Erik Jampa Anderson - The Sowa Rigpa Revolution: Tibetan Medicine, Ecology, and the Breath of Life
Play • 1 hr 28 min

In today's episode, we will explore the rich and fascinating world of Sowa Rigpa, the Tibetan Science of Healing, and discover some of the ways that traditional medicine can help to revolutionise our approaches to health, personal and social wellness, and environmentalism. For years, scientists have been warning of an impending rise in zoonotic infections like Covid-19. A perfect storm of deforestation, global warming, widespread inequality, and disrespect for the ‘sensitive’ regions of the planet have forced us into a new and frightening era of uncertainty. But beyond tackling this singular epidemiological eruption, how can we truly heal on a deeper level?

800 years ago, the renowned yogi-physician Yuthok Yönten Gönpo composed a collection of texts that would come to represent the basis for all Tibetan medicine, seamlessly integrating cutting-edge Indian, Chinese, and Greco-Arabic medical developments with indigenous healing knowledge. Of particular interest is Tibetan Medicine’s unique theory of ‘provocation’ (Tib. gDon). Rooted in a deep and sophisticated indigenous understanding of the energies of the natural world, Tibetan scientists like Yuthok concluded that infectious diseases arise in part due to an imbalanced relationship with the natural world.

We will also explore Tibetan perceptions of rLung (‘wind’), a highly sophisticated and fascinating framework for conceptualising mind-body interactions, along with a simple traditional method for soothing excess rLung on your own. Together, these two concepts – rLung and gDon – illustrate two of the many ways that traditional medicine can help us to unite disparate fields of science, health, and philosophy to enter into a new age of revolutionary wellness.

This episode was recorded during 'Healing the Body, Healing the Mind', a weekend of workshops and talks organised by Science & Wisdom LIVE in collaboration with Jamyang London Buddhist Centre and Land of Medicine Buddha.

About Erik Jampa Andersson
Erik Jampa Andersson, director and founder of Shrīmālā, is a Sowa Rigpa practitioner, SKI teacher, and meditation instructor with students and clients across the world. Erik is one of the few westerners to have completed a comprehensive education in the Gyu-Zhi (Four Tantras of Tibetan Medicine) as well as clinical training in Tibetan herbalism, dietetics, and manual therapies.

A Buddhist practitioner since age 14, Erik found an early home in the Tibetan tradition under the close guidance of Lama Tsultrim Allione, Tulku Sang-Ngag Rinpoche, and Khenpo Urgyen Wangchuk. After a stint in Tibetan Studies and Eastern Medicine at Naropa University, he completed the Shang Shung Institute’s Traditional Tibetan Medicine program between 2012-2017 and trained extensively under notable senior Amchis such as Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo, Dr. Namgyal Tsering, Dr. Nyima Tsering, and other Sowa Rigpa physicians in America and Asia.


Science & Wisdom LIVE brings meditation practitioners in conversation with scientists to address the problems of contemporary society and come to new possible solutions.

Subscribe to our Newsletter
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Youtube
Visit our Website

More episodes
Search
Clear search
Close search
Google apps
Main menu