Live Translation: The Lost Medical Writings of Mipham Rinpoche

A first English translation of Ju Mipham Gyatso’s medical writings

For over a century, one of Tibet’s greatest polymaths left behind a body of medical writing that has never been rendered into English — commentaries on the Four Tantras, clinical instructions, pharmacology, the practical science behind centuries of Tibetan healing tradition. It’s sat untouched in the archives while his philosophical and tantric work found translators. Not anymore.

Join Andrew M. McKenzie for a live, ongoing translation course working directly from the Tibetan block-print folios of Ju Mipham Gyatso’s (1846–1912) medical writings — session by session, in real time. You’ll watch a first-ever English translation take shape: the grammar, the technical vocabulary of Tibetan medicine, the reasoning behind each rendering choice.

What “live translation” means

This isn’t a lecture — it’s translation as it actually happens.

– Sessions work directly from the original block-print folios, translated live rather than from a finished text

– You’ll see the grammar, the technical vocabulary of Tibetan medicine, and the reasoning behind each rendering choice, worked through in real time

– There’s room throughout for your questions on language, method, and the material itself

Who this is for

No prior Tibetan is required to follow along and learn a great deal — though it’s useful if you have some. What you get either way is rare, direct access to a text nobody else has opened in English, guided by someone who reads the script and the tradition fluently.

What if…?

What if I don’t know any Tibetan? You can still follow along and learn a great deal; the course doesn’t assume it.

What if I already read Tibetan? That’s useful, but not necessary — the sessions meet you wherever you’re starting from.

What if spots are full? They’re limited, so it’s worth joining early — see below on founding-member rates.

Investment

Sessions run 1.5 hours, held live. Membership is a rolling monthly subscription covering four sessions — $120/month ($30 per session) — rather than a pay-as-you-go ticket, so you can settle into the material and follow the translation as it develops over time rather than dropping in and out.

Starting date and time will depend on the register participants needs.

Founding members who join the first cohort will have their rate locked in as the course grows.