Reading Pictures: Medicine and Buddhism at the Peak of the Tibetan State

Harvard’s Janet Gyatso looks at the intricate relations between religion and science in Tibet, as evident in certain telling details of the stunning set of medical images.

Medicine and Buddhism have had a complex relation since the early days of Indian Buddhism. This relation only became more complex in Tibet. On the one hand Buddhism was integral to virtually all of Tibetan culture and politics, but on the other hand there was an increasing urge to practice medicine on empirical grounds, free of religious ideology. The beautiful set of 79 medical paintings produced by the regent of the Fifth Dalai Lama at the end of the 17th century illustrates this dynamic well. We see here both the ways that Buddhism shaped high ideals of Tibetan culture, and how medicine could address issues in human life and flourishing that stood outside, and even could challenge, the hegemony of Buddhist power in Tibet. This lecture will study the intricate relations between religion and science in Tibet, as evident in certain telling details of the stunning set of medical images.
Janet Gyatso is Hershey Professor of Buddhist Studies at the Divinity School of Harvard University. Her books include Apparitions of the Self: The Secret Autobiographies of a Tibetan Visionary; In the Mirror of Memory: Reflections on Mindfulness and Remembrance in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism; and Women of Tibet, co-edited with Hanna Havnevik. She has recently completed a new book, Being Human in a Buddhist World: Towards an Intellectual History of Medicine in Early Modern Tibet, coming out with Columbia University Press. This is Dr. Gyatso’s second appearance at The Rubin.

Bodies In Balance: The Essentials

A full weekend of talks and demonstrations on the rich subject of Tibetan medicine and concepts of wellbeing. Scholars, medical practitioners and experts meet to share their experience in eleven separate presentations. For those who wish to immerse themselves in the concepts of Tibetan medical practice, this is the weekend for you.
A conference to deepen your appreciation of the exhibitionBodies in Balance: The Art of Tibetan Medicine.


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