hard at work  

NLI

 
line decor
  HOME  ::  
line decor
   
 

Why NLI Isn't a Good Name For What I Do

I've called my language school the Nagarjuna Language Institute for about 10 years. It's not really a good name for a couple of reasons.

I teach Classical Tibetan, a language into which Nagarjuna's works were translated, but so were lots of other authors. Positing the name of a language school in terms of an author whose works were translated into the language taught at the school seems, well, not all that well thought out.

Things I Should Have Been Thinking About
When I Named My School

  • If the name of the school were posited in terms of how I approach the task of learning to read Tibetan, it would be the Eight Building Blocks Structural Approach to Decoding Tibetan Syntax Language School. Don't show up without your copy of Wilson.
  • If the name of the school were posited in terms of my approach to a doctrinal foundation, it would be the Things Ge-luk-ba's Think School of Buddhist Dialectics, because I'm comfortable with starting there.
  • If the name of the school were posited in terms of my approach to translation, it would be the Clarity and Precision Language School.
  • If the name of the school were posited in terms of my approach to discourse, it would be the Say what you Mean and Mean what you Say School of Dialectics.
  • If the name of the school were posited in terms of my approach to the practice of Tibetan Buddhism, it would be the Perfection Vehicle Is A Good Place To Start Language School.
  • If the name of the school were posited in terms of what I really thought was important, it would be the What's So Funny About Peace, Love, and Understanding School of Getting Along and leaving the world a better place.