Welcome to the latest incarnation of the Nagarjuna Language Institute. I’ve gone virtual – Now I can reach across time zones, countries, even continents to deliver personalized tutoring in the wonders of the classical Tibetan language with the free video conferencing software Skype. If you have a Windows or Mac OS computer with a webcam, microphone, and broadband internet access, we can get together for personal classes.
Personal Classes Over Skype
It is no secret I like teaching people how to read classical Tibetan. The more motivated the student is, the more I like teaching. There are students of classical Tibetan in this wonderful world who are serious, motivated, and diligent. I know this because these are the students who have found their way to me over the years. Now I can make the task of learning to read Tibetan accurately easier by removing the biggest needless obstacle to successful student-teacher collaboration: geography.
For Students
My experience shows there are three groups of people trying to learn to read classical Tibetan who benefit from studying with me: students, translators, and practitioners. Students need a systematic presentation of how Tibetan signifies meaning. I write books for these students. I teach two-month intensives for these students. Now I am available through Skype for these students on an individual basis. Not that there's anything wrong with group classes, but sometimes students want individual attention. Now you can get it without leaving your home or office.
For Translators
I say to those of you who answer Saraswati’s call and courageously venture into the vast unknown of untranslated texts, way to go! Want some help? Here I am. Don’t know where to begin? Are you in the middle and need to standardize your work? Have you translated a text into something that is not quite English? I’ve been there and I definitely can help. Ring me up – let’s see what you’ve got.
For Practitioners
I’ll admit I was resistant to doing my prayers and practice texts in Tibetan. I think in English, so I should practice in English. I felt there was a danger I would turn the sound of Tibetan into music to listen to rather than a map to aid my exploration of the profound. As with many things, over time I came to change my view, and with it I opened myself to unseen benefits. While I naturally think in English, it just isn’t all that hard to learn to think in Tibetan too. Once I stopped insisting to myself that I couldn’t think in Tibetan, I found the beauty and meaning could bathe my mind with meaning if I just gave it a chance. The same methods that unlocked the secrets of philosophical Tibetan work just as well with practice texts. It’s that simple! |