Tuesday, 7 February 2006

America’s First Full Traditional Tibetan Medicine Program Now Accepting New Students
Institute seeks to become first accredited school of Tibetan medicine in the West

Conway, MA – The Shang Shung Institute of America is now accepting applications for Fall 2006 enrollment in its newly created Traditional Tibetan Medicine Program. The certification program, now in its second year, follows a recent revival of Tibetan medicine in the East and marks one of the most significant advances for its preservation and practice since His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama in exile, re-established the Men-Tsee-Khang in Dharamsala, India in 1961.

The innovative curriculum is the first-of-its-kind in English and the only full-time, four-year Traditional Tibetan Medicine certification program offered in the United States. Graduates will be among the first American-trained certified practitioners and will help put the institute on the path of becoming the first fully accredited school of Tibetan medicine in the West.

The institute also offers introductory seasonal intensives that can be applied toward certification. Limited work-study opportunities are available, and new students can apply online for both fall enrollment and summer intensives at ShangShung.org.

Four-year Certification Program

Under the direction of Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo, a physician with an advanced degree from Lhasa University in Traditional Tibetan Medicine, the program closely parallels traditional training rooted in the Gyud Zhi (pronounced “gyu shee”), the fundamental text of Tibetan medicine better known as “The Four Tantras” in English. The ancient Tantras classify an amazing 1600 types of diseases and corresponding treatments using more than 3,000 medicinal plants native to the Himalayas. The comprehensive curriculum also covers Tibetan physician ethics, medical history and language and includes clinical training, medicine preparation and Kunye massage therapy.

Traditional Tibetan Medicine

With a history going back over 2,500 years, traditional Tibetan medicine is one of the oldest continuously practiced healing systems on Earth. Regarded as science, art and philosophy, it is an ancient form of holistic heath care indigenous to the Tibetan people that integrates the core Buddhist principles of altruism, karma and ethics. Initially influenced by Ayurveda, traditional Tibetan medicine evolved into a synthesis of thousands of years of accumulated empirical knowledge from China, Persia, India and Greece. It was practiced continuously in Tibet until the Chinese invasion in the 1950s and is still practiced today wherever Tibetans live in exile.

Shang Shung Institute of America

Founded at Tsegyalgar in 1994 by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, the primary mission of the Shang Shung Institute in America is to preserve Tibetan cultural knowledge and to foster interest in Tibetan Arts, Culture, History, Philosophy and Religion.

Among the Institute's achievements in the nine years since its inception are; translating Chogyal Namkhai Norbu's groundbreaking three-volume history of Tibet, Light of Kailash (ongoing, under the direction of Dr. Donatella Rossi); developing a comprehensive English-language curriculum and texts for the study of Tibetan Medicine (including the year-round residency of Tibetan physician, Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo); maintaining an extensive audio library of educational resources in Tibetan Medicine (open to study by individuals from every continent), and supporting the creation of thangka series associated with the Dzogchen lineages (created by Master painter Glen Eddy).

The Shang Shung Institute in America is a non-profit and tax-exempt 501(c) organization located in Conway, Massachussetts. The Institute receives funding from members, private donors, corporate matching grants and foundations.