By Jhampa Kalsang
Tsipa Kachupa, Lecturer

Astronomy and astrology have been harmoniously blended with medical knowledge for more than 2,300 years within the Tibetan culture. In order to understand and master such a unique combination, one should have a basic knowledge of both Astro. Science and Tibetan Medicine. However, to become a master astro-practitioner, one naturally places more emphasis on the study of astrology and astronomy. At the Tibetan Medical and Astro. Institute in India, astro-practitioners are trained in a five-year programme of closely supervised practice.

Tibetan Astro. Science encompasses three main subjects: Kartsi or white calculation, Nagtsi or black calculation, and yang char. Kartsi can be likened to the Western field of astronomy as it includes the study of the planets and stars, and involves a great deal of mathematical calculation. Nagtsi is similar to the Western field of astrology, and may be defined as the study of elemental relations in the context of son to mother or friend to enemy. No calculations are required in Nagtsi and it is generally a more interpretive field than Kartsi. The third subject of study is yang char, which literally means "arising vowels" arid is actually a secret Tantric practice within the Kartsi Category. Kartsi is mainly derived from two Indian sources: the Sri Kalachakra Tantra and the Arising from the Sarodhaya Tantra as taught by Lord Shiva. Nagtsi shares many features with the classical Chinese system of element relations and calculations. Birth horoscopes are cast using calculations from the kartsi, nagtsi, and yang char systems.

The active role of a Tibetan astro--practitioner in his/her own community is featured especially during important life events such as 1) the birth of a child; 2) the time of marriage; 3) when an illness does not respond to regular treatments, and 4) death. Astro-practitioners are also consulted during other times of change such as moving from one residence to another and beginning an important project or journey.

There are several reasons why it is wise to consult an astro-practitioner at these times. When a child, is born, Tibetan parents are very eager to know about the child's future. Hence the parents visit an astro-practitioner and ask him or her to make a birth chart, or horoscope. In Tibetan communities many parents are guided by the birth chart, especially as it concerns the plans for the child's education, the occupational field they are best suited for and whether the monastic or religious life is one that they should be encouraged to follow. If the birth chart predictions are unfavourable, an antidote for preventing mishaps will be prescribed. The antidote is often in the form of a prayer that is appropriate to the particular unfavourable situation. The parents may also be required to give alms to poor and needy people.

If the child's life is in danger, preventative measures may be taken in the form of saving the life of an animal, usually a sheep, a goat, or a fish that is about to be slaughtered.

When a child reaches marriageable age, again the parents may consult an astro-practitioner for their child's marriage calculation. Either the boy's or the girl's parents may consult, depending upon which household the couple will live in after marriage. From this calculation, the astro-practitioner can predict the lifespan, economic standards of living, health conditions, and fortune or luck of the couple. This is the most basic form of the marriage horoscope; however, more detailed calculations can be made to predict the number of children, whether the husband or

If the birth chart predictions are unfavourable, an antidote for preventing the wife will have more power in the home, and other such information. Sometimes, if a couple is quarrelling frequently, they may come to the astro-practitioner for calculations and antidotes. If any of the four conditions mentioned above is unfavourable, and the individual is already married, then the role of the Tibetan astro-practitioner is to prepare a special amulet for the individual. The lifespan and fortune/luck aspects are considered to be most important for the man, as traditionally he must provide the food for the family If either of these calculations is unfavorable, he will be prescribed an amulet. On the other hand, if either the health or the economic conditions are unfavourable in the woman's chart, she will be prescribed an amulet as it is her traditional role to keep money in the family, rear children, and maintain health. If all is favourable in the marriage horoscope, neither the man or the woman need wear an amulet, or perhaps one partner may wear it or in the most unfavourable match, both may wear amulets.

Another kind of antidote prescribed in cases of unfavourable marriage charts is known as tor chos; here, an offering of one's best clothing is made to the Lama or to a monastery. The parents may also be asked by the astro-practitioner to recite a special prayer determined by the calculation.

When the Tibetan people fall ill and have sought medical treatment over a long period of time without any signs of improvement, they often look to another resource. As written in the Tibetan medical texts, physicians never look only at the physical causes and symptoms of the disease, but it is also necessary to consider that the disease may be caused by spirits and negative karma. (For our purposes, karma can be simply defined as an imprint made in past lives.) Such diseases are termed karmic, or spirit-inflicted; medicine alone cannot heal these diseases. It is very important to have the support of an antidote prescribed either by an astro-practitioner or a Lama's divination; at times people will seek the help of both.

Astro-practitioners determine which spirits are afflicting the sick person, the type of disease that is resulting from such a spirit, and the prayer that is needed to appease the spirit. A number corresponds to each of the eight main categories of spirits, where there are prayers and protector deities that also correspond to the numbers and categories of spirits. This system of correspondence guides the astro-practitioner toward a correct determination of which spirits and illnesses are troubling the sick person, as well as which prayer would prove to be most beneficial to the particular individual Only after performing the necessary prayer will the medicine work for the patient.

Another way astro-practitioners can help sick people is to determine which doctor and system of medicine (either allopathic, Ayurvedic or Tibetan) are most favourable in treatment of the particular disease. A calculation based on the yang char or Arising Vowels is used to make this kind of prediction. Also. if an operation is being considered as a possible cure, the astro-practitioner can assess whether there will be a successful result. This interpretation can be made by examining the yang char calculations in combination with the exact time that the request is made.

Once again, the astro-practitioner plays an important role during the deaths of loved ones within the Tibetan community. The astro-practitioner will do a death calculation to determine whether the dying person has any remaining life in the body; he or she may be called at any time from anywhere, by a relative or neighbor who requests this type of calculation. In this case, the remaining family members' circumstances are considered and no fees will be offered to the poor, or for butter lamps, or for a Medicine Buddha ceremony.

The astro-practitioner prescribes when the body should be moved from the room (or house) by fixing a favourable time and day in accordance with conjunctions of the planets and constellations. It is important to avoid bad spirits when transporting the deceased to the crematorium. In order to avoid these bad spirits, other directions may include who can or cannot touch the body; which day the body can be removed to the crematorium (he direction in which the body must be moved, and which prayers the family must make. In addition, subsequent pujas are performed 49 days and again one year after death.

In the Tibetan culture, after the death of a loved one the family will invite at least four monks to read the holy texts and to chant certain fixed prayers that are prescribed according to the death calculation.This ritual is still followed quite regularly in Tibetan communities since it has been our custom for many hundreds of years.

In addition to guiding the timings of important rituals throughout an individual's life, the astro-practitioner will prepare almanacs and calendars according to classic Tibetan tradition. Calendars are prepared to observe either the Elemental New Year or the Kalachakra New Year, and follow twelve-year animal/elemental cycles.

Tibetan people will often obtain advice from astro-practitioners when they want to change residence, start an important project, begin a journey, or attain smooth and peaceful achievement of their goals. Once more, it is within the role of the astro-practitioner to give guidance in determining the favourable time and day for any important transition. If an unavoidable and unfavourable event has commenced, antidotes will be suggested such as reading holy texts and giving alms to the poor and needy.

In conclusion, whenever Tibetans need guidance in either the major or minor transitions of life, they are likely to consult a traditional astro-practitioner. In this way, astro-practitioners continue to occupy an important role in many Tibetan communities, in much the same manner as they have done for thousands of years.

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Last updated: 30-Sept-96