The Ambrosia Heart Tantra

In Sanskrit this text is known as amrta-astangahrdayupadesatantra; in Tibetan: bDud rtsi snying po yan lag bragyad pa gsang ba man ngag gi rgyud translated into English as Ambrosia Heart Tantra: the Four Secret Oral Teachings on the Eight Branches of the Science of Healing. The original Sanskrit work was probably written during the fourth century A.D. It was translated into Tibetan by Vairochana and given to King Khri-srong Ide’u-btsan and to the royal court physician, the Elder Yuthog Yontan gonpo. Yuthog not only clarified this work but also wrote 18 Supplements to it. It is most likely that after the famour international medical conference at Samye, Yuthog synthesized the best of the then known medical systems and rewrote the rGyud-bzhi Four Tantras. His work was shaped by his most famous descendent, the Younger Yuthog Yontan Gonpo. The rGyud-bzhi is written in question and answer form between Rishi Yid-las-skye and rishi Rig-pa’I Ye-shes, both f whom were believed to be the emanations of the Medicinal Buddha. The work is divided into four books containing 156 chapters and 5,900 verses which deal together with the following eight branches of medicine: Lus-The body (this includes physiology, anatomy, embryology, pharmacology etc.); Byis-pa-paediatrics; Mo-nad-gynaecology; gDon-disorders associated with harmful influences; mTson-disorders of wounds inflicted by missiles; Dug-toxicology; rGas-geriatrics; and Ro-rtza-fertility and reproductivity.