By Wendy Kale
The art and culture of Tibet is as fascinating as it is mysterious.
Hoping to bring the ancient culture to light, The Boulder Public Library is hosting “The Art and Culture of Tibet” celebration. The month-long art show and lecture series is presented by the Tibetan Village Project and the displays, talks, and special events included in the festival will cover topics as diverse as ritual ceremonies, the arts, education, the Dalai Lama, and Tibetan medicine.
The presenters hope to enlighten Boulder on the culture of Tibet and to educate locals on the plight of the poverty-stricken country. The Tibetan Village Project is a non-profit group that is dedicated to building education, health, and self-sustainable solar power projects in the country.
The exhibit at the Boulder Public Library began June 14 with a ritual ceremony, a reception that featured traditional Tibetan foods and the debut of the gallery show featuring Thangka (Tibetan scroll) painting, photos, and display arts.
Last week “The Art and Culture” show presented a slide show on Tibetan educational programs in addition to the documentary “Tibet: A Movement in Time.”
One of the most anticipated events of the culture-fest is tonight’s lecture on Tibetan Medicine by Boulder physician Dr. Philip Weber, M.D. Fusing together the best of east-meets-west, the doctor uses both ancient Tibetan medical arts and modern medicine in his local practice.
Tibetan medicine is an approach to healing that draws from thousands of years of multicultural teachings. Influenced by the Ayurvedic traditions of India, the Tibetan system was also infused with medical information from China, Persia and Greece. In the 11th century, all this knowledge was incorporated into a unique code of healing that resonated with Buddhist spiritual beliefs.
“This system of medicine also uses the healing work of the nomadic indigenous people of Tibet,” explained Weber. “The Shamanistic tradition in Tibet is very strong, and they believe that there is a definite relation between the environment and the workings of natural forces. Interestingly, a lot of these traditions are very similar to those of the Native Americans.”
Weber had the opportunity to work with the Dalai Lama’s physician in 1976 and he became fascinated with the eastern healing system. He was impressed with the idea of combining meditation work with holistic healing and natural remedies.
“I liked the fact that Tibetan medicine used a lot of mind-training practices – that puts the mind aspect of health back into play,” said Weber. “It’s a 2,000-year-old tradition that encourages balance in the body, and every cure is personal, because every body is different. But the best healings come from using both the Tibetan and Western medicine traditions. They complement each other very nicely.”
Weber says that nothing can beat Western medicine for setting broken bones or removing an appendix. However, the local doctor claims that Western medicine can’t really take care of chronic illnesses like diabetes or arthritis. According to Weber, those diseases are best treated on an internal level using Tibetan healing techniques.
Tibetan medicine historically believes that the universe is based on five elements of nature. The Tibetans lived in direct contact with nature for many centuries, and they understood the forces of nature and how they could affect the human body. The Tibetans called the most dominant energies earth, water, fire, wind and space.
The culture also developed three primary physical systems that translate into English as wind, phlegm and bile. For example, wind covers circulation function and the nervous system, bile works on the metabolism and liver function, and the phlegm system provides lubrication to the body and works on memory and the individual will. According to Tibetan medicine, if one system is out of order, the whole body will become ill.
“Tibetan medicine works with the power of the mind, emotions, and spiritual issues,” said Weber. “There are definite links between one’s spiritual level and level of health. You also have to look at genetics, and even if a disease that runs in your family manifests, Tibetan medicine allows you to handle rather than fight it.”
Weber feels that Tibetan medicine is right on target when it states that the mind is the architect of all disease. The tradition even believes that losing the mind’s ability to think clearly can cause accidents.
“Besides psychological imbalance, diet is the other main cause of disease,” said Weber. “Americans drink too much coffee and eat too much sugar, so people really need to work on their diet first. Tibetan medicine is very personalized, so we look at each person’s constitution and prescribe a diet according to their individual needs. The next step would be to use herbs for healing the body.”
As a rule of thumb, Weber advises that Americans get off the fast food, sugar, and coffee track. Instead, he suggests a diet rich in natural foods, organic fruits and vegetables, and whole grains.
The doctor says that he has seen some remarkable recoveries for those who chose to take the Tibetan medicine route.
“I had one man come in who was diagnosed with lymphoma. We saw that it was a ‘heat’ disease, so it was treated with mind-calming practices, and a diet that didn’t allow any spicy or greasy foods, or any alcohol. He did the practice, and the lymphoma went away. It’s all about balance,” said Weber.
Seeing these kinds of results has inspired Weber to bring his research on Tibetan medicine to his Naropa University class. The doctor has also been on call to deliver lectures in Germany.
Weber will be giving a free talk on Tibetan medicine at the Boulder Public Library tonight at 7 p.m. The lecture will give a basic understanding of the medical system, its history, and practical information on diet and behavior.
“Tibetan and Western medicine used together are a powerful combination,” said Weber. “People are looking to get back to balance again. As doctors, we’ve seen the results. I realize that there are polarized camps between alternative and traditional medicine, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Both systems can work together.”
There are even more Tibet events slated at the Boulder Public Library: July 9, the library will host a talk on a Tibetan pilgrimage, July 12 the film “Compassion in Exile” will be shown, and on July 16 there will be a slide show on Tibet.
July 6 has been designated as “World Tibet Day” and there will be an all-day event in Boulder’s Central Park with singer Wendy Woo, Tibetan music and dance, traditional food and arts booths, and exhibitions of Tibetan photography and artwork. The event is being promoted by the Tibetan Association.
Boulder has embraced the arts and culture of Tibet, and while the people of the country are still lacking basic freedoms, at least their traditions are becoming known around the world.
