Vision
At Tibetan Healing Initiative (THI), our vision is to develop an integrated and holistic health model for human flourishing.
Mission
Our mission is to facilitate greater mind-body health, healing, and wellbeing through the insights of Tibetan Medicine, Buddhist contemplative knowledge, and Western Science. In doing so, we are devoted to preserving, developing, and sharing Tibetan Healing through research, scholarship, education, and service.
Goals
Our goal is to develop a comprehensive and integrated understanding of human health and wellbeing informed by mind-body paradigms and its potentials. In both Tibetan healing, comprising Tibetan Medicine and Buddhist contemplative knowledge, and Western Science, there is a shared belief that a more integrated understanding of the relationship between mind and body will reveal underlying factors that inform health and wellbeing.
Tibetan Medicine has one of the longest histories of medical practice developing alongside of and in dialogue with contemplative tradition. So, Tibetan Medicine is best positioned to illustrate insights into mind-body relationship to health and wellbeing. Because of its syncretism with other cultures and medical traditions throughout Eurasia, Tibetan Medicine is well positioned to engage in dialogue with Western Science. As such, THI is committed to fostering teaching, research, and health care partnership, so as to support mind-body practice in cultivating health, healing, and wellbeing drawing from both Tibetan Medicine and Buddhist contemplative practice, as well as Western Science.
Research
Our research and teaching are closely intertwined – they inform and shape each other. THI’s trademark course on the Ethics, Spirituality and Healing of Tibetan Medicine inspired our collaborative, interdisciplinary work on designing and validating the Tibetan Medicine, theoretical-based Constitutional Self-Assessment Tool (CSAT) and Lifestyle Guidelines Tool (LGT). These tools are employed by numerous schools and organizations in the US and beyond. In this research, we studied an individual’s unique biological and psychological characteristics using Tibetan medical theory of rang shin, and its impact on an individual’s health and wellbeing. Building on this work, we plan to show how this self-assessment and lifestyle model can translate into the way we care for long-term care and terminal patients.
CSAT and LGT are available for free. Anyone can access and use these tools anonymously here.
Currently, THI is engaged in three inter-disciplinary, community-based projects, ranging from an epidemiological study to retrospective observational cohort studies. These projects are:
- Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) and Cognitive Practices among Tibetan Buddhist Monks in South India: this study investigates the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive practices among Tibetan monks: 2020-2023
Collaborators:
- The University of Minnesota School of Public Health
- Washington State University
- Drepung Loseling University
- North American Covid-19 Tibetan Medicine Observational Study (NACTMOS): investigates ambulatory care for Covid-19 confirmed patients using Tibetan Medicine herbal formulations among under-represented Himalayan populations in North America: 2020-202
Collaborators:
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Dartmouth College
- American Tibetan Medical Association (ATMA)
- Responses to Covid-19 among Rural/Indigenous and Isolated communities: 2021-2022
Collaborators:
- Washington State University
- The University of Minnesota School of Public Health
We aim to apply our interdisciplinary, community-based research findings to initiating and supporting research collaboration across medical systems and cultures in order to provide a scientifically based comprehensive and holistic care for patients at both individual and societal levels. Likewise, our research findings also inform our teachings and community-focused educational program.
Education
Faculty teach classes, as well as conduct workshops and conferences, for the local, national, and international community. Moreover, faculty conducted two international conferences about Tibetan Medicine in connection with visits by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the University of Minnesota.
Watch the 2022 three-part series, Tibetan Medicine Webinar Series: Joyful Living!
Courses
Take an academic course and learn first-hand about Tibetan medicine.
- CSPH 5315 - Traditional Tibetan Medicine: Ethics, Spirituality, and Healing. This course will introduce students to ethics, spirituality, and healing from the perspective of traditional Tibetan medicine. Traditional Tibetan doctors believe that individuals' health and wellbeing is rooted in dynamic and intricate interaction of the human's mind, body, and its environment; and the secret to sustaining such a state of health is to maintain the delicate balance of that interaction. Students will learn how to apply these principles personally, integrate them into clinical practice, and consult with a traditional Tibetan doctor. CSPH 5315 is the only prerequisite for CSPH 5318.
- CSPH 5318 - Tibetan Medicine in IndiaStudy Abroad. Tibetan Medicine has one of the longest histories among scholastic medical traditions, developed alongside of and in dialogue with the ancient Indo-Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, psychology, and contemplative practices. Hence, Tibetan medicine is well-positioned to provide insights into mind-body relationships in health and wellbeing. Because of Tibetan medicine’s emphasis on preventive, whole-person, and integrative health approaches, as well as the importance of ethics and spirituality, Tibetan medicine provides a fertile ground for students to view health at the intersection of ethics, spirituality, and healing. While studying with native Tibetan doctors and local experts in India, students will examine the claim that systematic practice of Tibetan medicine promotes optimal health and well-being. Using critical thinking, students will evaluate Tibetan medicine’s underlying philosophical knowledge, cultural practices, and scientific evidence; and propose research-based programs for integrating Tibetan medicine approaches into personal and professional life.
Students fly from Minneapolis (MSP) to New Delhi, where they can visit the Taj Mahal in Agra. Travel by Jeep to Dharamsala and study with expert Tibetan Medicine doctors at the Men-Tsee-Khang Tibetan Medical College. Students will have opportunities for trekking in Himalayan Mountains, visiting His Holiness the Dalai Lama's temple and other significant cultural Centers.
Students return to Delhi and fly back to MSP.
Partnerships
The Tibetan Healing Initiative has formed strategic partnerships with diverse organizations including the Men-Tsee-Khang (Tibetan Medical and Astro-Science Institute), health care institutions in Minnesota, and the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota. Recent events included the Tibetan Healing Initiative Community Celebration with its alumni, U of MN faculty and staff, and community leaders and the Second International Tibetan Medicine Conference at the University of Minnesota in conjunction with the His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit.
International Collaboration
Faculty collaborate with international organizations in the U.S. and India. During the May Session, students travel to Dharamsala, northern India, to study Tibetan Medicine at the Men-Tsee-Khang Tibetan Medical & Astro. College, a premiere Tibetan Medical School outside of Tibet. Students fly from Minneapolis (MSP) to New Delhi, where they can visit the Taj Mahal in Agra. Travel by Jeep to Dharamsala and study with expert Tibetan Medicine doctors at the Men-Tsee-Khang Tibetan Medical Institute. Students will have opportunities for trekking in Himalayan Mountains, visiting His Holiness the Dalai Lama's temple and other significant cultural attractions. Students return to Delhi and fly back to MSP. Discover the Center’s learning abroad courses. Faculty collaborate with faculty from other Departments on campus, researchers, and scholars from other academic institutes in the US, and Tibetan Medicine Practitioners to carry out their work involving research, education, and service.