'Textual Transmission' in Tibetan medical education
Three educational methods: empowerment (Tib. dbang), textual initiation (Tib. lung) and didactic teaching (Tib. khrid) are traditionally seen as the three compulsory methods in Tibetan medical education. Out of these, apart from ‘didactic teaching’, which is required to impart / gain intellectual knowledge, the other two methods aim at imparting general familiarity with the subject and a deeper awareness, appreciation and confidence in the theoretical understanding and practice of Tibetan medicine. Both methods involve lineage transmission lines, either textually or spiritually. A person who has received all three of these teaching elements can be considered to have gained ‘full’ transmission of knowledge, including both ‘general’ and ‘sacred’ aspects. However, in the modern institutionalised education environment, these traditional ‘sacred’ teaching methods have somehow become neglected areas, and as time passes by, we are entering a transitional time when traditionally trained Tibetan doctors who obtained the full transmissions are becoming older. Modern university-trained younger generation Tibetan doctors are in general lacking this inner wisdom developed through sacred study methods. Important lineage transmission lines are at risk and once these ‘living’ transmission lines die out it will be very difficult to restore them.
This research, undertaken by the three-year postdoctoral Wellcome fellow Dr Mingji Cuomo, into ‘Textual Transmission’ in Tibetan Medical Education has two aims. One is to document the textual transmission lineage line by either interviewing lineage holders who are still alive and by reviewing the existing literatures (in particular through the biographies of historically famous Tibetan doctors) in order to determine the different textual transmission lineages. The second goal that I am hoping to achieve through this research project is to evaluate and analyse the rational aspects of this teaching method in order to learn why these sacred teaching methods are considered very important. Further aims are to preserve and promote these important teaching methods which are traditionally seen as core values of Tibetan medical education.