ABSTRACT
In recent years, the term ‘subtle body’ has appeared in the discussion of Tibetan medicine in both academic and popular literature by Tibetan and Western authors, myself included (e.g. Asshauer 2005: 52; Clifford 1994: 71; Drungtso 2008: 171; Gerke 2007: 193; Millard 2007: 265; Parfionovitch et al. 1992: 39). These authors talk about the ‘subtle body’ in relation to mind-body connections, in particular the channels of the body (rtsa), the movement of wind (rlung), and the subtle life essence (bla). Although discussed in medical contexts, the term ‘subtle body’ remains medically largely undefined, and its understanding is mostly linked to Tibetan Buddhist tantric body concepts.
