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INTEGRATIVE
HEALING
Tibetan Medical Institute Opening American branch in Wisconsin by Lyrea Crawford Spring Green, Wisc., will soon be the home of the first American branch of Men-Tsee-Khang, the Dalai Lama's Tibetan Medical Institute. Building plans have been drawn up for the center, the site has been dedicated and a Tibetan doctor, Dr. Dawa Dolma, will be available for consultations beginning in October 2001. The new center, called the "Medicine Buddha Healing Center," will be located at 6593 Clyde Road, adjacent to the existing Mahayana Dharma Center. The holistic Tibetan medical tradition is a systematic and logical framework based on understanding the body and its relationship to the environment. It is one of the world's oldest known medical traditions. It incorporates specific Ayurvedic type diagnostic techniques that are enhanced by the insight of the medical practitioner and based on an ethic of altruism and compassion. Tibetan medicine stresses gentle, non-invasive treatment whenever possible, primarily using plant and mineral nutritional supplements along with recommendations for dietary and behavioral changes to restore balance. It should be noted that no specific religious belief or affiliation is required for consultation with a Tibetan doctor. Just as you do not have to be Catholic to receive treatment at a hospital called St. Mary's, the new Medicine Buddha Healing Center offers advice to all who seek it. Tibetan medicine is offered as an ancillary program, not as a replacement for any treatment people may currently be undergoing. The Medicine Buddha Healing Center is becoming a reality largely due to the vision and persistence of Marion and Duane Nelson. Marion Nelson is the owner of Global View, a retail business that has been providing marketing opportunities for Asian artisans for the last 20 years. At Global View, Marion features hand-selected quality items, helping to preserve traditional motifs and excellence of ethnographics and folk art. The business is situated on the Clyde Road property in rural Spring Green in a four-story remodeled barn. Marion, who has a neurological condition, sought alternative treatments many years ago when she discovered that Western medicine did not have much to offer in her situation. The doctors at Men-Tsee-Khang in Dharamsala, India, have been effective in assisting her, and Marion has traveled to India each of the last 25 years for consultations. Marion notes that no one here expected her to survive her illness as long as she has, and she credits the expertise of the Tibetan doctors. She says that she wants to help extend the compassion that she received to others. Tibetans came to Dharamsala and other locations in India after fleeing Tibet in the wake of the invasion of the Chinese army. Early in their exile, the doctors in Dharamsala were very busy treating Tibetan refugees and the poor populations in India, but in the mid-1990s they began widening their focus to other parts of the world. In the past few years, several Tibetan doctors have toured North America. They included visits to Spring Green at the invitation of the Nelsons. During each visit to Spring Green, they saw more than 100 people in three or four days, with about 90 percent of these having some sort of "incurable" or chronic illness. Because this happened with very little advance publicity, it was apparent that people were eagerly seeking the availability of such services in this area. After his second visit, Dr. Tenzin Choedrak, the late senior physician to the Dalai Lama, designated the Spring Green location as his choice for a North American center. The Nelsons signed a contract (on behalf of the Mahayana Dharma Center) with Men-Tsee-Khang in early 2001. A major step forward was taken with the assignment of Dr. Dawa Dolma as the first resident doctor in Spring Green. Dr. Dolma speaks English fluently and she will be able to effectively teach and consult with American clients. She graduated with honors in 1975 from Men-Tsee-Khang in the reconstituted college's second class in exile. She worked as resident doctor in a clinic in Dharamsala until 1998, and then was appointed Men-Tsee-Khang's Director of Research and Development. Dr. Dolma has distinguished herself with outstanding service in India, Europe and the United States, and she has been awarded several advanced degrees and honors. She has recently been involved in research on diabetes mellitus. In addition to providing consultations at the Mahayana Dharma Center in Spring Green, Dr. Dolma will travel to other areas in North America by request. In the meantime, donations are urgently needed to move forward with the building project. The Medicine Buddha Healing Center will be a fully operational, wheelchair accessible clinic, with offices, consulting rooms and a large teaching hall. It will be necessary to raise $1 million for Phase 1 of the project. A variety of fund-raising events have already taken place, and more are scheduled. Beginning October 23, a Medicine Buddha Sand Mandala will be constructed at the Mahayana Dharma Center by the Venerable Tenzin Jamyang, a Drepung Gomang monk. The public is invited to view his labor-intensive process between 9 a.m. to noon, and from 3 to 7 p.m. each day. On November 4, the intricate mandala will be ceremoniously poured into the Wisconsin River. All contributions to the building fund are deeply appreciated and are tax deductible. For people who wish to actively participate, a program has been created called the 1080 SANGHA. This involves a donation of $1,080, which may be made in installments. Participants in the program are granted advisory status to the Board of Directors, along with special privileges at the clinic. For consultations with Dr. Dolma, to make a contribution, or for more information, please contact the Mahayana Dharma Center at (608) 583-5311 or (608) 583-2242, e-mail mail@globalview-intl.com or write to 6593 Clyde Road, Spring Green, WI 53588. Visit the website at dharmacenter.globalview-intl.com. Lyrea Crawford lives in southwestern Wisconsin, where she plays at being an artist, author, organic farmer and much more. She was formerly a co-publisher of "Living Light Melodies Journal." Copyright 2001 Lyrea Crawford |
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