The four treatises of Tibetan Medicine

The Four Treatises of Tibetan Medicine is divided into four parts: tsagyu (root Treatise), shegyu (explanatory Treatise), managagyu (treatise of oral instruction), and chimagyu (the last Treatise). It was compiled from 8th to the 12th centuries, and it is the most fundamental classic of sowa rigpa (traditional Tibetan medicine). The Four Treatises fully shows the development and evolution of sowa rigpa, and has also played an essential role in the dissemination and development of sowa rigpa in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Himalayan and Mongolian regions. It not only represents the highest level of medical care in Tibet in ancient times, but also reflects the study of humanities, history, tradition, literature, art, and craft in earlier period of Tibet. Four xylograph versions of the Four Treatises are the proofread and revised editions in different historical phases, while the one gold-ink manuscript version is the best-preserved rare book.