Picture 1: Medicine King and Medicine King City

The Four Medical Classics is an authoritative reference book on Tibetan medicine that integrates the essence of Tibetan medicine practice and theory. It is known as the encyclopedia of Tibetan medicine and is the most systematic, complete and fundamental theoretical system in Tibetan medicine.

The Four Medical Classics, also known as the Four Sequels to Medical Prescriptions, was created in the 8th century AD and was written by the famous Tibetan medical scientist Yuto Nyingma Yundan Gongbu. It consists of four volumes and 156 chapters. It was first printed on woodblocks in 1546 and distributed to various parts of Tibet. After that, many different versions of woodcuts and annotations appeared, making it the most classic masterpiece in the field of Tibetan medicine.

The founder of Tibetan medicine, Yutuo Yundan Gongbu (708-833), collected the essence of ancient Tibetan medicine, absorbed the essence of medicine from all over the world, and compiled the “Four Medical Classics”. This masterpiece is the earliest source of 80 thangkas. In the early 8th century AD, Biji Zanbashila, the doctor of the Tubo Dynasty, compiled and illustrated 26 chapters of the “Corpse Atlas”. Tibetan medical abdominal drawings such as “Corpse Distribution Map” and “Live and Corpse Measurement” can be found in many Tibetan medical historical books. In 1730 AD, the drawing of 79 Tibetan medical thangkas for the “Four Medical Classics Series of Wall Charts” was successfully completed. According to historical records, thangka drawings are intended to make the “Four Medical Classics” easy to understand, so that everyone from the knowledgeable to the beginners can understand it, just like a transparent jewel in the palm of your hand, which is clear at a glance.

The 80 Tibetan medical thangkas are the shining pearls of the treasure house of Chinese medicine and the crystallization of the wisdom of the Tibetan people. In 1998, Professor Qiangba Chilai served as the chief editor and compiled 80 color wall charts of the Four Medical Classics in Tibetan, Chinese and English. More than 4,900 small circle charts as annotations have played a finishing touch to the series of wall charts. The Four Medical Classics covers a lot of content such as embryology, anatomy, psychology, health care, and drug clinical medicine.

Tibetan medicine bathing method is included in the intangible cultural heritage

On November 28, 2018, China’s “Tibetan Medicine Bathing Method” was officially included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

At the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, the “Tibetan Medicine Bathing Method – Knowledge and Practice of the Tibetan People in China on Life, Health and Disease Prevention” submitted by China was reviewed and included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This is also the 40th heritage project selected by China in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention. Tibetan medicine bathing method is a traditional knowledge and practice of regulating the balance of body and mind and achieving life, health and disease prevention by bathing in natural hot springs or water or steam boiled with medicine.

The Tibetan medical classic “Four Medical Classics” has a special chapter on medicinal bath therapy. Tibetan medicinal bath therapy is an important part of the Tibetan medical “Sowaripa”, called “Longmu” in Tibetan. It is the traditional knowledge and practice of the Tibetan people to adjust the balance of body and mind and achieve life health and disease prevention by bathing in natural hot springs or water or steam boiled with medicines, guided by the “Four Medical Classics” as the “five sources” of life and the “three causes” of health and disease. Tibetan medicinal bath therapy is also the inheritance and development of traditional Tibetan medical theory represented by the “Four Medical Classics” in contemporary health practice.

Figure 1: Medicine King and Medicine King City

(1) This map is based on the content of Chapter 1, “The King of Medicine and the City of the King of Medicine” in the Four Medical Classics: General Principles.

(2) According to Tibetan medical classics, Medicine King Menjela, Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light Buddha, is the incarnation of Sakyamuni Buddha. He once taught medicine to celestial physicians such as Tagarpu, medical immortals such as Junshipu, non-Buddhist gods such as Brahma, and bodhisattvas such as Guanyin in Medicine King City. The contents of his teachings were passed down to the world and became the Four Medical Classics.

(3) According to the Tibetan medical classics: Medicine King City is a square palace made of precious stones, gold, silver, white pearls, red pearls, and blue glaze. The palace wall is five layers high and has four gates: the east gate is guarded by Dhritarashtra, the south gate is guarded by Virūdhaka, the west gate is guarded by Virūpākṣa, and the north gate is guarded by Vairocana.

The Wuliang Palace is decorated with various medicinal gems and watchtowers. Five kinds of necklaces made of heavenly gems are hung on the eaves, and five kinds of golden tops made of Bodhi gems, Buddha towers and roof ridges are dazzling and clear….

The sunny hills south of the city are covered with all kinds of hot medicines for treating cold diseases;

In the north of the city grow various cold medicines for treating febrile diseases;

Seven varieties of myrobalan grow east of the city;

In the west of the city grow six kinds of good medicines, cold water stone, five-spirit fat, hot springs and five kinds of potions.

Flocks of birds are singing in the sky above the medicinal forest; around the forest, groups of animals such as elephants, bears, and musk deer, which contain valuable medicines in their bodies, are lying down.

In the center of the Wuliang Palace is a throne inlaid with various gems. The throne is decorated with divine lions, divine elephants, Pegasus, Kunpeng, peacocks, and Tuofu. Sitting on the throne is the Medicine King Menjera, the Medicine Buddha, who is preaching medicine.

When Medicine King Menjra was preaching medicine, he transformed himself into five immortals with the five kinds of wisdom natures: the mirror-like wisdom of pure ignorance, the wisdom of emptiness of pure anger, the wisdom of equality of pure arrogance, the wisdom of wonderful observation of pure desire, and the wisdom of accomplishment of pure jealousy. He revealed the secrets of medicine and the distribution map of various followers, such as internal and external immortals, through questions and answers among these five incarnated immortals.