Open Tibetan medical knowledge in English [wiki]

General
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Collaborative Planning Document

This collaborative planning document outlines our approach to making Tibetan medical knowledge accessible in English. Please feel free to comment or contribute to this document.

Problem Statement

Tibetan medicine holds centuries of healing wisdom, yet language barriers and lack of modern resources keep it inaccessible to a global audience. Our project will digitize, translate, and share this knowledge, creating an accessible resource for education, cultural preservation, and wellness. Help us bridge the gap between ancient wisdom and modern needs, ensuring its wisdom continues to benefit all in the digital age.

  1. Limited digital access:

    • Key texts like the GyĂĽshi (Four Tantras) and major commentaries remain difficult to access in searchable digital formats
    • No comprehensive digital library exists with cross-linked texts, commentaries, and translations
    • Relationships between medical concepts, treatments, and materia medica are not systematically documented in digital formats

  2. Limited Educational Resources:

    • Lack of MOOC (massive open online courses)
    • Lack of wikipedia article-style fact sheets.
    • Lack of wikihow style “how-to” guides or bible.com style reading plans for the general public.

  3. Language Barriers:

    • A vast majority of Tibetan medical texts exist only in classical Tibetan, excluding non-Tibetan practitioners and researchers
    • Specialized medical terminology lacks standardized translations, causing confusion and misinterpretation and creating obstacles for accurate translation and understanding

  4. Preservation risks:

    • As a predominantly oral traditional, knowledge may be lost without proper digital preservation and dissemination systems
    • Aging master physicians hold knowledge not captured in texts, risking permanent loss
    • Political and cultural factors threaten continuous transmission of oral traditions

  5. Economic Barriers:

    • Tibetan medicine’s core philosophy prioritizes compassionate care over profit. As such economic hurdles restrict its benefits from those who need them most.
    • Modern digitization require unsustainable out-of-pocket funding.
    • Low-income demographics who could benefit most cannot afford expensive translations or training materials.
    • No open-access platform exists for collaborative knowledge development

This crisis of accessibility prevents Tibetan medicine from:

  • Reaching those who could benefit from its unique approaches, including global solutions for chronic and mental health challenges
  • Fulfilling its potential as a complementary medical system and joining the global stage along side Ayurveda and TCM.
  • Preserving its complete knowledge for future generations
    This project addresses these challenges by creating an open, collaborative digital ecosystem for Tibetan medical knowledge.

Solution Approach

We will overcome accessibility barriers through a three-pillared open knowledge framework:

1. Digital Reconstruction

Transform physical texts into structured, machine-readable knowledge:

  • Apply specialized OCR/AI to create searchable digital editions
  • Develop interlinked text-commentary databases
  • Build concept maps connecting treatments, diagnostics, and materia medica

2. Multilingual Democratization

Break language barriers while preserving precision:

  • Create standardized medical terminologies in multiple languages
  • Develop AI translation models trained on authentic commentaries
  • Implement scholar-guided review workflows for accuracy

3. Sustainable Open Access

Ensure permanent, cost-free availability:

  • Publish all materials through Wikimedia platforms (Wikisource/Wikidata)
  • Design community contribution tools for continuous improvement
  • Establish ethical partnerships with academic and medical institutions

Our Strategy

  • Catalog relevant resources on Wikidata (i.e. major Tibetan editions, commentaries, translations in en)
  • Publish source texts (4 tantras and 4 major commentaries) on Wikisource
  • Generate and publish scholar-guided AI translations on Wikisource
  • Identify key concepts and relationships from 4 tantras
  • Identify information about each key concept in the sources
  • Draft articles on each concept with 1 source per sentence/statement
  • We will implement this strategy incrementally (MVP by MVP), beginning with the Root Tantra before expanding to other sections.

Implementation Approach

1. Digitize & Standardize Tibetan Medical Texts (AI-assisted Preparation of Tibetan Source Materials)

Objective: Create authoritative, machine-readable versions of core texts and commentaries.

  • Inventory major editions and commentaries
  • Aquire digital images
  • Convert into searchable text (OCR or manual input)
  • Produce “diplomatic editions” for major editions
  • Produce “comparative versions” documenting all spelling/textual variations
  • Link commentaries to root text at verse level
  • Use commentaries to generate a “critical version” by standardizing the spelling/terminology

2. Produce Scholar-Reviewed AI Translation (any language)

Objective: Deliver accurate, context-aware translations in multiple languages.

  • Generate the disambiguated master text
  • Standardize medical terminology glossaries
  • Create AI-assisted draft translations (a zero-shot translation with best existing model)
  • Refine translations with the disambiguated master text and relying on the commentary/tradition of your choice and/or expert review
  • Add explanatory footnotes from linked source materials

3. Develop Wikipedia Knowledge Base

Objective: Make Tibetan medical concepts accessible via open encyclopedias.

  • Extract key terms from disambiguated master text
  • Draft Wikipedia entries in Tibetan and target languages
  • Compile explanations and useful information from linked commentaries
  • Structure articles with direct citations to primary sources
  • Add info to the Wikipedia page with cross-links to digitized texts in Wikisource

4. Publishing sources on Wikidata and Wikisource:

Objective: Ensure all materials are freely available and interconnected.

  • Catalog editions, translations, and commentaries to Wikidata
  • Upload scanned images on Wikimedia Commons
  • Publish diplomatic version and images on Wikisource
  • Publish comparative version on Wikisource
  • Publish critical version on Wikisource
  • Translate in many languages and publish in Wikisource

Next Steps

  1. Initial phase:
    • Complete inventory of major editions and commentaries
    • Digitize 2-3 key versions
    • Create initial concept mapping framework
  2. Development phase:
    • Produce comparative edition of Root Tantra
    • Generate initial English translation draft
    • Populate Wikidata with core medical concepts
    • Develop first Wikipedia articles
  3. Expansion phase:
    • Extend to other tantras
    • Incorporate more commentaries
    • Develop interactive learning tools
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