Men-Tsee-Khang
Men-Tsee-Khang | |
| Motto | To heal and prevent morbidity |
|---|---|
| Type | Charitable institution |
| Established | 1916 |
| Director | Thubten Tsering (16th) |
Academic staff | 179 |
| Location | , Himachal , India 32°13′19″N 76°19′02″E / 32.222°N 76.3172°E |
| Website | www.mentseekhang.org |
The Tibetan Men-Tsee-Khang (Tibetan: བོད་ཀྱི་སྨན་རྩིས་ཁང་།, romanized: Bod kyi sman rtsis khang), institutes were founded in 1916 by the 13th Dalai Lama with one in Lhasa, the Mentsi Dropen Ling, and another at the Chagpori College of Medicine of 1696. The Chagpori institute was bombarded in 1959 in the Lhasa uprising during which the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India, and re-established the Men-Tsee-Khang in 1961 as a charitable medical institution headquartered in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India to serve the Tibetan diaspora and preserve Tibetan medicine. It is also known as Tibetan Medical & Astro Institute.
The current Men-Tsee-Khang institute and its branches share the following mission statements:
- To preserve, promote and practice Sowa Rigpa and the ancient systems of Tibetan Medicine, Tibetan Astronomy and Astrology
- To improve the health and sanitation of Tibetan refugees and people in general
- To provide health care and social service through dispensaries for people regardless of "caste, colour or creed"
- To promote education and higher studies in the fields of Tibetan medicine and astrology
- To collaborate with scholars and institutions of different medical traditions in India and internationally
- To produce Tibetan medicines in environmentally sustainable and sensitive ways
The Dharamsala Men-Tsee-Khang institute opened on 23 March 1961 on two separate campuses with Ven Dr. Yeshi Dhonden as the doctor and teacher of the Medicine Department, and with Ven Dukhorwa Lodoe Gyatso as the astrologer of the Astrology Department. In 1967 the campuses were merged into a central campus at Mcleod Ganj. As of 2022, the institute in India has 58 branch clinics, two medical colleges, and three wellness centers.