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Sangye Menla - the Medical Buddha |
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Mission Statement
The Himalayan
Amchi Association (HAA) is dedicated to the preservation
and development of tradicional amchi medicine, or sowa
rigpa, in Nepal, and to networking with and mutually
supporting amchi troughout the greater Himalayan and
Central Asian Region.
Amchi's mission as medical practitioners is to serve
people altruistically and help promote health trough the
balance of humanity and nature, as well as mind, body
and spirit.
As such, the HAA aims to provide local communities in
Nepal with reliable health care, safeguard amchi
knowledge, improve educational opportunities for amchi,
and contribute to the conservation of medical plants and
the fragile Himalayan ecosystems on which amchi medicine
depends.
Amchi
Medicine: Past and Present
In general,
amchi medical practice is also identified by the name
sowa rigpa, which means "science of healing" in
classical Tibetan as well as in regional Himalayan and
Central Asian languages and dialects.
The name
amchi means "doctor".
This system of medicine is a spiritual practice, a
science, and an art that dates back thousands of years.
Aspects of our medicine were transmitted from India and
Tibet between the 7th and 12th centuries, during the
first and second disseminationn of Buddhism. This
system, the profound work of Sangye Menla, the
Medicine Buddha, with indigenous Tibetan traditions such
as Bön, and was shaped into sowa rigpa as it is
known today.
Historically, amchi would begin their medical training
ar an early age. Their knowledge and skills have been
transferred from teacher to student, often from father
to son. Thus, lineages of amchi families exist troughout
the Tibetan cultural world. After hof to read and write
classical Tibetan and study relevant religious texts,
students would learn their vocation by apprenticing
elder amchi and studying the Gyud Shi, or the Four Root
Tantra texts of Tibetan medicine. Young amchi would also
learn how to identify and collect medical plants, make
medicine, remove poisenous quantities of certain
ingredients, diagnose disease using pulse and urine
analysis, and privide prescriptions for patients. They
would also be trained in moxibustion, cauterization, and
other healing techniques. Likewise, amchi would receive
training in astrology, as it is an essential component
of diagnosis and treatment within Tibetan medical
tradition.
Traditional
Medicine in the Modern World:
Challenges and Statement of Need
Amchi have
been contributing significantly to the health care
system of remote mountain communities in the Himalaya
and Tibetan Plateau for centuries.In many parts of
Nepal, amchi are the sole providers of health care.
However, despite the great benefit that comes from
amchi medicine, this system is under threat in Nepal and
other parts of the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau. The
younger generation is having a difficult time
sustaining this practice amidst changing social,
economic, and cultural
circumstances. The dearth of traditional institutes of
learning for Tibetan medicine has contributed to this
decline. Likewise, the lack of government recognition
for amchi practice by the Government of Nepal has
further hindered the amch's abilities to pass on
knowledge, serve communities, and pritect the
environments on which this medicine depends.
It has become clear that amchi living in the greater
Himalayan region, including Nepal, must take effective
and timely steps to revitalize this unique traditional
medical system. By doing this, we will also help
safeguard the health, and cultural traditions of our
remote mountain communities. If we do not protect and
support our own knowledge and practice, it will soon be
rendere obsolite.
Himalayan
Amchi Association:
Organizational History, Activities, and Goals
Given the
circumstances, amchi practicing in Nepal agreed to
establish the Himalayan Amchi Association (HAA) with
objective of restoring the practice of amchi medicine
and encouraging the restoration and support of this
vital tradisional knowledge within areas where amchi are
living and practicing medicine. The HAA has been
registered with Government of Nepal as a non-profit
organization since 1998. The organization represents a
large number of traditional remote areas of Nepal,
including those from the districts of Dolpa, Mustang,
Gorkha, Sinduwapalchowk, Mugu, Humla.
Since its founding in 1998, the HAA has organized
fournational conferences of amchi in Nepal and three
refrecher training courses for novice amchi in the
fundamentals of sowa rigpa, according to the Gyu
Shi.These events have brought together more than 100
senior and novice amchi from Nepal, as well as guests
from India and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China.
The HAA has also published and distributed four booklets
based on the national conferences.
In 2003, the HAA opened its own clinic in Kathmandu.
This clinic, staffed by member amchi on a rotational
basis, not only provides medical care to people from
remote mountain communities when they come to Kathmandu,
but also provides the HAA with a source of income and a
view towards organizational sustaunability. It also
serves as a site for clinical training and
apprenticeship for novice amchi.
In 2003, the HAA held its first International Conference
of Amchi, with delegates from Mongolia, Tibet Autonomous
Region (PRC), Bhutan, Ladakh (India),and troughout
Nepal. During this historic conference, delegates have
discussed both constraints and potentials of our medical
traditions and made several unanimous resolutions, in
order to saveguard and develop medical systems in the
contemporary global context. This action plan is as
follows:
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1. |
Recognition and
Support
In
Bhutan, Mongolia and the PRC, sowa rigpa is
fully recognized and supported by national
governments. In Nepal and India, the national
governments have not recognized this medical
system, altough many citizens in both rural and
urban environments rely on amchi for health
care. As such, especially in the countries where
our medical system has not yet been recognized,
we strongly request the formal and full
recognition of our medical practice, and
concomitant and support by government. Such
support should include equal rights for medical
practitioners and financial commitments towards
medical education, medical production, medical
plant conservation, and health care delivery. |
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2. |
Development of
Medical Educational Systems |
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With the exeption of
Nepal, formal university level education of our
medical system exists in all other represented
countries; education in amchi medicine in Nepal
is currently conducted trough four small,
private schools, none of which receive
government support. It is crucial in Nepal to
institutionalize medical education in
collaboration with appropriate government
agencies. We aim to combine ancient and modern
systems of medical education and create
curriculums that will be recognized and
supported by both the government of Nepal and
international institutions of sowa rigpa. There
is a great potential to develop existing
educational structures, particulary trough
collaboration and knowledge sharing among amchi
from diverse countries and background. It is
essential to conduct trainings and workshops
with the aim of developing curriculums and
teaching plans which combine traditional,
lineage-based instructions with the structure
and standards of modern medical institutions. |
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3. |
Health Care Delivery:
Serving our Communities |
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It is necessary to
develop and extend our reach and capacities as
medical practitioners to serve local and
national communities; it is especially important
that we can continue to treat those who are
poor, those who cannot access, prefer not to
access, or cannot be cured by biomedicine. Our
medicine should remain affordable, quality
health care option, especially for rural
communities. It is also necessary to coordinate
education, training, and health care delivery
between this medical system and biomedical
medicine now and in the future. |
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4. |
Conservation,
Cultivation, and Sustainable Utilization of
Medical Plants |
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Amchi possess a great
deal of knowledge about the use, trade, history,
and current situations of medical plants, from
lowland species to the high-altitude species
found in out home environments. We also
understand that without reliable and renewable
access to medicinal plants, we will be unable to
make our medicines, serve patients, or preserve
our unique medical culture. As much, amchi are
ready and willing to contribute towards the
sustainable utolization of medical plants, as
this has positive implications for the health of
people and economies of all countries
represented (Nepal, India, Bhutan, China) |
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5. |
Research,
Documentation, and Intellectual Property Rights |
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Various research and
documentation efforts are required to help
ensure the future vitality of this medical
system troughout the region, and the world. This
includes clinical research, pharmaceutical
research, sociological and antropological
research, etc. Alongside this growing need for,
and interest in, research - particulary between
our medicine and biomedicine - we must also be
aware of Intellectial Property Rights (IPR)
issues, and network with government and
non-government institutions accordingly. Amchis
must ensure our legal access to IPR with proper
documentation and law. |
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In 2006,
after more than two years of collaboration with
the Council of Technical Education and
Vovational Training (CTEVT) as well as partners
at the Ministry of Health and Population -
Ayurveda Council, the Ministry of Education and
Sports, and the Ministry of Local Development -
Remote area Development Committee, and nearly a
decade of continued lobbying efforts, the HAA
was granted initial recognition and support
trough a grant from the Ministry of Education.
In 2007, CTEVT has pledged to continue to
support ongoing curricular development for
amchis. Currently, this support has been used to
develop the Kanjenpa (TSLC/Amchi Health
Association) programme, which is being
implemented for the first time in Nepal at the
Lo Kunphen Mentsikhang and School, Lomanthang
VDC, Mustang. Graduates from this Kanjenpa
course (2 years, 9 months) will receive an
academic certificate from CTEVT and as possible,
a medical license from the Nepal Health
Professional Council.
The new structure of project is designed to
support the ongoing textbooks and curricular
development for the next two levels of amchi
training - that of Durrapa/Amchi Health Worker
and Kapchupa/BS Doctor of Amchi Medicine. |
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