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FEATURES | EASTERN HORIZON 47

important, in many other parts of treatises cover topics as varied
Asia today. as internal medicine, pediatrics,
gynecology and obstetrics,
Although core Indian medical toxicology, surgery, pharmacology,
doctrines largely did not prevail alchemy, and veterinary medicine.
over the long term in East Asia,
Buddhist healing deities such as Traditional medicine in Thailand
Guanyin/Kannon and the Medicine also is highly indebted to Buddhism.
Buddha, and the rituals associated The modern edition of the Thai
with them, remained very important medical canon, the Study of
in that region of the world. In a Medicine (Phaetthayasaht songkhro),
recent book I wrote, Translating compiled in the nineteenth century,
Buddhist Medicine in Medieval contains numerous texts that
China, published by Penn Press in suggest important continuities
2014, I give a general outline of the with Buddhist doctrines. This
wide variety of doctrines, ritual material gives the reader the distinct
practices, and medical metaphors impression that it originated in
This Buddha statue from Burma stands in a that prevailed in Chinese Buddhism multiple geographical and cultural
classic Mandalay style posture. The Buddha’s in the medieval period. As medieval contexts and entered Thailand
left hand holds his robe, while his right hand
holds a myrobalan seed (Terminalia chebula). Chinese Buddhism was formative over the course of many centuries.
This herbal medicine treats both mental and for Japanese and Korean tradition, Some of the sources of Thai medical
physical disorders and also is reported to
induce elevated psychic states that facilitate many of these elements are shared knowledge certainly included
meditation. Museum Object Number: 2005- across East Asia. the Pāli Canon and Āyurvedic
10-17A,B
treatises; however, a significant
Among the major Buddhist- portion seems to reflect Buddhist
influenced medical traditions in knowledge originating in India but
Asia, Tibetan medicine is perhaps not attested in other sources. (The
the most well known. The most University of Pennsylvania and
influential Tibetan medical National Library of Laos have jointly
treatise is the compilation known launched the Digital Library of
as the Four Tantras (Gyushi), Northern Thai Manuscripts at www.
which was commonly held to be a lannamanuscripts.net, a collection
teaching by the Medicine Buddha. that includes numerous texts related
Developed between the seventh to both Buddhism and healing.)
and twelfth centuries, this text
synthesized Buddhist and secular Khmer, Sri Lankan, Burmese, and
Indian medical material, self- other Southeast Asian medical
consciously integrating this with traditions are similarly diverse
ideas from the indigenous Tibetan windows on the wide range
Thangka painting of Bhaisajyaguru, the Bōn tradition, as well as with of Indian medical knowledge
Medicine Buddha, with his associated deities
of Suryaprabha, Chandraprabha, and the 7 Chinese, Central Asian, Persian, transmitted to the region via
Buddhas of Medicine. Thangkas are paintings and even Greco-Roman medicine. Buddhism. There are important
which are often used as meditational aids.
The Buddha holds a bowl made of lapis lazuli The Tibetan Tripitaka also contains discrepancies among all of
which holds a divine healing nectar (amṛta) translations of 22 Indian medical these traditions on the details of
which is meant to be received through
meditation. Museum Object Number 51-41-9 writings, many of which are now even the most basic doctrines.
no longer extant in Sanskrit. These However, these traditions tend