Wearing religious cassocks and using needles instead of surgical knives, Tibetan lamas are working as doctors on the "roof of the world". Dainzin Wangie is one of them.
"There is no sign that the tradition will disappear in Tibet," says the Living Buddha, founder of the first Tibetan hospital in Ali Prefecture.
Tibetan medicine is different from any modern medical practice. It uses plants, animal bones, metals and stones to cure diseases, and to scientists' astonishment, it is extremely effective.
No modern theory can explain the phenomenon, and this is why the international community is holding a seminar in this capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region to discuss Tibetan medicine's past, present and future.
Dainzin has been practicing this traditional form of medicine for 40 years, and has cured numerous patients.
The old man is proud of his profession, saying that Buddhism is the spirit of the medical tradition, and being a Tibetan doctor means being a virtuous man -- a real follower of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism.
Tibetan hospitals are run by lamaseries, and the treatment is free. At a hospital run by the Zhaxi Lhunbo Lamasery, dozens of doctors feel the pulses of patients, which is one of the main methods of diagnosis in Tibetan medicine.
"I often come here to see a doctor. My children come here as well. However, in the case of serious diseases, we prefer Western medicine," said Tudun, a patient.
Zhu Huoben, president of the China Ethnic Medicine Society, says that for thousands of years Tibetan medicine has been part of Tibetan Buddhism, and Tibetan monks have always been the backbone of Tibet's medical care system.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the central government has preserved this tradition, although it has also created a number of modern hospitals throughout Tibet. "We encourage people to do what they have been doing for thousands of years," Zhu said.
In Tibet, there are more than 500 lamas who work as doctors, mainly living in remote mountainous areas where modern medical care is insufficient.
Many of the 1,700 lamaseries have opened Tibetan medicine clinics. Tsoru Tsenang, in his 80s and the president of the Tibetan Medicine Hospital in Lhasa, has won world acclaim because he is so well versed in this tradition.
The Living Buddha and former abbot of the Tsoru Lamasery, has written 170 books on Tibetan medicine, including the famous "The Four Medical Tantras". He has been invited to give lectures not only in Beijing, but also in Tokyo and Europe.
"Tibetan medicine will play a bigger role in Tibet and, if more people come to realize its value, it will benefit people in other parts of the world too," he said.
Tsoru is not alone. Tsuchen Gyainzain, 70, is another Living Buddha working hard to pass on the tradition to later generations. He says he now spends most of his time writing books. "My mission is to get Tibetan medicine better known worldwide," he said.
Tibetan medicine is particularly effective for curing chronic diseases, such as hepatitis and apoplexy.