The two factors that give rise to health disorders are conditions and causes. According to Tibetan medicine there are two causes of disease, the Ultimate cause and the Proximate cause. The Ultimate or distant cause are ones karma or past actions. The conditions allow for the causes to ripen. This is called the Seed Condition (Tib: Gyu Kyen) or the contributory factors. These are categorized as seasonal changes, evil spirits, poison, and habit and behavior.
Ones karma ripens in this lifetime and this brings about health disorders. This "seed Karma" is caused by prior afflictive emotions which are described as Ignorance, Anger and Desire. Due to Ignorance, one has erroneous ideas about existence, then there is suffering. We experience this as not getting what we want, getting what we don't want, suffering on top of suffering and the suffering of change. Ignorance gives rise to Desire, which leads to Anger.
From these negative mental states arise the Proximate cause of disease which is the imbalance of Wind (Tib: rLung), Bile (Tib: mKris Pa) and Phlegm (Tib: Bad Kan) due to bad diet, irregular behavior, environmental and psychological factors. Disease can not only be due to past karma ripening in this lifetime, but also actions from this lifetime. The former are considered at best very difficult to treat and a spiritual treatment is prescribed, but the latter usually have a good prognosis. This is what the Lama Doctor has to ascertain to be able to treat the patient in correct manner.
*Note: This discussion is based on class notes from Dechen Yonten Dzo Institute of Buddhist Medicine, Health Through Balance, Yeshe Donden, 1986, and The Quintessence Tantras of Tibetan Medicine, translated by Barry Clark, 1995.
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