Course Overview
This summer EasyTibetan (a community of language exchange where everyone can learn Tibetan, from interested newcomers to those within the Tibetan diasporic community) will be organising its second Tibetan Language Summer School online from Oxford due to Covid-19. This three-week intensive course consists of daily classes on Tibetan language and Buddhism, based on a work on Buddhist systems of thought written by an 18th century Tibetan Buddhist scholar Choekyi Nyima. With a particular focus on creating complete language and cultural immersion, this course aims to build a foundation for accelerated language learning and understanding of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy.
Course Tutors: Tenzin Choephel received his MPhil in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies at Oxford. He is a highly experienced Tibetan language teacher and co-author of “The Manual of Authentic Tibetan”. Kunsang Thokmay, a current D.Phil. student at Oxford who studied in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries will lead the main classes.
In addition, there will also be special talks and group discussions by Oxford scholars and Tibetan Lamas. During these three weeks.
We offer three main courses:
- Intensive Tibetan language Beginner’s course
- Intensive Tibetan language Intermediate course
- Introduction to Buddhism, based on a Tibetan work on Buddhist schools of thought
Intensive Tibetan
Taking part in this intensive Tibetan language course is a unique chance to experience Tibetan culture through its language. The intensive Tibetan language course has two levels of classes: Beginners and Intermediate level.
Beginners’ Course (Tenzin Choephel)
The beginner’s course covers the Tibetan alphabet, grammar, and vocabulary to hone basic reading skills. At the end of the course, students will be able to read the Tibetan script and be familiar with the basic vocabulary and grammar. We are proud to say that our last year beginner’ students learned how to read Tibetan within two weeks!
The beginners’ class follows the “Manual of Authentic Tibetan” by Klara Hendrychova and Tenzin Choephel – this course’s teacher.
Two classes per day:
Timetable:
08:30–9:30
14:30–15:30
Intermediate Course (Kunsang Thokmay)
The intermediate course is designed for those who have a basic knowledge of Tibetan language and grammar. The course teaches students both modern and classical Tibetan. There is a wide range of lessons carefully prepared for this class, from grammar to stories to conversational units. Students will have an opportunity to practice their spoken Tibetan with native Tibetan conversation partners in the afternoons.
The Intermediate class follows various lessons extracted from the “Manual of Authentic Tibetan” by Klara Hendrychova and Tenzin Choephel, the “Manual of Standard Tibetan” by Nicolas Tournadre and Sangda Dorje, and the school textbooks published by the Education Department of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in India.
Two classes per day:
Timetable:
8:30- 9:30
1:30 — 2:30
The participants are encouraged to buy a copy of “ Manual of Authentic Tibetan” from us upon arrival and the rest of the course materials are provided by the organisers without any free.
Introduction to the schools of Buddhism
The introduction to the schools of Buddhism is based on a Tibetan Buddhist philosophical treatise, briefly entitled “Thukan Druptha” (Tibetan: Thu’u bkwan grub mtha’), authored by a well-known Tibetan Lama and Buddhist scholar Lobzang Choekyi Nyima in the late eighteenth century. This work covers both philosophical and historical developments of Buddhism in India and Tibet, primarily based on Tibetan materials. In addition to this, we will also consult other scholarly works such as “Buddhist Philosophical Theories” by Dungkar Lobsang Trinley, “The Foundations of Buddhism” by Rupert Gethin, “Mahayana Buddhism” by Paul William, “Introducing Tibetan Buddhism” by Geoffrey Samuel and more. The course has two classes: 1) Early Buddhism, and 2) Tibetan Buddhism.
Introduction to Early Buddhism (Kunsang Thokmay)
The course is based on the first part of “Thukan Druptha”. It is suitable for those who have little knowledge of early Buddhist philosophy and practices. Each class will cover a specific topic which is essential to building a better comprehension of early Buddhism. Each class will have a question and answer session to address any doubts on the spot. The course aims to introduce the basics of early Buddhism and it also will briefly explain the social and historical elements that are crucial to mastering a broader context of early Buddhism.
Major topics to cover:
Buddha’s life story
Four Noble Truths
Samsara, Karma & Re-birth
Three Councils of Buddhism
Division of Buddhist Schools
Hinayana and Mahayana vehicles
Buddhist Logic/ dialectics
Cittamatra and Paramita
Nagarjuna and Madhyamika
Four Tantric classes
Timetable: 10:00–11:00
Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism (Tenzin Choephel)
This course is based on the second part of “Thukan Druptha” and covers all essential features of Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism inherited sophisticated philosophies and elaborate traditions of Mahayana and Vajrayana practices. Tibet has many different Buddhist schools with various lineages and philosophical doctrines. So, each class will address these significant developments of Tibetan Buddhism and its rich social and cultural phenomena in chronological order.
Major topics to cover:
Introduction of Buddhism to Tibet
Tri song Detsen and Buddhism
Atisha and later spread of Buddhism
Nyingma tradition
Kagyu tradition
Sakya tradition
Geluk tradition
Dalai Lama/ Panchen Lama
Timetable: 1:00- 14:00
Supplementary Online Seminars
Besides the daily Tibetan and Buddhist classes, we will also organize special seminars on Tibetan religion, culture, history, civilization and more. For these seminars, we have invited various specialists to teach a wide range of topics.
One seminar on every second day: 17:30 — 18:30
To apply for this course please contact us through the following email address.
Tenzin Choephel
Kunsang Thokmay
Website: https://easytibetan.org
Facebook: Authentic Tibetan
Instagram: easytibetan
Email: loplao.academy@gmail.com
Phone No: +44 7511095166
Phone No: +44 7576173339