Yeshi Dhonden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yeshi Dhonden
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| Born | 15 May 1927 Namro, Tibet
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| Died | 26 November 2019 (aged 92) McLeodganj, Himachal Pradesh, India
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| Nationality | Tibetan |
| Occupation | Doctor |
| Years active | 1951–2019 |
Yeshi Dhonden (Tibetan: ཡེ་ཤེས་དོན་ལྡན, Wylie: ye shes don ldan; 15 May 1927 – 26 November 2019) was a famous Tibetan doctor. He practiced a special kind of healing called traditional Tibetan medicine. He was even the personal doctor for the 14th Dalai Lama from 1961 to 1980. In 2018, he received a very important award from the Indian government called the Padma Shri. This award is one of the highest honors a civilian can get in India.
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Early Life and Learning
Yeshi Dhonden was born on May 15, 1927. His family were farmers in a village called Namro in Tibet. When he was six years old, he went to Sungrab Ling Monastery. Two years later, he became a Buddhist monk.
At age eleven, he started studying medicine. He joined the Chakpori Institute of Tibetan Medicine in Lhasa. He studied there for nine years and was taught by Khyenrab Norbu. Yeshi Dhonden was very good at remembering things. This helped him a lot when he studied the "four tantra" of traditional Tibetan medicine.
When he was twenty, he was recognized as the best student. He became an honorary doctor for the Dalai Lama. From 1951, he worked as a doctor in his home region of Tibet. He became well-known for being very effective. He even helped treat a flu outbreak near the Tibetan-Bhutanese border that year.
In 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama had to leave Tibet. Yeshi Dhonden decided to go with him. He wanted to help the Tibetan people who also became refugees in India.
His Career as a Doctor
In 1959, Yeshi Dhonden was one of three Tibetan doctors who left Tibet. The Dalai Lama asked him to help restart the Tibetan Institute of Medicine and Astrology in India.
In Dharamshala, India, he helped restart the Tibetan Institute of Medicine and Astrology in 1961. He was the director of this institute until 1966. In 1969, he left the institute and opened his own private clinic. He also traveled to Western countries to give talks about Tibetan medicine.
Yeshi Dhonden was seen as a very important figure in traditional Tibetan medicine. He was especially known for his work in treating cancer. He was a top expert in Sowa Rigpa. This is a traditional Tibetan medicine system that combines ancient healing methods from India and China.
From 1960 to 1980, he was the personal doctor to the Dalai Lama. On April 1, 2019, he stopped practicing medicine because his health was getting worse.
Books He Wrote
Yeshi Dhonden wrote several books about Tibetan medicine:
- Health Through Balance: An Introduction to Tibetan Medicine (1986)
- Healing from the Source: The Science and Lore of Tibetan Medicine (2000)
- The Ambrosia of Heart Tantra (2006)
Awards and Honors
- In 1987, he received the Manrampa Chewa award from Men-Tsee-Khang.
- In 2012, he received the Yuthok Award from the Central Council of Tibetan Medicine.
- On March 20, 2018, the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, gave him the Padma Shri award. This special ceremony took place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
His Passing
Yeshi Dhonden passed away on November 26, 2019. He died from breathing problems in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, India.
See also
- Eliot Tokar
