Thanks to the CCS Language Study Grant, I took the Summer Beginning Classical Tibetan course at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute (RYI) for two months. In the first month of the course, I learned the grammar and basic vocabulary of Classical Tibetan. In the second month, I read and translated four Classical Tibetan texts, including Jewel Ornament of Liberation, Heart Sutra, 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, and Sutra of the Wise and Foolish.
Through this course, I learned how to analyze the sentence structures of Classical Tibetan by syntax, grammatical rules, and key connectors. The skills I developed in this language class will be crucial for me to conduct my research on the multi-ethnic material transactions in the Qing-era Inner Asian Buddhist world. I appreciate the CCS for providing me with this invaluable opportunity!
- Ran Yan
Department of History