Sem 1 Review Flashcards
What are the five perfections?
These refer to the perfections in the communication of the teachings in this context. Namely, the perfection of the time, place, students, teacher, and teachings.
Describe the perfection of the location.
The palace in the land of the Medicine Buddha surrounded by the four mountains, etc.
Describe the perfection of the teacher
A perfect teacher must:
(1) Know the subject
(2) Must be honest
(3) Have a method to teach the subject
(4) Needs to be impartial to his students
(5) Be patient
In the case of the root tantra, the teacher is the Medicine Buddha himself.
Describe perfection of the time
The perfection of time is a time when there’s ample time, no threats, problems or concerns. Can also say the perfect time is “right now.”
Describe perfection of the students
The perfection of students means students who mutually respect one another, help eachother, are not obstructed by their differences. In the case of the root tantra, the students include a retinue of gods, sages (Rishis), non-Buddhists and Buddhists.
Describe perfection of the teachings
The perfection of the subject in this case is the topic of healing: a form of benefitting sentient beings. In the sutra, it’s also described that the subject was such that each student could understand and take from it what he or she needed and from his/her own perspective.
How many leaves are there on the healthy body tree?
25.
Five subcategories of rLung
Life sustaining, ascending, pervasive, fire-accompanying, and descending.
Five subcategories of Baekan
Supporting, decomposing, experiencing (tasting), satisfying and connective.
Five subcategories of tripa
Digestive, color-changing, accomplishing, sight-giving and complexion-clearing.
Seven bodily constituents (zungs)
Food essence, blood, muscle/flesh, fat, bone, marrow, and reproductive fluid.
Three wastes (dri ma)
Feces, urine, sweat.
How many branches on the “unhealthy trunk”?
Nine branches
Name the branches on the unhealthy trunk of the root tantra.
(first 3 branches on healthy trunk) 4) Three causes for a disorder 5) Four auxiliary conditions to manifest 6) Six paths of entrance 7) Locations of the nyespa 8) Fifteen paths for a disorder to move (divided by lung, tripa, baekan--5 each) 9) Place/time for disorders (9) 10) Nine fatal outcomes 11) Illnesses from therapies 12) The summary (2) 8 Branches, 63 leaves on unhealthy tree
What are the six pathways?
Spreading on the skin, developing in the muscle, circulating through the channels, adhering to the bones, in the functional organ, descending into the vessel organ.
What does “spreading on the skin” mean as a pathway?
Means it’s not a serious disorder but has the potential to spread or hide if treated aggressively. Needs to be coalesced to be treated.
What does “develops in the flesh” mean as a pathway?
Means more serious than on the skin. likely more painful. Needs rigorous treatment to prevent deepening.
What does “circulating through the vessels” mean as a pathway/
Means the disorder is spreading in the body and is complicated to treat because it can move or hide. Must use methods to block and then cleanse.
What does “adheres to the bones” mean as a pathway?
Means the disease is chronic: is moving into inner body. Must be treated with a means that is strong enough to remove the disease but which doesn’t hurt the body (metaphorically scraped off the bone without damaging the bone.) Ie, steam bath, then cleansing methods.
What does “attacks [lands on] the vital organs” mean as a pathway?
Means the disease is chronic and must be skillfully pacified and eliminated.
What does “falls into the vessel organs” mean as a pathway?
Means the disease is chronic and is well entrenched. Nature as heavy, cold. Must be made lighter, chipped away at (metaphorically) without hurting the organ.
What are general locations of baekan, tripa, and rlung?
Baekan in upper body, esp brain.
Tripa in chest, esp liver and gallbladder.
rLung in lower body, esp genitals.
How many travel pathways are there in total?
15 (sort of.)
What are rlung’s travel pathways?
(1) bone,
(2) hearing, sense of touch (skin),
(3) heart/life channel
(4) large intestines
(5) (no wastes)
What are tripa’s travel pathways?
blood, sweat, eyes (sense of sight), liver, gallbladder+small-intestine.
What are baekan’s travel pathways?
(1) nutritional essence, muscles, fat, marrow, regenerative fluid,
(2) feces, urine,
(3) nose, tongue,
(4) lungs, spleen,
(5) stomach, kidneys, and urinary bladder. (also uterus)
What are the nine fatal results?
(1) Exhaustion of three factors for survival
(2) Three nyespas at war with one another so no treatment can work
(3) Treatment is identical to disease (Dr error)
(4) Fatal injury to vulnerable body part
(5) rLung disorder beyond treatment
(6) Hot disorder beyond treatment
(7) Cold disorder too cold and heavy for treatment.
(8) Body is too weak to survive treatment
(9) Strong dominance/attacks of evil spirits.
What is the summary of chapter 3 that ends the root tantra?
(1) rLung and baekan are by nature cold.
(2) Blood and tripa are by nature hot.
The nature of micro-organism problems and lymph problems can be either hot or cold, depending on involved nyespa.
Inquiry questions for rLung
(1) Yawning and trembling?
(2) Stretching the limbs?
(3) Cold shivering?
(4) Aching hips, waist, joints?
(5) Acute pains shifting from one part to another?
(6) Nausea and unproductive retching?
(7) Diminishing of the senses?
(8) Restlessness?
(9) Emptiness of the stomach aggravates the above?
Inquiry questions for tripa.
(1) Bitter taste in the mouth
(2) Headaches
(3) Fever/high body temperature?
(4) Acute pains in the upper body?
(5) Pain worse when digesting food?
