Healing from the Source: The Science and Lore of Tibetan Medicine

With utmost respect for Tibet's medical tradition, I found this book to be somewhat lacking. The book is a mix somewhere between textbook and narrative, owing to the fact that some of it was directly derived from talks the author gave. While the question/response portions of the book that come from these talks were definitely interesting, to say the least, I found the author's reliance on Tibetan terminology, without concurrent translation, an impediment to better understanding of Tibetan medicine. While the book might be a good primer for a Westerner with a foundation of knowledge about Tibetan medicine, I found it difficult to penetrate the author's technical descriptions of bodily functioning according to the Tibetan understanding.For example, the author references several categories and subsets of bodily humors (bile, phlegm, wind), but never describes these substances or analogizes them. He does talk about how they function within the body (this increases, that decreases, etc.), but it is otherwise difficult to comprehend what the author means by these rather obtuse terms, and consequently it is difficult to interrelate them with a Western understanding of the body.Dondhen's writing on the nature of being a physician I found enlightening; I felt like this chapter fulfilled the author's intent as named in the title. Otherwise, at least for a novitiate to Eastern medicine, I might choose another text with which to start.

HEALING FROM THE SOURCE is a mastery of thousands of years of collective works. The saying; IF YOU CAN FEEL ITHEAL IT. As you read this work you can see it and feel it .Yeshi Dhonden is a Master of the study of LiFe as we DON'T know it IN WESTERN WORLD. And, We as a world should look more to the OLD worlds and studies for REAL MEDICINE.WESTERN DOCTORS are "practicing" what they have learned. They need to expand their scope of "practicing" and learn there is more power in the body, mind and spirit than in the power of the pen. ( Prescriptions)GREAT BODY OF WORK DR.DHONDEN, Thank YOU!

Great one

One may revere Dr. Dhonden and yet not think much of his book. The book, however, is dependent on his Tibetan medical tradition. Tibetan medicine is a SYSTEM like our modern western which falls back on Galenic medicine based on the humors. Dhonden remarks that students must memorize treatises, texts and tantras. They also are steeped in debate and polemics, but lack practical experience. This was the case for hundreds of years in the West, even until recent times. Tibetan medicine is a SYSTEM focusing on hundreds of diseases and using medications in elaborate manners as opposed to western pill giving. At the same time, a real physician according to Dhonden does spiritual practice and points his patients in that direction. All diseases ultimately are due to ignorance, attachment, hatred and delusion. Even though the true physician spends much time focused on medication, he is supposed to become a clairvoyant Buddha. I suspect Dhonden has many of those attributes. But, the book is steeped in humors, traditions of the ancients, and classifications hard to imagine memorizing. Nonetheless, he must be an extraordinary being using a wordy system. One lesson from the book is that regardless of system and physician, patients tend to get better because of them or despite them. So it is.

I found that book to be one of the references and complieting my library of needed books. It is unusual as the knowledge it contains.One does not need to be a Budihist to use it.

super insight into the human body and psyche....informative though a bit too technical...but a must read for people who deal in alternative medicine

This is a great book for someone who knows very little about Eastern Medicine, like myself. This was an introductory book for me and I have gained invaluable insight towards a Buddhist Healer's viewpoint of medicine and disease. His viewpoint's are definitely an eye opener, and give a very different perspective towards illness than Western Medicine provides. I am not in the medical field, but I have gained much knowledge as a result from reading this book. Highly recommended if you are into Tibetan Buddhism or just Medicine in general.

the book simplify the laws of traditional tibetan medicine. all points of the author are very clearly written and explained. i would recommend it to anyone who is intrested in traditional medicine!

This book ia all about how Tibetan deal with healing. Holistic approach. Written by a monk pious and credited with curing cancers.

Excited to read this book. There is so much to learn.. thank you. Loved the quality of the book, very good printing.