The colour of healing : Tonight on Vision TV

[Guest guest]

The colour of healing

 

The Blue Buddha on VisionTV reveals the ancient

secrets of Tibetan Buddhist medicine

In the fictional world, Dr. Gregory House is the

master of medical diagnosis. But when it comes to

solving the mysteries of the human body – not to

mention exercising proper bedside manner – he could

stand to learn a thing or two from the monks of Tibet.

 

 

More than a thousand years ago, the Tibetan people

developed a comprehensive medical system, blending

Buddhist spirituality with a remarkably sophisticated

understanding of bodily processes. This ancient wisdom

has survived war and crisis, and today has gained

growing acceptance in the West.

 

The Blue Buddha, a two-part documentary presentation

on VisionTV, traces the odyssey of Tibetan medicine

from its distant roots to the present day, chronicles

the struggle to preserve this tradition, and profiles

a Buddhist monk who is still practicing the ancient

ways in the 21 st century.

 

Part one airs on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 10 p.m. ET, and

repeats on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 10 p.m. ET. Part two

airs on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 10 p.m. ET, and repeats

on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 10 p.m. ET.

 

The documentary takes its name from the Tibetan

Medicine Buddha, known as Sangye Menla, the master of

remedies. He is traditionally portrayed as having a

body of radiant celestial blue, the colour of healing.

 

 

Part one of The Blue Buddha explains how the people of

Tibetan forged a distinct medical tradition 1,200

years ago. This system, which includes an

understanding of the complex relationship between mind

and body, and a wealth of knowledge about plant- and

mineral-based remedies, was eventually encoded in a

series of elaborate paintings: a visual encyclopedia

of the body and psyche known as the Atlas of Tibetan

Medicine.

 

In the centuries that followed, Tibetan monks spread

their faith and medical knowledge throughout Central

Asia, extending their influence as far north as

Siberia, where Buddhist communities flourished. But

the dawn of the 20th century brought terrible

upheaval. The rise of communism and the Stalinist

purges decimated the Buddhist presence in Russia. And

in 1959, the Chinese invaded Tibet, driving the Dalai

Lama and many of his countrymen into exile.

 

The Blue Buddha reveals how Tibetan medical wisdom has

survived such turmoil. And it explains why many North

Americans, increasingly frustrated by Western

medicine's mechanistic view of illness, have embraced

the Tibetan system's more holistic understanding of

body, mind and spirit.

 

Part two of the documentary introduces the viewer to

Tuvan Dorzhi, a Buddhist monk who practices Tibetan

medicine today in Siberia. Through his eyes, it offers

a fascinating look at the traditions and techniques of

this art, such as the ritual blessing of medicines,

which is said to give them healing power.

 

Tibetan doctors such as Tuvan Dorzhi are renowned for

their ability to diagnose illness – a skill based on

sensitive touch, careful observation and quiet

listening. The physician's intimate relationship with

the patient – his concern not just for the body, but

for the person's soul – is at the very heart of

traditional Tibetan medicine.

 

“The doctor must have a big heart,” says Tuvan Dorzhi.

“He must understand the patient's soul and help them

psychologically and spiritually.”

 

The Blue Buddha is a Canada-Japan co-production. It

was produced by Producers on Davie Pictures Inc., Long

Tale Entertainment Ltd. and MediAtelier Inc. in

association with VisionTV.

The film was directed by Aerlyn Weissman and Tetsuya

Itano. It was produced by Harry Sutherland, Cari

Green, Ross D. Viner, Tetsuya Itano and Noriko Uchida.

Alberta Nokes was the Executive Producer for VisionTV.

 

 

Find this article at:

http://www.visiontv.ca/Programs/documentaries_bluebuddha.html

© VisionTV, 2006

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Blue Buddha Photo

http://i1.trekearth.com/photos/13795/blue.jpg

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Blue in Buddhist Color Symbolism

 

Eternity, truth, devotion, faith, purity, chastity,

peace, spiritual and intellectual life - these are

some of the associations that appear in many different

cultures. All express a general feeling that blue is

the coolest, most detached and least material of all

hues.

 

The Virgin Mary and Christ are often shown wearing

blue in Christian art, and it is the attribute of many

sky gods including Amun in Egypt, the Sumerian Great

Mother, the Greek Zeus (Jupiter to the Romans), the

Hindu Indra, Vishnu and his blue-skinned incarnation,

Krishna.

 

In Buddhism both light and dark aspects of this

mysterious color are important.

Light Blue (Turquoise) in Buddhism

 

 

The significance of the light shade of blue is

reflected in the importance of the semi-precious stone

turquoise in the daily spiritual and religious life of

the devout Buddhist, who holds various beliefs about

this stone. In general terms turquoise is a symbol of

the blue of the sea and the sky. Infinity in the sky

speaks of the limitless heights of ascension. The

stone is opaque as the earth, yet it lifts the spirit

high, laying bare to us the wisdom of both the earth

and the sky.

 

When worn in a ring, turquoise is believed to assure a

safe journey; worn in the ear it prevents

reincarnation as a donkey; appearing in a dream, it is

auspicious; when found, it brings the best of luck and

gives new life (in contrast, it is not considered

lucky to find gold or coral); when changing its color

to green, it indicates hepatitis, yet at the same time

it draws out jaundice. Most importantly it is believed

to absorb sin.

 

Strings of prayer beads too include turquoise. In

fact, when worshipping the popular goddess Tara in her

green form, because of the color association, it is

desirable to do so with a rosary entirely composed of

turquoise beads.

 

 

There also exists as well the concept of living and

dead turquoise. Living turquoise has a healthy blue

color, whereas dead turquoise has turned either white

or black. In the natural aging process of turquoise,

exposure to light and body oils darkens the color,

eventually turning it black. Tibetans compare this to

human aging and death. Wearing " living " turquoise is

therefore very desirable, as it will give long life to

the wearer.

 

Turquoise has also been held as a sacred stone by

ancient cultures other than Tibetan. It was sacred in

Egypt, along with malachite and lapis lazuli. It was

also sacred to the Persian culture, where it

symbolized purity. American Indians believe it to be a

protector and guardian of the body and soul. Gypsies

wear turquoise in their navels, believing it to be

good for everything.

Dark Blue (Lapis Lazuli) in Buddhism

 

Nothing illustrates more the spectacular influence of

the darker blue on Buddhist aesthetics than the 'Blue

Buddha', also known as the Buddha of Medicine or

Healing. The most distinctive feature of this Medicine

Buddha is his color, the deep blue of lapis lazuli.

 

This precious stone has been greatly prized by Asian

and European cultures for more than six thousand years

and, until relatively recently, its ornamental value

was on a par with, or even exceeded, that of the

diamond. An aura of mystery surrounds this gemstone,

perhaps because of its principal mines are located in

the remote Badakshan region of northeast Afghanistan,

an all-but-inaccessible area located behind the Hindu

Kush. One commentator has written, " the finest

specimens of lapis, intensely blue with speckled waves

and swirls of shining gold-colored pyrite, resemble

the night aglow with myriads of stars. "

 

E.H. Schafer summarizes the Buddhist interest in lapis

lazuli:

The Chinese were not alone among the Far Eastern

peoples in their admiration for the blue mineral. The

Tibetans valued it above all others, even ahead of

gold, and those highlanders saw in it the image of the

azure sky, and said that the hair of their goddess had

its color. Both men and women wore it on their heads.

 

Indeed to this day, statues prepared in Tibet and the

Himalayn kingdom of Nepal have their hair painted

blue.

 

Traditionally this beautiful stone was used to

symbolize that which is pure or rare. It is said to

have a curative or strengthening effect on those who

wear it, and its natural smoothness allows it to be

polished to a high degree of reflectivity.

Specifically in alternative medicine, because of it

being associated with a certain 'coolness', it is used

when inflammation is present, or when any internal

bleeding or nervous condition exists. For all these

reasons, plus the fact that deep blue light has a

demonstrable healing effect on those who use it in

visualization practices, lapis is the color of the

principal Medicine Buddha, making this stone an

important one in Buddhist mysticism.

 

Indeed the Lapis Healing Master is one of the most

honored figures in the Buddhist pantheon. In one of

the main sutras (canonical texts) concerning the

Medicine Buddha, Shakyamuni tells his close disciple

and attendant Ananda:

I beseech you, Blessed Medicine Guru,

Whose sky-colored, holy body of lapis lazuli

Signifies omniscient wisdom and compassion

As vast as limitless space,

Please grant me your blessings.

 

Source

Based on article by Nitin Kumar of Buddha Art.

Reprinted by permission.

© 2004-2006 ReligionFacts.