Traditional Tibetan Medicine

Center of Higher Tibetan Studies in Hüttenberg

On Sunday, 14th of May 2006 H.H. Dalai Lama  visited the home village of Heinrich Harrer, who has passed away just a few weeks ago, in order to lay a the foundation stone for a Tibet centre in Hüttenberg, in Austria's southern province of Carinthia located in a magnificent mountainous area.

It is planned that in the next two years there will be built the first European Centre for Tibetan Medicine and Center of Higher Tibetan Studies. It is intended that this centre offers the same training in Tibetan Medicine as it is offered by the “Institute for Tibetan Medicine and Astrology - Men-Tsee Khang” in India and that people from all over the world could enjoy these treatments in the beautiful Austrian surrounding.

H.H. said that this Centre could be important for the preservation of Tibetan Culture and He hopes that this will become a place where experiences can be exchanged.

According to the politicians this will be the first and single trainings-centre for Tibetan medicine in the West, it will also include a hotel with 260 beds.

It is also planned that some of the Tibetan herbal medicines should be produced here. There are mainly two reasons for that. On the one hand Hüttenberg has a climate which is similar to that in Tibet, and therefore the herbs may grow here as well as in Tibet. The other reason are the natural minerals. Minerals are an important part in the the production of Tibetan herbal medicine, and Hüttenberg is supposed to be the richest place of mineral resources in whole mid-Europe. It seems that all the secondary causes seem to be very positive, so that this project may bring benefit for many people. 

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu has sent a personal letter for H.H. which could be presented to the Dalai Lama. In the nearest future there will have meetings with the authorities and responsible persons for this big project in which we check out the possible ways for a collaboration between the Shang Shung Institute and this Centre for Tibetan Studies.

Please read some links from the press:

ORF Kärnten: http://kaernten.orf.at/stories/109139/ (in German)

Zukunft Kärnten: http://zukunft-kaernten.at/news_dalailama.php (in german)

Tibeter Gemeinschaft Schweiz: http://www.tibetswiss.com/de/de-temp_news/2006/16.05.06/Hüttenberg.html (in Tibetan and German)

Various photos you can find here:

Kleine Zeitung:  http://www.kleine.co.at/nachrichten/chronik/111025/showPhotoSerie.do

Yahoo pictures 

H.H. Dalai Lama is looking at the letter of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu which Oliver Leick presented him

© PHOTO-CREDIT: Dr. Wolfgang Horn