AyurVijnana Vol.6, Spring 1999

In February 1999, Eric Jacobson wrote from Boston:

 “Here in Massachusetts we already have people asking for training programs in Tibetan medicine. But I think it wise of us not to rush into offering such programs prematurely. Here’s how things seem to be going for now: There will be a lot of poor quality programs offering instruction which is really inadequate. Some such courses are already being offered, with training sessions of two-weeks or so, or the same period three times a year.  How can students get any but the most superficial understanding of Tibetan medicine under these conditions? This is not to mention the fact that there is currently no English language translation of the latter two volumes of the Gyushi.  So how are students who can’t read classical Tibetan expected to learn the subject?

 Also it is not at all clear how Western students can be effectively educated in Tibetan medicine.  Frankly, nobody knows the answer to this right now, since only a handful of Westerners have succeeded in learning Tibetan medicine, mostly on their own as apprentices, and managed to become Emchis. Certainly the traditional Tibetan educational methods will not work very well with Western students accustomed to critical and creative thinking. There is also the very difficult problem of how Tibetan medical concepts and practices relate to biomedical terms.”
 
 I get the impression that some of the short programs currently being offered are not informing students of the magnitude of the obstacles to their learning Tibetan medicine.  Eventually better programs will arise, but that will clearly take time. The question is which group do we want to be in?  The poor quality programs will all die out when the better quality ones arise. So why not work on developing a high-quality program starting now and not waste time on the casualty-programs?”
 
Eric Jacobson,
10 Ramsdell Gt.,
Arlington MA 02174,
USA

E-mail: ejcbsn at aol.com