RYI STUDENT BLOG

We had been studying over a semester at RYI when we received an unexpected proposition: to acquire a Salsa dance voucher, an opportunity to take regular lessons for one month in a Latin American dance studio, here in Kathmandu.  We agreed and very soon, we were in possession of a creased piece of paper, which had obviously gone through many hesitant hands before coming to ours. Perhaps Buddhist students were not up to such kind of distraction?  Along with that, our benefactor gave us thorough instructions about how to reach the studio by public transport. The white bus to Krishna cinema, cross the bridge, then the yellow bus, pass the American, Russian and Chinese embassy, step off at the European Bakery, buy delicious cream roll, walk 10 minutes and here you are. I was a bit anxious: how would the rather small Nepali react to this six feet tall giant Swiss girl? Wouldn't it be embarrassing if my dance partner had to face my cleavage or break his neck to look into...

Congratulations to Ryan Conlon ( Lungtok Rabsel ) for passing his Master of Arts (MA) thesis defense! The title of his thesis is: 'Waves on the Ocean:  Tracing the fault-lines of ontological commitments in the Madhyamaka conventional truth.' The thesis supervisor was Dr. Thomas H. Doctor and the External Reader was Dr. Douglas Duckworth.  Ryan Conlon from Canada is a monk at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling monastery. He now completed his studies at the Centre for Buddhist Studies but continues to study in the monastic shedra together with the monks.

Three years ago two first semester Rangjung Yeshe BA students (Dawa and myself) decided to set up a weekly Chenresig group practice. We chose the practice of the iron bridge building master Thangtong Gyalpo (“All Pervading Benefit of Beings”) which he had received in a vision directly from Chenresig. Although we personally had not much hope to have a vision of the Yidam soon, we already had a vision to foster a group of dedicated Chenresig practitioners among us students. This group consisted at the beginning of only two regular participants, but quickly increased. Last semester we had an average number of nearly 10 people per practice (admittedly still somewhat short of the auspicious number 108). We do the practice every Friday at the end of a usually tough school week. After the dedication of merit to all sentient beings we feel refreshed and reward ourselves with a mouth-watering dinner in one of the less expensive Boudhaean restaurants. Due to excessive work load no ...

A Few months have passed since Melanie Slomka, from Paris, completed the Translator Training Program at Rangjung Yeshe Institute.  When classes finished in May, she went straight back to Paris to meet her root guru, Sogyal Rinpoche and to spend some time with family and friends before going back to north India to start teaching westerners at a Monastery there. Melanie and her boyfriend then spent about 10 days learning how to make didgeridoos, one of Melanie’s interests. She says,  “I knew that the next 5 months I would be in a monastery, so I tried to enjoy my holidays as much as possible!”  Now, she has taken the step from student to teacher and is guiding a group of Westerners in colloquial Tibetan and translating philosophy teachings from a Khenpo into English. The program is located in Namdroling Monastery in south India and is run by Rigpa. She says that she thinks the Translator Training Program at Rangjung Yeshe Institute has given her the confidence, ...

Congratulations to Leonard Brouwer, who successfully defended his Master of Arts Thesis on Friday, July 22. Leo's Dissertation Titel is: 'The Bodhicaryāvatāra-Ṭippaṇī A Study and Edition of a Commentary on the Bodhicaryāvatāra'. The Dissertation Supervisor was Dr. David V. Fiordalis and the external Examiner was Dr. Harunaga Isaacson from University of Hamburg, Germany.  What are your plans now Leo?

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 ...