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from chronic psychotic disorders. which stresses the indivisible considered body and mind as two
People who suffer from psychosis interdependence of mind, body separate entities. We now know that
don't experience the reality like the and vitality. Can you explain this? this separation creates problems
rest of us. They hear voices, they when we try to treat patients with
have paranoid delusions, mystical Tibetan medicine is a very practical psychosomatic disorders. The Sowa
delusions, or delusions of reference. medicine, rooted in the local Tibetan Rigpa approach can give more
This leads to all kinds of problems culture, but influenced by medical appropriate answers to help those
which makes it difficult to function in practices from around the known patients as it is assumed that all our
th
daily life. I am very often asked by my world in the 9 century (Indian, physical ailments are rooted in one
patients if I believe they are normal Persian/Greek, Chinese, local of those three basic mental poisons.
or not. My answer is always the same: shamanic practices). As with all those In this worldview, it is therefore
what is normal? Is that average? other medical practices, the basic also logical that spiritual practice
What is average? And then comes assumption is that what constitutes is deeply embedded in the medical
the question: what is reality? If you our nature is based on the five practice and not separate like in
experience psychosis, then what is elements: wind, fire, water, earth, Western medical practice.
reality? And who am I to know reality and space. This is what constitutes
better than my patients? How can I everything around us, and inside of The Buddha is generally regarded
possibly know for sure that my reality us. Those elements create three main as a teacher who cures our mental
is truer than their reality? energies (or nyepa’s) necessary for defilements such as greed, hate,
life: loong (wind energy, movement, and delusion. In what ways can
Buddhism offers a very interesting creativity), tripa energy (fire energy, illnesses of the body be treated
perspective on those questions: metabolism, transformation) and through Buddhist teachings?
for a Buddhist, we are all mentally beken energy (earth/water energy,
ill. We all experience reality in a stability). Besides the development of Sowa
distorted way, that is influenced Rigpa, Yuthok also developed a
by past experiences and emotions When those nyepa’s are in balance, spiritual practice called the Yuthok
we carry in ourselves. No one sees then we are healthy. However, Nyingthik which is a practice of
reality as it really is. We are all when there is an imbalance, this Medicine Buddha. This is especially
delusional in one way or another. can make us ill. Those nyepa’s valuable for doctors, healers and
Thanks to this perspective, I can are both physical and emotional all people who are working in the
give an answer to my patients. and are considered as the result field of helping others. The Buddha
They experience reality in a very of the three poisons of our mind: is seen as a perfect doctor, the
different way than me. And when ignorance (beken), attachment Dharma as the perfect medicine, and
things get too distorted, this can (loong) and aversion (tripa). Those the Sangha as the perfect nurses.
create suffering. As we are deluded, three poisons will distort our view So, in this case, we all suffer from
we grab on to things we believe of reality and create all kinds mental mental illness and the Buddha is
are real, and we try to detach from and physical experiences. As such, the doctor who can help us heal
things we believe are bad. But the there is no separation between from our delusional worldview and
underlying cause of all this, is our mind and body, emotional and the poisonous emotions that go
ignorance on the nature of reality. physical symptoms are symptoms with it. Those three poisons are the
We believe in our reality as much of the same basic imbalance of the basis of all our suffering. Because
as my patients believe in their nyepa’s. Buddhist philosophy is we are ignorant, we don’t see that
delusions and hallucinations and therefore very strongly rooted in we are delusional, and we believe
this is what creates all this suffering. this worldview where everything this is truly the reality. Buddhist
is interdependent and where practice can therefore help us look
It is said that Tibetan medicine there is no separation. This is very at ourselves in a very honest way.
is deeply integrated with different from the modern western Meditation is a way to look inside
Buddhist practice and theory medical approach, which has long of ourselves and deconstruct this