As interest in healthy living and a holistic approach to healthcare gain popularity in Western culture, age-old healing traditions from the East are being reexamined as new sources of knowledge. On March 15, 2014, the Rubin Museum of Art will present an exhibition on the art and practice of Tibetan medicine, one of the most comprehensive medical systems in the world. Bodies in Balance: The Art of Tibetan Medicine, on view through September 8, 2014, will focus on the visual representations of Tibetan medicine from its earliest applications to its place in modern societies. The exhibition is the first to examine the guiding principles of Tibetan medicine through its diverse visual history, and will illuminate the connections between physician and artist; Buddhist ideas, medicine, and the visual arts; and ancient healing traditions and contemporary ideas of wellbeing.

The relationship between Tibetan medicine, Buddhism, and the visual arts has been integral to the development and transmission of this medical practice. Bodies in Balance will feature 140 objects dating from the ninth century to the present day that represent the spread of Tibetan medical knowledge across generations, including paintings and drawings, medical texts and tools, and natural ingredients used to create medicines.

Inspired by the individualized approach fundamental to much of Tibetan medical practice, Bodies in Balance will provide a questionnaire for a personalized visitor experience of the exhibition. The survey will include a set of sample questions that a Tibetan doctor might ask to determine the balance of the three main dynamic forces in the body and mind —wind, bile, and phlegm— thus allowing visitors to assess their own constitution. Visitors can then explore the exhibition by following color-coded markers based on their constitution and learn more about how ideas examined in the show are relevant to their own lives. The museum shop and Café Serai will also feature diverse offerings suitable for each of the specific forces, carrying exhibition concepts beyond the galleries.

Bodies in Balance will also include a pulse station that will teach visitors how to feel their pulse according to Tibetan practice. Pulse taking is a fundamental diagnostic tool in Tibetan medicine that identifies several characteristics of our mental and physical health. The Museum will also offer as part of its series of interactive, diagnostic workshops an opportunity to learn pulse-taking techniques from Tibetan and Chinese doctors. More information on public programming can be found below and on the Rubin website.

Additionally, the exhibition will feature a multimedia installation that presents the ways in which Tibetan medicine has thrived and been adapted in today’s world. Medicinal compounds and graphic cards will also be displayed throughout the gallery spaces, helping to decode complex paintings and illustrations and providing additional details for the understanding of Tibetan medical concepts and the ingredients in medical compounds.

“With Bodies in Balance, we wanted to provide audiences with a personalized experience. We shaped the participatory elements so that there isn’t one way to discover the exhibition. It’s about our visitors and the opportunity to make the experience wholly their own,” said Patrick Sears, the Museum’s Executive Director. “From the Rubin Museum’s inception, our vision has been to create and nurture an environment where our audiences can feel connected to our exhibitions and programming. As we begin our second decade, we are expanding what this means and developing new ways for our audiences to engage with us.”

Organized by Guest Curator Theresia Hofer from the University of Oslo and Rubin Museum’s Assistant Curator Elena Pakhoutova, the exhibition will be structured around ten major subject areas. The exhibition will first highlight the origins and history of Tibetan medicine, including the historical influence of early Buddhist, Chinese, Indian, and Greco-Arab medical traditions, and explore foundational principles of the system. It will, then, focus on the theory and practice of Tibetan medicine, showcasing a selection of copies from the Tibetan Medical Paintings —a 17th-century set of 79 thangkas, or scroll paintings, that have been invaluable in the instruction of medical practitioners. Bodies in Balance will also examine the connections between mind and body essential to health and wellbeing as well as diagnostics, treatment, Tibetan pharmacology, and the use of Tibetan medicine in today’s global world.

Exhibition highlights, include:

The earliest representation of the Medicine Buddha. On view for the first time in the U.S., the painting on silk depicts the Medicine Buddha Bhaiṣajyaguru, flanked by two Bodhisattvas. From the world famous Buddhist site of cave temples at Dunhuang on the Silk Road, the painting’s Tibetan inscription clearly states the name of its creator and dedicates its creation to the improvement of health and wellbeing. The inscription confirms that the Medicine Buddha was the focus of the spiritual and healing practices as early as the ninth century and well-known to Tibetans at the time.

An 18th-century gilded copper depiction of the Medicine Buddha. Tibetan Doctors and patients believe that the Medicine Buddha can relieve humans of all diseases. This great power is symbolized by the calming presence of the Medicine Buddha. He is shown holding a bowl of healing nectar in his left hand and the fruit of Arura (Myrobalan) plant in his right hand. This “supreme medicine,” which is considered a panacea in Tibetan medicine mainly grows in India and is part of many Tibetan medical compounds.

The Tree of Diagnosis, a 17th-century Tibetan painting on cloth and brocade. This painting presents the diagnostic process in Tibetan medicine shown in the popular mnemonic form of a tree. It depicts three trunks for each of the main diagnostic methods: visual observation, feeling the pulse, and questioning. As in most medical tree paintings, the three bodily constitutions are distinguished by color, and the leaves related to wind are blue, those related to bile are yellow, and those related to phlegm are white.

The Rubin Museum of Art

150 W. 17 St.
New York (NY) 10011 United States
Tel. +1 (212) 6205000
info@rmanyc.org
www.rmanyc.org

Opening hours

Monday from 11am to 5pm
Wednesday from 11am to 9pm
Thursday from 11am to 5pm
Friday from 11am to 10pm
Saturday/Sunday from 11am to 6pm

Related images
  1. Zombie-Riding Protectress, Central Tibet; 19th century, Pigments on cloth, Rubin Museum of Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin
  2. Medicine Buddha Bhaiṣajyaguru on Lotus Seat, Central Tibet; 18th or 19th century, Gilded and painted wood, Private Collection
  3. Red Wolf-Headed Protectress, Central Tibet; 19th century, Pigments on cloth, Rubin Museum of Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin
  4. Bhaiṣajyaguru, Central Tibet; 14th or 15th century, Gilded and painted copper, Pritzker Collection
  5. Medicine Buddha Bhaiṣajyaguru with eight, bodhisattvas, Tibet; 12th century, Pigment and gold on cotton, Private Collection
  6. Medicine Buddha Bhaiṣajyaguru, Tibet; 18th century, Gilded copper, Museum der Kulturen, Basel, Sammlung Essen, IId 13900