Neeshee Pandit
JHE: Tell us about your background and how you found your way to this field of traditional Asian medicine. Were Ayurveda and Tibetan Medicine on your radar screen from an early age as a possible career path, or were you going in some other direction initially?
NP: My parents immigrated to the United States from India, but I was born in the US. For most of my childhood, my grandparents also lived with us, and since they did not speak English, I became naturally bilingual at a young age. My grandfather, in particular, was a significant influence on me. I remember him grinding and preparing very pungent herbal preparations when I was young. He was a professor of history, but he had a keen interest in Ayurveda, Astrology, and Spirituality––and we would often discuss these topics together. So I was exposed to Ayurveda at a young age, though at the time I had no idea I would end up pursuing it as a career path. Much of Ayurvedic wisdom is embedded in Indian culture––in the use of spices in food and in simple home remedies. If anyone had digestive symptoms, my parents would pull open the drawer and give them a piece of sunthi (Ayurvedic dry ginger with limestone). My grandmother kept cloves in her purse and would often keep one in her mouth. When my cousins were babies, they had terrible colic, and my grandfather treated them with his own herbal preparation, the smell of which I can still recall!
My conscious interest in medicine began around age 15, when my father gave me a book on Chinese face diagnosis. I was fascinated with the book and the way it described the human body as a system of correspondences. From there, I somehow found my way to Ted Kaptchuck’s Web That Has No Weaver, an excellent introduction to Chinese medicine that solidified my interest in acupuncture. At the time, there was only one acupuncturist where I was living, and I went to see her to experience what it was all about. It was at this time that I also started reading Dr. Lad’s classic, Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing, a copy of which had been floating around my house since I was a child. I have to admit that I found the Ayurvedic doctrine difficult to parse and much more abstract than the Chinese medicine books I had been reading. It is a strange thing to feel more interested in the arts of a culture other than my own, but this has been an enduring pattern in my life.
My interest in medicine was concurrent with a spiritual revolution in my life. I was raised Hindu, but by the time I was 16, I had done a 10-day vipassana retreat and was embracing Tibetan Buddhism. I attended a local Tibetan center and became a student of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche. He is an important figure in my life because he founded the Shang Shung Institute, where I would study Tibetan Medicine exactly 10 years later. At this time, Tibetan Medicine was not at all on my radar. I have some recollection of the Tibetan lama at the center mentioning Tibetan medicine once. My awareness of Tibetan Medicine was in seed form. By the time I was graduating high school, I had encountered another spiritual giant in Adi Da Samraj, whose autobiography (The Knee of Listening) deeply impressed me. I was a satisfied Buddhist, but a friend implored me to read Adi Da’s works. At first, I was less than interested, but over the course of two years, Adi Da’s presence in my life grew tremendously and mysteriously. I began to experience his spiritual transmission moving and working in my body, especially when I would look at his photo or read his words. He would come in my dreams, embrace me, and fill me with his brightness. I began to enjoy a spiritual relationship to him that felt more real than anything else.
This led me to become a formal devotee of Adi Da in 2008. After high school, I forwent college, and moved to Adi Da’s ashram in northern California. From 2008-2023, I lived either in or adjacent to one of Adi Da’s ashrams. The ashram was a place of spiritual refuge and depth for me, a holy place where I felt Adi Da’s spiritual transmission with incredible potency. I lived like a monk, living the daily cycle of meditation, puja, chanting, study, and service. Early on, I also became involved in the editorial department that edited and prepared Adi Da’s manuscripts for publication. I have worked as one of Adi Da’s editors now for 15 years.
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Neeshee Pandit, a dedicated practitioner of Traditional Asian Medicine, brings a unique blend of expertise in three ancient medical systems—Ayurveda, Tibetan Medicine, and Chinese Medicine. His extensive training encompasses both modern academic settings and the sacred traditions of guru-disciple lineage and oral transmission. In 2008, Neeshee embarked on a transformative journey as a devotee of Avatar Adi Da Samraj. The profound gifts derived from the Guru-devotee relationship, coupled with the Blessings of Adi Da’s Spiritual Presence, have deeply influenced Neeshee’s approach to the healing arts, contributing to both his human and spiritual growth. https://www.somaraja.com/ – https://somaraja.substack.com/