, medical illustrations, drawings with images of medicinal raw materials of plant, animal and mineral origin.

In 1963, by the decision of the Nepalese Government, the Kunpen Center was granted the status of a medical institution for training and advanced training of specialists in the field of Tibetan medicine.

The center offers annual courses for traditional physicians, pharmacognostics, pharmacologists, pharmacists and healers from rural areas located in remote areas of Nepal. The training process usually lasts one year.

Doctors of the Kunpen Center conduct pedagogical and educational work. They draw up training programs for students of the courses, based on the main provisions of classical Tibetan medical education. Students who have mastered the basic elements of the theory and practice of Tibetan medicine, mastered certain diagnostic principles, and successfully passed the exams receive certificates approved by the Nepalese Government, which entitles graduates to practice Tibetan medicine in rural areas.

Traditional doctors from the Kunpen Center for Tibetan Medicine are proficient in English, which makes it possible to get acquainted with the culture of other peoples and use it as a kind of mechanism for transmitting certain codes of a new culture for them. When traveling to other countries, they give lectures on theoretical and practical issues of Tibetan medical science, the history of Tibetan medicine, take part in international congresses, conferences, symposiums, share their accumulated experience, conduct patient visits and heal patients suffering from serious chronic diseases that are difficult to cure with modern European medicine.

I must say that traditional Tibetan doctors conduct a free appointment, the patient pays only for medicines. Following the ethic of a Tibetan physician as described in the seminal treatise on Tibetan medicine, "Zhud-shi", doctors from the Kunpeng Center provide free medical care to the poor and orphans. The center has established a charitable foundation, whose main activity is aimed at social support of certain groups of the population. It is not just the local population that receives funding from the fund as needed.

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The Kunpen Center has branches in Bodnath, where the majority population is Tibetan, and in Nyelam. For the last ten years, a branch of the center has been operating in Pokhara, a tourist city located 200 km from the capital of Nepal. Here, a young doctor, Sonam, a doctor who graduated from the medical faculty of the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Sarnath (near Varanasi, India), conducts an appointment. The main purpose of the branch is to serve Tibetan refugees living in Pokhara and in neighboring neighborhoods.

Doctors of the center give lectures and conduct practical classes on relaxation techniques that have a long history. A special course is dedicated to the kumnye massage (Tib: sku mnye), which has gained wide popularity in Western Europe over the past few years. The principles of kumnye are based on ancient Tibetan spiritual practices and are fully developed by Tibetan authorities in practical manuals, which are the basic material for their development.

For many, kumnye is a form of meditation, but it is also a method of relaxation that includes a certain set of physical exercises. This is an effective and unique form of movement that helps to realize the daily emotional and physical loads of the body. Every exercise done correctly promotes deep relaxation.

Kumnye was developed, rooted and spread among Tibetans as early as one and a half thousand years ago. Kumnye practices and massages open up an effective path for invigorating the body and keeping the mind clear. They are recommended for people of all ages.

Kumnye relaxation and massage techniques bring not only physical health, but also increase energy and develop positive emotions.

In the era of globalization, these methods are becoming vital, and their correct perception and assimilation helps modern people, especially people living in highly developed countries, to achieve peace and harmony, avoid depression and stress. Currently, the most recognized Tibetan kumnye masters are Tartang Tulku Rinpoche, who lives in the United States, and Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, who has practiced for many years in the West. He is a native of Kham, the eastern province of Tibet, and lives in Italy.

The Kunpen Center for Tibetan Medicine in Kathmandu deserves close attention as a unique institution, the main focus of which is to heal the patient. The positive results of the center's doctors are achieved thanks to the skillful use of a large set of treatment methods for drug and non-drug therapy, professionally developed by more than one generation of traditional Tibetan doctors who belonged to different medical schools.

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