Transmission Histories and Lineages of Alchemical and Rakṣā Texts in the Brang ti’s Gser bre chen mo

The Brang ti lha rje’i rim brgyud kyi man ngag gser bre chen mo (henceforth gSer bre chen mo) is a very complex and stratified compilation of pith instructions (man ngag) handed down within the Brang ti lineage of the Sa skya medical school. Large portions of this collection are devoted to the knowledge of poisons and epidemics as well as their medicinal treatments including mercury medicines, animal derived remedies, theriacs, and protective rituals.
This presentation provides an overview of the diverse typologies of texts preserved in the gSer bre chen mo such as the textual cycle on the great purification of mercury (dgnul chu btso bkru chen mo) composed by O rgyan pa rin chen dpal (1209-1229/30), rakṣā writings dealing with complex protective rituals to counteract poisoning (dug bsrung ba; dug sel ba) associated to the cult of wrathful deities such as Vajra Bhairava, Jāṅgulī, and the rNying ma Pad ma dbang chen (Hayagrīva), and few texts dealing with theriacs and medicinal herpetofauna. Through this literary excursus, it will be clear that in this anthology, the discourse on the origin and transmission of medical and pharmacological knowledge reflects a complex intellectual and religious history, interrelating teachings transmitted by masters of diverse Indian and Tibetan Buddhist schools and traditions, not only the Sa skya school connected to the Brant ti lineage, but also the bKa’ rgyud, Jo nang and rNying ma traditions. Eventually the analysis of these literatures may be instrumental to reflect on the grand narrative of Tibetan learned medicine between the thirteenth and the fourteenth century.
Carmen Simioli is an adjunct professor of modern and classical Tibetan at the University of Napoli “L’Orientale” where she completed her PhD in Indological and Tibetological studies. Her project, supported by the Khyentse Foundation, intends to evaluate the role of Buddhist tantric medicine in the development of Tibetan nosology and pharmacology.