Doctor Lodrö Puntsok
Doctor Lodrö Puntsok (b. 1943) - doctor in chief of the Tibetan hospital of Dzongsar, and a very active influence in the preservation of the medical and cultural heritage of Tibet.
Lodrö Puntsok began his studies of Tibetan medicine at the age of 16. He also studied Tibetan Buddhism, grammar, poetry, astrology, art, woodcraft, and sculpture. He has published books on Buddhism and medicine, and has written extensively about the history of Dzongsar monastery and the lives of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö. Since 1983, he has been promoting community service projects such as environmental protection, medical care for the poor, and cultural preservation, and has introduced classes in traditional Tibetan handicrafts at Dzongsar shedra.
Work History
- 1954-1958: Became a monk in Dzongsar Monastery. Learned and how to read and write.
- 1961-1979: Began to study Tibetan medicine.
- 1975-present: Works as director and physician at the Puma Township Cooperative Clinic. The clinic became Dzongsar Tibetan Hospital in 1981. Over the past twenty five years, has provided free medicine and health care to monks and villagers. Has been working as the head of the hospital since 1996.
- 2001-present: Established The Yothok Yonden Gonpo Medical Center ( Dzongsar )
- This is the first NGO in Derge county and the second NGO in Ganzi prefecture.
- 2007: Dr Puntsok also holds the positions listed below.
Dzongsar Monastery Management Committee [Director]
Dzongsar Five Sapience Buddhism Seminary [Vice President]
Dzongsar Monastery Tibetan Hospital [President]
Ganzi Prefecture Tibetan Physics Academy [Vice Researcher]
Dege County Buddhism Institute [Vice Secretary-General]
Dege County Political Institute [Commissary]
Kangba Tibetan Buddhism Culture Research Inst[Vice Secretary-General]
Doctor Lodrö Puntsok with family and friends in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Photo courtesy of Warren Rodwell