In the practice, it is outlined that the stomach should be divided
into four portions. Out of these four portions, two portions
should be used for storage of food, one portion should be used
for liquids (preferably room temperature or warmer), and one portion
should be used for emptiness – for space. Reserving one
portion for space allows sufficient heat rising in the stomach
so that foods digest properly. And, when foods digest properly,
basic health and stamina improve. Whenever the heat becomes low,
food is prevented from digest properly, and stomach problems occur.
Also, digestive problems lead to other problems of the body.
So, according to Tibetan medicine, the heat is the most important
energy booster. Heat sustains life, making the body healthy,
strong, and vibrant, and giving it stamina.
In order to properly have heat aiding your digestion, you need
to understand the principle of Four Portions. We may understand
four portions but the important part is knowing
the fourth portion habitually. That is the difference. Sometimes
you come to the fifth portion. Then, you have to look for the
fourth portion. Knowing the fourth portion, particularly in America,
is quite difficult. The food here, itself, is designed for five
portions. Nevertheless, the fourth portion should be left empty.
You should stop eating as soon as you no longer feel real hunger
– as soon as it feels that the hunger is solved, but you
could still eat a little more. This is the moment to stop. This
is the moment you enter into the fourth portion.
Health is primarily about well being. It is not just about treatment,
or diagnosing particular sicknesses. Health is generally a sense
of well being, comprised of physical and mental health –
body and mind. Physical health and mental health come together
to give us a sense of well being. And this sense of well being
comes through many factors. We cannot develop a sense of physical
health or mental health strictly by eating the right vitamins.
This is not the way. The way is to look into our habits –
the way we eat, the way we sleep, the way we walk, the way we
dress. All these demonstrate the state of our body and the state
of our mind. Tibetan medicine teaches us to prevent
things from happening – not, after everything has happened,
to look for a desperate treatment.
Tibetan doctors teach proper health by addressing all aspects
of proper living. For example, they speak in great detail about
foods - what kind of food is good for what kind of body? What
is not good? What kind of food is good in what season? They
provide a whole detailed eating regiment. And then, they think
about the way we sleep – the hours we sleep and the body’s
position as we sleep. And then, they think about how we dress,
and then of course our attitudes. All this, if properly done,
prevents any future attacks of sicknesses – whether physical
or mental.
Tibetan medicine takes a very holistic approach to create well
being – in terms of both body and mind. This fourth portion
plays a really important role. Try to be aware each time you
eat – the first time, two times, three times – and slowly
you can train yourself to reserve the fourth portion for space.
The stomach is elastic. The more you stuff it, the more it balloons.
The problem is that, each time, if you stuff it, it stretches
and it remains stretched - it doesn’t shrink back. So, perhaps
at first, when you’ve filled three portions, there may be
a sense of a little hungriness for a while. But gradually, the
elastic stomach shrinks. After it shrinks, you find that these
three portions are sufficient. They are just right for health.
So it is just a question of being aware – being careful and
giving importance to one’s own well being – both in
terms of body and mind.
