Background of Bradley Dobos / Amchi Thubten Lekshe
Founder of the Tanaduk Botanical Research Institute, Tenzing Momo Apothecary – Clinic of Tibetan Medicine, The Tanaduk Clinic for Tibetan Holistic Health, and TibetanPharmacy.com
The spiritual and botanical education of Bradley Dobos began early under the guidance of his mother and grandmother. In his early teens, he was mentored by the renowned American herbalist John Christopher and studied indigenous and Western herbology with Ella Birzneck at The Dominion Herbal College of British Columbia. In 1969, he earned his Master’s Degree in Clinical Herbology and Botanical Formulation. His studies continued at Western Washington University, where he focused on the ethnobotany of the Northwest, and at the University of British Columbia, where he concentrated on the ethnobotany of the Himalayas. Upon completion, he was awarded a grant from Western Washington University to pursue field research in Himalayan botanical medicine.
Even before traveling to the Himalayas, Bradley had immersed himself in Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism, receiving empowerments and teachings in Sutra and Tantra from Ven. Deshung Rinpoche, Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche, Geshe Tashi Namgyal, and others. He later traveled to Boudhanath, Nepal, where he spent three years at Kopan Monastery studying Sutra and Tantra under Ven. Lama Thubten Yeshe, Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, and Zong Rinpoche.
In 1973, his root teacher Lama Yeshe personally introduced him to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It was proposed that, given his prior training, empowerments from esteemed masters, and knowledge of ethnobotany and medical anthropology, a specialized course of study in Tibetan Sowa Rigpa be created for him. His Holiness endorsed the initiative, and a program at the Tibetan Library was arranged to support Dobos’ study, research, and training. Among them the personal physician to the Dalai Lama Dr. Donden, however he received his greatest insight in Tibetan practices from apprenticing with Amchi Amala Lobsang Dolma, He then continued with twelve additional years of apprenticeship alongside elder Tibetan physicians, who came to stay and practice with him in Seattle and on Orcas Island, Washington. Through his many years of promoting and practicing Tibetan medicine, he came to be recognized as Amchi Thubten Lekshe.
Over the decades, he was blessed to receive Sutra and Tantra teachings and transmissions from a vast circle of great masters, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, and Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche. His training was further deepened through the guidance of His Holiness Zong Rinpoche, Ven. Lama Thubten Yeshe, Ven. Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, and Ven. Geshe Rapten, and enriched by the wisdom of His Holiness Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, Ven. Kalu Rinpoche, and Ven. Lama Tharchen Rinpoche. He also received profound instructions from Khenpo Palden Sherab Rinpoche, Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche, Khenpo Dorje Gyaltsen, and Khenpo Choga Rinpoche, along with teachings, transmissions and blessings from Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Ven. Deshung Rinpoche, Geshe Tashi Namgyal, Gen Lamrimpa, and Ven. Geshe Gyaltsen.
Over the past fifty years, he has continued to receive teachings, oral transmissions, and empowerments from many of these same masters and their reincarnations and other kind and compassionate wisdom holders.
Return to the West and Clinical Work
In 1977, Amchi Thubten Lekshe returned to the West and began sharing his knowledge of Sowa Rigpa. He founded the Tenzing Momo Apothecary & Clinic of Tibetan Medicine at Pike Place Market in Seattle, where for fourteen years he combined Tibetan, Ayurvedic, Chinese, and Western herbal traditions. During this period, he sponsored Tibetan monasteries, coordinated national tours of Tibetan teachers, and hosted the senior physicians of the Men-Tsee-Khang over a twelve-year period, organizing hospital-based clinics and symposiums at Bastyr University.
His clinical work emphasized education, helping patients understand the nature of their conditions, guiding them in behavioral and lifestyle changes, spiritual practices, dietary therapies, and herbal remedies tailored to their humoral constitution. He also prescribed Tibetan pill supplements, Kum Nye massage, and other traditional modalities. For fourteen years he offered his services freely, often counseling ten to fifteen people a day.
Amchi Lekshe mentored Bastyr University students through three- and six-month apprenticeships, served for three years as Director of Botanical Medicine at the Savatthi Ayurvedic Hospital in Tacoma, and later established The Tanaduk Center for Tibetan Holistic Health on Orcas Island, which he directed for over twenty-five years.
Research and Recognition
His life long research in botanical formulation and the re-formulation of traditional Tibetan medicines was reviewed and celebrated by elder Tibetan physicians. Most notably, Dr. Tenzing Choedrak, supreme head of Tibetan pharmacology at Men-Tsee-Khang, stayed with Amchi Lekshe in Seattle and later on Orcas Island. After reviewing his reformulations, Dr. Choedrak expressed delight at his deep understanding of the energetic signatures of Tibetan medicines—particularly his ability to preserve their efficacy while replacing animal and insect-based ingredients with plant-based alternatives. His approval was both a professional and personal validation of Amchi Lekshe’s lifelong path.
Continuing Work
For over five decades, Amchi Thubten Lekshe has dedicated his life to Sowa Rigpa, spiritual practice, and botanical research. His legacy includes clinics, apothecaries, and teaching lineages that have introduced countless people to Tibetan medicine and holistic health. Today, he continues to refine formulas, mentor students, and share the blessings of his teachers through compassionate service.
Gratitude
Amchi Lekshe expresses his deepest gratitude to all the precious teachers who have so generously shared their time, love, and wisdom with him. He feels their presence in every moment, and his heart overflows with streams of sincere appreciation for all who have enriched his journey of body, mind, heart, and soul.
May the blessings of these masters and their lineages continue to inspire and empower all sentient beings for generations to come. With a heart full of humility and devotion, Amchi Lekshe is honored to have received their transmissions and works diligently to carry these boundless seeds of wisdom energy forward—expressing, nurturing, and offering them as light to awaken others and to help free beings from the suffering mindscapes of samsara.
Living with Gratitude and Love,
May all beings find peace, clarity, and ultimate awakening.
Om Ah Hum
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