TCM vs Tibetan Medicine

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HandsomeMonkeyking
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TCM vs Tibetan Medicine

Post by HandsomeMonkeyking »

I am trying to start looking into both subjects, one after another. But curious already: Are the two systems compatible, similar?

In which way do they differ?
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Rinchen Dorje
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Re: TCM vs Tibetan Medicine

Post by Rinchen Dorje »

TCM is based predominantly on Daoist philosophy while TM is based on Buddhist and has more similarities with ayurvedic medicine.
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Fortyeightvows
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Re: TCM vs Tibetan Medicine

Post by Fortyeightvows »

I went to a lecture about tibetan medicine tonite and it sounded to me to be the same as chinese medicine
Bristollad
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Re: TCM vs Tibetan Medicine

Post by Bristollad »

I know very little about either but:

they appear to differ in their theories explaining illness
they appear to differ in their methods of diagnosis of illness
they appear to differ in their treatments

Now seeing as how both are dealing with human bodies and minds, I'm sure there are some similarities too.
The antidote—to be free from the suffering of samsara—you need to be free from delusion and karma; you need to be free from ignorance, the root of samsara. So you need to meditate on emptiness. That is what you need. Lama Zopa Rinpoche
jkarlins
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Re: TCM vs Tibetan Medicine

Post by jkarlins »

On a related point, I take some Chinese medicine to stay healthy and get over minor ailments. I find that this supports my Tibetan Buddhist practice, no conflict there. If that helps.

Jake
pemachophel
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Re: TCM vs Tibetan Medicine

Post by pemachophel »

Several summers ago, I spent a couple of weeks at H.H. Kusum Lingpa's Lung Ngon monastery in Golok. There was a small clinic in the monastery. Seeing both Tibetan and Chinese medicines in the dispensary, I asked the Tibetan doctor staffing the clinic about the use of both Chinese and Tibetan medicines and he said both are effective and that he prescribed both. In questioning further, I tried to find out if he was prescribing Chinese medicine based on Chinese medical pattern discrimination, but it appeared that he was prescribing the Chinese medicines based on disease diagnosis from the information on the medicines' packaging. In any case, he thought both medicines were safe, effective, and compatible. What it seemed to me is that, if he had a Chinese ready-made medicine on hand that he thought would be effective for a patient's condition, he was happy to prescribe that. Cheap, easy to take, portable, storable, and easily available. In any case, he didn't seem to have any particular prejudice towards Chinese meds.

IME as a doctor of Chinese medicine (retired), many Tibetan Lamas are happy to use both Chinese and Tibetan medicines. Because many Tibetan Lamas have Chinese students, many of them are regularly given Chinese meds by their disciples. I once had to go through all the Chinese meds given to Kyabje Chatral Rinpoche to decide which ones might be useful for Him and which ones were off the mark (in terms of Chinese medical pattern discrimination). No one in His household could read the Chinese. Also, many Tibetan Lamas and laypersons alike like to get Chinese acupuncture. When my wife and I volunteered at the Shechen Clinic in Boudha for a couple of years, our clinic was the most popular in the compound. We always had the longest line of patients; more than the Tibetan or Western docs or the homeopath.
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Losal Samten
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Re: TCM vs Tibetan Medicine

Post by Losal Samten »

pemachophel wrote: Sun Oct 15, 2017 5:06 pmAlso, many Tibetan Lamas and laypersons alike like to get Chinese acupuncture.
As opposed to SoRig acupuncture?
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kalden yungdrung
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Re: TCM vs Tibetan Medicine

Post by kalden yungdrung »

HandsomeMonkeyking wrote: Thu Oct 12, 2017 7:22 pm I am trying to start looking into both subjects, one after another. But curious already: Are the two systems compatible, similar?

In which way do they differ?
TCM is a Chinese holistic healing method
Tibetan Medicine is mainly based on Aryuveda but also on Tibetan sources

TCM is a non mixed up authentic Chinese Medicine
Tibetan Medicine is mixed up

TCM is a non Buddhist Medicine style
TM a Buddhist / Hindu Medicine style

TCM makes use of needles
TM is not mainly based on needles

TCM uses as its basic book the Nei I Ching
TM uses different Tantras as source literature

TCM uses different 5 elements
TM uses different 5 elements

TCM main seat mind liver
TM main seat mind heart

But they have also much in common:

TCM uses puls diagnosis
TM too

TCM uses massage / Tui Na
TM uses Ku Nye

TCM uses herbs
TM too

TCM makes precious pills
TM too

TCM uses yoga and meditation as treatment
TM too

TCM has a diet
TM too

TCM uses moxa
TM too

TCM uses cupping
TM too

TCM uses yin yang Pa Kua
TM too for predictions of the best time for treatment

TCM uses YIn and Yang
TM Kappa Vita and Pitta

TCM makes use of Chi Yoga, Shaolin yoga
TM makes use of Yoga

TCM
is holistic
TM too

TCM is based on prevention of illness by diagnosis done in time / on a regular base
TM too
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