About Sowa Rigpa

Tibetan Medicine- Sowa Rigpa, is the traditional medical system of Tibet and the Himalayas. It’s one of the oldest healing traditions in existence, yet it remains fully alive today. Sowa Rigpa integrated elements from the medical systems of ancient Tibet, India, Greece, Mongolia, Persia, and China, forming a unique medical tradition with a distinct Himalayan character shaped by both pre-Buddhist and Buddhist thought.

In Buddhist philosophy, the ultimate underlying causes of both physical and mental diseases are said to be the three mind poisons: ignorance, desire-attachment, and anger. The basic cause of illnesses according to Buddhist philosophy, is the ego, full of trivial pursuits and clinging attachments. It is this clinging nature that ultimately produces the confused mind and thereby all suffering and disease.

The Tibetan word Sowa can be translated as healing or nurturing, while the word Rigpa means both science and ‘awareness. Thus Sowa Rigpa (or Sorig) can be understood as both, 1) the healing science- a system of medical knowledge and practice that brings relative balance and health of body, energy, and mind and 2) nurturing the awareness- a tool to understand the nature of your mind and the universe and accomplish absolute balance and liberation.

The essence of the traditional theory and practice is contained within the Four Medical Tantras considered the root text of Tibetan Medicine:

1. Root Tantra: an essential map of the medical system, including the basis of health and disease.
2. Explanatory Tantra: an exposition of anatomy, physiology, and embryology, as well as diagnosis and treatment.
3. Oral Transmission Tantra: a detailed presentation of diseases from eight major branches of pathology, with treatments.
4. Final Tantra: instruction in practical and clinical medicine.

The Four Medical Tantras were composed by Yuthok Yonten Gonpo the Elder (729-854 AD) and revised by Yuthok Yonten Gonpo the Younger (1126-1202 AD).

According to Buddhist philosophy, everything is made up of five elements: space, air, fire, water, and earth. These five elements can be combined into three dynamic principles rLung- the wind element (neutral energy), Tripa- fire element (hot energy) and Beken- water and earth elements (cold energy).

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Susannah Deane in her article “rLung, Mind, and Mental Health: The Notion of “Wind” in Tibetan Conceptions of Mind and Mental Illness” described the rLung conditions, based on the wind type, according to Sowa Rigpa. RLung is understood to be intimately connected to the mind, and we hear the expression that “the mind rides the wind like a man rides a horse”.

1- Ascending Wind: Localised in the chest, it circulates in the region of the throat, nose, and tongue. Connected to the element of fire. Symptoms of disruption may include stammering or difficulty speaking, loss of physical strength, facial paralysis, and memory loss.

2- Pervasive Wind: Localised in the region of the heart, it pervades the whole body. Connected to the element of space. Symptoms of disruption may include discomfort in the heart, unconsciousness or fainting, meaningless talking, and restlessness, decreased mental functioning, unsubstantiated fears, and panic attacks.

3-Metabolic Wind: Localised around the navel and stomach. Connected to the element of air. Symptoms of disruption may include poor digestion and/or a loss of appetite or vomiting.

4- Descending Wind: Localized in the colon, bladder, and reproductive organs. Connected to the element of earth. Symptoms of disruption may include aching in the hips, constipation, and gas accumulation in the stomach, as well as restlessness and fear, psychological and emotional distress, such as jealousy, fear, and worry.

5-Life-sustaining Wind: Localized in the heart or at the crown of the head. Connected to the element of water. It is understood to support the life force and hold the consciousness. Symptoms of disruption may include confusion, auditory and/or visual hallucinations, restlessness, stress, anxiety, depression, dizziness, and insanity—as well as physical symptoms such as difficulty in drawing breath or swallowing food or drinks, reduced appetite, fatigue, and headache.