Documentation of
Indigenous Practices
Sowa Rigpa Himalayan Art of Healing Lahaul and Spiti Himachal Pradesh Aakanksha Sharma | PDPG18
To Spiti and it’s people… Julley!
Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to all the people whose assistance and guidance helped me in completing this documentation assignment. Especially my faculties at National Institute of Design, Sucharita Beniwal and Praveen Nahar, for providing me the opportunity to work on this document and laying out clear guidelines. I have been humbled by the treatment I received from the people of Spiti. It is due to their efforts and kindness that I was able to gather all the information from the widely laid out and sparsely populated cold desert. I would like to thank the National Institute of Design to work on this assignment as a part of my curriculum. I would like to thank my parents and my friends for encouraging me to take this journey on my own and providing me all the guidance I needed.
Geographical location of Kaza, headquarters for Lahaul and Spiti.
Preface What - Documenting the medicinal practice of the Tibetan plateau, in the Zanskar ranges of the Himalayas, namely Sowa Rigpa. It is one of the oldest, living and well documental medicinal practices of the world. It is based on Indian Buddhist literature and follows Buddha’s Four Noble Truths.
Where - Sowa Rigpa is practice only in the Tibetan plateau in the entire world. Tibet Plateau or the Qing–Zang Plateau or Himalayan Plateau, a vast elevated plateau in Central East Asia, comprises of of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai in western China, as well as Ladakh and Lahaul & Spiti in India. We shall be looking at it’s practice in Lahaul and Spiti region.
Why - As with any other indigenous practice, Sowa Rigpa has been locally self sufficient in the sense that it uses herbs from the local forests to treat the local people of their ailments. We shall look at it’s history, how it has evolved and what lies ahead.
Introduction
An overview of the place and the practice
Introduction to Spiti Spiti valley or the ‘middle land’ is a remote cold desert region located in the Zanskar ranges of Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh between India and China. The headquarters for the region are located at Kaza, a small town by the Spiti river. Spiti was first connected to the mainland by a road in 1962. Lahaul & Spiti can be accessed via road from Manali (entry into Lahaul) and through Sumdo in Kinnaur district (entry into Spiti). Vegetation becomes sparse as one moves towards Spiti; with a dramatic setting of snow capped peaks preceded by weather-beaten barren plains. The geographic placement passes a heavy influence of Buddhism and stark cultural similarities of the Tibetan region into the valley. Religion plays a major role in everyday life, testified by the piles of ‘mani’ stones and prayer flags fluttering relentlessly in thin air. For centuries, Spiti has had an introversive culture where life remained focused around its monasteries scattered around in small villages at an average altitude of 12,500 feet. The Himalayas were formed around 200 million years ago overturning the vast Tethys sea that existed in its place. The fossils bearing testimony to the marine life present there centuries ago can be found in Spiti. In 1901, Rudyard Kipling in his book ‘Kim’ described Spiti as ‘a world within a world’ – something that holds true to the present day.
(Clockwise) Fossils found in Langza village and preserved at Hikkim; snow covered peaks Zanskar peaks across a barren landscape; outside the oldest monastery of India at Tabo; a map of main villages of Spiti (source: Himalayan Cafe, Kaza)
Introduction to Sowa Rigpa Sowa Rigpa or the “science of healing” is based on Buddhist religious texts which are believed to be based on the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha (Medicinal Buddha), ‘who upon enlightenment turned blue and with his glow spreading in ten directions converting all the plants in the forest around him into medicinal plants’. The practice is based on the principles of Jung-wa-nga and Ngepa-Sum, according to which bodies of all the living beings and non living objects of the universe are composed of Sa, Chu, Me, Lung and Nam-kha (earth, water, fire, wind and space). Human body is composed of these cosmo physical elements of Jung-wa-nga; when the proportion of these elements is in imbalance, a disorder occurs. Sowa Rigpa bases its formulas on a principle that any substance comprises not only of the five elements, but also what are known as the 6 tastes, 3 post digestive tastes. The direct influence from the elements themselves upon taste is reflected in their environments, season of collection, how, when and in what way they must be processed or purified. This gift of medicine from the high mountains carries the fragrance of that special unbroken spiritual lineage of peace and wisdom from the land of the snow lion.
A Shakyamuni Buddha Thangka painting (left) and the four tantras tree found in Buddhist text for medicine (right).
Sowa Rigpa
A study of the practice of Sowa Rigpa
The Amchi and the Diagnostic process Amchi or a doctor in the Sowa Rigpa system of medicine are extremely knowledgeable physicians who not only have trained in all the healing arts, but also obtain extra specific training. A person can become an Amchi if the practice is passed on through lineage i.e. ancestral Amchi or by gaining education of the practice through different schools or under another Amchi. Both are widely accepted, though ‘ancestral Amchis are believed to carry blessings of theirs ancestors’. The Amchi is a true artist, understanding how the variation a season of extra heavy rain or drought may affect a herb and making adjustments according to the elements and 6 tastes to balance the 21 characteristics of the three humors. Special training is begun early in their studies and continues for years after they become a physician in how to follow the exact protocols as performed for centuries in picking, processing and possible detoxification. The diagnosis of a condition is done through the analysis of the pulse, urine and the symptoms. Dietary and behavioral modifications are recommended for treatment of a disorder. The practice believes in detoxifying the body and not just curing a condition.
Chhering Norbu, an ancestral Amchi, on a ďŹ eld visit to meet his patients in remote villages (left) and diagnosis of illnesses through pulse as depicted in the Buddhist literature (right).
Herb Collection and Preparation of Medicines The herbs are collected by the Amchi with the help of locals in return for the medical help rendered in past. The herbs are collected majorly in the month of September and October from the local forests and only a part of the plant is taken away, leaving the roots intact to preserve the rare vegetation present in the area. Some common herbs are also cultivated on the small farmlands belonging to the locals. Countless formulas exist in the Sowa Rigpa system of healing and each is intrinsically designed for specific humoral imbalance. The pharmacopoeia includes thousands of ingredients. Cumin, caraway, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, licorice, clove, cardamon, long pepper, pomegranate, saffron, garlic, sesame, onion seed, ginger, fenugreek and a host of others are used throughout Sowa Rigpa. Minerals and stones such as calcite, quartz, iron, various salts, mineral pitch are commonly used. Some minerals are not digestible on their own and require proper detoxification according to ancient guidelines. Other special formulas named rinchen rilbu, or ‘precious pills’ are intensely potent medicines and substances used to deeply enhance the treatment. It can take several months to gather the ingredients, detoxify them properly and compound them into traditional supplements. Used as regenerative, preventive and restorative to general health and serious illness alike, proper guidance is required while taking these formulas.
(Clockwise) Some common herbs being sundried for medicine preparation; Taashibootith working on a farm for herb cultivation; Thuptan Thapkey, a non-ancestral Amchi, talking to a patient (medicines in the background).
People of Spiti
An inner perspective through an outsider’s lens
The People of Spiti Interacting with the local people of Spiti gave a varied perspective of their lives and challenges. The sense of community is very strong and evident in Spiti and the crime incidents are almost none. Weddings and funerals are a collective responsibility and people just assume responsibilities when it happens. The air is thin but fresh, nonetheless. Water is pure but scarce as the region receives little to no rain before it starts snowing. Women ďŹ ll up water from the river and carry it home everyday. People use water efďŹ ciently and try to conserve it by all means possible.
Sowa Rigpa is respected as a practice but the time required for the treatment to effectively work is quite long and therefore, a lot of people have moved towards alternative systems of medicine. The cultivation of some of the common herbs is done on farms and taken care of by women. The herb collection from the forests primarily involved the youth of the village but now due to their unavailability it is left off to the women. The Amchis are some of the most respected individuals in the region and have a special seat in any religious gathering but they are also few in number now.
In conversation with Minsi, a farm worker in Kaza, Spiti valley. The workers on farms in the region are generally older women. They work on the farm to fend for their families and pay for their children's education. The youth of the valley is now moving towards higher education, has high aspirations and does not seem to ďŹ t in with the old and simpler way of living. Minsi wants the best for her children and for her working on the farm is the only ‘way of survival’. She talks on; about crop failure, lack of government help, the community living in the region and the older times.
New Horizons
Identifying opportunities and acknowledging the challenges
Opportunities and Challenges Women self help groups have come up with initiatives to harvest and sell the local produce in the market. People are realizing the importance and benefits of the organic and nutritious produce of the area and are trying to capture opportunities related to the same. Tourism, though seasonal, has generated a lot of opportunities for the locals as in homestays, tour guides, cafes, et al. People have started sending their children to the plains to get ‘better’ education. Their children find it difficult to fit in when they return; so many families have migrated to the plains. The youth finds it difficult to apply their knowledge to the local jobs and is dissatisfied. There are government hospitals in the region now which provide allopathic and homeopathic medicines free of cost. People only go the Amchi for a milder or a prolonged ailment. The number of Amchis in the region has subsequently decreased as extensive training requires a lot of time and effort and does not pay well in the long run. Chhering Norbu, an ancestral Amchi, is worried whether any of his four sons will take up the practice.
Spiti Seabuckthorn Society, women self-help group initiative (left) and Strictly Spiti, an initiative by Hotel Deyzor, products (right).
“What surprises me most is “man”, because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he doesn’t enjoy the present; the result being he doesn’t live in the present or the future; he lives as if he’s never going to die, and then he dies having never really lived.” His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Aakanksha Sharma | PDPG18