In Search of the Medicine Buddha: A Himalayan Journey »

The country of Nepal is a place where ancient traditions coexist with modern innovation, a land of harshness and beauty, of disease and poverty as well as transcendent knowledge. In March 1987, David Crow journeyed to this land of stark contrasts, leaving behind his successful acupuncture and herb clinic in San Francisco in search of medical teachings from the Tibetan Buddhist and ayurvedic traditions.

Within a week of his arrival in Kathmandu, he met Dr. Ngawang Chopel, an elderly lama who had escaped to Nepal after years of imprisonment and torture at the hands of the Communist Chinese. Over the next decade, Crow studied the art and science of Tibetan medical diagnosis and treatment with Dr. Chopel and other teachers, including the first woman ayurvedic physician in Nepal, and an alchemist who showed Crow how to transform mercury -- a dangerous poison in its natural state -- into a potent medicine used by generations of ayurvedic healers. With his newfound knowledge of Tibet's ancient medical practices, Crow opened a clinic in Kathmandu and another in a small mountain village, where he used traditional botanical medicines to treat a diverse clientele -- including beggars from the street alongside high abbots of monasteries.

A colorful and captivating story of adventure, exploration, and self-discovery, In Search of the Medicine Buddha transports readers into the life and work of David Crow and his teachers. It is a journey into the wonders of Himalayan herbology and spirituality, written in lyrical prose that interweaves valuable medical teachings with insights into the Buddhist and Hindu cultures of Nepal. Certain to appeal to all those interested in exotic places and mystical encounters, the narrative of this decade-long search for authentic knowledge of Himalayan medicine evokes the beauty and wonder of a faraway land and reveals a hidden world of healing knowledge.

Library Journal

In a blend of medical anthropology and autobiographical essay, Crow introduces the reader to Tibetan and Ayurvedic medicine as taught to him by leading Tibetan and Nepalese physicians in Katmandu in Nepal. The book also weaves together Buddhist philosophy, Nepalese culture, and a bit of history but focuses primarily on various aspects of Sange Menla, the Medicine Buddha (the manifestation of healing in the Buddhist religious pantheon). Crow, a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, examines such topics as herbal remedies, alchemy, women's roles in Ayurvedic medicine and in Buddhist culture, massage, meditation, and the use of mercury as a highly effective but very dangerous healing agent. Crow's book begins with his journey to Nepal in 1988 but does not provide many chronological reference points thereafter. The author also does not clearly explain the relationship between Ayurvedic and Tibetan medicine and does not provide a systematic examination of either healing tradition. The book is certainly interesting and provides valuable information but really seems better suited to popular reading than serious study. Recommended for larger public libraries.--Andy Wickens, King Cty. Lib. Syst., Seattle Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\