Tibetan Philosophy
The five elements have maintained a long and important ancestral influence in the culture and religion in Tibet. A leading driving force of the five elements comes in Tibetan medicine, where it is believed that the spiritual philosophy of Buddhism and elemental astrology is linked to medicine and the human body, and that everything existing and non-existing in the world derives from the mind and the five elements.
The five elements in the Tibetan tradition are:
Traditional Tibetan medicine, also known as Sowa Rigpa, or “The Science of Healing”, uses influences from elemental systems from Indian Hinduism and Chinese wu xing. In Hinduism, the five elements are the basis of all cosmic creation and carry different characteristics that account for different human experiences whilst in wu xing, it is believed that the five elements are essential in establishing and maintaining a sort of balance in the human body and an individual’s life cycle. The mind in Tibetan medicine is seen as the base of all existence as our every movement begins with our mind and is the creator of all external and internal phenomena.
Mae (Fire)
Creates heat and transformation
When the five elements come together and work in harmony, they make up our entire physical being as well as its physiological principles, energies and forces.
The five elements are the foundation of this practice and are believed to be the formation and maintenance of all physical matter and energy of the natural world. Dating back to ancient indigenous Tibetan culture, these practices go back to the Tibetan spiritual system known as Bonpo. Tibetans believe that the purpose of life is to remain happy, and analysing an individual’s unique inborn nature or constitution and making good lifestyle choices will promote healing and good health through balance within the body.