A Comparative Textual Analysis of the Medicinal Mandala and Numerical Concepts in the Sources “Sorig Bumshi” and “Gyudshi”: Establishing the Primacy of Sorig Bumshi
- VernacularTitle:“Сориг бумши”, “Жүдши” хоёр сурвалжаас эмийн Хот мандал болон зарим тоон утгуудыг харьцуулсан шинжлэлээр “Сориг бумши” эхэнд бичигдсэн болохыг тогтоосон нь
- Author:
Da leng tai
1
;
Boldsaikhan B
1
;
Bold Sh
1
;
Jin yong li
2
;
Vaanchigsuren S
3
;
Seesregdorj S
1
Author Information
1. International School of Mongolian Medicine, MNUMS
2. Affiliated Hospital of National University for Nationalities, Inner Mongolia, China
3. School of Medicine, MNUMS
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
Sorig Bumshi, Gyudshi, Source Criticism, Comparative Study, Traditional Knowledge Transmission
- From:
Mongolian Journal of Health Sciences
2025;87(3):54-59
- CountryMongolia
- Language:Mongolian
-
Abstract:
Background:A comparative study of classical medical texts within Traditional
Medicine provides a vital framework for uncovering the origins, development,
transmission, and historical significance of healing traditions. This approach
highlights a specific culture’s contribution to medical knowledge and reflects
the intricate interplay of religion, culture, and philosophical thought embedded
in those eras.
Aim:To conduct a comparative analysis of the depictions of the “Medicinal
Mandala” as described in the first chapter of the “Root Tantra” section in the
two classical medical sources Sorig Bumshi and Gyudshi.
Materials and Methods:This research examines two foundational Tibetan
medical texts—Sorig Bumshi and Gyudshi—using theme-based classification
and content analysis methodologies grounded in textual source criticism.
Results:The findings confirm that Sorig Bumshi, a Bönpo medical text from
the ancient Zhangzhung civilization, was composed earlier. The great translator
Byaruzana translated it from the Zhangzhung language, after which Yuthok
Yönten Gönpo and collaborators edited, revised, and systematized the text to
form Gyudshi, embedding it in Buddhist epistemological frameworks.
Conclusions:1. The medicinal mandala of Gyudshi—structured around a central "beautiful
medicinal city" surrounded by four directional mountains—demonstrates a
refined adaptation of the more expansive, sacred mandala depicted in Sorig
Bumshi, which is centered on Olmo Lung Ring, a Bönpo pure land rich in symbolic
geography.
2. The numerical values recorded in both texts—particularly the recurring use
of 360 and 404—suggest different paradigms in medical theory. Sorig Bumshi
embeds these numbers within a Bön cosmological and ritual context (e.g.,
360 deities, mountains, and healing lakes), while Gyudshi reinterprets them
under Buddhist causal reasoning (e.g., 404 diseases derived from wind, bile,
phlegm, and karma). This transformation reflects a shift from Bön to Buddhist
medical epistemology through selective integration and doctrinal refinement.
- Full text:202505232225540754254-59.pdf
