RYI STUDENT BLOG

Congratulations go out to Benjamin Collet-Cassart, who successfully defended his Master of Arts Thesis! The Generic Commentaries on Development Stage in the 18th and 19th Centuries A.D. A Study and Translation of Kunkhyen Tenpe Nyima's "Compendium of Key Instructions". Benjamin's dissertation supervisor was Dr. Andreas Doctor (Ph.D., University of Calgary) and the external examiner was Dr. Cameron Warner from Aarhus University, Denmark. Benjamin is a faculty member at the Rangjung Yeshe Institute and will be teaching Classical Tibetan and Translation Project class in the 2011/12 term.

While studying Nāgārjuna one comes to the realization that the prasaṅga reasoning he used was  not only to refute the philosophical views that existed at his time, but to provide his readers with the tool to deconstruct any belief system or dogma they tend to grasp at spontaneously(the cause of suffering- second Noble truth ). Just after my final exam this semester, I had another great opportunity to face one aspect of the first Noble truth , the suffering of being sick, health issues that localize you with the walls of your room. It deconstructed immediately my grasping with the idea that since I am young I would not be sick, or I would not die. But when I delved deeper into this denial of the idea of being sick, or dying, I felt that there actually is a constant fear of being sick, dying, losing one’s existence, any moment, every moment. Because of that we conjure up this denial as a defense mechanism. When I got sick I asked Nāgārjuna for help. To my surprise he didn’t ...

We'd like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to Franziska Oertle from Switzerland, who successfully defended her MA Thesis:  Sum Cu Pa and rTags Kyi 'Jug Pa, A Drop From the Ocean;  Introduction to Indigenous Tibetan Grammar through an Insider's Perspective , on 30th May 2011. Franziska's supervisor was Dr. David V. Fiordalis PhD (University of Michigan), who is a visiting lecturer at RYI this year, while her external examiner was IBA's Dr. Khenpo Ngawang Jorden PhD (Harvard's Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies). Well done Franzisksa and all best wishes for the future!

Ani Sangye Chodron Dharma is something that has to change us when we study it—which makes it not such an easy subject, since its job is to touch our most tender and protected places and uproot all the habits we cling to so dearly.   It’s rather scary to sit down with a strong emotion or sensation and just look without reacting, thus its easy to come up with all sorts of ways to avoid doing so.   The obvious trap of procrastination is our daily activities, but it seems that we have to know how to study, and if we don’t then the study itself becomes a more subtle way of procrastinating—that it is easy to get lost in the endless sea of topics to be known.   The amount of study we can do for classes is endless, so learning how to apply study, reflection and mediation in an appropriate proportion is an invaluable skill.   RYI has been very helpful in that regard this year.   The first method of procrastinating, is remedied quite well by reflecting on the four t...

         My roommate looked at me begrudgingly.  “Where are we going to put all of these?” he asked as another new box of Tibetan books or pechas arrived at our doorstep.  This was the last thing on my mind as I tore through the box’s tape to peer at the shiny new covers, breathe in the smell of the fresh pages, and rifle through the table of contents. I’ll admit it.  I’ve become addicted to books.  And not just buying them.  This semester is the culmination of my studies at Rangjung Yeshe Institute.  I am currently summarizing into an MA thesis the most important things I have learned about Buddhism’s Middle Way Philosophy over the past five years.  These days I am constantly surrounded by at least three stacks of open books, my mind swimming in the perplexities and nuances of their contents. The subject matter of my thesis is a debate.  This particular debate has been waxing and waning for nearly two-thou...

A famous Zen master once said,  “while practicing in the path, initially the trees are trees, the mountains are mountains, and the oceans are oceans, but at some point the trees are no more trees, the mountains are no more mountains and the oceans are no more oceans... and finally at the end of the path, trees are once again trees, mountains are once again mountains and the oceans are once again oceans.” Studying Buddhism in RYI is a venture which will usher you to somewhat the same kind of experiences.  In the initial days of Shedra when one goes through the preliminary teachings of  the Bodhicharyavatara , The Thirty-Seven Bodhisattva Practices or Words of My Perfect Teacher and so forth, one starts gazing closely into the eyes of what we call life , one starts to enjoy life more, starts to be more mindful of phenomena around oneself.  Colors start becoming brighter, foods start becoming tastier.  Thus trees look more like trees and mountain...

I am very grateful to the Rangjung Yeshe Institute who has given me the opportunity to study the Buddha-Dharma and inspire me to put it into practice in daily life.  My purpose of coming here to Nepal to study was to infuse my mind and life with the Buddha-Dharma as much as possible, to really try to open myself and let it help me with all my daily problems.   The very core of practicing Buddhism is to change one’s view of reality and one’s motivation.  All sentient beings want happiness, but what kind of happiness are we able to aim for?  Honestly speaking, I think wishes and aims for more than temporary happiness are very rare - so how would we ever attain it?  To really put the Dharma into practice it is necessary to change the fuel that drives our every action, the view and motivation that makes us do what we do.  As it is now, honestly, I think most of us are too self-centred and too dependent on outer objects for ensuring our happiness to really th...