It is believed that at the beginning of time, the art of healing was a prerogative of the gods, and it was not until Kashiraja Dewadas an ancient Indian King, went to heaven to learn medicine from them, that it could be offered to man as a means to fight suffering. He taught his progeny the principles and the practice of healing, and this knowledge was spread and perpetuated as an oral tradition until the lord Buddha appeared and gave specific written teachings on medicine. These were recorded in Sanskrit and became part of early Buddhist sacred writings.
When Guru Rimpoche first brought Buddhism into Tibet in the eighth century, some of these medicinal texts were translated into the Tibetan Language, and enlightened rulers of that country became interested in the subject. They started promoting the development of the art of healing, by organizing meeting on medicine to which they invited healers not only from the whole of Tibet and surrounding Himalayan countries, but also from China, India, and the Muslim world.

gYuthog YontenGempo

 

Sources of gSo-ba Rig-pa

gSo-ba Rig-pa in Bhutan and Physicians of this Century
It is reported that during those conferences, all the different medical systems were examined and the best practices adopted and incorporated into the newly born gSo-ba Rig-pa, which was then handed down from one generation to the next. The tradition of gSo-ba Rig-pa began at the time of great Tibetan doctors including Gyuthog "the Elder" in the eighth century, and one of his descendants, Gyuthog "the Younger," who lived in the eleventh century. The latter made a notable contribution in spreading the celebrated Gyu'shi or "Four Medical Tantras" and its commentary, the Vaidurya Ngonpo.