Pictures of the Lecture on “Sowa Rigpa, the Science of Healing“

Sept 7, 2013 in the Sylviander House

It was a great joy for us to welcome Dr. Dorjee Rapten and his team from Men-Tsee-Khang, the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in Bangalore. 

This first event of such kind in our Sylviander House Art Museum was organised by Sethu Das, the founder of Friends of Tibet (www.friendsoftibet.org), and his Wellbeing-team. 

After the arrival of our guests we had lunch together, cooked by Lila-Amma, our good helper from the village, and Alexander. I only added my selfmade curd – from the milk of the grass fed neighbor cow – with herbals and chillies freshly harvested in our garden. 

Already 3 pm the first people came for the program, among them some of ‘our‘ curious kids from the neighborhood, who visit us very often for seeing Alexanders painting exhibition in the Art Museum, for the Children Class or just for playing on my old piano. 

Punctually 4 pm we started the program. I welcomed our guests and explained shortly the ‘wellbeing‘ plan, construction and materials of the Sylviander House. 

Appu Jacob John, a campaigner of the Friends of Tibet Foundation for the Wellbeing, translated into malayalam since many villagers don‘t speak english, and Dr. Dorjee Rapten and me don‘t speak malayalam. 

Suresh Babu, also a very active Wellbeing campaigner, gave a brief introduction to the issue in malayalam language. 

More and more people had come, friends, strangers, villagers, even some foreigners. 

When Dr. Dorjee Rapten started his lecture, the Museum was quite crowded. 

Again Appu Jacob John had to translate so everybody could follow his explanations of tibetan medicine and tibetan understanding of healing and being in health. 

Between his speech, Dr. Dorjee Rapten and his team did a prayer in tibetan language, a kind of sang-spoken murmers. 

In the end of this interesting lecture the audience could ask questions, while tibetan tea and biskets were served to everybody. 

Finally Dr. Dorjee Rapten demonstrated a pulse diagnose with our close friend Malu, a thirteen years old poet. 

He explained the importance of respect to the patient, of compassion and relation a tibetan doctor must have to those, he wants to heal, and the different functions of his fingers to ‘understand‘ the pulse. 

Afterwards Dr. Dorjee Rapten spoke to some people of the audience, among them some of his patients – 

and always with his humor …

Around 7 pm he and his team had to leave to catch the train back to Bangalore: 

Pinnekanam! We see us again! 

To the audience was then shown the documentary film Blue Buddha. 

We all had a wonderful afternoon, thanks to Dr. Dorjee Rapten, thanks to the wellbeing team Suresh Babu, Sethu Das, Appu Jacob John and Mukta Ojha, who came traveling all the long way from Patna. 

www.friendsoftibet.org/wellbeing

The Wellbeing Tibetan Medical Camp in Kochi, Kerala is organised jointly by Friends of Tibet Foundation for the Wellbeing and Men-Tsee-Khang, the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

(written by Sylvie Bantle)