【School of Snowland Tibetan Studies, Gyudmed Tantric University | 2022 Tibetan Language Study】English Introduction
Basic Tibetan Intensive Course/ 40 hours in 2 weeks class

"School of Snowland Tibetan Studies" is affiliated with Gyudmed Tantric University, south India. Its establishment was advised by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to build an international Buddhism school mainly committed for the Buddhism study for lay practitioner. The school has excellent learning atmosphere and teachers as well. His Holiness the Dalai Lama attended the opening ceremony in person on December 7, 2011. The school received students from Europe, America, Russia, Mongolia, and Asia. Till now, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the current Gaden Tripa (Lobsang Tenzin), Samdhong Rinpoche, Ling Rinpoche, Kundeling Rinpoche, and other eminent monks, and international super star Richard Gere who spare no efforts in Tibetan culture preservation and support human rights, all have come here and gave Buddhism teaching and speeches.


OVERVIEW/
The basic Tibetan learning includes pronunciation, spelling and basic conversation (Lhasa Tibetan).
The course’s progress will be adjusted based on the student’s competence. In the course you will learn pronunciation, spelling, writing, grammar, most used vocabulary and a variety of useful and practical daily conversations. The course is meant to build a solid foundation for advanced learning onwards. For student who has never learn Tibetan before can also join the course. The course is subjected to a class of short period, intensive and small, and the accommodation is arranged for one person and one room.

● The locations for learning and accommodation are close to Gyudmed Tantric University in South India, which beholds of the whole-hearted learning atmosphere and strict principles.
● An all-Tibetan language environment for study and living.
● The teacher will use both Tibetan and English during the class. Chinese students will receive Chinese textbook which assists in learning.
● A small class which helps developing listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
● The course period coincides with the day of the Buddha's descent from heaven.
● One day outing is scheduled before the completion of the course, to learn the specialty of Tibetan Settlement in Southern India.
● A learning certificate will be provided for students who both complete the 40hour study and pass the evaluation by teacher.

Instructor: Master from Gyudmed Tantric University
Registration Eligibility: Monks, nuns and people come from Chinese background or other countries.
Due date of Registration: 15-AUG (Mon.) closure of registration will be early if the maximum number of students is being reached.
Study Fee: NT 16,500 / USD 550 （15% off study fees for monks and nuns）
The application link is listed at the end of this article.

COURSE CONTENT/
1. With different topics such as: greetings, our school, looking at photos, introducing yourself, going for tea, etc., you can learn:
* Greet someone politely and informally at different times of the day, asking and answering by name and country from which they are from, what they are doing and where they are going.
* Talk about your school, class, classmates, teachers and Tibetan learning experience in simple sentences.
* Describe the locations, features and relationships of buildings, animals, people, etc. around you and in photos.
* Ask questions and give answers about studies, national characteristics, ethnicity, religious beliefs, hobbies, personal possessions, etc.
* Have a simple "tea chat" conversation.

2. In terms of grammar concepts, you can learn:
* According to spelling rules, you will know the pronunciation of any Tibetan syllable.
* You will become aware of the ubiquitous concept of "self and others", the duality of "direct knowledge and inferred knowledge", and how these concepts affect the way Tibetans think and talk.
* You will be able to conceptualize and actively use "to be" and "to have", including their unique Tibetan connotations.
* You will learn more respectful usage of honorifics and be able to use some popular honorifics.
* With three personal pronouns of varying degrees of politeness, you will be able to distinguish between hearing honorifics, common and informal speech.
* You will be able to integrate new grammar rules in a way to express concepts and ideas with different word order and emphasis.
* By exploring "particles" and their relationship to བདག་ (self) and གཞན་ (other) and "to be" and "to have" in the three tenses, you will understand the concepts behind inflections.

3. Through the study of the course, we expect you to have the following achievements in addition to the aforementioned gains:
* Being able to experience that nothing is not made easier by habit.
* You will reflect on the meanings of "self", "other", "direct knowledge” and “inferred knowledge" often mentioned in Buddhism.
* You will reflect on your choice of language register/style and find out how it affects you perceive others and yourself in Tibetan society.
* By participating in tea chat happily, you can gain rich cultural exchanges.


REQUIREMENTS/
1. The fee includes accommodation (1 person and 1 room, filtered drinking water, water and electricity bills, washing machine, electric water heater, personal new bedding, electric thermos, etc.), three meals daily (vegetarian food), course’s fee (including textbook), airport transportation for pick up & drop off; but it is not included one day tour and personal expenditure.
You can freely choose to participate in the one-day off-campus visit before graduation: Sera Monastery, Tashilhunpo Monastery, Namdrol-ling Monastery, etc. The cost per person is 1,000 rupees (including vehicles, fuel and lunch).

2. The maximum student number for the course is 8, and the course will be canceled if student enrolled below 5. This is a 40 hour course:
2 classes in the morning: 09:30-10:30 and 10:40-11:40;
2 classes in the afternoon: 13:30-14:30 and 14:40-15:40;
A group which is free to join for conversation practice and discussion is arranged 16:00-17:00.

3. Schedule for students (Year 2022):
04-NOV (Fri.): Student is required to arrive south India (airport transportation (to and from) is centrally arranged by school);
05-NOV (Sat.): Registration (receiving of student ID and textbook, etc.), opening ceremony and environment introduction;
06-NOV (Sun.): Course begins;
10-NOV (Thu.): No class (free to attend in case of monastic pujas);
17-NOV (Thu.): One day outing (optional);
18-NOV (Fri.): Closing ceremony (issue certification);
19-NOV (Sat.): Departure.

4. Visa, flight ticket and insurance must be handled and paid by student him/herself.
5. PAP (Protected Area Permit) for entry Tibetan Settlement in south India, is applied on behalf you by school of Snowland Tibetan Studies
6. Online orientation for the course will be arranged for the student’s application is successful. Its invitation will be sent in another notification.

BENEFICIARY BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION/
Bank Name: Bank SinoPac　
Bank Code: 807
Branch Name: Zhongxiao East Road Branch
Account Name: TAIWAN GYUDMED TANTRIC BUDDHIST ASSOCIATION
Account Number: 101-018-0006469-3
SWIFT CODE: SINOTWTP (please note: “Fee for 2022 Tibetan Language Study of School of Snowland Tibetan Studies, Gyudmed Tantric University in India）

● Deposit must be paid within one week after application: NT 8000/ USD 250 to ensure the application is reserved.
Delay for deposit payment the application will be cancelled and release its availability to others. The rest of amount has to be settled by and includes of 31-AUG (Wed.)

●Refund
1. The paid amount is fully refundable due to insufficient number of students enrolled to starts the class.
2. The paid amount is fully refundable due to failure of visa application.
3. Prior to the course starts, the paid amount is not refundable due to personal issue not able to attend the course. But the amount can be kept, postponed and only to be used in the upcoming/next session of course.
4. After the course starts, the paid amount is not refundable, and cannot be kept and postponed to use in the next session of course due to personal issue not able to attend the class or skip the class.

★ Visa application please refer to official website (https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html) or ITA, India-Taipei Association (https://www.india.org.tw).
★ Suggested flight: Thai Airways (Bangkok transit); reference flight for Taiwan departures: outbound TG633+TG325, return TG326+TG632; if you choose 20kg luggage, the ticket cost is about NT 20,000. For the actual fare, please refer to the Thai Airways website: https://www.thaiairways.com/zh_TW/index.page
★ Make sure you are complied with the departure country and India’s Covid-19 travel restriction and required documents (vaccine certification, PCR negative proof, health declaration, transit insurance, etc.)
★ Since it is inconvenient for foreigners to apply for an internet SIM card, it is recommended that you purchase an international internet SIM card in your home country so that you can contact your relatives or friends as soon as you arrive. International internet SIM cards can be used for cross-border transfers. For those departing from Taiwan, please refer to: https://reurl.cc/9Glq1Y

Application Form Link：https://reurl.cc/OAOgmg　
For more details: gyudmed2019@gmail.com