The Shang Shung Institute of America is dedicated to the study, practice and preservation of traditional Tibetan medicine. The Institute's medical library, classrooms, and resource material provide students with a context to absorb this precious ancient medical tradition. The Institute is home to Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo of Lhasa, Tibet, who brings many years of experience as a traditional Tibetan medicine physician and a teacher.
The Institute is committed to the continued growth and flourishing of this ancient healing art through its four year program in Tibetan medicine, healing clinic and annual lecture series.
A Brief Overview of Tibetan Medicine
With a history going back over 2,500 years, traditional Tibetan medicine is one of the oldest continuously practiced healing systems on earth. Regarded as science, art, and philosophy, Tibetan medicine is an ancient form of holistic health care indigenous to the Tibetan people, integrating the core Buddhist principles of altruism, karma, and ethics. Over thousands of years, traditional Tibetan medicine evolved and incorporated medical knowledge from China, Persia, India, and Greece. It has been practiced continuously throughout Tibet, the Himalayan regions, India, Mongolia, and Siberia, as well as in the Western world wherever Tibetans live in exile.
The Tibetan medical system is a sophisticated body of knowledge, which addresses the well-being of the whole individual: body, mind, and spirit, in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. This unique knowledge is found in thousands of Tibetan medical texts, many of which have yet to be translated. The root of these writings are the four main medical tantras, or Gyud Zhi -- the traditional primary texts that have been used for training Tibetan physicians since ancient times.
Shang Shung Institute and Tibetan Medicine
Founded by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, a Tibetan scholar and Dzogchen master, the Shang Shung Institute is dedicated to the mission of preserving Tibetan cultural traditions. Among the highest priorities for the American branch is to preserve existing Tibetan Medical knowledge as well as recover aspects of the tradition, which have been lost. In order to accomplish this goal, the Shang Shung Institute has developed training programs in Tibetan medicine, archived all classes, and worked on translations of medical texts.
Students from around the world participated in the three-year Foundation Course taught by Dr. Thubten Phuntsok, trainings in Kunye Tibetan massage, and related courses on specific topics taught by Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo, full-time faculty-in-residence at the Institute since 2001.
In the Fall of 2005, the American branch of the Shang Shung Institute initiated its four-year program under the direction of Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo. This program is the first in the West to closely parallel the training of a traditional Tibetan physician in Tibet or India.
Over the past few decades, Westerners have become increasingly interested in incorporating the holistic medical practices of the East into their own practice and research. Due to political and cultural reasons, Tibetan medicine, one of the oldest and richest of Asian medical traditions, has largely existed outside the focus of the West. In order to address this need, the Shang Shung Institute has dedicated its resources to develop the first comprehensive training program in English.
