Yeshi Dhonden Explained

Birth Date:15 May 1927
Birth Place:Namro, Tibet
Death Place:McLeodganj, Himachal Pradesh, India
Nationality:Tibetan
Occupation:Doctor
Years Active:1951–2019

Yeshi Dhonden (; 15 May 1927 – 26 November 2019)[1] was a Tibetan doctor of traditional Tibetan medicine, and served the 14th Dalai Lama from 1961 to 1980.[2] In 2018, the Indian government honoured him with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India.[3]

Early life and education

Yeshi Dhonden was born into a family of peasants on 15 May 1927 in Namro, a village located in Lhoka, Tibet, south of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. He was sent to Sungrab Ling Monastery at the age of six and took novice vows as a Buddhist monk two years later.[4] [5] At eleven, he joined the Chakpori Institute of Tibetan Medicine, Lhasa, and studied medicine for nine years. He was taught by Khyenrab Norbu. Dhonden displayed strong memorization skills during the study of the four tantra.[6]

At twenty he was recognized as the best in class at the Chakpori Institute of Tibetan Medicine, and was made an honorary doctor of the Dalai Lama. From 1951 onward, he practiced medicine in Tibet in his native region, where he became known for his great efficiency after he had treated an influenza epidemic on the Tibetan-Bhutanese border that year.[7] When the 14th Dalai Lama went into exile in 1959, Dhonden chose to accompany him and help the Tibetan refugees in India.[8]

Career

In 1959, Yeshi Dhonden was one of the three Tibetan physicians, along with Lobsang Dolma Khangkar and Trogawa Rinpoche, to escape Tibet and was requested by the Dalai Lama to reinstall the Tibetan Institute of Medicine and Astrology in exile.[9] In Dharamshala, India, he refounded the Tibetan Institute of Medicine and Astrology in 1961 and served as its Director till 1966. He resigned from the Institute and established a private clinic in 1969. He traveled to the West to present lectures on Tibetan medicine. He was considered an icon on traditional Tibetan medicine and practices, and renowned for his contribution to cancer treatment.[10] [11] [12] He was a foremost expert and proponent of Sowa Rigpa, which is a traditional Tibetan medicine system created as a combination of the ancient healing systems of India and China.[13] [14] [15]

From 1960 to 1980, he was the personal physician of the Dalai Lama.[16]

On 1 April 2019, he retired from medical practice due to declining health.[17]

Books

Dhonden authored the following books:

Awards

Death

Dhonden died on 26 November 2019 from respiratory failure in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, India.[21] [22]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Renowned Tibetan doctor Yeshi Dhonden passes away .:. Tibet Sun.
  2. Book: Avedon, John. In Exile from the Land of the Snows: The Definitive Account of the Dalai Lama and Tibet Since the Chinese Conquest. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. 1997. 9780060977412. registration.
  3. News: A monk and a healer – The Statesman. 11 February 2018. The Statesman. 16 November 2018. en-US.
  4. Yeshi Dhonden, Healing from the Source: The Science and Lore of Tibetan Medicine, p. 121
  5. https://www.jcrows.com/drd.html Sleep and the Inner Landscape, An interview with Dr. Yeshi Dhonden
  6. Book: Snelling, John. The Buddhist Handbook: A Complete Guide to Buddhist Schools, Teaching, Practice, and History. Inner Traditions. 1999. 9780892817610.
  7. News: John F. . Avedon . Exploring the Mysteries of Tibetan Medicine . The New York Times . 11 January 1981 .
  8. News: La nouvelle jeunesse de la vénérable médecine tibétaine. 14 May 2017. France Soir. 16 November 2018. fr.
  9. Dr. Pema Dorjee, Heal Your Spirit, Heal Yourself: The Spiritual Medicine of Tibet, p. 78
  10. News: A 90-Year-Old Monk Who Cures Cancer? My Mcleodganj Isn't Typical. The Quint. 16 November 2018. en.
  11. News: Tibetan Medicine Sowa-Rigpa Lures Patients Seeking Drug-Free Cures. News18. 16 November 2018.
  12. News: Behaviour and eating habits can prevent cancer, says Dalai Lama's former physician. https://web.archive.org/web/20181116132442/https://www.deccanchronicle.com/videos/news/behaviour-and-eating-habits-can-prevent-cancer-says-dalai-lamarsquos-former-physician.html. dead. 16 November 2018. 5 February 2018. Deccan Chronicle. 16 November 2018. en.
  13. News: McLeodganj's Tibetan monk gets Padma Shri for work as doctor . The Times of India. 16 November 2018.
  14. News: Tibetan traditional Dr Yeshi Dhonden awarded Padma Shri award – Tibet post International. International. Molly Lortie, Tibet Post. 29 January 2018. Tibet post International. 16 November 2018. en-gb.
  15. Web site: शुरुआत में ही कैंसर का पता चलना जरूरी: पद्मश्री डॉ. येशी ढोंडेन-news Video Navbharat Times. Navbharat Times. hi. 16 November 2018.
  16. News: Nonagenarian Tibetan doctor of last resort ends practice. Tibetan Review. 14 April 2019. en.
  17. News: Dr Yeshi Dhonden, famous for curing cancer, closes his practice. Tibet Sun News. 12 April 2019. en.
  18. [Jeffrey Hopkins]
  19. Web site: BRIEF BIO-DATA OF DR. YESHI DHONDHEN. https://web.archive.org/web/20181008133549/https://tibmedcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/dr-yeshi-dhondhen-bio.pdf. 2018-10-08. 2023-09-01.
  20. News: Yeshi Dhonden: Dalai Lama's ex-physician second Tibetan to get India's prestigious Padma Shri Health Tips and News. 16 November 2018. en-GB.
  21. Web site: Renowned Tibetan doctor Yeshi Dhonden passes away .:. Tibet Sun. tibetsun.com. 26 November 2019.
  22. Web site: Dalai Lama's ex-physician Yeshi Dhonden passes away. outlookindia.com. 26 November 2019.

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