Dr. Yeshi Dhonden, a Tibetan monk and practitioner of traditional Tibetan medicine who earned renown working for some 20 years as the personal physician to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, has died in Dharamsala, northern India, at the age of 93. According to reports, Yeshi Dhonden passed away at his residence in McLeod Ganj on Tuesday night.

A family member was quoted by the Tibet Sun news website as saying that Yeshi Dhonden had complained of respiratory difficulties on Monday, so they had sought immediate medical attention.

“Aside from the respiratory problem, Emchi-la had no other health issues. He died at home today at 2:53am, with family members at his bedside,” the family member said. (Tibet Sun)

A cremation ceremony has been scheduled for Friday morning in McLeod Ganj.

Dr. Yeshi Dhonden was born on 15 May 1927 to a poor family in the village of Namro in central Tibet’s Lhoga District. He entered monastic life when he was six years old and, from the age of 11, studied at Lhasa Men Tsee Khang under, among other teachers, his uncle the famous Tibetan doctor and teacher Khenrab Norbu, passing his exams with distinction at the age of 20.

In 1959, Yeshi Dhonden accompanied the Dalai Lama when he fled the Chinese invasion of Tibet. In India, Yeshi Dhonden was instrumental in the founding of the Tibetan Medical and Astro-science Institute (Men-Tsee Khang) in Dharamsala. From 1961–80, Yeshi Dhonden served as personal physician to the Dalai Lama, and also held office as both director and principal of Men-Tsee Khang until 1979. He continued to practice medicine from a small private clinic he established in Dharamsala in 1969 until his retirement earlier this year.*