Sarnath International Nyingma Institute

Tibetan Alphabet and Reading Pre-course

During the live classes students will learn the Tibetan alphabet and reading rules according to the Central Tibetan dialect.

This Tibetan Alphabet and Reading Pre-Course is designed for students to learn how to read and pronounce the Tibetan script fluently. This skill is a prerequisite for བོད་སྐད་སྙིང་པོ། The Heart of Tibetan Online Colloquial Tibetan Lower Beginner Language Course (Tib. 101) that will start in March 2025.

The content and methodology of this Alphabet Reading Pre-Course has kindly and skillfully been developed by our former colleague རྒན་ Anastasia Stoliarova ལགས།. It is a different methodology than that of the main Courses.

The Tibetan Alphabet and Reading Course will last for 6 weeks, with 2 weekly live classes on Saturdays and Wednesdays (9:00 a.m. and 4 p.m. CET) and 1 weekly one-on-one private practice session with a native Tibetan-speaking tutor!

For བོད་སྐད་སྙིང་པོ། The Heart of Tibetan Online Colloquial Tibetan Language Beginner Course (Tib. 101), no special speaking skills are required, as we will begin from the very simple phrases and sentences. If you have studied Classical Tibetan before and know how to read, you do not need to participate in this Tibetan Alphabet and Reading Pre-course. But if you do not know how to read in Tibetan yet, you need to sign up for this course to acquire Tibetan reading skills before the official start of the Main Tibetan Language Beginner Course (Tib. 101).

Those students who join solely with the aim of learning how to read Tibetan script, but do not wish to continue into the Beginner Colloquial Tibetan Course (Tib. 101) in March, are also very welcome to join!

We encourage and expect our participants to be open, curious, and flexible about online learning, and all that entails it. To be successful, the student should enjoy working effectively in groups, being self-responsible, and willing to learn on a digital platform.

Additionally, to facilitate quick acquisition of reading fluency, all students will be divided into small learning groups. Students in the small groups will be working on reading tasks together. The tasks will include short reading exercises that are to be completed and checked by one’s learning buddy regularly (daily or every two days).

By the end of the pre-course, students are expected to be able to read any kind of Tibetan text, including Sanskrit mantras transliterated with Tibetan script.

TUITION POLICY

SINI is a non-profit organization with a mission to preserve Tibetan culture and Dharma, to build Bridges of Goodness through education, interdisciplinary collaboration, and cultural exchange. It is important to us to make our courses accessible to everyone who wishes to study the Tibetan language. We try our best to keep costs as reasonable as possible.

MONASTIC RATE

We offer scholarships to support the continuation of the monastic tradition. Please see the course listing especially for monastics to access that sponsored tuition rate.

DATES

January, 11 - February, 21 2025

The timings for the live classes are 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. CET every Wednesday and Saturday. The tutor classes are to be scheduled individually with the help of our tutor coordinator, Gen Pema Woeser-la.