A Special Guest Visits Floyd’s Blue Ridge Center for Chinese Medicine
~The following first appeared in The Floyd Press on January 24, 2013
About 30 people recently attended a teaching by special guest Amchi Tshampa Ngawang at the Blue Ridge Center for Chinese Medicine (BRCCM), a Traditional Chinese Medicine and Martial Arts clinic in Pilot part of Floyd Country. Ngawang is a Buddhist Lama and a Traditional Tibetan Medical Doctor from the Mustang region of Nepal, where he has a medical clinic. He was a visiting professor at Virginia Tech in 2001.
Ngawang, who comes from a family line of teachers and doctors that dates back to the 7th century, is an active educator in the preservation and promotion of traditional culture in the Himalayas. He is a veterinarian and herbalist, as well as a master of calligraphy, painting, woodworking, music and astrology, said Tamara Vance, who introduced him at the event.
Vance’s son, Cy Kassoff, who currently splits his time between Virginia and Nepal, acted as a translator for Ngawang as he performed a blessing ceremony for good health and spoke on 
traditional Tibetan Buddhist concepts
A kind and compassionate heart is a path to happiness, Ngawang emphasized. “Don’t cause others suffering,” he said. He told the story of the life of the Buddha and gave instruction in meditation.
A second teaching, with a focus on Traditional Tibetan Medicine and Family Health, will be offered by Ngawang on Sunday, January 27, at 1:00 to 2:30. Described by BRCCM administrative director Jody Franko as “a hands-on learning opportunity,” the event will be free and open to the public with a suggested donation of $10.
A general discussion about Tibetan Medicine and health will be presented from 1:00-2:30. From 2:30-4:30 there will be a deeper discussion of how to attend to specific health concerns, demonstrations and a question and answer session, Franko reported. “It will appeal to anyone who cares about family health and health issues,” she said.
Note: For more information contact the BRCCM at 651-2682, info@brccm.org, or visit their webpage at brccm.com.
January 27th, 2013 11:56 pm
It sounds very very interesting. I wish they were here in Los Angeles and made House Calls….1
As to The SAG Awards, they were on TBS and TNT, both Cable Channels—on Basic Cable. It was good.
Out of the 13 Awards, only 6 of my choices agreed with the majority….it didn’t surprise me. What I think is truly wonderful is not always in line with so called conventional wisdom. But, I vote for who believe should win, not who I think WILL win…
January 29th, 2013 3:06 pm
I totally missed the SAG awards. I love the Blue Ridge Mountains. I live just outside of Charlotte so I visit the NC mountains often!