In an effort to garner world attention and protest long-standing repression by the Chinese government of the Tibetan people in their own homeland, this past week two more Tibetan monks engaged in the ultimate act, self-immolation. During the past year there have been more than 30 reports of this profound expression of desperation, but until now none inside Lhasa, Tibet’s busy capital.
The recent visit of the Dalai Lama to the islands helped Hawaii appreciate even more the great richness of Tibetan cultural history and values under siege. I first met with the Dalai Lama nearly 35 years ago in Dharamsala, India, and received his offer of support to identify Tibetan physicians who might be able to teach courses I had been running in Nepal for Westerners to gain an introduction to Tibetan medicine.
Among the ancient healing traditions, Tibetan medicine is particularly distinguished by its view of the mind’s central role in the cause of health and illness. Originally passed on as an oral tradition, all of Tibetan medicine can be visualized as a tree with three roots, nine trunks, 47 branches, 224 leaves, two flowers and three fruits.
The three roots represent potential obstacles or mental poisons that can impede not only health, but also prosperity: ignorance, aversion and attachment. Tibetan medicine would agree with modern views that ignorance yields to education, knowledge and experience, but it submits that still more is possible: wisdom to see the true nature of worldly phenomena.
Aversion and anger are thought to breed "hot" illnesses such as certain headaches, gastritis and heart disease. Attachment, its opposite, might result in greed and fear, at times leading to chronic anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia.
According to the Tibetan medical tradition, skillful prevention and treatment of illness results in health through balance that yields two blossoming flowers of health and longevity and three precious fruits: prosperity, spiritual attainment and happiness.
With health system reform and current efforts to develop the patient-centered medical home, preventive care continues to come to the fore. The Tibetan medical tradition has always emphasized a positive lifestyle and appropriate diet as the lead strategy to health through balance while holding in reserve medicines and interventions.
Still, according to the Tibetan tradition, wisdom by itself is not enough to achieve health or steady prosperity. Wisdom must be combined with a compassionate heart that contains not only empathy, but also genuine motivation to be of service in a way that benefits others.
A close friend, part owner in a highly successful local solar company, recently said that a "good business deal must work for all parties." Today most business schools emphasize team-based, collaborative strategies. We talk about engineering a "win-win" situation. Yet so often there is only a thin veil between our pleasant face, what we expect to get in return and disappointment if there is no near-term monetary gain. In contrast, the Tibetan tradition asserts that skillful means combined with genuine compassion is the best prescription for health, wealth, long life, spiritual contentment and happiness.
———
Ira Zunin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., is medical director of Manakai o Malama Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global Advisory Services Inc. Please submit your questions to info@manakaiomalama.com.
