Mingzhu (left), a representative inheritor of the Tibetan medicine bath method, instructs TakiMu Juekan (pharmacist) to torment the "five flavors of manna".
Guan Zhen only let the shooting
The Tibetan Hospital of the Tibet Autonomous Region held an annual Tibetan medicine manna blessing ceremony, which is an important part of the preparation of the Tibetan medicine bath "five flavor manna".
Photo by Kelsang Dorji Courtesy of the China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center
"Appreciated that the declaration submitted by the State party underscored the importance of traditional knowledge relating to nature and the universe and provided positive examples of sustainable links between humans and their environment." Recently, the seminar on the inheritance and development of tibetan medicine bath method was held in Beijing Tibetan Hospital, and when reading this passage at the venue, Bai Mayangzhen, president of the Tibetan Hospital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, repeatedly emphasized the word "appreciation". "We had been watching the live broadcast that night, and the moment the application was successful we felt that everything was worth it. Tears are certain, too many people have worked hard to do so, which is a high evaluation of the Tibetan medicine bath law given by UNESCO, and we are very proud of it. ”
On 28 November 2018, the 13th ordinary session of the INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO was held in Port Louis, Mauritius, where it was approved to include the "Tibetan Medicine Bath Law – Knowledge and Practice of Tibetans in China on life, health and disease prevention and treatment" on unesco's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
What is the Tibetan Medicine Bath Method? Why is it inscribed on the World Intangible Cultural Heritage List? How will the successful application for heritage promote the popularization of Tibetan medicine bathing method? In this regard, this newspaper interviewed relevant experts from the Tibet Autonomous Region Tibetan Hospital, the Tibet University of Tibetan Medicine, the China Center for Tibetan Studies, the Beijing Tibetan Hospital, and the Qinghai Tibetan Hospital who participated in the application for the heritage.
At the Beijing Tibetan Hospital of the China Tibetology Research Center, a patient is being treated with a Tibetan medicine bath.
Photo by Sun Wenmin
Folk experience of bathing and preventing disease
The Tibetan medicine bath method, known in Tibetan as "lóng) mu", is the traditional knowledge and practice of the Tibetan people to regulate the balance of body and mind, realize life health and disease prevention and treatment by bathing in natural hot springs or boiling water juice or steam with medicine, guided by the "five sources" outlook on life of earth, water, fire, wind and air, and the "three causes" health concept and disease concept of Long, Chipa and Bacon.
Zhong Gejia, acting president of the Beijing Tibetan Hospital of the China Tibetology Research Center, explained to this newspaper that the "five sources" are directly related to nature, and the "three causes" theory developed by Tibetan medicine based on the "five sources" shows that people, as organisms, have close ties with the natural world, and all physiological functions will be affected by changes in the natural world, which provides a basic theoretical basis for the development of Tibetan medicine.
Zhonggejia introduced that in the 4th century AD, the Ancestors of the Tibetan people developed the habit of regular bathing due to the need to "purify and worship the Buddha", and since then, this bathing habit has been inherited and developed by Tibetan doctors, who advocate the use of natural hot spring bathing to treat some special diseases. However, due to the uneven distribution and limited number of natural hot springs, and due to the limitations of seasonal and weather factors, most patients are unable to find suitable natural hot springs for treatment. In order to solve this problem, Tibetan medicine has finally invented the "five-flavor nectar" formula with the same effect as natural hot springs after continuous exploration and practice. This invention marked the mature stage of Tibetan medicine bath therapy, and as a result, the folk experience of Tibetan medicine bath bathing and disease prevention gradually evolved into a medical behavior with controllable technology and stable efficacy.
At present, Tibetan medicine baths can be widely used in the prevention and treatment of systemic diseases such as exercise, respiration, circulation, nerves, digestion, urinary, reproduction, endocrine and other systemic diseases, and have the functions of dispelling cold pulses, dispelling wind and cold, dissolving stasis and activating the network, warming the stomach and digesting food, and warming the liver and kidneys.
"Tibetan medicine bath is only one of the external treatment methods of 'Sowaripa' (referring to Tibetan medicine). In addition to external treatments, there are also diet therapy, living therapy, drug therapy and other treatment methods. Yang Ben Tashi, director of the Tibetan Medicine Bath Department of Qinghai Tibetan Hospital, told this newspaper.
Every year during the Seventh Month of the Tibetan Calendar, the public participates in the practice of this heritage project.
Photo courtesy of China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center
The opportunity for Tibetan medicine to go global
It is reported that with the inclusion of the Tibetan Medicine Bath Law, a total of 40 projects in China have been included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, which is of great significance for inheriting and carrying forward the excellent traditional Chinese culture.
According to Bai Ma Yangzhen, in 2008 and 2014 respectively, China included the relevant items of the Tibetan Medicine Bath Law on the National Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and this round of application was launched at the end of 2015 on this basis, and the final application text was submitted to UNESCO in March 2017.
For the application process, Bai Ma Yangzhen sighed: "It is not easy, the name of the application project has been demonstrated many times, and the application text has also been modified countless times. During the Spring Festival of 2017 and the Tibetan Calendar, our team did not care about resting at all, and has been busy preparing materials. It was not until the news of the successful application for the heritage that everyone's hanging hearts finally let go. ”
It is understood that the Convention for the Protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage divides intangible cultural heritage items into five categories, and the Tibetan medicine bath law is classified as the fourth category - knowledge and practice about the natural world and the universe. UNESCO' resolution on Tibetan medicine baths is as follows: "This heritage project is a complex medical practice derived from a traditional environment that has developed into an integral part of institutionalized medicine in Tibet and several other provinces in China and is respected ... The practice contributes to the promotion of sustainable development, the knowledge of the natural world and the conservation of natural resources... The traditional and institutionalized practices of the Heritage Project create synergies that promote respect among different practice groups and stimulate dialogue among other communities about health and disease prevention practices. ”
It can be seen that the inclusion of the Tibetan Medicine Bath Law in the United Nations Intangible Cultural Heritage List reflects the great importance attached by the international community to the protection of intangible cultural heritage in traditional knowledge and practice, and is also a high recognition of the overall value of Tibetan medicine bath and even Tibetan medicine.
"In the future, we must not only carry out Tibetan medicine propaganda at home, but also actively speak out internationally, so that Tibetan medicine culture can be known to the world, and the Tibetan medicine bath method can really go out." Bai Ma Yang Zhen stressed.
Students at the Tibetan Medical College are studying the Four Medical Codes, which record knowledge about Tibetan medicine bathing methods.
Photo by Liu Gang Courtesy of China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center
Fulfilling the commitment to protect cultural heritage
In the ward of the Beijing Tibetan Hospital of the China Center for Tibetan Studies, deputy chief physician Wang Duoji conducts a lunch round, and his patients are basically treated with Tibetan medicine baths.
"When I first came to see the doctor, I couldn't move my neck at all, and I couldn't look down when I brushed my teeth, so Dr. Wang Duoji suggested that I use the medicinal bath method to treat me." Ms. Wei, a patient, said, "Now it is mainly to soak the feet, and when the physical condition is stable, it is ready to soak the whole body." ”
Since coming to Beijing Tibetan Hospital from Sichuan in 2005, Wang Duoji has more than ten years of clinical experience in Tibetan medicine. "My commitment to Tibetan medicine stemmed from an illness experience I had growing up with. In the fourth grade of primary school, Tibetan medicine helped me cure the inflammation in my legs, saved one of my legs, and the seeds of devoting myself to Tibetan medicine took root in my heart. Wang Duoji said.
The news of the successful application for the Tibetan medicine bath law also made the patient Mr. Han quite excited. "In recent years I have been treating rheumatism on my legs, rheumatism, it is like there are small bugs crawling in the joints, it is very painful. In the past few months, I have begun to do medicinal baths in Tibetan hospitals, about 20 minutes at a time, which is particularly comfortable. ”
How to inherit and promote the Tibetan medicine bath method and keep it alive forever is an important issue after the successful application for heritage. Bai Ma Yangzhen said: "In the future, in accordance with the Five-Year Protection Plan for tibetan medicinal baths (2019-2023), we will intervene and improve in terms of formulating relevant standards, cultivating talents, further excavating the connotation of Tibetan medicinal baths, and standardizing diagnosis and treatment behaviors, and fulfill the commitments we made when we declared to UNESCO." ”
"Inheriting and developing the Tibetan medicine bath method, the standard is the most important issue." Ren Xiaoxiao, director of the Institute of Ethnic Medicine at Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said, "First of all, we must be clear about which diseases Tibetan medicine baths are effective for and where its advantages and characteristics are reflected. The second is the standardization of medicinal bath technology and operation, such as the place of medicinal bath, the qualification of doctors, and the control of the medicinal bath process, which must have standards. Finally, the development of medicinal bath products, which will be an important part of promoting the industrialization of Tibetan medicinal baths. ”
Zheng Dui, director general of the China Center for Tibetan Studies, said at the seminar: "Taking the opportunity of the successful application for the Tibetan Medicine Bath Law, this time to organize an academic seminar to gather expert consensus, further plan the development plan of Tibetan medicine, and explore ways and methods to give full play to the advantages of traditional medicine to benefit the people, which will help promote the concern and promotion of health to become the common responsibility and action of the state, society, individuals and families." ”
(Author Of this article, Ye Xiaonan, Liu Mengyue)
People's Daily Overseas Edition ( 2019-01-08 Issue 07)