I'm happy to offer private classes using the video-conferencing software Skype. Now I can make it easier to learn how to read Tibetan accurately by removing the biggest obstacle to successful student-teacher collaboration: geography.

For Students

• Systematic structured instruction at your pace and at your level
• Beginning, intermediate, and advanced

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

• Read philosophical texts to broaden your understanding
• Consultation on your translation in progress

If you would like help with your translation in progress, 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 understand these challenges and I definitely can help. Ring me up – let’s see how I can help.

For Practitioners

• Learn to accurately read and understand your prayers and practice texts
• Raise your level of comprehension so you can better understand your lama's instructions
• Read texts before you attend teachings so you will be prepared

At first 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 is not hard to learn to think in Tibetan too. Once I stopped insisting to myself that I couldn't’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!