28747 - Tibetan Studies (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will have acquired a basic competence in Tibetan culture with particular reference to its historical, religious and artistic aspects through the study of its classical language on Tibetan texts.

Course contents

This intensive course is aimed at the acquisition of a basic competence in the classical Tibetan language in relation to the cultural history of southwest Tibe and to its production of religious art, through the morphological, grammatical and structural analysis of texts in the original language.

Students following the course must possess a sufficient knowledge of the English language to allow them to use Tibetan dictionaries, whose use will become necessary starting from the second lesson.

Readings/Bibliography

Texts recommended and available in the Departmental Library

 

- H. A. Jäschke, A Tibetan-English Dictionary. With Special Reference to the Prevailing Dialects, London, 1972 or subsequent editions.

- S. Chandra Das, A Tibetan-English Dictionary, New Delhi, 1976 or subsequent editions.

- H. B. Hannah, Grammar of the Tibetan Language, Delhi, 1973 or subsequent editions.

- G. Tucci, Tibetan Painted Scrolls, Vol. II, Kyoto 1980 or subsequent editions.

- G. Tucci, Indo-Tibetica, Vol. IV, Gyantse ed i suoi monasteri, Parte II, Roma, 1941 (or its English edition, available in the Departmental Library).

- E. Lo Bue & F. Ricca, Gyantse Revisited, Firenze, 1990.

- F. Ricca & E. Lo Bue, The Great Stupa of Gyantse. A Complete Tibetan Pantheon of the Fifteenth Century, London, 1993.

- L. Chandra, Lokesh, Buddhist Iconography, New Delhi, 1991.

- Y. Bentor, Consecration of Images and Stupas in Indo-Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, Leiden, 1996.

- Y. Bentor, "The Content of Stupas and Images and the Indo-Tibetan Concept of Relics", The Tibet Journal, XXVIII/1-2 (2003), pp. 21-48.

- R. Stein, La civiltà tibetana, Torino, 1994 or subsequent editions.

 

 

Electronic dictionaries

 

- Dharma Dictionary. Tibetan-English-Dictionary of Buddhist Teaching & Practice, Rangjung Yeshe Translations & Publications in collaboration Diamond Way Buddhism Network, 2003

- Sambhota Dictionary Search available on Cd, it is accessible on the web site www.nitartha.org

- Duff, Tony, The Illuminator, Tibetan-English Dictionary (Electronic version 3.200) Kathmandu, Pema Karpo Translation Committee, 2002

- Hopkins, Jeffrey et al., Hopkins-Tibetan-Sanskrit-English-Dictionary.

Teaching methods

Sixty hours of lessons with translation practice.

Since 12 credits correspond to 300 hours of work, students will have to reckon 255 hours of study (60 hours of 45’ lessons correspond to 45 hours of work).

Assessment methods

Candidates will be tested on the texts analysed during the lessons, and must be able to read and translate them orally without the help of dictionaries or notes. Students wishing to take the exam in May must start preparing it since February. Examinations will take place in June, July and October. For the 12-credit exam students will have to read D. Snellgrove & H. Richardson’s work listed in the bibliography. Since 12 credits correspond to 300 hours of work, students attending the course will have to reckon 255 hours of study (60 hours of 45’ lessons correspond to 45 hours of work, while students not following it must reckon 300 hours of study (corresponding to 84 days with an average of 3 hours daily study).

Teaching tools

Students will be provided with the photocopies of the texts used for textual analysis and translation work, and during the lessons will receive the necessary information concerning Tibetan morphology, grammar and syntax, with particular reference to the use of nominal and verbal particles, and to the structure of the Tibetan sentence.

Office hours

See the website of Erberto Lo Bue