Article ID: CBB001450724

Sexual Differentiation in Tibetan Medical and Buddhist Perspectives (2011)

unapi

Classical Tibetan medicine is closely related to Buddhist philosophy. This article describes how the study and meaning of sexual differentiation in Tibetan medicine is deeply rooted in Buddhist texts and philosophy. The article pays particular attention to the Buddhist theory of mutual dependence of birth and death and on the medical ways of explaining the determining of sex. While Tibetan medicine approaches sexual differentiation by examining its various determinant factors, thus aiming to improve understanding of the human body and diseases, which manifest differently in men and women, in Buddhist philosophy sexual differentiation is perceived as a fundamental, natural phenomenon of human life that forms a key in Tantric practices to comprehend the nature of mind and thence attaining the highest state of mind. The article consists of a translation of the first chapter of a Tibetan medical book on obstetrics, including a newly written introduction to the Buddhist interpretive frame employed in the chapter.

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Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB001450724/

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Authors & Contributors
Gyatso, Janet
Gray Tuttle
Rossi, Donatella
Scheuermann, Rolf
Sehnalova, Anna
Yoeli-Tlalim, Ronit
Concepts
Buddhism
Sex differences
Sexuality
Medicine and religion
Medicine
Science and gender
Time Periods
Ancient
20th century, early
20th century
19th century
18th century
17th century
Places
Tibet
China
Europe
Mongolia
Greece
Germany
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