Fall Semester - Full Details Arriving...
- Reading Jamgön Kongtrül’s Encyclopedia with Jules Levinson, Ph.D
In the Summer of 1991, Khen Rinpoché Tsültrim Gyatso taught day and night without interruption for a month at the Rocky Mountain Dharma Center in Colorado. Mornings were devoted to Karmapa Wangchuk Dorjé’s exposition of the Great Seal (phyag rgya chen mo); afternoons were given over to Kongtrül Lodrö Tayés Encyclopedia (shes bya kun khyab). It was my honor to serve as his translator on those afternoons. It would be both delightful and meaningful to read the sections of that treatise devoted to principles for interpretation Buddhist scripture, the three turnings of the wheel of doctrine, and the two truths in the four schools of tenets with students at Dharma Farm in the Fall of this year. Please join me if you can.
- Their Point of View: Yangjen Gawé Lodrö’s Commentary on Thönmi Sambhoṭa’s རྟགས་ཀྱི་འཇུག་པ།. A close look at what Tibetan writers say about Tibetan grammar, with Jules Levinson, Ph.D
- The Necessary Angel: Wallace Stevens on Reality and the Imagination with Jules Levinson, Ph.D
The Buddhadharma of India and Tibet asks us to imagine all sorts of things. We may need help doing so. Essays that Wallace Stevens, an American poet, wrote about reality and the imagination, helped me when I needed help. They may help you too. Let's read a few of them together.
- Starting Translating Classical Tibetan with Craig Preston, Esq. (this is part of a series that will continue into the spring semester period)
- A non-partisan Companion to Reading Jamgön Kongtrül’s Textual Systems Encompassing all Objects of Knowledge, with Craig Preston, Esq.
- Translating and understanding Tibetan textbooks on Minds and Awareness (Lorik) with Craig Preston
- Reading George Dreyfus’s Recognizing Reality with Craig Preston, Esq. (year-long – not strictly a language class)
- The Things I Wish I Knew When Beginning the Study of Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy with Craig Preston, Esq.
- Not Just a Pretty (type) Face: Exploring the Tibetan Syllabary with Andrew M. McKenzie
- Tibetan for Absolute Beginners and Beginners Wishing to Review with Andrew M. McKenzie
- Tibetan Culture and History from the Beginning of the Era of the Dalai Lamas to the Early 20th Century,
with Rob Vanwey. J.D
What was going on in Tibet before the Chinese permanently moved in? Unlike in the 19th century, most of Tibet’s past involved a dynamic relationship with its neighbors, even distant ones like the Europeans. Over the past nearly twenty years, I have studied with or spent time speaking to Tibetans in China, Tibet, India, and Nepal. They have told me stories of their families from days past. These tales revealed to me the incredible interweaving of Tibetan culture with neighboring ones. This course looks at that communal neighborhood much farther back into history.
- Adapting to Climate Change in the Himalayas with Rob Vanwey. J.D.
The Himalayas are a central point for climate change study and mitigation. These majestic mountains supply water to more than a billion people in the lower lying lands from the third largest source of freshwater on the globe. Unfortunately, these glaciers are melting faster than any other ice mass on earth. With this accelerated melting amidst swiftly rising temperatures, other calamities are befalling the people living in the region in larger numbers.
So, what are people doing about it?
Rob has spent the last several years working on the issue through his own non-profit, the EALS Global Foundation. EALS works with climate organizations across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, bringing technological solutions to traditional—if severely amplified—problems. This course will introduce you to people working in the field, the kinds of projects they do, and how you can become involved.
Any class listed here is subject to cancellation if it does not meet minimum enrollment. Should a class be cancelled, enrolled students will have the option to sign up for another class or cancel their subscription with a 100% refund (no penalties or fees).