Tibetan Medicine Off the Roads: Modernizing the Work of the Amchi in Spiti Dissertation zur Erlangung der Doktorwürde Vorgelegt an der Fakultät für Verhaltens- und Empirische Kulturwissenschaften der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg im Fach Ethnologie Von Nils Florian Besch Heidelberg, im August 2006 Tibetan Medicine Off the Roads: Modernizing the Work of the Amchi in Spiti Dissertation zur Erlangung der Doktorwürde Vorgelegt an der Fakultät für Verhaltens- und Empirische Kulturwissenschaften der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg im Fach Ethnologie Erstprüfer: Prof. William S. Sax, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg Zweitprüfer: Prof. Toni Huber, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Von Nils Florian Besch Heidelberg, im August 2006 Table of Contents – Overview Table of Contents – Overview Acknowledgements Prologue Off the Roads with an Amchi ........................................................................1 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................10 1.1 The Land In-Between .......................................................................................17 1.2 Marginality and Modernization ......................................................................34 1.3 A Brief Institutional History of Sowa Rigpa ..................................................45 2. AMCHI ON THE ROAD .............................................................................57 2.1 Traditional Education ......................................................................................58 2.2 The Decline of the Local Transmission...........................................................76 2.3 New Ways of Education ...................................................................................86 2.4 What Makes a “Good Amchi”?.....................................................................104 3. AMCHI AT HOME ..................................................................................111 3.1 Aspects of Healing...........................................................................................111 3.1.1 Pulse Reading ..........................................................................................113 3.1.2 The Making of Medicine..........................................................................125 3.1.3 Tantric Healing ........................................................................................155 3.2 The Socio-Political Dimension of Amchi Medicine......................................185 3.2.1 Social Change and the Amchi-Patient Relationship................................187 3.2.2 Alienated in Kaza.....................................................................................206 4. MAKING A MEDICAL LIVING................................................................218 4.1 The Breakdown of Exchange.........................................................................219 4.2 Money for Medicine........................................................................................241 4.3 Making a Living as an Amchi........................................................................251 5. AMCHI ON THE MOVE – A POWER STRUGGLE FOR THE FUTURE ......259 5.1 Demanding Professionalization .....................................................................260 5.2 Interacting with Centers ................................................................................285 5.3 Rationalization and Globalization.................................................................298 6. SPITI AMCHI OFF THE ROADS – CONCLUSION ....................................309 Abbreviations................................................................................................................321 Remarks on Orthography and Glossary........................................................................322 Bibliography .................................................................................................................329 Detailed Table of Contents Detailed Table of Contents Acknowledgements Prologue Off the Roads with an Amchi ........................................................................1 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................10 1.1 The Land In-Between .......................................................................................17 Setting ........................................................................................................18 Economy.....................................................................................................19 Society........................................................................................................21 Religious and Political History..................................................................24 Socio-Economic Change............................................................................27 Progressive Infrastructure.........................................................................32 1.2 Marginality and Modernization ......................................................................34 1.3 A Brief Institutional History of Sowa Rigpa ..................................................45 The Origin of Tibetan Medicine.................................................................45 The Rgyud bzhi...........................................................................................47 Developments since the Seventeenth Century............................................51 2. AMCHI ON THE ROAD .............................................................................57 2.1 Traditional Education ......................................................................................58 Family Background....................................................................................62 Principle Lines of Training........................................................................63 Knowledge and Experience .......................................................................67 The Special Status of the Lineages ............................................................69 2.2 The Decline of the Local Transmission...........................................................76 The Weight of Modern Education..............................................................76 Particularities within Pin Valley ...............................................................81 A Few Further Considerations ..................................................................83 2.3 New Ways of Education ...................................................................................86 Graduates from Men-Tsee-Khang .............................................................86 Becoming a Modern Amchi........................................................................88 Considering an Amchi Career ...................................................................94 General Survey Data on the Amchi Community........................................99 2.4 What Makes a “Good Amchi”?.....................................................................102 Detailed Table of Contents 3. AMCHI AT HOME ..................................................................................111 3.1 Aspects of Healing...........................................................................................111 3.1.1 Pulse Reading ..........................................................................................113 The Technique of Diagnosis ....................................................................114 The Potentials of Pulse Diagnosis...........................................................116 By First Touch .........................................................................................121 Changing the Meaning of Diagnosing.....................................................123 3.1.2 The Making of Medicine .........................................................................125 Producing Medicine.................................................................................126 Global and Local Changes Regarding Medicine ....................................132 Competing Resources ..............................................................................134 The Efficacy of Medicine .........................................................................136 Reducing Medicine ..................................................................................142 Ritual Empowerment................................................................................144 Powder versus Pill – Debating Efficacy..................................................147 One Step Beyond – Visions ......................................................................151 The Essential Dilemma: An Amchi Needs Medicine ...............................154 3.1.3 Tantric Healing ........................................................................................155 Separating Medicine and Religion ..........................................................155 A Pluralism of Religious Practitioners....................................................158 Mental Illness and Evil Spirits.................................................................164 The Musician’s Illness .............................................................................170 Creating Tantric Power...........................................................................173 Status and Identity ...................................................................................179