Lobsang Dolma Khangkar facts for kids
Lobsang Dolma Khangkar (Tibetan: བློ་བཟང་སྒྲོལ་མ་ཁང་དཀར, Wylie: blo bzang sgrol ma khang dkar) was a very important doctor of traditional Tibetan medicine. People also called her Lobsang Dolma or Ama Lobsang Dolma. She was born in Kyirong, Tibet on July 6, 1934. She passed away in Dharamsala, India on December 15, 1989. She was the 13th doctor in her family line. In 1959, she traveled from Tibet to India with the Dalai Lama. She became the first woman to be the chief doctor of the Men-Tsee-Khang, a special Tibetan medical institute. Her daughters, Tsewang Dolkar Khangkar and Pasang Gyalmo Khangkar, followed in her footsteps. They continued the family's tradition of being doctors.
Contents
Biography
Early Life in Tibet
Doctor Lobsang Dolma was born in 1934. Her family, the Khangkar family, lived in Kyirong, a part of western Tibet. She was the only child of her parents. Her mother was Tsewang Sangmo, and her father was Dingpon Tsering Wangdu. Her father was also a doctor. Lobsang Dolma helped him with his work. She learned about Tibetan medicine from her father.
In 1955, she studied very hard with Dragtonpa. He was one of Kyirong's governors. Lobsang Dolma and her husband joined a two-year program. Their teacher was Pelbar Geshe Rinpoche (1893-1985). They studied at a hermitage and a temple in Kyirong. Lobsang Dolma was a very smart student. In 1956, she and her husband also learned about astrology from Pelbar Geshe Rinpoche. She continued to learn more about Tibetan Buddhism and medicine from him in 1957 and 1958. She wanted to know even more. Her father invited another Tibetan doctor named Changpa to teach her. They also gave special medicines to patients for free.
Journey to India
In 1958, Lobsang Dolma went to the border between Tibet and Nepal. She then moved to Nepal. There, she practiced deep meditation. In 1959, Dr. Lobsang Dolma and her two young daughters left Tibet. They traveled with the Dalai Lama to India. They waited at the border for several months. India was worried about China's reaction. Finally, they were allowed into what is now Dharamsala, India.
In 1961, she helped about 2,000 Tibetan refugees in Pathankot, India. Before this, she had to work on building roads for over a year. She worked in places like Palampur and Manali to earn money. In early 1962, Lobsang Dolma helped other Tibetan workers. She brought them from Manali to Dharamsala. There, they met the 14th Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama asked her to join the Men-Tsee-Khang. This was a new Tibetan medical and astrology institute. However, her request to join was turned down. At that time, women were not allowed in the institute. Children lovingly called her Amala Lobsang Dolma. This nickname, meaning "Mother Lobsang Dolma," stayed with her. Important teachers like Trijang Rinpoche encouraged her to keep practicing medicine. In 1970, she left her job at the Tibetan Central School. She opened her own clinic in Dalhousie. Many monks, Indians, and Tibetans came to her because she was becoming very famous.
Becoming Chief Doctor
Later, some of the oldest doctors at the Men-Tsee-Khang in Dharamsala left their jobs. These included Trogawa Rinpoche and Yeshi Dhonden. The Tibetan government then asked Lobsang Dolma to come to Dharamsala. She moved there with her family. On July 5, 1972, Lobsang Dolma joined the Men-Tsee-Khang. She became the main doctor there. Her husband, Dozur Tsering Wangyal, joined the medicine-making center. She was made the chief doctor of the Men-Tsee-Khang. Because of this, she was called the "doctor of the Dalai Lama."
Lobsang Dolma traveled to many countries. She met Jeffrey Hopkins at the University of Virginia in the USA. She gave talks about Tibetan medicine there. In 1978, she visited the Vajrapani Institute in California for three months. She also gave a two-week training course at the University of Wisconsin. The Institute of Jungian Psychology invited her to lead a workshop in Zurich. The World Health Organization also invited her to a big meeting. This was the International Congress of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It was held at the Australian National University in Australia in September 1979. She taught about how to diagnose illnesses in Tibetan medicine there.
In 1975, her husband passed away. She later remarried Norbu Chophel. He was an assistant to Trijang Rinpoche. On July 15, 1976, she made special vows as a lay woman from Trijang Rinpoche.
Private Medical Practice
Lobsang Dolma was away from the Men-Tsee-Khang for a long time. So, on September 1, 1978, she was no longer the chief doctor. She then built her own private clinic. It opened on March 1, 1979. In October 1982, she became very sick. She followed the advice of Ling Rinpoche and performed religious rituals. Her health slowly got better.
Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche invited her to the first international meeting on Tibetan medicine. This meeting was held in Venice from April 26 to 30, 1983. She also attended a meeting in Arcidosso. She helped many women and children. She gave talks about health problems in children and women. After that, she went to Holland. She stayed there for a month at the request of a Dutch foundation for Tibetan medicine.
Lobsang Dolma also traveled to southern India. She visited many Tibetan monasteries and refugee homes. This included the Mundgod Seniors House. She helped them with money and medical care. She visited Nepal twice. In 1985, she saw her old teacher, Pelbar Geshe Rinpoche, again.
Besides her clinic in Dharamsala, she often gave free medical care. She helped people in Pathankot and Amritsar. She also visited Calcutta, New Delhi, and Jalandhar. In August 1985, she traveled to Nubra and Saspol in Ladakh. She also went to the Tibetan camp at Puruwala in Mussoorie. In 1986, she went to Hamipur. In 1988, she visited Kyidrong Samten Ling in Kathmandu.
Among her students were her own daughters, Pasang Gyalmo and Tsewang Dolkar Khangkar. Other students included Khyunglung Thogme Thinley Dorje and Purang Tsewang Namgyal. She is mentioned in important books like the Encyclopaedia of Women in India. She became very ill in 1989. She passed away on December 15, 1989. After her death, her clinic was named the Dr. Lobsang Dolma Khangkar Memorial Clinic. Her oldest daughter, Pasang Gyalmo, took over the clinic.
Publications
Lobsang Dolma Khangkar wrote books about Tibetan medicine. Here are some of them:
- Health and harmony through the balance pulse rhythms: the diagnostic art my mother taught me, with Tsewang Dolkar Khangkar, Yarlung Publications, 1990
- Journey into the mystery of Tibetan medicine: based on the lectures of Dr. Dolma, Livre 1, with Tsewang Dolkar Khangkar, Yarlung Publications, 1990
- Lectures on Tibetan medicine, K. Dhondup, 1986, LTWA
- Initiation à la médecine tibétaine, 1998, K. Dhondup, translated into French by Bruno Le Guevel, Éditions Dewatshang, ISBN: 2909858049
Articles
- Gerard N. Burrow, Jeffrey Hopkins, Yeshi Dhonden, and Lobsang Dolma, Goiter in Tibetan Medicine, Yale J Biol Med. 1978, 51 : 441–447.
