| Advice |
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| Rinpoche gave the following advice regarding
the properties of a variety of Tibetan medicines. |
According to Tibetan medicine, the following substances all
help with phlegm disease*.
Pearls
These eliminate phlegm disease, especially if you are very
close to death from that sickness. There are eight types of
pearls. There are red pearls and blood pearls (rakta mutik),
which comes from inside the body of a fish. The fish is a
manifestation of a Buddha or bodhisattva. Then, there are
pearls that come from the elephant’s brain, also from
snakes’ brains, and pearls that come from water flowing
for a long time through tree branches. These come from South
India—fish drink the water and the pearls come from
the fish. The common pearl comes from the body of the oyster.
The lowest quality of pearl comes from water bubbles. This
pearl is soft inside and looks similar to the one that comes
from oysters. It is also similar in color.
Coral
There are three types of coral:
1) Red coral is best
2) Pink is medium quality
3) Blood color (maroon) is the lowest quality. These stones
help phlegm disease.
Mumen
We think this is Lapis Lazuli. It heals the four types of
sicknesses. Mumen comes from water and rocks. It
is blue-black and blue mixed with gold in color.
Conch shells
Conch shells that turn toward the right guide other conch-shell
animals. The bodhisattva manifests five lifetimes as a conch-shell
animal.
Your sickness is healed if you hear the sound of a conch
shell turned to the right. Also, keeping such a conch shell
brings harmony and no quarrels.
*Phlegm disease: The basis of the general theory of Tibetan
medicine is the three humours: wind, bile, and phlegm. These
three humours exist in all of us, whether we are healthy or
sick. The cause of their existence are the three poisons:
hatred, attachment, and ignorance. To be in good health all
these humours have to be balanced. When a humour becomes weak
or too strong, it creates imbalance and therefore, disease.
Ignorance produces phlegm. When phlegm increases we become
fat, lazy, and slothful. We feel like doing nothing, we don't
even feel like eating. Phlegm diseases affect the upper part
of the body. (Definition from www.peacenvironment.net.)
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