Nagarjuna Language Institute
For The Study Of Classical Tibetan

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By Popular Demand: A Third 2007 Summer Session

The Essence of Other Emptiness
By Taranatha

A Three Week Classical Tibetan Intensive
August 6 to August 24, 2007 —$750

In this three week intensive we will read Taranatha's brief treatise, The Essence of Other Emptiness. The system of Other-Emptiness flourished in Tibet along side of the more familiar Self-Emptiness of the Middle Way Consequence School.  Interest in the system of Other-Emptiness has grown in recent years, particularly with the publication by Jeffrey Hopkins of two classics of Other-Emptiness: Shay-rap-gyel-tsen's Mountain Doctrine, and Taranatha's Essence of Other-Emptiness.

This course will be a close reading of Taranatha's text, emphasizing both how the Tibetan signifies meaning, and the acquisition of new vocabulary central to the Other-Emptiness tradition.

Introduction To Tenets
A Saturday Intensive with Craig Preston
Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies, Ithaca, NY
9:00am to 5:00pm on June 16, 2007

Tenets is the systematic study of the views of the four schools of Indian Buddhist tenets: the Great Exposition School, the Sutra School, the Mind-Only School, and the Middle Way School. Each school makes a presentation of the basis, paths and fruits. Studying tenets is a way to become familiar with maps to the basic structures of the different systems of Buddhist philosophy. To help beginners gain access to the world of tenets as they are presented in Tibetan treatises, this talk will introduce the basic topics:

•   What are tenets? 

•   What are the four schools of Buddhist tenets? 

•   What is ignorance? 

•   What is the person? 

•   What is the “geography” of cyclic existence? 

•    What are the two truths? 

•    Why did Buddha teach seemingly contradictory doctrines? 

•    What is valid cognition? 

•    What is emptiness? 

•   What is the difference between an Arhat (a Foe Destroyer) and a Buddha? 

Students of all levels are encouraged to bring their questions for a day in celebration of Buddhist philosophy and psychology.

Summer 2007 Language Intensive
Ithaca, New York

Six Weeks of Intensive Classical Tibetan
June 11-29 2007, then one week off, then July 9-27, 2007

Join us to study the Classical Tibetan language
Study the original Philosophical Texts

Introductory Classical Tibetan, taught by Craig Preston, two hours each day. 

This is the class for students who want to start at the beginning. This six week introduction to Classical Tibetan is for students wanting to start with learning the alphabet and pronunciation, and progressing  through the grammar paradigms (and beyond if there is time of course). 

Intermediate Classical Tibetan, taught by Craig Preston, two hours each day.  

This six week intensive begins with a presentation of the grammar paradigms. It is for students who already know the alphabet and pronunciation, and have some initial experience in reading sentences. By the end of the six weeks we will be reading books used at Tibetan monastic colleges today.

I usually teach a beginning class and an intermediate class, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Classes go about two hours, maybe a bit more. Its rather intensive. The summer session is primarily a Tibetan Language intensive. I may teach some topic in the evening for non-language students. There will be special events because stuff always happens. 

Ithaca, NY, is in rural upstate New York, in the Finger Lakes. The town has about 25,000 residents. It is a college town, home to Cornell University and Ithaca College. Because it is a college town, it is easy for students to find summer sublets cheaply in Ithaca.