Sowa-Rigpa

In News

• A National workshop on Sowa-Rigpa for the Sowa-Rigpa practitioners of North Eastern States is held in Gangtok, Sikkim.
  • The National Institute of Sowa-Rigpa under the Ministry of Ayush in collaboration with the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology (NIT) is conducting this workshop.
  • The Ministry of Ayush intends to set up a 30-bedded Sowa Rigpa Hospital in the state of Sikkim.

About Sowa Rigpa

• “Sowa-Rigpa” is commonly known as the Amchi system of medicine. 
• It is one of the oldest, Living and well documented medical traditions of the world. 
• The term ‘Sowa-Rigpa’ is derived from the Bhoti language which means ‘Knowledge of Healing’.
• Origin: 
  • Some scholars believe that it originated from India; some say China and others consider it to have originated from Tibet itself.
• Literature:
  • Gyud-Zi (four tantra) is the fundamental textbook of this medicine.
  • The four Tantras are as follows – Root Tantra – Exegetical Tantra – Instructional Tantra – Subsequent Tantra.
• Regions of practice:
  • It has been popularly practised in Tibet, Magnolia, Bhutan, some parts of China, Nepal, a few regions of India, and a few parts of the former Soviet Union, etc.
  • In India, this system has been practised in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling (West Bengal), Lahoul & Spiti (Himachal Pradesh) and the Ladakh region of Jammu & Kashmir, etc.
• Education and practice:
  • Traditionally the Amchis are trained under the traditional educational system either under private guru-shishya tradition or under gyud-pa (lineage) system in families in which the knowledge is passed down from father to son through generations. 
  • Although there is clear written instruction in the Four Tantra, the oral transmission of medical knowledge still remains a strong element in Tibetan Medicine.

• Influence of Ayurveda: 
  • The majority of the theory and practice of Sowa-Rigpa is similar to “Ayurveda”. 
  • The first Ayurvedic influence came to Tibet during the 3rd century AD but it became popular only after the 7th century with the approach of Buddhism to Tibet.

Source:PIB