Tibet House, the Cultural Section of the Liaison Office of H.H. the Dalai Lama, Tokyo will conduct Tibetan study programs for a period of four months from November 20, 1998, till March 20, 1999. Those interested kindly contact the Tibet House, Tokyo before November 10, 1998.

Course A

Subject       Knowing the Three Objects of Refuge in Buddhism
                  (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha)
Medium      Japanese (through translation)
Teacher       Yen. Karma Gelek Yuthok
Schedule     Every Friday : 18:00 - 19:30 hrs.

Course B

Subject       Understanding the Four Noble Truths in detail
Medium      English
Teacher       Ven. Karma Gelek Yuthok
Schedule     Every Saturday : 13:30 - 15:00 hrs.

Course C

Subject       Spoken Tibetan Language (Lhasa Dialect)
Medium      Japanese
Teacher       Mr. Lhakpa Tsoko
Schedule     Every Saturday : 15:30 - 17:00 hrs.

Course D

Subject       Reading and Writing Tibetan (Uchen & Umey Scripts)
Medium      Japanese
Teacher       Mr. Jurme Wangda
Schedule     Every Saturday : 17:30 - 19:00 hrs.

Total fee for each course is Yen 23,000 and the minimum number of students for each course is 8. We would appreciate if you could share the above information to other friends whom you think may be interested.

INTRODUCING THE COURSES

Course A : Knowing the Three Objects of Refuge in Buddhism

The topic sounds simple and common. But, in reality, it is the most crucial and fundamental subject to be correctly understood by all those who are interested in Buddhism. It is said that proper understanding and practice of the Buddhist doctrine strongly depend on a proper understanding of the Three Objects of Refuge - the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. In Buddhist terms, these three are called the Three Precious Ones (Tri-Ratna). They could be understood as the Buddhist trinity.

The practice of Buddhism begins with accepting this trinity as one's supreme savior. One can easily imagine how irrational would it be to make such a serious decision without first caring to know about the three. The great Indian Buddhist master Atisha Dipamkar, visited Tibet in late 10th century, was known to have devoted most of his time in Tibet in giving the single teaching of introducing the trinity and developing faith in them.

In major Tibetan monastic colleges, this topic is studied in great detail through discourse and dialectical debate for several months. However, in our 16-session study plan, we will concentrate on the following sub-heads of the subject.

1.       Different levels of meanings of the three precious objects
2.       The meaning and process of taking refuge in the three
3.       Taking refugee in the three as the entrance gate to Buddhism
4.       Developing the faith of taking refuge in the three
5.       General and special benefits of taking refuge in the three
6.       Basic commitments to be kept after taking refuge in the three
7.       Practices to be followed after taking refuge in the three
8.       Characteristics and qualities of the three precious objects
9.       Classification and sub-classifications of the three objects
10.     Practices and benefits in daily life.

Course C : The Spoken Tibetan Language (Lhasa Dialect)

Unlike English and Japanese, the gap between the spoken and written forms of the Tibetan language is considerably wide. Because of this fact, it has been difficult for our foreign friends to speak the language fluently even after pursuing years of studies in the classical Tibetan language. Tibet has produced thousands of great Mongolian scholars in various fields of Tibetan studies over the past several centuries. However, not many of them have been able to gain command over the spoken Tibetan language. It is, therefore, necessary to learn and practice this form of language with native speakers. Lhasa dialect is very soft and sweet. But, perhaps, it is one of the most difficult dialects of Tibet to fully master.

In our 17-session study plan, we will cover the following aspects of the language.

1.       Basic sounds in Tibetan language
2.       Sentence structure and forms of speech
3.       Different levels of speech - ordinary and honorific forms
4.       Popular social greetings

Course D : Understanding the Four Noble Truths in Detail

The knowledge of the Three Precious Ones is the entrance gate, then understanding the Four Noble Truths in proper length and depth is the central platform within the temple of the Buddhist doctrine. The subject of 'Four Noble Truths' is therefore the most central topic in the study and practice of Buddhism. Neither the path to enlightenment, nor the system of the worldly existence can be understood without a profound understanding of this topic. It was for this reason that the Buddha of time, Shakyamuni, chose this very topic for his first sermon to this world at Varanasi, India, some 2580 years ago.

In our 17-session Study plan, we will cover the following sub-topics.

1.       Four Noble Truths as an all-inclusive system of doctrine
2.       Discovering what runs the ever-going system of our cyclic existence
3.       Knowing the way to break out from the cyclic existence
4.       Being aware of suffering at different levels
5.       Identifying the causes to suffering and the cyclic existence
6.       The universal law of 'karma'
7.       Classification of the human delusions and afflictive emotions
8.       Catching the mistaken view on the nature of self as the Root Ignorance
9.       Developing the correct view on the true nature of self
10.     Discovering the 'Selfless' and 'Emptiness' natures
11.     The inner battle between self and selfless views
12.     Establishing the possibility of cessation of suffering (Nirvana)
13.     Knowing the States of liberation and enlightenment
14.     The dual system of path to enlightenment - wisdom and compassion
15.      Practice of the four truths in ordinary daily life

Course D Reading and Writing Tibetan

Tibet has two basic forms of script. They are called 'Uchen' and 'Umey' literally meaning with-head and without-head respectively. Both the scripts use a single system of alphabets. The two scripts are used for different purposes. The Uchen script is primarily used for printing religious scriptures. 'Umey' is the hand written form script. This script has three further forms: standard, artistic and quick-hand forms. A student takes several years to fully master this script.

Ever since the Tibetan Buddhism was discovered as the most extensive and profound source for the Buddhist studies and practices, thousands of non-Tibetan students and scholars have turned to study the Tibetan sources. It was realized that the best way to gain full access to the Tibetan sources was to master the classical Tibetan language. To such persons, learning to read the scriptures in Tibetan is most essential.

In our 17-session study plan, we will cover the following skills.

1.       Reading of Tibetan alphabets in Uchen and Umey
2.       Formation of words and sounds
3.       Formation of sentences
4.       Basic Tibetan grammar
5.       Reading aloud sample texts
6.       Writing the Umey script (to be seen later)

The Office of Tibet
Hayama Building, No.5 (5F)
5-11-30 Shinjuku
Shinjuku-Ku
Tokyo -160
Japan
Tel: (81-3) 3353-4094/3355-6213
Fax: (81-3) 3225-8013
e-mail: cxw01301@niftyserve.or.jp
Representative:Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok

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Last updated: 29-Oct-98