Tibetan medical practices are based on the premise that disease arises from physical imbalances caused by the mental poisons of ignorance, attachment, and aversion. True healing must, therefore, be grounded in spiritual transformation. Buddhas are referred to as great physicians because they possess the compassion, wisdom, and skillful means to diagnose and treat the delusions that lie at the root of all suffering.
Spurred by the global pandemic to return to this thangka, I found the clouds and mountains wanting to offer the whole Earth to this Buddha for healing. I reached out to readers and friends, to surround the Buddha with voices from around the world—28 languages—expressing the unifying truth that “we’re all in this together.”
Many offered versions of “we’re all in the same boat” in their respective languages. This reminded me of the traditional Buddhist metaphor comparing life in samsara to an ocean and our human body to a boat that can cross this ocean of suffering to the other shore of clarity and freedom.
I printed, stitched, and quilted the words into a watery border representing the ocean of samsara in which our diverse experiences arise. Below the Buddha, there’s a prayer from the great Buddhist commentator Shantideva:
May the frightened cease to be afraid and all those bound be freed.
May the powerless find power and all beings strive to benefit one other.
May I be a guard for those without protection, a guide for those who journey,
and a boat, a bridge or passage for those desiring the further shore.
May I be the doctor, nurse and medicine for all who are ailing in this world.
May the pain of every living creature be completely cleared away.
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