Michael is a Postulant to Buddhist Monkhood,

a Sixth Year Senior Student of Dr. Vasant Lad and

Past Faculty Member of the Ayurvedic Institute

After completing a six-year Ayurvedic Medicine apprenticeship with world-renowned author and Ayurvedic Physician, Dr. Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc., for more than 1800 hours since 1996, Michael served on the faculty as Herbology Instructor at Dr. Lad’s Ayurvedic Institute (www.ayurveda.com).  Since 1998, Michael has served more than 4500 patients using Ayurvedic healing.

In 2000, Michael was one of the first Ayurvedic Herbalists ever to be awarded Diplomate of Ayurveda (D.Ayur) by the American Ayurvedic Association (AyurvedicAssociation.com).
 

A 1998 graduate of the Ayurvedic Institute’s Ayurvedic Studies Program, since 1999 he continued advanced “Gurukula” clinical study, where he has observed his Ayurvedic teacher Dr. Lad healing over 1900 clients in the San Francisco Bay Area, India and New Mexico. Michael has served more than 4500 patients using Buddhist Ayurvedic healing.

As a postulant to Buddhist monasticism, Michael is very devoted to H.H. Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition and their Nalanda Monastery in the south of France, their San Francisco-based Tse Chen Ling Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, and the Santa Cruz area based Land of the Medicine Buddha in the beautiful California Pacific coast redwood forest covered mountains.  Michael returned from an Autumn Monastery retreat visiting and volunteering at Nalanda Monastery and now donates 25% of Ayurvedic herbal consultation monies to support the building of the new Nalanda Monastery building.  Michael has vowed to ordain as a novice monk in his 40th year under H.H. Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa.
 

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Founder of Medicine Buddha Healing Center
and Co-Founder of the Medicine Buddha Healing Center

Michael co-founded the Medicine Buddha Healing Center in 2000 in Albuquerque, New Mexico to revive the age-old integration of Buddhism with Indo-Tibetan Ayurveda. He maintained his clinical practice there under the guidance of Chinese Medicine Doctor and IICM Senior Professor, X.J. Yang, D.O.M., Ph.D, M.D. (China).

An ordained Minister at the Center, Michael studied Buddhism with the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua’s senior monk disciples of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery (www.drba.org).  Michael has lived for 10 months at the Institute for World Religions and the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery studying Buddhism, teaching Ayurveda and practicing free Ayurvedic healing consultations for the neighboring community.

He continues these healing consultations and classes now in San Francisco at the new Medicine Buddha Healing Center (www.ayurveda-tcm.com) and in Berkeley, California at the Medicine Buddha Healing Center (www.Ayurveda-Berkeley.com), which he co-founded in July 2000.

One of the highlights of Michael's time spent living and studying at the Institute for World Religions was to get involved with supporting the United Religions Initiative (www.uri.org).  This video clip below gives you a feel for what URI is all about.

.WMV file requires Windows Media Player.

improbable_pairs_south_africa_peace_smallest.wmv - 1.5 MB - 6 minutes video clip

improbable_pairs_south_africa_peace_small.wmv - 4.5 MB - 6 minutes video clip

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Michael "Studied" Humor in Healing with Patch Adams, M.D.

Patch Adams, M.D. and his Gesundheit! Institute team (www.PatchAdams.org) were Michael’s most recent teachers at UCSF’s 4-day conference on “Humor in Healing”.

Our Healing Services: House-calls or In-Clinic

Inspired by the friendly “Clown Bodhisattva” energy of his role model Patch Adams, both Michael is offering “house-calls” – just like the traditional “country doctor” of yesteryear, Michael is able to visit you directly at your home or office for a health consultation or Ayurvedic massage rather than you having to come to the Ayurveda Healing Arts Institute or the Medicine Buddha Healing Center. 

For those in need and unable to come to Berkeley due to health reasons or other concerns, we can offer Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, and Ayurvedic Medicine housecalls in the following San Francisco Bay Area, California cities: Alameda, Albany, Atherton, Belmont, Belvedere, Benicia, Burlingame, Calistoga, Campbell, Clayton, Cloverdale, Colma, Concord, Corte Madera, Cotati, Cupertino, Daly City, Dublin, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Fairfax, Fairfield, Foster City, Fremont, Gilroy, Half Moon Bay, Hayward, Healdsburg, Hercules, Hillsborough, Lafayette, Larkspur, Livermore, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Martinez, Menlo Park, Mill Valley, Millbrae, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Napa, Newark, Novato, Oakland, Orinda, Palo Alto, Pacifica, Petaluma, Piedmont, Pinole, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill, Pleasanton, Portola Valley, Redwood City, Richmond, Rohnert Park, St. Helena, San Anselmo, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Francisco, San Jose, San Leandro, San Mateo, San Pablo, San Ramon, San Rafael, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, Saratoga, Sausalito, Sebastopol, Sonoma, South San Francisco, Sunnyvale, Talmage, Tiburon, Union City, Ukiah, Vacaville, Vallejo, Walnut Creek, and Woodside.
 

Offering House-calls supports Patch's and our philosophy of:

"Bringing fun, friendship, and
the joy of service back into healthcare."

“The healer who regards kindness to humanity as his supreme religion and treats his patients accordingly, succeeds best in achieving his aims of life and obtains the greatest pleasure.”
-- from Charaka, honored 2nd century B.C. Ayurvedic Physician

Although Michael studied Ayurvedic, Tibetan and Chinese Medicine, he also encourages his clients at the Medicine Buddha Healing Center and at the Medicine Buddha Healing Center in San Francisco to follow the advice of his other teacher, Dr. Patch Adams, M.D. of the Gesundheit! Institute.  Dr. Patch suggests a daily dosage of the following:

• A Daily Prescription for Helping to Heal Society

• Laughter as Medicine? - Joy and Light-heartedness is our context --- PLEASE VISIT!!

Soon after seeing the famous movie “Patch Adams” with Robin Williams, Michael met the humorous, joyfully exuberant and immensely generous Dr. Patch Adams in person in New Mexico at a World Peace Prayer Gathering. His Clown Bodhisattva energy inspired Michael to make the vow to offer to the world for free his Ayurvedic healing knowledge and the fruits of his continuing long-term studies with his Ayurvedic teacher Dr. Vasant Lad.  It was due to this initial inspiration from Patch that Michael founded the non-profit Medicine Buddha Healing Center in 2000 to offer low-cost (sliding scale) to free Ayurvedic and Chinese healing arts consultations.  Since then, the Medicine Buddha Healing Center has given away more than $3000 of Ayurvedic medicines and over $10,000 worth of free treatments in the USA and India.

 To quote Patch in his book Gesundheit (p. 54), “Greed is one of society’s worst malignancies, and it appears to have metastasized to every corner of the earth.  The sense that greed is incurable may well account for its escalation.  Certainly one of greed’s most devastating symptoms is cynicism.  Unless greed and its symptoms are excised, society will perish.  We believe that a society must care for its population enough to take care of its needs.  Treatment of disease and provision for health care are fundamental to a society’s sound survival.  These needs should be fulfilled as a gift to its population, not as a commodity to be bought and sold.  In a profit-oriented system devoted to grabbing the most income the traffic will bear, the goal will be disease care.  In a service-oriented system devoted to keeping the population at its healthiest, the goal will be disease prevention.  The Gesundheit Institute will never charge money for its medical services.  If it is to survive, its staff, patients, and friends will cooperate and donate everything needed for it to flourish as a community hospital. We hope to eliminate the factor of debt entirely from the healing interaction.  Although this leaves us vulnerable to the wishes of the greater community, paradoxically, we believe that vulnerability is our greatest strength.   We believe it is imperative to need the community we serve because the community also needs us.  This is basic to interdependence, which we feel is necessary for a healthy society.  We must, as individuals and as a free society, stop our worship of things and wealth and put our sense of richness in things everybody can have in abundance without excluding anyone.  These riches include faith, fun, and the breathtaking bounty of nature and friendship.  This kind of medicine cannot be bought or sold.  By not charging patients… we are freer to be silly and to build friendships. We also believe that not charging money is very good malpractice insurance. We hope that our patients will take the generosity with them when they leave and spread it in their own communities. This is the heart of our social revolution: to take the most expensive service in America and give it away for free.”

(Click here to listen to an amazing 2 hour long lecture by Patch at UCSF's Practical Outrageousness Seminar which Michael attended in April 2002 - 19MB .WMA file).  Click on any of the above links to see many video clips that show Patch's philosophy on life which has been the model for the Ayurvedic Healing Arts Institute.

While Medicine Buddha Healing Center is not set up to be able to offer free treatments, we do offer low cost sliding scale consultations.  In the spirit of the compassionate healing arts of India, a donation-based “sliding scale” is available for seniors, single parents, students, and those on fixed incomes.  As a non-profit 501(c)3, we rely on your donations to support our Dharma (life purpose) of spreading the healing wisdom of Ayurveda to people throughout the Bay Area.

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Clinical Background in Tibetan Ayurvedic Medicine:
Intensive Study Trips to Himalayas
Tibetan Medicine and Astro. Institute

Michael’s 8 years of scholarship included Chinese Medicine theory and two intensive Tibetan Medicine study trips to H.H. Dalai Lama’s Tibetan Medicine & Astro Institute in the Himalayas (www.Tibetan-Medicine.org), where he studied with Tibetan Dr. Kelsang Dorje whom Medicine Buddha Healing Center has invited from India to come co-teach with Michael in September 2002. 

Michael's scholarly study has involved hundreds of hours of perusing Tibetan Medicine classic texts including the key Gyud-Zhi (Tibetan: rGyud-bzhi -- pronounced "jyu shee" in Tibetan), the most important classic 700 A.D. Sutra text (scripture) of Tibetan Medicine referred to as the "Four Tantras" in English.  He has also read all of the Tibetan Medicine works of Vijaya's teacher, H.H. Dalai Lama’s past personal physician Monk Doctor Lobsang Rapgay, previous director of the Tibetan Medicine & Astro Institute in the Himalayas (www.tibetan-medicine.org). 

In his two study trips to the Himalayas (in 1999 and 2001) Michael has acquired and developed the largest library of English language books, video, audio and other publications on Tibetan Medicine - over 200 volumes.  Michael has made available at the Medicine Buddha Healing Center, the entire 53 audio tape series of the First International Congress on Tibetan Medicine (Washington, D.C., November 7-9, 1998).  

Here is a sample online from His Holiness the Dalai Lama's talk on "The Relevance of Tibetan Medicine Today". 

Also, here is "Gifts from the Medicine Buddha: Three Jewels for the Practice of Modern Medicine" by Jeremy Geffen, M.D.

Michael's 1700 volume library of books on Ayurvedic, Tibetan and Chinese Medicine include a rare out-of-press 12 issue collection of the "Tibetan Medicine Publication of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives" including technical articles by Dr. Lobsang Rapgay, Dr. Peme Dorjee, and Dr. Yeshe Donden and the sMan-rTsis Journal of the H.H. Dalai Lama's Tibetan Medicine & Astro Institute (TMAI) in Dharamsala, India.  In 2000, Michael developed the website for the TMAI (www.tibetan-medicine.org). 

Blending Tibetan Herbology with the Buddhist Shurangama Mantra is Michael’s study and practice focus.

The Tibetan Ayurvedic Science of Healing has been taught and practiced through Central Asia for at least 1100 years. This unique traditional system of healing is integrated with the Buddhist concept of mind and body its philosophy and healing techniques continue to be practiced in a coherent and powerful manner. This is an effective, natural and inexpensive method of improving both physical and mental health.

Michael makes traditional Tibetan Ayurvedic customized herbal formulas, and herbal healing massage oils from different Indo-Sino-Tibetan herbs and minerals. His products balance physical and mental energies promoting relaxation and free flow of energies.

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Tibetan and Indian Ayurvedic Health Consultations

If you have a health problem and want an alternative solution, or if you are healthy and want to know your body/mind type and how to maintain your health, an Ayurvedic Consultation will provide the knowledge you seek.
Michael will read your pulse and assess your life patterns from an Ayurvedic long-term perspective and recommend a diet, daily routine and individualized herbal formula to achieve your optimum health and energy level.

Tibetan and East Indian Ayurveda is traditionally used to increase energy and mobility, improve digestion and elimination, remove depression, decrease pain, and restore the balance of the internal systems, the mind, emotions, and consciousness. After the initial consultation, checkups are generally every 30 days until balance is restored.

Ask about the time-honored Indo-Tibetan Ayurvedic approach to arthritis, sciatica, neck and shoulder pain, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, depression, anger, insomnia, allergies, colds, flu, cough, asthma, constipation, chronic diarrhea, high blood pressure and cholesterol, ulcers, skin disorders, low libido, impotence, weight loss, diabetes, gynecological disorders, menopause, pregnancy.   

Please read my Declarations of Constitutional Rights and of Pastoral Counseling Authorization Agreement and Informed Consent.

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Clinical Background in East Indian Ayurvedic Medicine:
Six Year Apprenticeship with Dr. Lad in USA and India

While delving deep into the knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine (specifically herbology and massage), Michael simultaneously began the journey of learning Ayurveda, the ancient medical wisdom of India and Tibet. This journey was a commitment of over six years to attending regular formal weekly classes and intensive seminars at the Ayurvedic Institute (www.ayurveda.com) in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Pune, India and at the Mount Madonna Center (www.mountmadonna.org) in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, studying with the world renowned Dr. Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc.  

Michael completed the first year Ayurvedic Studies Program as well as more than three years of Gurukula (advanced clinical studies with Dr. Lad seeing Pancha Karma patients and attending intensive seminars in India and the USA). His training in this discipline included Sanskrit, therapeutic use of Yoga, the ancient texts of Ayurveda, and the basics of Ayurvedic philosophy, treatment and management of patient care. He extensively studied clinical pulse diagnosis among many other forms of diagnosis, Pancha Karma (detoxification, cleansing, revitalization and rejuvenation massage program), herbal preparations, and dietary guidelines.  

To see the extensive level of formal classroom Ayurvedic training that Michael received with Dr. Lad in his first year alone, please see the Ayurvedic Institute's Academic Catalog:

• 2001-2002 Ayurvedic Institute Academic Catalog in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. The file size is 475 KB.  (needs Adobe Acrobat)

• 2001-2002 Academic Catalog in Microsoft Word .DOC format. The file size is 918 KB.

Continuing Education Studies in East Indian Ayurvedic Medicine: Several Hundred Hours of Seminar Study with Dr. Joshi, Dr. Svoboda, Dr. Frawley and others

In 1998, Michael completed an intensive 30 hour training course on Pancha Karma therapies with the renowned Doctor of Ayurveda Pancha Karma Specialist, Dr. Sunil Joshi, M.D. Ayur. of the Vinayak Ayurveda Center in Nagpur, India.   Over a six year period, Michael has also studied several hundred hours of seminars with world renowned teachers and authors such as Dr. Robert Svoboda, B.A.M.S., Dr. David Frawley, O.M.D., Bri Maya Tiwari, and others.

In addition to his 1800 hours of classroom study with Dr. Lad, Michael completed an additional 1080 hours of advanced Ayurveda seminar study with Dr. Sunil Joshi, M.D. Ayur, Dr. Robert Svoboda, B.A.M.S., Dr. David Frawley, O.M.D., Bri Maya Tiwari, and others. 

This comes to 2980 hours of study in Asian Healing Arts and the ancient languages from which they arose.  If this six years of scholarship were in a degree granting college setting (there is currently no seriously accredited college degrees offered in the USA in Ayurvedic Medicine), this would be equal to more than 198 semester units of study.  A typical Bachelor's Degree is equal to 120 semester units (1800 hours of study).  A typical Masters of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine is equal to 2970 hours of study during a four academic year program (eg. www.ACCHS.edu or www.IICM.org).  

These additional 1080 hours included more study with in Sanskrit (with Dr. Will Foster, D.O.M. and Barbara Cook), Mandarin Chinese, Ayurvedic Yoga (with AyurYoga teacher's Betheyla and Ann Harrison), Western Herbs (with Kevin Spelman), Ayurvedic Acupressure (Donald Van Howten, LMT and Jaisri Lambert, RPP), Ayurvedic Ancient Texts and other theory (with Mike Dick, MA), Chinese Medicine, Tibetan Medicine (Dr. Kelsang Dorjee, B.T.M.S.), Western medical terms, and Anatomy and Physiology. 

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Directly Observed 1900 Patients Treatments in India
and the USA with Dr. Lad over a Six Year Period - Michael has served more than 4500 patients since 1998.

In addition, Michael had the rare privilege to have been invited to Dr. Lad's first ever clinical training program associated with the Ayurvedic Institute at his busy clinic in Pune, India. There Michael participated in the treatment of over 500 patients using pulse diagnosis and Ayurvedic herbal formulas.  Michael was one of only five Ayurvedic Institute students of Dr. Lad's to have returned there to his program in India for a second intensive study trip (in 2001).  This 2001 trip was where Michael directly participated in with Dr. Lad and several other select students the diagnosis and treatment of more than 700 patients using potent Ayurvedic herbal remedies. It was rare for Westerners to have the privilege of such an intensive hands-on clinical training with Dr. Lad in India.

Michael has presented lectures on Ayurveda and Tibetan medicine now since 1997. Michael's goal in these talks has been to share the richness of what these systems have to offer and promote their acceptance into mainstream medicine.

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Clinical Background in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Michael also studied with diverse Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) teachers at two different schools of Oriental Medicine, the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Services (www.acchs.edu) in Oakland, California and at the International Institute of Chinese Medicine (www.IICM.org) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Additionally, Michael has studied the Chinese Medical Herbalists Training at the Institute of Chinese Herbology in Oakland, California (www.ich-herbschool.com) and the Five Element Acupressure Massage system at the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, California (www.acupressure.com).  Michael has also studied in numerous seminars over the years including with Dr. Li-Chun Huang, M.D. (China) a renowned auricular medicine specialist of the Auricular Medicine International Research and Training Center in Florida.  Michael is now continuing his weekly Chinese herbal medicine apprenticeship with Chinese Master Herbalist Ms. Sheng-wei Lan, L.Ac., MS.TCM., Ph.D.

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Personal Background

Michael's journey of studying complementary medicine began with the realization that true health is the foundation for cultivating our potential and leading a life of spiritual awareness. Awareness is this sense of being in touch at times, when we are in the flow of life and that rhythm moves us with purpose, inspiration and grace. True health, in his definition, is about awareness of body, mind, and spirit. The integration of all these three elements came from understanding that a visionary philosophy must be the foundation for a system of medicine, that our beliefs and thoughts shape our principles and actions, and indirectly our medicine. Michael's fascination with these concepts prompted his drive to pursue the study of East Indian Ayurveda, Tibetan Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine because these three timed-tested medical systems had rich philosophies that incorporated all these principles.  Additionally, using the self-healing principles and practices of Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Buddhism, Michael was able to totally heal himself of a 20 year long history of chronic bronchitis.

All different healing modalities such as Ayurveda, Tibetan Medicine or Chinese herbology and massage are fundamentally tools to implement in the healing process; each one has it’s limitations. Charaka, an ancient East Indian Ayurvedic physician from 200 B.C., said, "For a healer to come upon an accurate diagnosis and treatment, he must learn multiple unrelated healing disciplines."  Hence, Ayurveda acknowledges immediately that no healing system can have a monopoly on health care since each healing paradigm has its limits.  Techniques are a secondary aspect of healing, but the skill of the practitioner is crucial in utilizing these tools intelligently. No one system is comprehensive enough to address everything, yet they each contribute their unique pearls of wisdom. Michael has much to offer his clients through the unique approach of integrating the therapies of Ayurveda and Chinese Herbology and Massage.

Michael's commitment to all his clients is to educate them about the wisdom from his healing disciplines and encourage them to implement lifestyle changes that support health and maximize their full potential as creative spiritual beings. Each of us is a unique expression of cosmic consciousness. Each of us has an inborn potential to achieve greatness in our lives and respond to life’s challenges with enthusiasm. It is crucial that we focus our energies, direct our actions, and strive for clarity in our goals. Michael firmly believes that every experience we have is not only a lesson and a tool for growth, but also an instrument to cultivate tranquility of mind and a peaceful state of being.

The Shen Nong Ben Cao, China’s oldest herbal text, states there are three levels of medicine. The lowest level involves treating the symptomatic manifestations of physical illness, while the next level focuses on nourishing a man’s nature. Interpreted through the lens of Ayurveda, nourishing a person’s nature is learning how to live in harmony with his/her constitution. The highest level of healing is assisting a person in fulfilling their destiny and achieving longevity of life. Michael's vision of medicine encompasses these three levels of healing. He seeks to assist a client with whatever level they are at, whether it is addressing physical or mental concerns, improving the overall quality of one’s life, or providing spiritual direction. Self-expression of who we are, of our dreams, of our understanding, of our unique perspective, of the life force within us, is the crux of giving meaning to our lives. As we weave the fabric of our lives, let us use the threads of moment to moment awareness.

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Clinical Specialties

Michael's specialties and extensive studies with Dr. Lad and other eminent complementary medicine physicians include: 

• Lifestyle Counseling - how to create order and discipline in our daily life utilizing the tools of meditation, Yoga, exercise, time management, and spiritual awareness. This kind of awareness can help with clarity in our relationships, finding direction, managing job stress, and improving the overall quality of life.

• Dietary Counseling - the importance of Ayurvedic nutrition in balancing the doshas (5 elements and vata, pitta, kapha) to eat in accordance with one’s constitution. How to adjust one’s diet towards present imbalances or losing weight is addressed during consultations.

• Internal Medicine - including digestive disorders, ulcers, chronic fatigue (CFIDS), diabetes, multiple sclerosis (MS), hormonal imbalances, urinary disorders, hypertension, skin disorders, respiratory disorders including bronchitis, asthma and allergies.

• Mental Issues - such as anxiety, nervousness, anger or rage, depression, insomnia, stress management.
  
  

• Women’s Health Issues  - PMS, menstrual disorders, infertility and menopause.

• Pain Management - including headaches, neck and shoulder pain, back and hip pain, sciatica, fibromyalgia, arthritis and individual joint pain.

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Scheduling an Ayurvedic Consultation or Pancha Karma with Michael

For an appointment with Michael in San Francisco Bay Area, please call or contact him at:
Ayurveda Healing Arts Institute or the Medicine Buddha Healing Center
510-292-6696

E-mail: Not Available, please CALL us.  To understand why we don't offer e-mail access to us, click here to understand the Buddhist Ayurveda perspective on Computers, Television and Genetic Engineering.

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Qualities looked for in a physician are outlined in the Root Tantra of Tibetan Medicine

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama speaks of the correlation between Tibetan Medical Practice and Buddhism, in regard to their being separate, but if the physician is a practicing Buddhist, then prayers and mantras may be recited during the preparation of medicines and dispensation of treatment, to further purify the causes of illness. In addition, if the patient is Buddhist, prayers and mantras may be recited at these times also, to enhance the psycho-spiritual potency of the treatment.

The qualities looked for in a physician are outlined in the Root Tantra of Tibetan Medicine:

The definition of the physician is one who heals all pain and practices medicine to promote good health. It is noted in the text that the concentration required when seeing a patient is the same as the concentration needed by a person walking on a wall with a bowl of milk and butter on his head, threatened with death if a single drop is spilled.
 

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