Reading week

By -

At the middle of the semester, it is always good to take a little bit of rest from all the study, which is why we have reading week. But for some reason, this week is not called “relaxing week”. 
For sure, we all like to relax a little bit, but if they call it “relaxing week”, we may just relax too much! So I’m in favor of the present name, “reading week”. Moreover, at least for me, this time is how it looks like.

 Some like to use this week to travel and visit some places in Nepal or even India, others to practice, others to advance in writing essays or doing homework, and maybe in many cases to do a little bit of everything.

This time for me, as part of my subjects’ work this semester, I’m doing quite a bit of reading, particularly on the Lotus Sutra and related articles, as well as memorizing verses for the philosophy class. As part of the Translation Project class, I’m also translating a couple of public teachings from Gampopa, which involves reading... but in Tibetan!

 Translating from Tibetan is not easy, especially at the beginning, when one can feel like one is really struggling to get anywhere. It takes effort, but once you get to the point when you are able to translate with some confidence, it feels very rewarding and that in turn can also boost your motivation to learn more. As I’m experiencing now, translating properly takes time, and there are always tricky sections, but it also feels like a discovery and a meeting with the beauty and depth of the text.

 ~ Julio from Spain

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pharping – The Sacred Site of Asura Cave and Yangleshö

By -
Image
Pharping Azura Cave Monastery Every year Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche leads several seminars and retreats in Asura Cave monastery in Pharping. Many of us have heard that Asura Cave is a very special, yet we are often a bit unsure what exactly happened there and why it is so special. Thus I wanted to share with you, what I have found out so far.  Pharping: Pharping is a small but expanding village about 16 km southwest of Kathmandu, on a hillside above the main valley. Pharping (pronounced "Farping" by the Nepalis) is known to the Tibetans as Yangleshö and also sometimes as Phamting, as some say it is the birthplace of the Phamtingpa, the heart-­‐son of Naropa. Chatral Rinpoche explains that the 'Indian Phamting' (Tib. rgya gar pham thing ) derives its name from the presence of the great hood of the Naga king Lhakmachen or Shesha, which marks it as a site of his power. As such, learned masters of the past used to called it Phanathingu (Tib. pha na thinggu ), which ...
Read more

The Five Best Restaurants in Bouddha for Shedra Students

By -
Image
  Are you new to the Shedra? Not having much money to spend? Have to study a lot? Here comes a brief guide and recommendation to some nice places in Bouddha suitable for the average Shedra student, old time favorites and newly rising stars. Double Dorje 5. Double Dorje:             A cozy small restaurant, run by a sweet old Tibetan woman. It is known to tourists and is a place visited frequently by westerners since it has been recommended by various travel guides as a nice, cozy, local restaurant. Particularly in the evening in the winter, it becomes a great place to study, since unlike the other restaurants it is completely closed and inside. Thus the place stays warm and as long as there are no power cuts the ballon lamps create a warm and home-like atmosphere.             Also if you wish to spend the afternoon there, it is known for its special ho...
Read more

The Hidden Story of the Golden Temple at Patan

By -
Image
There are many stories in Nepal. Because these stories are very interesting-- as last time I had shared the story about the Jacket from the Naga land -- I would like to introduce the story of the Golden Temple in Patan at this time.   When people talk about Patan, the Golden Temple will show up in everyone’s mind. The Golden Temple is one of the famous Buddhist temples in Patan. However, few people know that there was a love story, which was between a king and a queen, behind the holy Golden Temple . Once upon a time, there was a king called Marwad and he had a lovely queen called Pingala. They loved each other very much. As a return for his lovely queen, King Marwad planned to make an image of Shakyamuni as a gift to her. When the image had been finished, another king, from other country, asked for a gift as a sign of good relations with King Marwad’s kingdom. For the people’s safety in the country, Queen Pingala chose to give up the image for the peaceful relationshi...
Read more