Tibetan Language Course
Tibetan Language Course
Tibetan Language Course
I prostrate to the gwru and protector MaiijSfi. Your mind is completely pure and luminous, like the sun free from the clouds of the two obscuratiow. You hold a text at your heart, since you see all the variety of objects just as they are. You love like your only child all the multitude of beings who are trapped by the darkness of ignorance in the prison of &&a and are afflicted by suffering. Your speech possessing the sixty kinds of melody, roars mightily like a dragon. Thus you awaken from the sleep of the afflictive emotions, Iiberate from the chains of karma and dispel the darkness of l ignorance. You hold aloft a sword, since you cut al the sprouts of suffering. You are primordially pure and have completed the ten stages. You have perfected all the qualities. The form of the elder son of the Victorious One is adorned with the 112 ornaments. You dispel the darkness of my mind. I pay homage to Maiij%ri. OM A RA PA TSA NA D m
ALPHABET
VOCABULARY
EXERCISES
This study course in Tibetan Language, and Dharma language in particular, is intended to enable students to understand to a reasonable extent the discourses spoken by Lamas, converse with them, and be able to read the texts with the beginning of understanding. This will be a very strong basis to be able to advance oneself quite rapidly. Tibetan has scriptural and common styles of writing, and honorific and ordinary ways of speaking. Furthermore, there are many dialects of the spoken language, just as the differences in the English of Britain and America. Their differences do not present great difficulty and one can easily accommodate one's understanding. In this course we attempt to use the most commonly heard pronunciation that will be the most useful to students. Spoken Tibetan has a very simple grammar. Explaining it with English grammatical terms, as we have done, is only useful as a reference point, and cannot be applied extensively. Scriptural Tibetan complies with rules that are fairly easy to learn; these rules will be presented gradually throughout the course. The technique for this course is to combine some study and memorization with listening and repeating without necessarily trying to understand. You should, by this technique, gain familiarity with pronunciation, intonation, and sentence construction. These are only learned by habit, and seem to dawn quite naturally. Because of the pertinent nature of the material dealt with, you should feel great delight as understanding begins to arise. Apply this enthusiasm to the actual study, memor~zing some phrases, grammar and vocabulary. Flash cards are also very helpful at first. You may feel overwhelmed at times, but do not be disheartened. Tibetan is not really so difficult, and all Tibetans will be delighted with your attempts and be willing to help. The value to yourself and others of learning to speak and read Tibetan cannot be overstressed. To begin with, read the text and listen to the tape at the same time. Then listen and repeat with the tape whenever possible, such as when driving. Study the text and do the exercises when you have time. This was originally designed as a six-month course, but that means putting in some time each day. So do it at your own pace and send in the exercises of each lesson whenever you can. After you have finished this course, you will be ready to go on with your studies in either written or colloquial Tibetan. Then you can use this book as a useful reference. Good luck and best wishes.
The Tibetan alphabet is made up of 30 basic letters and four vowel signs. The sound A AH) is inherent in all of the letters. So i there IS no other vowel " sign or mod1 lng letter, the vowel sound is "A". 7% e four vowel signs are added to change inls sound (see p.4) The consonants are distin uished by their basic sound and by eit er hlgh or low tone and b the presence or absence of aspira$on. The tone will be indicated by a llne above (high) or below (low) the vowel and asplration by an apostrophe after the consonant. (in .some systems asplration has been indtcated by an "h", leading to errors in pronunciation with "ph" and "th".) Hightoned sounds are very short, low tones are long, and aspirated sounds somewhere in between.
"I
9 , .
C' A H
T'A
qv
PA P'A
C ail a- 4 1
BA
MA
The alphabet is traditionally learned in V e groups of four. Not~c? s that there IS a pattern in the first five lines of four letters each:
8 8 6 "1
TSA TS'A
. .
The first letter in each of the lines is short and hiah-oitched. The s&ond is aspirated and high-pitched. The third is long and low-pitched. l'hefourthis~,long'd~Id~.
DZA
WA
qv
z4
A
YA
q]
SGA. E JA, $ DA. 4 84, DZA, en standing alone and unmodified, are sometimes AND TSA in as CHA, TA, PA pronounced central dialect only. Thus it occurs only rarely, but it is good to keep in mind. ZSHA is a soft sound between SHA a d JATn English, like "s" in leisure.
k, a
LA
q '
SIX%
9 q]
SA
"i,
Likewise, 3 is softer than English a ZA but a little harder than SA. it stands alone as the second syllable of a two-syllable word (which is very often since it forms the infinitive of verbs in many cases). Therefore the actual letter 'CT WA is very rare, since Be is "WA"! Take note!
2 2 q :
ip
2
1
5
f a
3 &
CHIS
&
CIFA
1
KA '
GA
& 4 ;
JA
1
qip iqf
TA
4'
9 q2
NGA
3
NyA
,
1
CALLIGRAPHY
Calligraphy is considered to be very important. Generally it is taught to form the letters from left to right and from top to boftorn, doing the horizontal lines first in most cases. This diagram shows the order in which to draw each letter. If you stick with this pattern, even if it seems more panstaking at times, the letters will turn out properly. Music paper is useful for practicing proportions. This kind of printing is called uchen. - "big head" - i.e. capitals) There is a modified printing between this and handwriting called ume ( ~ 3 7 "headless") which is also used in scriptures occasionally. The cursive handwriting is called kyuk-yik (rl&*y - "quick letters"). There is also an archaic print called barn yik (w*) in titles of books or in teaching ume.
UMG
,
i
( ~ 3
TA
2 1
D4
NA_
2 1
Erqj #
2
Bb
PA
PA
MA
used
y~~Y,!W~uu76q3rn'~*i~\
KYUK YIK
BAM YIK
PUNCTUATION
The dot (tesk! and ! e !Ine (she,v) are the en!y h
punctuation marks in Tibetan, so don't overlook them. The dot indicates one syllable. (Not one word. There is no indication for a word.) The line indicates the end of what roughly corresponds to a sentence. Therefore a sentence, no matter how complex or incomplete, consists only of a long string of syllables ending in a line. For clarity, the dot is dropped before the line unless the last letter is NGA. Also, a line is not used if the last letter is GA.
Some of the letters of the basic alphabet are words just in themselves. Memorize these at the same time as memorizing the alphabet and begin building a vocabulary right away.
P
I KHA
NGA
mouth
BA
COW
I, me
fox
CHA
goat
RA
4.
tea
qT
LA
z*
fish
YV
SHA
meat, flesh
sA
Make flash cards of the alphabet, with the Tibetan letter on one side and the sound and s meaning, if it i a word in the list above, on the other side. Know it fowards, backwards, mixed up and either way around. Practice the pronunciation from the tape, and be able to draw the letter from hearing the sound.
24
The four vowel signs added above or below the consonants change the inherent "a" sound to: "i" as in ill,
"00"
as in moon,
SPELLING
The ability to spell out loud is extremely important. Because of many silent prefixes, suffixes, and adjoined letters, many words have similar pronunciation but different spelling and meaning. Furthermore, the difference between some sounds is often unnoticeable by speakers of western languages, which are not tonal. Both asking a Tibetan for clarification by spelling and clarifying one's own meaning by spelling a mispronounced word is really helpful. Don't overlook this rather dull but necessary skill. To spell a single letter word with a vowel sign, say the consonanf, the name of the L~C:~!~! sigq and the:: the finished r.s:!t.
Examples:
8
b
MA
gigu
- MI
CHA
shabkyu -
CHU
DA
Y
T
- drengbu - OE naro
RA
- RO
EXAMPLES
,
~.
Here are some examples of single letter words with vowel signs. Practice writing them, pronouncing them, and spelling them out loud. Add them to your flash cards.
2
JI
3. 57,
M I
RI
mountain
.
SU
dead
asT w
CH'U
child,
water
BU MU
extreme
that
ME
fire
TSE
time; life
YE
.
< q
SO
1,
I
!
j
T
RO
flavor; corpse
y. q year
LO
tooth
SHO
*Remember that "u" is pronounced "00" and "en is as in "ey." Also, the high or low tone indications are left out. We are moving towards the most easy and simple way of transliterating, but it presupposes some familiarity.
Some of the letters can be added below or above specific 'root' consonants to form composite letters. Sometimes the resulting sound is different and sometimes the same as the root. You just have to memorize the pronunciation of each combination as part of the alphabet. Make flash cards for them.
can be added beneath these seven letters, in the shape: It changes the sounds of the consonant, but the tone, aspiration and length of the root consonant are kept, as they are with all the composite letters. Spelling: All composite letters are spelled from the top down. (But the vowel sign is always last.) To spell a letter with subscribed YA, say the root consonant first, then YA then "TAU(which means and then the result, as shown below.
*KYA, K'YA and GYA are most o ~ e n /' pronounced CHA,CH'A and JA in Kham dialect. But learn them this w y to avoid confusion with
PA YA-TA
P'A
BA
YA-TA
L
MA YA-TA
3
3
plA Y a - m c w A drengbu
our; powdetl
RA can be added to the following 14 consonants, in the s h a p e : 4 Notice that the result of the first 3 composites in the first three columns matches up, and that the RA in the other letters (except for HrA) doesn't change the sound at all.
~~
In Tibetan, " R is very subtle, not at all like the' American "R," nor is it rolled as in ff-ou inEn~glish~~ph~netics~to~ some E"r~opea" lanng9~aages;Thus~sometim~e~s~~it~is~le avoid mispronunciation, such as in 'TASHI DELEK" instead of 'TRASH1 DELEK."
~p
~~~
1
I
I !
!
!
!
!
I
. t
I
i I i
I
!
;
,
GA RA-TA
hA gigu
naro lDrOj
"knife" "dance"
BA RA-TA & A
I
i 1 .
LA can be added to the following six letters. The shape remains the except for same. The subscribed LA changes all the consonants to T ZA, which changes to DA:
~ p e l l i n g : 3 LA-TA BA
LA nam
"mind, intellect"
KA
? a . %' 7 ~
KIA GA
CHA NYA TA
$$ % 7 T T T T ~
DA TSA TSA ZSHA
ZA RA
LA
SHA
SA HA
7%'
Spelling:
$ TS'A
wazur
/TS'AI
"salt"
yl
The letters which can be added on top of certain consonants are 7 RA (whieh usually becomes s), LA and T SA. They do not change the sound of the root, T which becomes "LHA." with the exception of Spelling words with superscribed letters:
?'
RA TA-TA
a"horse"
Sometimes a composite letter can consist of a root consonant with a superscribed letter and a subscribed YA or RA and a vowel sign. It is still spelled from top to bottom, with the vowel sign last:
SA PA-TA
YA-TA
T
TSA
The 10 letters with superscribed "LA" :
L'A
Spelli g-
1 '
\
I
These correspond to the fourth letters of each of the five first series of five letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. They are long and low tone, but strongly aspirated. We can use the letter " H to represent it in English. There are many other conjuncts in Sanskrit, represented in Tibetan transliteration by stacking up letters.
/
Spelling: $
GA HA-TA
Exercise: write out the spelling and final pronunciation of these words:
chicken
deity
vein, nerve
grass, herb
throne
smell
sound
tongue
nose
door
stone
lord
feather
cause
UU'W
I
wv
father
W T
I
4.4'
I
mother
parents
Lama
sun
moon
hat
birth
illusion
BA YA-TA J M JAWA* A =
"deeds, actions"
3;- DO + 8 JE becomes
lord of stones."
9suffix
1. 2. 3. 4.
Spelling: BA-0 SA GA-TA R A - T A m shabkyu "what has been accomplished"(But most of them aren't this long!)
Finding the root:
BA SA I l m
Sometimes it is difficult to find the root letter in order to pronounce it. Of course, if there is a composite letter then that is the root, since prefixes and suffixes are never composite. Or if there is a vowel sign it is almost always (see p. 15) on the root. If these are not present, in a two letter word the root is first, and in a three letter word it is in the middle, unless the last letter is a second suffix, in which case the root is first.
GAK (blocked)
root
root
root
root
This will become more clear as you learn prefixes and suffixes.
Q1'$QTT
As prefixes they are silent. Usually they do not change the sound of the root..
Exampies:
Dl
"this"
T'U
"force"
yq ZSHI "ground"
T ~ L S GEWA "virtue"
a
<
Spelling: To spell, say the prefix and the sound "om(to 'warn' the listener that it is a prefix) and then the rest.
ST A-0DA gigu
* Exceptions:
If the BA is without any affixed letter or vowel sign, it is pronounced as 'WA," or sometimes not at all:
ex: ex:
U ( t only the vowel) "head" (honorific) YEWA ( +combination of subscribed YA and vowel) "division"
Nasal Sound of T A
If A is the prefix of a second syllable of a word, and the first syllable ends in a vowel sound, then it produces a nasal or "Nu sound.
ex: ex:
Y'
The suffix determines the ending sound of a syllable. We can divide them into three groups.
T T These are pronounced normally as the end of the syllable. However the GA and BA often sound more like " K and "P," and sometimes the GA is not heard at all. examples:
77T
37 MING "nameT'
hlPT K'A "sky"
aT
MAR "butter"
8' W As suffixes, these are also pronounced, but they change the vowel sound i
of the preceding consonant if it is inherent "A," U (shabkyu) or 0 (naro) to "E," U and 0 respectively. (note: in Eastern dialects, the T does not change A to "E," but remains as "A")*
make the same changes in the vowel, but are themselves silent. Here is a chart with examples of what T $ T do to vowel sounds:
7 NA
pronounced A+"E
T LA
pronounced
I
1
I
$ DA
-
T SA
pronounced KE
I
I
pronounced
5q
NGEN "bad"
$ GYEL , T j
*(GYAL) "victorious"
q$
$
b
qT LE
"action;karman
I "I" no change
o \
?? RIN
"price, value"
S TIL T
"sesame"
RI
"area; drawing"
u 3 "U"
b
~ q uDUNPA 2~ Y ~ J L .
"aspiration"
"country; object''
~7PU 3
"first offering: "to be"
y~
LO
I
Y
"body"
+ ,
W E "
I $x'CT 7
I 8 E -h " "'
lDA
no change
I7
an!zy r\! y ~ p p .
0 3 ,,O#,
-/
+.
"to take"
7q
DON "meaning"
TTT ROLWA
"to play"
V
+,.
"fault; evil"
v
BO
"Tibet"
CHO
"Dharma"
is the only second suffix and it is silent. It can come after the suffixes
al'7a.V
f\
xmnr p~ gigi;
' -1
GA S
qa\lrY- SA
drengbu
MA
SAW "mind"
Special Cases of Vowel Signs on a Suffix as a suffix occasionally has a gigu or a shabkyu, so it is possible that one syllable could have two vowel signs, but only in these cases. They are pronounced as follows.
is the way to make a possessive of words ending in a vowel sound, and so 0 is often added on: It adds a "I" or "Y" sound:
q
~ m l ? LAMAY m
"the Lama's" "of this" "who's" "the lord's"
T$?
Dl-Y SU-Y
8%
'q @q
JEY
rZ G
is the diminutive, and along with a gigu on the consonant, is used to mean something small: It adds a "U" ( 0 0 ) sound:
d
a.
3 5 BI-u "cal~'
TA "horse"
9% TI-u "foal"
Sometimes the sound "0" is added to the last word in a sentence to underscore the thought, a sort of poetic flair. If the word ends in a vowel sound t h e n q is added to that word. Otherwise, the ending consonant is repeated with an "ow(naro), making a new syllable. This is literary.
Write out the spelling and final pronunciation of these vocabulary words. (See example below)
-v'
paw73Tv
&qfl
qpq
cycle; ramSara
hungry ghost
dream
~?q$
animal
virtue
q 4 ~ 3 7world (destructible +
support)
sin
3a$
bliss
today
suffering
tomorrow
s7qq
\, .
attachment
$TT
1 -
to say
great, big
7'Ty
g '
L..A_IL_
uuuul l [pui I I I ~ U a -.
,-..zc^-I
developed)
Example:
paG-GYq
Theoret~cally, should now be able to read anything written in Tibetan! you Rewrite the following short prayer by Ven. Kalu Rinpoche in Tibetan script using your best handwriting and leaving plenty of space between the lines. Then write the phonetics in English underneath each line. Write just the final pronunciation, no need to write out the spelling th~s time.
Write down the words in Tibetan that are spelled and pronounced on the tape at the end of Side A, after the alphabet, etc. There is no need to write down the spelling, just the result. All together you should be returning four pages of exercises: page 11, page 16, page 17 and one from the tape.
Lesson 1 is supposed to enable you to read anything in Tibetan (except for Sanskrit transliteration). However, there are a few things you might come across that you don't recognize. Most of them are contractions, used to save space. Here are some: and the second suffix "i may be shortened in one ; Words ending in the suffix of two ways, especially at the end of a line. ~ h u s y y might b e y q with the nT written below ~. or
w
~hus,
WT =
4.
3 4 =~qn~
etc.
. c
Some words are drastically shortened ( ~ w ~ " d u Y i k ' but this is more common '), in urn6 (handwriting) than in uchen. consider this possibility. Still, if something looks really strange, There are probably hundreds of them, often with
4 (47~) 3 Pema
Karma
Short I High-pitched
FCa)
-
.-----------------.----------*--------------.--
.-------------------------------------------.------.---
Aspirated I High-pitched
Short 1High-pitched
I-.
Aspirated l High-pitched
4'(&'a)
fi
.-----------------------------------.--------.--
.__-----*----------------------------------*-----------.--------
Long I Low-pitched
Aspirated 1 High-pitched
Long / Low-pitched
Short I High-pitched
7 .____-_----________------------------------------
.----------____------------------------------------
Aspirated I High-pitched
q
is)
.-------------.-.---.----------------------------------.-.-
.---------------------------------------*--------------------7
Long I Low-pitched
Short IHigh-pitched
Long I Low-pitched
qocGa)
Note: These phrases would normally just be spoken in a typical Dharma lecture. We have written them to aid understanding. The actual pronunciation on the tape and in the transiiteration may be somewhat different than the written Tibetan. The purpose of this exercise is to familiarize you with the style and format of a lecture and the rich vocabulary of Buddhist terminology. The intricacies of grammar will come later. For now, just get used to the rhythm and content
qqYq't'47W\
fash~ delek Greet~ngs
g,I..l
~qt~qtq-~rz~;cunli
YW
"IT.1
q=q
Vp2.q
p??T-6pynl'qw'?\
kye rang gi pa yul ga par re Where is your fatherland?
T~T~ynlwas:~%~\
nga rang gi pa yul america re My fatherland is America.
p~iT-nl'q67qW\
kye rang la bugu yti be Do you have children?
$ 5-q.ag$W6$
yo nga la bugu nyi yo Yes I have two children.
~3-7337%7
kang pa di pe kyi po du This house is very nice.
@T-Jaiyyqv
sol ja she rok nang Please have some tea.
dang po, lo dok nam shi First, the four thoughts to turn the mind.
choje ya la kor wai ne fsijl she go gi du To practice Dharma one must know the nature of samsara
chi yi kor wa dang nang gi kor wa nyi yo re There is outer samsara and inner samsara both.
dang po chi yi kor wa she gi yin First I will describe the outer samsara.
kor wa la dro wa rik druk yii re In samsara there are six classes of beings.
ngen song sum dang to ri sum yo re. There are three lower and three upper realms.
ngen song sum ga re re ser na What are the three lower realms?
nyal wa yidak dundro sum yo re Hell, hungry ghost, animal, these three.
mi, /ha, ma yin, /ha sum yo re Human, asura, gods, these three
nyal wa la tsa drang gi dukngel yo re Hell has the sufferings of heat and cold.
yidak la tre kom gi dukngel yo re Hungry ghosts have the suffering of hunger thirst
dundro la /en kuk gi dukngel yo re An~mals have the sufferings of dumbness and stupidity
mi la kye ga na shi dukngel yo re Humans have the suFferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death.
/ha ma yin la fap fsCi gi dukngel y0 re Asuras have the suffering of quarrelling and fighting.
Iha la po fung gi dukngel yo re Gods have the suffering of change and decay.
do kam zuk kam zuk me kam sum yo re Desire sphere, form sphere, formless sphere, these three
da ta nga rang tso do kam la kye wa re Nowwe have taken birth in the desire sphere.
gyur way dukngel dukngel gyi dukngel sum yo re Suffering of change, suffering of suffering, these three.
gyu la ten ne gandre jung wa re ser na How has it arisen based on a cause?
she dang wang gi nyal wa la kye gi re By the force of anger one takes birth in hell.
serna wang gi yidak la kye gi re By the force of miserliness one takes birth as a hungry ghost.
ti muk wang gi diindro la kye gi re By the force of stupidity one takes birth as an animal.
do chak wang gi mi la kye gi re By the force of desire one takes human birth.
tra dok wang gi /ha ma yin la kye gi re By the force of jealousy one takes birth as an asura.
nga gyal wang gi /ha la kye gi re By the force of pride one takes birth as a god.
nyon mong pa druk po di tso ga ne jung wa re ser na Where do these six neuroses come from?
sem gi ne tsiil mi she pa; mong pa di ma rik pa re This not knowing the mind's nature is ignorance.
de wa la chak na do kam la kye gi re If there is attachment to pleasure, there is birth in the desire sphere.
sal wa /a chak na zuk kam la kye gi re If there is attachment to clarity, there is birth in the form sphere
tong pa la chak na zuk me kam la kye gi re If there is attachment to emptiness, birth in the formless sphere.
nyon rnong wang gi nga rang fso le mang po sak gi re By the force of neurosis we accumulate much karma
dik pa &up na dukgnal yong gi re If one practices non-virtue, one experiences suffering.
ge wa drup dik pa pong sem gi drib pa jang Practise virtue, abandon non-virtue, purify mind obscruations.
dem chen fam che kor wa la kyam dro gi yo re All sentient beings wander in sarnsara.
bardo nga dang lii sum gi kyam dro gi yo re They wander with the five bardos and three bodies.
kye shi bardo mi lam bardo chi ka bardo chb nyi bardo si pay bardo nga. Birthldeath bardo, dream, dying stage, dharma essence, becoming, these five.
nam rnin gi lii bak chak gi lii yid gi lii sum yo re The fully ripened body, habit body, mental body, these three.
nam rnin gi lu data sha frak gi 1 di re 0 The fully ripened body is this body of flesh and blood.
bak chak gi lii mi lam kap su trul pay lii di re The habit body is that body projected during breams.
yid gi lii si pay bardoi lii di re The mental body is the body during the bardo of becoming.
gyap la bardo nga gi ne fsiil gye pa she gi yin Later I will describe the five bardos at length.
chik la chik gyur dro gi re They change one into the other.
rik druk mi tak pa re The six classes (of beings) are impermanent.
mi fse di gyok po dzok dro gi re This human life will quickly be used up.
shi way kap su la cho ma fok ga yang pen gi ma re At the time of death, nothing other than Dharma can help.
~~i&%%nl'?~% qVT%7\
data nga rang fso mi lu rinpoche top pa re Now we have obtained a precious human body.
V'Y
mi lu rinpoche she fra tob kapo re It is very difficult to obtain a precious human body.
i mi lirinpoche she fra ngo tsar chen po re The precious human body is very wonderful
mi lu rinpoche top na cho drup tup gi re If you obtain a precious human existence, you can practice Dharma.
ma top na cho drup tub gi ma re. If you don't obtain it, you cannot practice Dharma.
ngen song sum la kye wa /en na If you take birth in the three lower realms...
cho to na yang ha go fup gi yo ma re Even if you hear Dharma, you cannot understand it.
/ha dang /ha ma yin la kye wa ten na If you take birth in the gods or asuras realms...
le lo wang gi cho la ga gi ma re By the force of laziness, you do not like the dharma
kor wa nang la mi lii rinpoche yak sho re In samsara, the precious human body is the best.
mi lii n'npoche di la don chen po yong go gi du. One needs to bring great meaning to this precious human existence.
cho drup ne kor wa le tar tup gi re By practising Dharrna, one can be free from samsara.
cho ma drup na kor wa le tar tup gi ma re If you do not practice Dharma, you cannot bewrne from from samsara.
nga rang fso tok ma me pa ne kor wa la kyam pa re From beginingless time we have wandered in samsara.
da ta mi lii rinpoche top dii chb ma je na Now when you have obtained the human body, if you do not do Dharma.
nga rang cho gang tup tup je gi yin I wil do Dharma as much as possible.
mi fse di la don chen po drup gi yin I will accomplish great meaning with this human life.
kor wa dukngel gi gyamtso kern par sho May the ocean of samsara suffering dry up!
ge wa drup dik pa pang sem gi drib pa jang Practise virtue, abandon non-virtue, purify mind-obscurations.
.
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From thepdace 6 the Highest ~harkiadhatu', .' f he Cry essence!of allbpddhas of the $reg times, ',~h&oneswho really revea!l ouiowq minds as dharmakya: . . . -. l",pr&y! the root,iarnqs." to _, ! / i i - \, . ..
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Nouns can be simple one or two syllable words, or compounds consisting of two or more nouns, verbal stems or adjectives.
I) Simple Nouns
man; human
- 7 7 "
177
carpet; seat
P Y house
%% heap, aggregate
skandha (Skt.)
YT view, philosophy
In these last three examples, the second syllables PA, PO and WA are simply an integral part of the noun. However, when these are added to nouns that don't have them at all, they indicate the possessor or 'doer' of the noun, i.e. the subject. And when added to a verbal stem, it makes it a noun. Examples:
qt' zja
25~
45-+q$
Pfl
3 % ~
q?qiT
P m
householder; lay person seller, merchant carpenter (often pronounced shingzoya) mantra sayer i.e. yogi, maglcian Tibetan practitioner of Bon (original shamanism of Tibet) To ind~categender either a
?Yv
YTT
F~T
ww
Bon Gender: Most nouns are neutral. different word is used, horse
av
7 ' ~ stallion
horse rooster king
q?~
mare hen queen
mare
Yw
q q or W fl
5%
3 %
3%
3K
qqfl
3%
w .
IS
snlq
victor (neutral)
protector, dharmapala (not necessarily female) ancient (tradition) i.e the Nyingmapa tradition.
.,3
i '
Plural: Plural nouns are not used very often. Plurality does not effect the structure of the noun. It is created by adding a separate word which means plural, or else just indicated by words such as "all, many, few, five," etc. The most common plural in colloquial is 5 In literature, it is 4mlV or
-5
7 7
z+l-z
4lw
horses merchants
a-z
WY$p$mlV
2) Compound Nouns are formed in the following different ways: 1. Two nouns which together describe a certain set or class of objects: father + mother = parents
TYT
goats and sheep i.e. the flock master and attendants i.e. the whole household
7iT7K~
$Tq,V
WTfTT
RPi $ya?
Tq q8
yqqgqavv
--.-y%@
4. Two opposite words are used to describe the quality or make an abstract: quality size , T height quanitiy (big+small) (high + low) (many+few) bad)
yqy
l
qqT
length
(long+short)
QT
~
temperature (hot+cold)
q8
+J $
* can also be a
3
Honorific Nouns In Tibetan, the honorific or polite language is always used when speaking about or to elevated persons and things. In some areas it is used to speak to almost everyone except animals, chiidren and oneself. In Eastern dialects it is more flexible, however one cannot do without the basic honorific terms. (Be sure never to use the honorific when speaking about yourself.) Most nouns and verbs nave an honorific form, sometimes a compieteiy different word, sometimes ine same word modified by an honorific. Here are some examples:
Regular
Honorific
Honorific thought
WV
rB Y
wK
3w Ta'
yr p
Tf
head hat hair hand Pen letter mouth (also face in hon.) food tea
vqnl.%
8
b
v7 T-8
3T 37-873y$T
(aq
(, yv
8
7s3yv 3yv
57'
qTT
F FnlT
K
@,VqT
Yq4T
qanl-
wish
?T
qy~?
hope
g y
VOCABULARY (nouns)
v
shrine room stupa (offering + support) monastery abbot monk nun nunnery yogin (m) yosin (f) practitioner teacher ( o 4944) hn student student, disciple studies faith interest, devotion respect Three Jewels (rare + sublime +3) sky
e
~TPT
Ff-
35-@,
?ylp&~ 3Tqyv
xp i
qK
forest
-
table chair window (or $%p?) box book sacred book shop restaurant gold silver; money India China ground, foundation week
QqqW
q-~q
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+
7a3j
&/FiT/Fi-
737
P T %Ti'
377
7?
qi av
Y PRONOUNS
Demonstrative Pronouns singular plural C\ C\ F this -. that those these The demonstrative prolioun always comes after the noun:
: g
this man
If a noun is plural and has a demonstrative pronoun, the pronoun takes the plural warticle. not the noun.
just implied, or "this" or "that" is used. "A" is indicated by variations on They are after words ending in or 4: after after T ai W 7T and words with no suffix. In speaking, these variations and "one" are difficult to distinguish.
!.",y~7
one man
77
37
%q~
8-q7
a man
7 ~ a3 ~ 3 ~ a body ~ book 3
Reflexive Pronoun: i T "itself' can be used for emphasis after the pronoun. wT is even more emphasis.
Singular Common
ld Person
T(7T)
I, me
-/
Common
Honorific
T(7T)%
T(7q%
or
ymlvg*
2nd
p7W)
YOU
$yw
-. :,-cjq
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$~(.icw)%
Person
"you all"
p qv T ;%
ar
3N Person
they, them * 4W is literary, but is used in the spoken to be more elegant. i the ; ' reflexive, ; ,
:
i ---
PY(TY)%
Pq lg ~ mv*
1
# ,
Adjectives come after the noun they qualify: (see p. 7 for a list)
63%
six bardos
red flower ireat (high) Lama When there is a demonstrative pronoun as well, it comes after the adjective(s), and it takes the plural or the declensions rather than the adjective or noun:
% ~ q 37~74iF
WV-Uy?$
profound Dharma
q$ qF
~$@!i$+
q8T?Vm'$\
those little girls When many adjectives modify a noun, it usually works to put them in the opposite order than one would in English: many small red flowers that ~ ~ ~ ~ q % f i ~ ~ % $ $ @ , big beautiful white house those five learned lamas Comparative and superlative: There are some adjectives specifically used in comparison, such as "better," but usually comparison is formed using qV after the word with which the comparison is made. this is better this is better than that houses are bigger than cars
.%gq?y%f
ul'JTT
%T+71
q~4~
best
% W @ $ ~ W K ~ = ~
-% 2
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biggest
smallest
-.--.,.
>
the prettiest little girl (strong) after the adjective: too many
&(aj~ 7 5
too big
4537
353T
too few
VOCABULARY (adjectives)
good bad beautiful delicious happy nice, cute learned, clever intelligent short long tall flat many few several different the same Very (usually used before the adjective, as in: very good every
78475
37%
+Y
?qq TTq
YqT'."
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(hon.
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(hon. replace
young
TigTgT
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% with ~ 7 ) q5
all (colloquial) all (literary) each very many
Yy T
WW57 or
q7
3.3
2
3
(3)7
3 ~ 21
(3)q?!a;l' 22
yqrq3~ yqryynl.
101 102
! 9 qqq
Numbers follow the noun they quality. In colloquial, the tens are sometimes omitted, thus instead of one can say
L
s~g?y
TqaG
??
Although it a fairly logical system, there are some variations in the pattern, particularly in the spelling. Also, in the 40s, 50s and 90s the silent prefix BA is picked up by the first syllable:
aqqe
SHIP-CHU
yqg
NGAP-CHU
GUP-CHU
NUMBERS (continued)
Ordinals: T 5 first
second
y?F-
third
y3vTy yyq-
Or
~ Y W Xthe three
EXERCISE
Translate into English:
T = and T
,q57q*7\
= Padma Sarnbhava
%S = is or are
2) White moon.
3) Those bad men.
11) One big table and four small chairs. 12) Both the carpenter and the merchant. 13) That "too-small" shrine room. 14) The best house.
The genitive denotes possession, and is generally expressed by the preposition "of." The particle and its variations are used. The genitive case is used much more widely than in English, so be flexible. In constructing it, the possessor comes before the thing possessed, the modifying word comes before the modified word.
3
r,
7Wi ' T
is used over the suffix rS changing it to "i" is added to words with no suffix
ff
4 when
an extra syllable is
These rules don't apply so strictly in spoken Tibetan. Often is used instead of 4 if it would be more clear. When you are trying to speak, d 2 t Waste time trying to figure out which one to use. If you get any one in there, you're doing well. After a while, it will come naturally.
~?T?~~FT ";fSp,TT
my house my mother's house your lama's monastery all their new books eyes of compassion jewel of the sky (the sun) the door of the stupa water of the ocean
+bW@p\
W4T3w9%41
wiEiiRyy~~,TTd~fll
W@@'%l Tq-q@q%l
qg??$&%$
+?z*
%V$~V!~&Y
table of wood, wooden table Dharma of the Buddha, Buddhadharma golden ground Tibetan language
%h?\ (K~m)
"lym%
a the most common particle in Tibetan, and has a wide range of uses. For instance, it is used to construct the dative, locative and accusative cases. Sometimes it may be translated by terms such as "for, to, as, at, in," etc. Sometimes it need not be translated separately at all.
Although T is most common, there are six other variations that may be used in place of it, depending on the suffix of the previous word. But except for T and T and some commonly used phrases, they are just for literary use. You may not need to use them, but must recognize them in texts. The 7 dative-locatives: and after all suffixes
VW&
~q~~7y+J.
4WapT
~
m T
~~~rnix~~
~ ~ ~
L
I received a letter
go tolfor refuge inlto the Buddha continuously, always
~~L;v~JvT$J~v~&
Mode or Method: T is also used to express the mode or method, such as "by" but car, plane, etc. Sometimes it is used w i t h x ~ that is often left out. ~f~ )g~ qT by airplane %$) FTV by car
q ~ ( g $ q by hand or
~ ~ ~ ( in Tibetan ~ @ q )
LOCATIVE
Is used to construct the locative, expressions of place or time, and is translated by "to", "at", etc. or not at all. To the Dharma center
I
I
V h
1
1
~ q ~ T ( R q .q q ~ ) ,
--. or RTT T
here o to this r
I
The locative is often composed using a common expression of place or time, such as "inside," "after," etc. (see next page) It is then constructed using the genitive particle and its variations:
Place or Time
(etc.)
+
nenitive
/wv?qw.r gfl%$,w
inside the house (house's inside at) in the middle of the ocean in front of oneself on top of a lotus
i+PQ,,~*
ST*+$%
y7Tpf
S Y ~ ~ T T
a white HRI upon a moon to that man's left until now after one week within this year On the northwest border of the country of Orgyen
v$TPlq*vrzr
%?? +qT ,
8Jdie~qa~-r~
:
at the coast (ocean's edge) within (the state of) emptiness underneath that big table south of Santa Fe here, at this time
>
:
,
I
3
q?qk?~
%iy32fi8T-iy~ q~q@q%qm
q~+,Rqaq
*see page 12 for the variations of LA
I 1
. ;
;
;
\
j
VOCABULARY
(common expressions of place or time) inside outside direction East
w-/
TT T
$5.~ qTT
y(3qV
~$,FT~s ~ or
PqqT
in the middle
.g5-q7
qq-37
q7-
TT
hl&w
/ ,
. q1nl-
" T
STY
-$VT
waqv q * '
Note: in spoken Tibetan, can always be used as the particle, but some of its variations are more common after certain phrases, and this is indicated here. It is good to learn most of these worth wifh T o r its variations since they should always be used.
The instrumental expresses the agent or instrument by or with which an action is performed, or the reason, as in "by reason of," " because of." It follows the agent or instrument, and varies as follows: (Similar to the genitive particle.)
1v
qv
or is added to
by him
nJy;=.'V
by hand because of (by) unvirtuous karma She sent me a letter. The king gave a command.
qp?W3~
"qv~+%qhyyS~q\ 5 <
letter sent
"
command
give
wll bgbom
(Often it is confusing whether or not to use instrumental. It is not necessary to use it on every subject that performs an action. It seems if you can find a way to say the sentence in English using "by," then you could use it. O if the source of r an action would otherwise be unclear.)
The ablative expresses the source or starting place of something or somebody. It answers the question "whence?" and can be translated by "from." a)Y also expresses the temporal order of two actions, and as such can be translated by "after" or by using the present participle of the verb. It always comes after the word it refers to.
" ayqv
from Tibet
sq?.qqq7q
a
~ ~ q
"
~
4
came
.-Tqq%qq
T
b
samsara cause
- 7
depending on (a very common expression used to make a logical sequence) Samara arises depending on a cause. (or "based on")
L
depending on arises
Tiba to
"
will go
e . waiting behind that door. is racticing Dharma, one can become free of samsara.
5 ~ p ~ 3 p ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ BYpq . ~ ~ ~ ? ~ \ q
L
can become
IS
To see how some of these particles are used in the literature, we could look at the following prayer for the long life of H.H. the Dalai Lama. Since we haven't looked at verb construction yet, much will be left unexplained. Remember that in verse, many grammatical elements are left out or shortened.
"of' (genitive)
"in" (locative)
gang ri ra we kor wai shing kam dir "In this pureland surrounded by a ring of snow mountains"
beAefit a;ld
blks ?ot-e;cepte5
Y
ahse
"of'
'
all
pen dang de wa ma lu jung wai ne The source of all benefit and happiness:
-~s-yPs(vqa~ayq-s?~~rnlZ41 " , v---"-, ocean "of' A eyes (hon.) glance see (hon ) power doctnne hold ' & L---~a'a's Name) J(geruuve) ~he%ez~ (eptthet (Dalai
of Chenrezl)
(47s)
shap pe si tai bar du ten gyur chik May (you)r lotus feet remain firm until the end of existence
?
from genitive "@"atthe end of the 3Idline
95
18
EXERCISE
q~
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate particle: and its variations.
7 q w q -.- n]
-Lgqqq
I will go to Darjeeling.
...
.WM.lgqq .....
,q. .T7
- 7 . .
zv ~M.-'---. n]
?' -
- - - - -77- - .., y y ~ w % ~ \
-, '
Pq -
- ..- - -
a.v.....
V: T . ' .....aqa,, i
n]
Write down the Tibetan after listening carefully to the five phrases near the beginning of SIDE B of the tape.
tashidelek Greetings!
~.
. chilok la dro na
Shall we go outside?
5~7.91
tak tak re For sure.
I,
i
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~ q w 5 w5 1 7 73 3
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4 f -
da lung shuk chenpo yong song Now a strong wind has wme.
da ye1 song nam kha la fim song Now it's gone, it dissolved into the sky.
ten ten min du sang nyin su lep yong mi she Who'll come tomorrow, I don't know. It's not certain.
chik chze sang nyin nga rang nyop cha gyap gi yin na Maybe tomorrow I will go shopping.
dering chab dro cang sem kye kor la she gi yin Today I will talk about refuge and bodhicitta.
lo dok nam shi la yakpo gom na If you meditate well on the four thoughts that turn the mind,
farpa ma fob tap me Sam gi re (you)will think "there is no way I will not attain liberation."
nga rang fso tam che sem chen re We are all sentient beings.
sem la rang wang me tsa lu la rang wang yo ma re As there is no freedom of mind, there is no freedom of body.
rang wang yo ken la chap su dro go gi du One must go for refuge in one who has freedom.
farpa tob ken la chap su dro go gi do One must go for refuge in one who has attained liberation.
?T7aEF'aiWb.q"YyqTq\
rang wang tarpa su la yo ser na Who has freedom and liberation?
kun chok sum dang tsa wa sum gyi kyap tup gi re The Three Jewels and Three Roots can protect.
kun chok tsa wa sum gi yon ten dren na If you consider the qualities of the Three Jewels and Roots,
sangye la ku sung tuk gi yon ten yo re The Buddha has qualities of body speech and mind.
yon ten Sam gyi mi kyap pa yo re (He) has qualities beyond thought.
Iha dang mi so la yang me pai yonten yo re (He) has qualities that men or gods do not have.
sangye la tso wo yonten shi yo re The Buddha has principally four qualities.
kyen pai yeshe nam par nyi yo re Omniscient wisdom has two aspects:
ji ta wa kyen pai yeshe dang the omniscience seeing things as they are and
ji nye pa kyen pai yeshe the omniscience seeing things as they appear.
so nam gi tsok gi nam min gi dre bu The fully ripened result of the accumulation of merit.
cho ku di kye gak ne sum dang dral wa re The dharrnakaya is free from arising, cessation and remaining.
tok pai cho dang lung gi cho nyi yo re There is the Dharma of realization and scriptural Dharma.
cbo gi pung PO gye fri shib fong yo re There are eighty-four thousand classes of Dharma.
cho ser ken di yamtsen chen po re this thing called Dharma, is very wonderful.
lam ton ken dang nyam su len ken gendiin re Those who show the path and practice it are the sangha.
ngo drup gi fsa wa yidam /ha fsok re The root of accomplishments is the yidam deities.
frinle gi tsa wa kandro cho kyong re The root of activity is the dakinis and dharmapalas.
de pa nying fak pa ne kye gi re faith will arise from the bottom of the heart.
de pa shuk chen po kye ne kyap so dro go gi du Arousing strong faith, one should go for refuge.
rang dang sem chen fam che Oneself and all beings.
kyap so dro wai yiil ga re re ser na What is the place one goes for refuge?
kon chok sum dang tsa wa sum di re It is these Three Jewels and Roots.
kun chok sum la kyap su dro na If one goes for refuge in the Three Jewels,
kyap dro gi dom pa /en go gi re One should take the vows of refuge.
kiin chok sum la kyap su dro na chi yi kyap dro re If you go for refuge in the Three Jewels, it is the outer refuge.
fsawa sum la kyap su dro na nang gi kyap dro re If you go for refuge in the Three Roots, it is the inner refuge.
Dorje lu tsa lung figle la kyap so dro na sang gi kyap dro re Refuge in the vajra body, the nadi, prana, bindu, is the secret refuge
rang sern tong sal rnanggak sum la kyap su dro na If you go for refuge in the emptinessclarity-unobstmctedness of innate mind,
nga rang tso fek pa chen po la juk pa yin tsa As we have entered the mahayana,
kun long chen po kye go gi re (we) must give rise to a great motivation.
sem chen tam che gi don du (but)for the sake of all sentient beings
dang po nyingje chen po kye go gi du First one must give rise to great compassion
rang gi pa ma ma yin chik kyang me "there is no one that has not been my parent1-
drin chen pama sem chen tam che All beings,our kind parents,
ma rik pa dang nyon mong pa gi frul ne bewildered by ignorance and afflictive emotions,
dewai gyu ha ma go ne dukngelgi gyu dikpa sak gi yii re Not understanding the cause of happiness, they accumulate sins, the cause of pain.
sern chen fam che sangye sa la go gi yin sam na If you think "I will deliver all beings to buddhahood,"
jang chub gi sern nam pa nyi yo re There are two aspects of bodhicitta:
kun zob gi jang sern dang don dam gi jang sem nyi relative bodhicitta and absolute bodhicitta, these two.
jam dang nyinje chen po kye wa dire arousing great love and compassion, this is it.
tong pa nyi gi don fok pai sherab dire It is the wisdom of realizing the meaning of emptiness
tong nyi nyinje zung du juk pa di This union of emptiness and compassion
kang zak gi dak me dang the non self of (the) individual and
rang dang sem chen tam che gi sem The minds of oneself and all sentient beings,
kye gak ne sum dang dral wa di free from birth, cessation or remaining-
chi yi yul di den pa ma drup pa This outer objective (appearance that is) unreal,
trul pa; nang wa yin pa sem gi nang cha yin pa she na if you know it as illusory appearance, the projection aspect of mind,
pe di tso nang shin nang wa la fa go gi du As in these examples, one should view appearance.
sem chen fam che ma rik pa gi All sentient beings, due to ignorance,
dak me pa la dak nga me pa la ngar zin gi yo re cling to a self where there is no self, I where there is no I.
chi yi nang wa den pa me pa la den par zung gi yo re Unreal outer appearance (they) grasp as real.
zung dzin di dukngel tam che gi tsa wa re This dualistic grasping and clinging is the root of all suffering.
nying je shuk chen po tong nyi rang shin tok gi re By (the power of) great compassion, emptiness is realized naturally.
shok pa nyi me na pur tup gi ma re without two wings (it) cannot fly,
shok pa nyi yo na narn kha la pur top gi re with two wings (it) can fly in the sky.
jang chub gi larn la dro tup gi re (one) can go on the path of enlightenment.
fang chub gi larn ga re re ser na If you should ask, "what is the path to enlightenment?
ma kye pa nam kye gyur chik (in whom) it has not arisen, may it arise.
kye pa nyam pa me pa dang (In whom) it has arisen may it not diminish
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VEWS
4~ and %?
the first person (singular and The idea of "to be" or "is" is expressed by exPe==e= on!y the essenw, rill a r ~ l \3n.4 ?,c s e ~ n 2nd third m u for d function or sta e of being of the subject. It does not cover all the uses of ''to be" in English. Simply, it is used when something is equal to something else, like "sky is blue," etc.
y s u a - 1 , U ,
The verb always comes at the end of the sentence, after the subject and all modifying adjectives, pronouns, etc. SUBJECT
8,
NOUN or ADJECTIVE
VERB
modifiers
+ 87 or
37
I am a girl
We are fine. We are students. You are a boy. You are learned teachers. He is a carpenter. They are very smart. This is black. That is mine. This is a white flower. This flower is white. This white flower is beautiful. This beautiful flower is white.
statement if it is describing a subjective experience or direct judgement of, the quality of something. For instance: w(@?\ ~tis good. (In general it is said...) It is good. q "u F~ 1 (I have experienced it, I am sure)
z ~ w v $ $ ~ ~
NEGATION
The negative particles are 4' and which go before the verb. The sentence . order remains the same as the affirmative.
%,
4' +
aq
(contracts to)
%
437
I am not Tibetan.
4-+ ??
5F7~3q
$~~qyR=T%$&71 3q3q3~d7\
Your house is not big. Composite (things) are not permanent. Those children are not mine. That man is not a good doctor. ( it is said )
F 2T .. T r q,,
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Y
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7 1
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If a question contains an interrogative pronoun such as wbose, Y nothing else is necessaty. Who is he?
~ how many, etc., then it is put in the place of the word it replaces and T
~sl'cnlqi ?"it
-3 7
V'$T@~\
37 or 3 and a]V after 7
If a question has no interrogative pronoun, questions are formed using 9V after (In the spoken language, it is sometimes just 4. and The inflection changes
for questions the same way it does in English. Is this book good?
p?~zm~ajcp.%y7;1~
.-
+~TT$@~T~\
However, one very important change to remember is that the question is asked using the form of the verb that you would expect the answer in. So if you ask a direct question of someone: "Are you a girl?" that person must answer in first person: "I am a girl." So in Tibetan you must actually ask: "Am you a girl?" The same goes for questions about oneself, which must be answered in the second person.
jq?Yqvq\
qyqqql q=q $77qs7q*q\ q%~F7qq1 T ~ . ~ T ~ T ~ ~ \
Are you a girl? Yes I am. I am a girl. Are you Tibetans? Am 1 a good student? Are we too small? Yes, (you are) too small.
-71
s 7 @1
YES AND NO
There is no precise yes or no in Tibetan. The word q ] (pronouned "LA," a aT literary form of "to be") is used before the appropriate verb. (This applies to ofher verbs as well.)
q7q%
yes
~
3 7
no
qqw3~1
q~v*~l
One can just say 37 or but using q7V is more polite. Also the expression ~ Y Y T very common polite acknowledgement with sl~ghtlyless commitment is a than "yes," something like "oh" or "okay."
NEGATNE INTERROGATIVE
To form a negative question, the interrogative pronoun q is added to the T negative form of the verb.
$ ~ ~ ; ' % ~ a ] ~ ~ ~ \
~ p 3 q~ ~ 3 . q 1
FqTP'q1 7T%3iq
T ~ I
T%T~wx?~~\
+w
Isn't she a teacher? Yes, she is. Aren't I smart. No! You're dumb. Isn't this an old monastery? Yes, very old. Aren't you Mr. Rinchen?
a%?\
i64a]w$7\
3qiiT$~v&7~1~\
yqql l?q5@%
qqV%q\~j&333?$
GyGi%
37 + $
/
first person second person third person
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(neg.)
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probably not
I suppose; it seems
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77-3qZT
hour; clock; watch minute second; instant half late early day date
$jTfl
377
3 %
@TrorR~'1' a
&. !4
What time is it? (Lit: How many hours?) It is five o'clock It is 10:30. It is6:15.
It is ten to seven.
It is late. He is very early. My watch is fast. Today is Saturday. It is the 8'h day of the 5thmonth.
3-
y-i77 0' 3 or 2
yv%(yg?)
towhom $q by whom who what (etc. -formed into dative etc. a s above.) what (litera,) which how many how when
8% whose
FT 7'qv
~%%ypT
9i Y j .y C~
yqv(T3)
q?%
family husband wife child; children siblings brother sister uncle nephew or cousin niece or cousin
h
$WTNT(~~)
5i.q o q 7 q 3 or \ \
TI% ? T ~
aiqV g - GQ% v
$*
old man
old woman
g ~ ogW r F
yTS or W&
w
Buddhist (inner person) doctor poor (n. or adj.) rich (n. or adj.) dumb (literally or as in 'stupid')
maternal
w F or W p
paternal
%%
7Tqy
R T (LA)is a polite affix often used with names such as: IV vq~ws)V sister rsqq father T W q V lama-la, etc.
EXERCISE
Make up answers in Tibetan to go with these questions.
pj~."r~."?'i\
These verbs are used to indicate "to be" or "is" in the sense of presence or location, and also to indicate possession, as translated by "to have"
Location
-/
+ Locative Particle +
W & variations
$ or q f a
VERB
My brother is in China
L
I
q-TF7?~Bai-~7
They are at the market. Your sister is at the party. The table is here. We are in back of the house.
Sometimes the location can be first in the sentence, as it would be in English, with a slightly different emphasis: Many monks are in the monastery. In the monastery, there are many monks.
.%~?Y~LF'.;J"$
We are in the house. (answers 'Where are you?") In the house, it is us. (answers ''Who is in the house?")
"To have" is expressed using the accusative particle RT and ??for second and third. POSSESSION
I POSSESSOR
& modifiers
ACCUSATIVE PARTICLE
VERB
T or variations
8 modifiers
I have many debts.
3 0 r q T
@FT~?-~~FY?~';~?TY
(Notice that the two uses of
You each have two hands. (Me numeral is repeated i cases n where each one has something.) as location or possession are not really Tibet has many monasteries or In Tibet, there are many monasteries
3 and
Note: In the scriptures, is used for both the first person and the second and third persons. The same is true of 3~ Thus, that last sentence might read:
7+?3~3:+5-377-9y4q\
so-called
nature
emptiness
NEGATION % OF ?
AND
TT
"am not;
as
(contracts to)
qqqyva71
$ ~ i
I have no children
You are not at home. *(although TR ~ inside, it is also used to mean f ~ ~; * means "at home" There are not many people here.
7eg$7Tas
FT'~T%~s
"there are not" There are not many people in Bhutan. He has no qualities.
P~+3*71*
made, rather than the definite direct statements above which use
It is used to
make a general statement or to express a general truth that is not particularly experienced subjectively or first hand.
v~
There is intense suffering in Samsara. You have many friends. (I think) You have many friends.
(I know for sure)
4 %v3vqJw+4474T7 -71
- -7 r
Buddha has many aspects. There are ten rooms in this house.
+s ~TPTW%F~E;~~
-7
There are too many cars in the city. There is good tea in China.
35yq-mF7-37\
7% what,
F where, ~ ( d ? T how
J
hi~;.~i;3"~
?-y%'Rmf!T Who has the key? w . ~ ? ~ ~ Y ~3 ~ ~ y How many streets ~ there in the city? c b ~ are 7
\
~~~nl~~p57-7 qFq'?lyy
*(When
the question demands a list of things, the interrogative pronoun is repeated.) If a question has no inferrogafive pronoun, the interrogative particles are used:
TY 7V
p 7 i ~ ; . 3 7 ~ Y~v;~"T*\Are you in India?&Yes. ~ 7 ~ 1 (see p.4 re. 'yes no')
Are we there? No.
1
w
- 7
Note: Another interrogative particle most often used in written Tibetan and occasionally spoken is qR and its variations, which depend on the suffix of the previous word. The verbs we have learned so far would be as follows:
%'i7q
Do animals have mind?
q "yi~97-r~aiaiz~l
4
* ( ~ u usually %q t and
-/
Y-Y-
" '37 i
first person second person third person
lS' 3d 2nd
a?
T T
TIT
3~~
q-4~
T,Ynlq
3Tfr7v
3~ can express degrees of certainty with these forms of slS one ( never TT):
or
Ky%j;indefinite statement as explained above. v .''3 and K 7 * ? "probably" neg: K@&c or %?vW%T T~WT "it seems" neg: $ 7 ~ .
-/
%$$$nf%~~-~'?~\
. - - .- - ... Y ~ f l g y - v ~ fl m 1 d
-/ /
--
?gqwq5
3 7
9fl - - - ..- - .,
1
There are many poor people in India.
-/
F ~ T $ ~ T ~- -?.$ ~ F -- --
1
- .- - - - - j
I am a Buddhist.
$$i~%qflnlulTqw -
p77~ry-qy';rf+$L L
-- --
m%~~q~-'i\
I have a great hope.
He seems to be happy.
-/
pr;-%~95rnA-~~ynl\
Do they have many sacred books?
.~ is ......- ..,I ..-- 2 '- W I ~ 4 , . I 1 ~ ~ 1 1 3i adjccti~es,ar io connect UJUPIIY UJZU LV 11 e LYVU bA o members of a list. It either comes between each member of the list or just before the last member, as in English. If the list continues through several sentences, r)? may be the last word in a sentence, indicating '40 be continued." A verb or part~cle the end of a list will apply to all members, unless there was a previous at verb.
z; z
$,-..A
-]
atsu,
8,
----
All the men are good looking and all the women are strong!
; translated as "and." One must learn these particular words with Li' . They are all literary. Here are some of them:
possessed of, endowed with
v
- ~?T$w
connected with
separated from, free of, without possessed of glory, glorious, (contracts to: equal to the sky connected with Dhama B e of all activity, additions, etc. Contracts to: VqT.an important technical term in Mahamudra . . . teachings indicatmg a state of total unembellished simplicity.
TqTe?F
aiWmlp95-q'3WT
F
7qTqq)
~N~TTQ~~T
1W9mlT5vZC4T
-f
Here is the well-known prayer of The Four imrneasurabies (love, compassion, joy and equanimity) with ample use of 7 ' 5
3anlaqwvyaf -~7zi:a~a;i-~~zi'yzpr('g;i'3y bL b
sentient beings all happiness and happiness cause possxssed of become may O f
suffering
and
suffering
of' cause
free of
become may
suffering
isn't
of happiness holy
become may
!
May they not be bereft of the supreme happiness which is without suffering.
free from
of
equanimity
great
in
dwell
become may
May they dwell in the great equanimity which is free of attachment and aversion to those close or distant*. *(i.e. Mends or strangers)
These connecting words can mean 'also,' 'even,' 'too,' 'as for,' 'but,' 'though,' 'although,' 'furthermore,' etc. or not add much meaning. In colloquial U17 is most common. In literature, it is as follows:
7 K' ?- nl'
~;?~;'6@pqV?aFq
My friend is also well. Even their children have money. Although he is poor, he is happy
~ T % ~ ~ W Y ~ * $ % ~ \ L
j%~6~a(Cy-W$~%~
qq4"\'? is the most common way to say 'but' and often begins a sentence
YC; is also combined with some interrogative pronouns to make new meanings:
?1,yrlLF'
~qq? or
anybody
~+TF
whatever; whatsoever wherever; everywhere
whenever
7 3 ~ or &T 7
T T y r l 7 or YTffK
qK~?jTq=IT%q~
sunyata, emptiness aspect; form; part discursive thought (thought rn parts) composites permanent impermanent name characteristic reason quality; learned freedom, control (self-power) statue (body like) shrine (offering piacement) rosary; necklace; string Kagyu (oral lineage)
equanimity
5.r"
strong, wrathful, intense strength, force fast width, extent vast Bhutan; dragon; thunder
qqq
54igipT
V-qrY.
7TfF%
%a8
4
school
$$T
I=-37
q1~iqqI.2~. I 1 1 '
pearl
$ $
EXERCISE
Translate the following conversation into English.
:
<Pii;...
<> ; . *
s$~a%4w1' ~ ? ~ & f l a ; l j 1 1 ) ?
I
a q ~ v a ??a?yp?~%71 ~ ~ n r$~?~%&pnl\
~* 5*
$'iT~T$ppp-a;i".-7~nl\
L
( Z ~ ' Y T ~ ~ ~ & I ~ T ~ ~ ~
$TTTT~~LFJ~
~ q q yTTq\~5$';13V77$5%97'%71 l @7TTT7'%7%7\
b '
~ T V T ~ T % ~ ~ $
$?K~T~~
- 7 /
1
1
!
i
.
:
1 . :
;
* $j%~ = name
. :
-: I
i
EXERCISE
Translate these sentences into Tibetan.
1) All the flowers are red and yellow. 2) Are there many stupas in Bhutan?
TSEMO
A JOKE
ngon la yonfen ke pa mi nyi gur chik nang la de yo re There was once two erudite scholars staying in a tent.
nyi ka shefra nga gyal chen po ham pa chen po re Both were very proud and haughty.
dzambuling nang la nga le ke pa su yang yo ma re "In the whole world there i no one more learned than me." s
dzambuling mi she chen pa re yin na yang "I don't know about the whole world, it is very big, but,
,
1
i i j i
!
8
gur di nang la nga le ke pa su yang rnindu .inthis tent there is no one more learned than me."
i:
.
i
vt" 3aTqnl' -
n . yf?~nlqvgj,va%vyq-~y-y3~uq zl n
de ring sangye chom den de sung wai cho Today the dharma taught by the Bagawan Buddha,
dafa gi sern la sangye yo dang me In the mind now, i there or isn't there the Buddha? s
ngo ne je na sern gi ne luk ngo fro di Strictly speaking, this pointing out the mind's nature,
cho zab mo di mi mang la drok nyen gi min do This profound Dharma shouldn't be proclaimed to the public.
de shek nying po sem chen tam che la kyap pa yin tsa As all sentient beings are pervaded by tath gatagarbha,
cho she pai ne ma yin pa tsa ne me pa re Sam gi du I think that there is no place to not teach Dharma.
kye rang fso cho la ga ken yin tsa As you are (people) who like Dharrna,
lok ta jung gi ma re nyen ka yo ma re you will not develop erroneous views, there is no danger.
nga rang gi lap pa tsam gi kye rang tso she tub gi ma re Merely by my saying it you cannot realize it.
j
I
i 4
sem chen tam che la sangye gi gyu yo re All beings have buddha nature.
drima di gandre sel tub gi re How can you clear away this blemish?
sal song na yon ten ga re yo re When it is cleared, what are the qualities?
gang yin na sem la shar tub pa di sal wa re This ability for anything to appear in the mind i clarity. s
sal rik tong sum zung tu juk pa di This fusion of clarity, awareness and emptiness,
korwa fok ma me pa ne kye wa /en ken sem dire Since beginningless samsara the one taking birth is this mind.
korwai cham pai sem chen re this is a sentient being wandering in samsara.
she dang ma she gi kye pa yo re ma tok Apart from the difference of recognizing and not recognizing,
1
I
/
i
;
i
sem chen tam che gi sem yo nga yin Sam gi re ma fok All beings, apart from thinking I have a mind, I am,
Sem di gandre du nga di ga re re fa gi yo ma re do not look to see what is this mind, what is this I.
shen la dzin gi yo re
one clings to other.
sangye tub gi ma re
one cannot see that nature of mind, one cannot become Buddha.
drip pa shi lobur gi drima di This incidental blemish of the four obscurations,
rang gi rang la fong mi fub pa di ga re re What is this, the self that cannot see itself?
per na nga tso bu go chung kap ne For example since the time of us being little children,
mik nyi yo re ganga tong tub gi re we've had two eyes, we can see everything.
yin na yang mik gi mik la fong fup gi ma re However, the eyes cannot see the eyes.
fong mi fub na yang fa go gi re Even though one can't see one must look.
duk po yong nyen gi min du It's undesirable for bad (things) to come.
di la ten ne dak yin nga yin sam ne Based upon this thinking I am, I am,
ta wa shen pa dzin pa d tso sum i This idea, cherishing, and clinging, these three,
de ne sem narn par she pa druk y6 re Then. the mind has six conciousnesses.
rnik gi narn par she pa na wai narn par she pa Eye consciousness, ear consciousness,
nai narn par she pa che yi narn par she pa nose consciousness, tongue consciousness.
lu gi nam par she ga yid gi narn par she pa druk body consciousness, mental consciousness, these six.
di tso tam che kun shi narn she le jung wa re All these arise from the all-ground conciousness. (alaya)
kun shi narn she ngo she na kun shi yeshe re If (there is) recognition of the essence of ground consciousness, it is ground wisdom.
nam par she pa re re la wang po dang yul yo re Each consciousness has an organ and an,object.
mik la ten ne zuk tong gi yo re By means of the eye one sees form.
I la ten ne rek cha nyong gi yo re U By means of the body one senses touch.
yid la ten ne nyon mong pa nam tok dren gi yo re By means of the mind one cognizes emotion (klesas) and thought.
tong ken nyen ken nyong ken dren ken sem rang re The seer, the listener, experiencer, the thinker is the mind itself.
di tam che sem gi sal cha yin pa ma she ne Not recognizing all this is the mind's clarity aspect,
di fa bu trul ne sem la ga re jung na yang Deluded in this way, whatever arises to the mind,
yang me na do chak yang me na she dang yang me na ti muk yong gi re (to it) either there appears desire aversion or ignorance.
duk sum di la ten ne nyon mong pa na tsok kye gi re Based upon these three poisons the various klesas arise.
dochak la fen ne nyon mong gi pung po nyi fri chik tong yo re Based upon desire there are twenty one thousand heaps of klesas.
she dang la ten ne nyon mong gi pung po nyi tri chik tong yo re Based upon aversion there are...
ti muk la ten ne nyon mong gi pung po nyi tri chik tong yo re Based upon stupidity there are...
sum ica ;a fen ne nyi tn ciliic tong yo re Based upon all three there are twenty one thousand.
di che tsa nyon mong gi pung po gye fri shi tong yo re So therefore there are eighty four thousand heaps of klesas.
nyon mong gye fri shib tong kye rang tso la yo re You all have this 84000 klesas, you're rich!
chuk po re
shak po sum dren me pa la ne gi re for three days (slhe)will remain without cognition.
de ne nyi fukpo le se pa nang shin Then like awakening from a thick sleep
dren pa yang kyar shar yong gi re cognition will once again arise.
nga yin zuk po yo sam gi re (Slhe) will think "I am , I have a body."
" di gi bardoi yid gi 1 frul gi-re By this the intermediary state mental body is projected.
ama la chak gi re apa la dang gi re he will be attracted to the mother and averse to the father.
apa la chak gi re ama la dang gi re. she will be attracted to the father and averse to the mother.
de ne sal rik tong sum sem di Then this mind clarity1 awareness1 void,
Amai ngal la dro ne pamay kuwa kar mar tigle going to the mothers womb, with the parents juices, the red and white bindu
de ne zuk po che ru che N chak ne kye wa len gi re Then the body, growing bigger and bigger, takes birth.
drip pa shi di tso sal go gi re These four obscurations must be cleared away.
sem gi ne luk sal rik tong sum she go gi re The mind's nature, clarity1awareness/ void must be recognized
konva la trul ne ta ma me pai bardu kyarn dm gi re deluded in samsara one will wander endlessly.
dang po le gi drip pa gi dok tab la Firstly, as for the method to reverse the obscuration of karma,
dik pa farn che pang ne ge wa gya c G n po drop go gi re abandoning all wrongdoing, one must develop vast virtue.
de ne jang chub gi sem rinpoche yongsu drop ne Then, completely developing the precious Bodhicitta,
nyon mong pa chung r chung ru dro gi re u the klesas will grow smaller and smaller.
rang don le shen don gal chen pa zo ne Making the aims of others more important than one's own,
dak to zin pa shuk chung chung dro gi re clinging to self becomes weakened.
di ta bu sem zang po yong go gi du One must have a noble mind like this.
de ne lamai men ngak ngo trii nyam su len ne Then practicing the lama's pointing out instruction,
sem lho lho ma cho pa nyuk mai ngang la nyam par shak the mind relaxed, uncontrived, leave (it) in the natural state.
ta ma1 gi she pa rang gi rang la to pa di gi By this ordinary awareness, this oneself looking at oneself,
tarn che rang sar drol dro gi re everything is liberated in its own place.
sal rik tong sum zung juk gi don tok gi re One will realize the meaning of the fusion of clarity/awarenesslvoid.
drip pa shi tsa wa ne me pa ta bu re It's as if there never were the four obscurations.
per na kuk pa gi chi ma ka ra za wa nang shin For example, like a mute eating sugar,
jo mi she pai ngang di ne luk re this indescribable state is the true nature.
di ta bu nyarn su /en tub na sangye gi re If you can practice in this way, you will become buddha.
qnlTaj-~~%5vq%~\
L
I
.!
xq7ycia?%yqqTq~q%71
L L
,
I
i
i i
I1 : , .
/
di le don chen po tsa wa nyi ne yo ma re There is absolutely nothing more meaningful than this.
tson kang dukpo le tar ne ri yi tse la de pa nang shin Like escaping from a foul jail, and being on top of a mountain,
.3fl&q3yfj-qTfl@yw\
sa yi tsen nyi shi shing trek pa The characteristic of earth is basis and hardness.
chui tsen nyi gyun shing len pa The characteristic of water is flowing and wetness.
me yi tsen nyi tsa shing tsik pa The characteristic of fire is hot and burning.
lung gi tsen nyi yang shing yo wa The characteristic of wind is lightness and moving.
namkhai tsen nyi gya shing go che pa The characteristic of space is vastness and open.
VERBS
The different verb forms are probably the most difficult part of Tibetan as with p o s t languages. It can be frustrating because, although there are rules that can be set forth, there are so many alternatives with subtle differences, that what you actually hear out on the street or in the Gonpa seems like the realm-of-all-possibilities. But by the same token, whatever you say probably has some meaning, if not the exact one you intended! Learning Tibetan is great practice for remaining open-minded and unattached. In this lesson we will set forth the basics, and maybe deal with more variations later.
~NTENT~ONAL AND
UNINTENTIONAL VERBS
In Tibetan there seems to be an important distinction between intentional and unintentional actions. All verbs fall into these categories, although not always in an obvious way. These groups are conjugated slightly differently to form past, present and future. Intentional verbs, or verbs of action, are performed on purpose with active participation. Unintentional verbs, or verbs of perceptionlreception, are things that occur or arise with the subject being in a passive role. (This is not the same distinction as transitive and intransitive verbs.) For example, intentional verbs are 'to go', 'to eat', 'to look', 'to listen', etc. Unintentional verbs are 'to see', 'to hear', 'to dream', 'to think', etc. So verbs will be presented in these two groups.
Intentional verbs are formed using I) verbal root 2) variation of 7 or 4'and 3) either the
. Most verbs have only one verbal root used in all cases. The person
(1'' or 2"d13rd) and the tense (past, present and future) is indicated by the connecting particles and the choice of qzi 37 q ~ o TT. However, some verbs do have a r
separate root for past tense. And in literary Tibetan some verbs can have even three or four separate forms for the past, present, future and imperative. In colloquial, those with changing verbal roots are few, and just have to be learned separately. Remember also that most verbs have a separate honorific form that should be learned at the same time.
The infinitive ('to go', 'to eat', etc.) of both intentional and unintentional verbs is formed using the verbal root and either s or a. s is used after syllables ending in 7 F T and Tand when there is no suffix. T is used in all other cases. Here is a list of intentional verbs in the infinitive. If the verb has a separate past root, it is indicated in parenthesis:
Gkq
-/
4aw
y7q (TTT)
~@TT PTS or ~
a%a.
?. (YW) a $F or%^.
TT (3W)
Q&JW
I I1 1
737"~ 7TN.
q q ~ or 4 . 3 ~ . ~
q q n ~ MX~T or
Ya T.
(3) $
7,Tq (q55T)
e
I 37,Qq7q5q
1~FY~TT
?7q3f?TiTT
vlN.
W7@,74.
*to work
PRESENT TENSE
verbal root
Z3.k
IS' person
or
nrm
These follow the usual rules (see lesson 2), except no suffix.
U'I
.ifq-G7\
\
I go.
j+5t.%=%nl'~'3@)34!
T~$T$$+$%
or
They are listening to Dharma. You are drinking tea. We are studying.
P J ~ ~ ~ Q ~ ? ~ ~
% q(see lesson 3): ~
Interrogative is formed using qV or s]V at the eqd, and negative is formed using $7
t.WyJT$3yT,q $~~t.-q~q%?qflq
Am I sleeping? Are you eating meat? I am not eating meat. (or) I don't eat meat. They are not reading pecha.
~ q ~ ~ ~ 6 p 7 \ + ~ ~ ~ v
~
sentient
ai a T
. ' y7$~v~qgy5qqy~Ty%v7T71
FUTURE
verbal root
38"r.
qai
or
I* person
2" & 3rd person
27
I will work.
qqv~$7$4q\
All the monks will go to the monastery. ~~~?p&Vl?$%"i\ They will study. Tomorrow, I will stay at home. *(the past roof is always used in the spoken) I will send him a letter. He will carry the big drum
~ We will build a stupa. (the honorific q q is
$7$v73*7~4&$4~q\
"
. ' Y
$TT~'ZTT@~~W\
transiuve verbs (a verb which transmits an action to a dlrect object) and a not necessary for intransitive verbs (which have no direct object.) However, it seems to be much more flexible than that. Basically, it is used whenever the doer of the action needs to be emphasized.
47
+
SS
Is' person
2" & 3rd
or
2~
I went to Nepal We did it yesterday.
person
T~W\W%"~\
T%~,T%~W+~\
q
wq~%+pwvnl3aw-%y\
i547?q9?~~%7\
%*yd4
P\
$7~52$TT9 WQ~YW%?\
w
You didn't stay long. Lama Rinchen didn't bring the pecha. Didn't you write to me?
~x?+~y%maqaw%y\
- - ' T -
Q Y T T ~ ~ Pm~a?j~&yw\ T"~
(notice that the negative particle comes between the nominal part and the verbal part of these compound sentences.)
5'"($~"i
p y q % q ~ ~
5'F$fqa?
mq3a;
5'F$fT%,
hq$6)-8Tg
Y:vr q q
V V
future (negative)
p W?
pQJ-?@y
past (negative)
QFq~
5'~Qqqq
@@V3T
EXERCISE
Translate into Tibetan. (Use ordinary for 1 person, honorific for Znd and 3d persons.) ' 1. They are looking at the children.
1 sent him the book.
2 .
3.
We went to Tibet
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
EXERCISE
Translate into English:
I
! :
:
,
,
&
i I I
Verbs where the subject is passive, such as in cases of perception or reception are formed slightly differently. Here are some of these verbs. It is not always so obvious to us which ones are intentional and which are unintentional, so it is good to study this list of infinitives. Also, see page 12. ordinary to see to hear to touch to perceive, to experience to feel to smell to taste to think* to dream to be ill to recover to receive to obtain to find to like, to be pleased to be sad honorific
WFTQ.
+ w +
T~Y~TT
$ 7 ~
-7'
$a ?.
35%~.
%' -
yTy4U.
-7' 4
qQ-9TT
qnlwY
$~wQ~TQ-
/
1
mliqTnla45YyajqQor
y%yw
Ta'
57V
$-. %a
+
WY
?i".
'ialTa.
~wnlqml~.
I I I
Present tense i formed the same way a s with intentional verbs, except -.. IS never s a l ~ used. Instead 3~ used in all three persons. is verbal root
33.q
I think.
Tfr
~YT4..$~59(
H i very sick. es
$"i7q?valq~%3~aln11
T.r$~..~5T~&T37
me to dream sent
not
Is
Do you hear? I am not dreaming. (or) I don't dream. What do you think?
$qT?6)q~ 7 7 ? Y $ T g
verbal root
F c ,
, . - \ f
FUTURE In the s a m e way, the future uses only %?for all persons.
337
37
lqq7Y;r:Tva%5'?%'i\
"
qY$7-57Y757%q7\ $73nlT?~'4373ml'?7\
e
"
T~MWV~W?~YW\
Won't I be disappointed?
PAST
The past of unintentional verbs is usually formed with used, but never 43q.) There is no linking particle used in this case. verbal root
3 I* person
nlT' Znd person
He experienced bliss.
Itasted the beer.
beer
Did you hear the teacher? Did she receive my letter? Did you find the key? Did I smell flowers?
1'' person
(negative)
W S U V ~ TY
qvaqw$%37
h%~q~@tY~
$~%~~YW$%TY
future
~Vanla-35'
past (negative)
L
Wqqwqsr;.
L
-e
p~6)~a~v~Kr;.
EXERCISE
Translate into Tibetan. 1. I touched the great stupa. 2. We are very pleased.
3. Will you always think of me? (use
q v
'to remember')
-e
To get a feeling for the difference between intentional and unintentional verbs, here are some examples: intentional unintentional
(?a.
to look to listen to engender to tear to burn to spread to scatter to increase to cut to break to think, to ponder to accomplish to expand, to improve
tc! s!nse
~XTT
TT
I I
1~
to get torn to get burnt to get spread to get scattered to be increased to be cut to be broken
FqV ql mV
F$~TT
1 T~TT
8T 5V
/ 9~
~Y?'$~vF$T
1 GUY
=ZITI7
to be closed
a few
-/
lt is i i i i p ~ i i ~ i to leaiii these ;ties pi~pei!y. !-!a:':eue:, i: there is cne sh& cut that hhls become extremely common in the modern spoken language and, we dare say, it is very 2"d useful. That is to use%for all cases of past tense, whether it is intentional, lS', or
You will hear this all the time, and no one will be surprised if you use it too. It comes to mind quite readily.
Future: U1 *T
Another way to form the future is to use % (from T verbal root. It has the sense of 'going to.' 'to come') added directly to the
-/
j-k%%W%l
.-
.+
I am going to study the lesson tomorow. I will look at the pecha. I will not go to Tibet. You are not going to sleep. Is he going to eat? Aren't you going to come?
T~W&T"11
$7%%a~a$T7"1\
IMPERATIVE
The imperative is a demand or request. In literary Tibetan, many verbs have a different imperative form. These will come up later as we look at some texts. In colloquial these are rare. But there are several ways to form the imperative mood.
2. is also used as an imperative particle, added to the present verbal root. There are two more particles used in this way: W(T) and 77 (not meaning 'and' in this case.)
Speak! Look! Sit! Drink! 3. Sometimes, just the verbal root by itself will serve as the imperative:
7 7
Ta\l'nly
4 . Please is expressed by (ordinary) and % ~ V ~ T T (honorific). (The latter is by far more common. If you're going to bother using please, you may as well be polite!) These are added directly to the verbal stem.
Please sit up there (i.e. not of the floor.) Please send me a letter.
%p37'
~?$V%4%j~?fl .r%nl'yq~%pyq~\
EXERCISE Translate into English. Check the vocabulary on the next page.
Bhagavan (triumphant and transcendent) v. to see n. the view, point of view, philosophy v. to meditate
i $ i S ignorance + ,l 1 .
unvirtuous action (remember qa can also mean 'from' or 'than' as well as 'action' or 'karma' to wander motivation
n. meditation
TW~Wq ~ 4 - q I
v. to act, perform n. act, action shamatha (calm abiding) vipashyana (superior insight) v. to know n. the knower, mind v. to remember n. memory, mindfulness to accomplish; ) to practice
lesson
vw'
This is a n excerpt from the famous twenty-eight verse song by the great mahasiddha Tilopa, sung to Naropa on the banks of the river Ganges. This w a s after Naropa h a s completed his twelve hardships. It w a s translated by Marpa Lotsawa. hvlemorize these f n ~!inesso that you can recite them or write them without hesitation. r
Kyeho! By intellectual Dharma you will not see the meaning beyond intellect.
deeds, action
of dharma by
self
mind
root cut
as,
~n
P. q q
f.
q ) v
sangye chom den de sung pai cho ga re re ser na What is the Dharma spoken by the Buddha?
konvai duk ngal le tar pai lam di re It is the path of freedom from samsara's suffering.
rang sem ngo she pai tap dire It is the method of recognizing one's own mind.
yin na yang sem chen so so gi mik pa la ten ne However, due to the individual propensities of beings,
sangye gi tek pa rim pa sum sung pa re the Buddha taught three levels of vehicles.
mi tsang ma ka lak chik pa za gi ma re all people will not eat the same food.
ka she lang sha za gi re ka she nya sha za gi re Some will eat beef, some will eat fish.
di ta bu re It is like this.
tek pa rim pa sum ga re re ser na What are the three levels of vehicles? *
tek pa chung chung tek pa chen po dang the hinayana, and the mahayana,
sang ngak dorje gi tek pa dang sum and the secret mantra vajrayana, these three.
tso che wa fa wa gom pa cho pa sum kor la Principally, using view, meditation and action,
yin na yang kun long gi kor la ma she tap me re But it is i,=p=ssib!e n ~tc exp!ain (It) zcmrdlng to mntlvation. t
tek pa chung chung dang rung wai mi yin na If it is a person who is suited to the hinayana, *(this is a working model only. Properly speaking, the vajrayana is within the mahayana.)
konva duk po re nga rang tar go "Samsara i bad, I must become free, s
dey don du cho nyam su /en gi yin sam na for that reason I will practice Dharma." If you think (like that),
duk p o ma re yin na yang chung chung re It i not bad; but it is small (minded). s
rang gi sem dak m e pa di kang zak gi dak m e gi fa wa re One's own mind which i no self is the view of the non-self of the individual. s
dak yo dzin pa gi sem chen ttul pa re By clinging to a self, beings are bewildered.
de ne kun long pel wai tap Then as a method to increase one's motivation,
pung po nga dang jung wa nga mi duk pa Sam one thinks that the five skandhas and five elements are disgusting.
per na rang gi zuk po di fsok pa re sarn For instance think that one's body is filthy.
sha trak pak pa chu ser chak pa chin pa la sok pa gi pung po re It is a heap of meat, blood, skin, pus, feces, urine, etc.
di ta bu yid du ong wa ga yang me gom na In this way, if you meditate that there is nothing attractive (in it),
fek chung la gompa tso wo shi ne re !n hinayana the main meditation is shamata (ca!m abiding).
sem tse chik tu ting nge zin la nyam par shak go One must rest the mind in one-pointed samadhi (absorbtion).
lhak tong gom na per na If one meditates on vipashyana (deep insight), for instance,
nam tok jung na di nam tok re ming tak one labels the thought "this is a thought ."
de ne lhar yang gom pai ten Then once again, the support of the meditation,
uk la sok pa la sem ne go gi re such as the breath, the mind should abide there.
nyon mong pa kye na she dang ta bu If neurotic emotion should arise, such as anger,
per na rang gi pang pa la dru/lep pa nang shin For instance, like if a snake appears in ones lap,
lam sang yar lang ne par bii gi re wa one will immediately leap up and throw it off, right?
de ne cho pa gom pa di dang rung wa go gi re Then action must be conducive to this (kind of) meditation.
dor du na rang chik pu sa cha wen pa /a de ne In brief (it means) staying alone in an isolated place,
jik fen gi ja wa tam che pang go gi re one must abandon all worldly activity.
per na gelong gi dom pa sung ken yin na For example, if one is keeping monk vows
cha lak ga yang dak po gyap chok gi ma re one may not own any possessions.
shok ge nga dm la nyi ma de ring gi ka lak long In the early morning one begs the days' food.
mi tse di gi nam tok shetra dren go gi ma re One does not need to think much about this human life
chik pu de ne shi ne gi nyam /en pel go gi re Staying alone, one must advance one's practice of shamata.
dra chom pai go pong top gi re is that one attains the state of arhant.
di la shen dijn tso che gi re Here the aims of others (altruism) is most important.
sem chen la nyingje chen po kye ne Having developed great compassion for sentient beings,
kam sum sem chen tam che ma lu pa "all sentient beings without exception in the three realms,
dei don du cho dmp gi yin Sam go gi re For that reason I will practice Dharrna." You must think (like that).
kang zak gi dak me ma ze cho gi dak me nyi yo re Not only the non-self of the individual, also the non-self of phonemena -there are two.
rang gi sem tong pa ngo po me pa tsam ma re Not only is one's own mind empty, insubstantial,
tek chung gi ta wa le zab mo re It's more profound than the view of the hinayana.
kor wai gyu ngo dzin den dzin gi dok fap la The cause of samsara-clinging to (things as) substantial, and real, is reversed by means
pung po nga jung wa nga frul nang yin pa ta go gi re of viewing the five skandhas and elements as being deluded appearance.
zuk po di mi lam ta bu gyu lu re Sam go gi re ma tok This body, like a dream, is a phantom body. Except for thinking like that
de ne gom pa fso wo tong nyi nyingje re Furthermore the meditation is principally emptiness and compassion.
dor du na ta wa la ma yeng wa nyam par shak go gi re In brief, one must place the mind undistracted in the view.
tong nyi gi don la sem ne yak dang The mind dwelling in the meaning of emptiness, and
nying je pel wai tap fong /en la sok pa gom meditating on the method for increasing compassion, sending and taking, etc.
nam tok jung na nam tok gi ngo wo fong pa la ta If thoughts arise, look at the empty essence of the thought.
kap chik fu shen la pen pai sam pa la &ur gLi gi re At the same time one must transform (it) into altruistic thought.
per na kang pai go je na For example when you open a door to a house,
sem chen tam che la chb gi go je war sho Sam think "may the door of Dharma open to all sentient beings."
gyap /a go dam dii When you close the door behind you,
ngen song sum la kye pai go tak tu dam par sho Sam think, "may the door to birth in the lower realms be forever ctosed."
nyon mong pa kye na di dang chik pa re If klesas arise, it is the same as this.
de ne cho pa shen la pen pai cho pa rang re Then the action is the very action of benefiting others.
jang chub sem pai lap ja pa rol tu chin pa dnrk la sok pa The training of the bodhisattva, the six paramitas etc,
lam diy dre bu jang chup sem paisa rim par top ne The result of this path is gradually attaining the bodhisattva levels,
la na me pai sangye gi go pong top gi re and (finally) attaining the unsurpassable state of buddhahood.
lam zang po di yun ring po gor gi re This noble path will take a long time.
I
1 1
!$JV.lv$nlwy%y%7%7\
nyur lam nye lam chik yo re There is a swift path, a close path.
i
I
!
I
, ,
i :
. ,
di la yang tek chen nang shin kun long chen po go gi re Here also, like the mahayana, one needs the great motivation.
kang zak gi dak me cho gi dak me yer me pa dire It is the inseparability of the non-self of the individual, and the non-self of phenomena.
nang wa rang sem yer me pa re Appearance and one's own mind are inseparable.
per na zuk tam che zuk tong 4 For example, a1 form is form-emptiness.
fawa di ku sum tok pai gyu re This view is the basis for realizing the three kayas.
dene pung po ngajung wa nga gandre fa go gi re How should one view the five skandhas and five elements?
gyal wa rik nga yum nga yeshe gi rang shin As the five classes of buddhas and five consorts, the nature of wisdom.
ka dak lha yi kyil kor re It's the primordially pure mandala of deity.
di ma yin pa la yin pa fa gyu ma re This is not the viewing of (something) that isn't as something that is.
ye ne sangye yin pa ma she Not knowing one is buddha since the very beginning,
frul pa re wa nga yin dak yin clinging to "I am, I am" is delusion, right?
di ma yin pa la yin pa ta gyu re wa This is viewing what isn't as something that is, right?
dor na rang gi zuk po di sem gi rang dang re Briefly, one's body is the mind's own brilliance.
dene gom pa dak nang gi fa wa di la sem ne go gi r~ So the meditation is to rest the mind in this pure view.
yang tap zab mo kye rim dang zok rim nyi yo re Furthermore there is the profound method of the two phases, the creation phase and completion phase.
/ha ku gom pa ngak da wa la sok pa kye rim re Meditating on the deity's body, reciting mantra etc. is the creation phase.
zok rim la tap mang po yo re There are many methods of the completion phase.
tso wo /ha ku mik pa o tu shu ne Mainly, the visualization of the deity's body dissolving into light,
sem gi ne luk ma cho pa nyarn par shak pa di re leaving the mind uncontrived in it's own nature. It is this.
rik tong yeshe gi long chen po yin pa she Recognize it as awareness-emptiness, the great expanse of pristine wisdom.
dak nang gi fa wa di yo na
If one has this pure view,
grasping clinging all fmm beyond if view of (to outer (inwardly, objects) to mind)
king
i s
distraction
is
is
hope fear
adual
bewme. change
If it is without hope and fear, it is the fruit manifested. Alternative translation: Beyond all grasping and clinging is the king of views. Without distraction is the king of meditations. Without exertion is the king i f actions. Without hope and fear is the fruit actualized.
lo gyu a story
& c.+i ,?a g y gar !a .mi ch& yn re ~ Once upon a time in India there was a man.
ko ke tsik guk guk re gal guk zer gi re His spine was crooked, that's called a hunchback.
midi kye men chik la pe ga po yo re This man was very enamoured of one woman.
yin na yang mo chang za chap tsar ne kyo ga chik du However she had already married and had a husband.
nyima chik kyo ga di par dm wa re One day this husband went away.
kong I ka tsong tabu shik yo pa dra e He must have had work (to do), like business.
tsen la mi gal guk di kye men nang la dm ne That night the hunchback went to the woman's home,
de ne gyok po gyok po chak pa che de gi yij re and so very soon they were making love.
de du go la kun ma chik lep song At that time a thief came to the door.
mi gal guk gis mo yi kyo ga re Sam na pe mi si gi she song The hunchback was terrified that it was her husband.
w
-/
a nga rang dro go Sam ne gam chik nang la be song Thinking "ah!' I must escape" he hid in a chest.
ku ma nang la yong song de ne par fsur ta ne The thief came in, and looking to and fro,
gam chik ma fok cha lak she fra min du (saw) that except for a chest there were not many things.
da ko gam di gyap la kur ne kyer dro song So carrying the chest on his back, he stole it away.
gam nang la mi gal guk jik tra chen po re The hunchback inside the chest was horrified.
ko yang fu yang tu kyap dro don gi yo re He was reciting over and over the refuge (prayer):
gendun la kya.p su chi sangye la k y a ~ chi cho la kyab su chi su "Itake refuge in the Buddha, refuge in the Dharma, refuge in the Sangha."
de ne she ne gam nang la chin pa chik tong song Then, scared, he urinated inside the chest.
chin pa ku mai gyap la zak gi yo re The urine dripped onto the thiePs back.
da de du nam kha la da wa shar gi yo re Now at that time the moon was shining in the sky.
de ne rin chen gi do chik da wai do ser ken chik yo re Now there's a kind of precious stone called a moonstone,
da wai o pok na chu zak gi re if the moon light touches it, it sheds water.
ku ma sem pa ga ne da wai do shetra yo gyi re sam song The thief, excited, thought there must be lots of moonstones.
sa cha wen pa la dro ne gam di par chok go Sam song Going to an isolated place, he thought he must break open the chest.
nang la mi galguk kyap dro don gi don gi de yo re Inside the hunchback kept on reciting the refuge prayer.
nying fak pa ne kyab to sol He prayed for protection from the bottom of his heart.
de ne ku ma; garn do chik teng la gyap song Then the thief threw the chest onto a rock.
garn par chak de ne gal guk ko rang do la dung ne The chest broke, and the hunch itself struck the rock.
kurna ko rang ha le song dre re she ne The thief himself was surprised, and fearing it was a ghost
kyap dro don paijin lap gi galguk di drak song By the blessing of reciting the refuge, this hunchback was cured!
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In literary Tibetan, two verbs can be connected by using the terminative particles
Sand especially T. (after vowels) added to the first verb. (These are similar to
the dative-locative particles used after nouns. (See lesson #2, p.12.) Usually the first verb is in the infinitive form, i.e. with v o r q , and therefore adding T. (%-or a ~ . is the ) most common form. The second or main verb takes the conjugation - a particle and appropriate auxiliary, if there is any. In literary Tibetan the second verb often stands on its own or with an auxiliary such as shown on page 2. (For the spoken equivalent of this 'infinitive' construction see p. 6) This construction puts the first verb in the infinitive, the reverse of the English. For example 'I want to go' in Tibetan is 'I go to want.'
~Gj"~G&fj)%~\
n]
I want to go.
.-
-/
S ~ T T F ~ ~ ~ T T ~ ~ U \
Often the subjects of the two verbs is not the same: (He) promised that (we) would attain enlightenment.
mouth +by +promise = promise
?T~~~'T~s~~$,~uT~~~~\
n]
visualize one's root lama to be in front. (I) supplicate the Lama to think (of me).
-/+
v - / +
(I) supplicate the dakinis with entourage to come. (I) exhort (you) to turn the wheel (of the) supreme exalted vehicle. that (my) mind goes to Dharma.
I a.
I-
Here there are three verbs, and the subject goes from the self to the other and again to the self. It is important to know if a particle goes with a noun (as with g ~ ) it is where the dative 'in', 'at', 'to', etc. or with a verb, making a sort of infinitive sense.
?
AUXILIARY VERBS
These verbs are used in literary Tibetan as the second verb in this same construction, but in this case as auxiliaries to the first, which is the main verb. As such, they may not need to be translated separately, but they may determine the tense of the first verb. (of course, these verbs carry their own meaning when used as an independent verb.) The most common are: ( to become; to be)
(usually
q~is future.
Check the first verb for tense too.) The state of buddha will be attained. All sins and obscurations were purified.
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~ w T
present
' knows ~ ~
past
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future*
imperative
~ w T ' ~ Vknew
should know! know to give rise to compassion in (one's) mindstream (he, she; you) ripened sentient beings.
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37
3T@%qW yW9!&\
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present
a$v J
past
3~ imperative
. -
(367
A shorter way to put two verbs in this kind of relationship, where the first verb would translate as the infinitive in English, is to drop the infinitive particle and dative particle and add the second verb directly to the verbal root of the first. This is common in both colloquial and literary Tibetan. The second verb is conjugated as before.
I want to go.
Verbal Root
Verbal Root
Here are some of the verbs that will most commonly be found in this kind of construction. They can be added to the verbal root of any other verb.
7%
to need; must, ought to to be able to; can (potential) to dare to; to be able to to know to be allowed to to finish (see also lesson #4) to like, to enjoy, to be pleased to have time to to think to hope (lit. to have hope)
0-
&TT~yq+TFq
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EXAMPLES
You may go to the party. (One) must engender compassion for beings. They can't meditate.
V-r-
%T&~F?&&T@~~v\
~J~TTR$FJTW%T\
Sometimes in speaking, and also in the literary language, the particle and auxiliary are dropped, or sometimes just the particle. Mind must turn towards (go to) Dharma.
?%?~?73%7\
I want to come.
&7~~8~q+\
Exceptions: The verbs sWW 'to think' and ?q.y"~ have hope' are not added directly 'to
to the verbal root. Instead, the first verb is also conjugated. In this way, two different tenses may be used, i.e. one may think (present tense) that something happened in the past, in the present or in the future.
I hope you are well. (lit. 1 hope that you have a well body.)
9
Translate into English. (These are literary. See p. 1,2 & 3)
Translate into Tibetan (more colloquial. See p. 3 & 4) They want to go to Tibet. She can't read that book. The children may come now. Yesterday, we had no time to eat.
I need to buy a car.
I will be able to see you. He knows how to make tables. Do you like to meditate? Lama likes to drink tea.
I hope I will meet Rinpoche (a4nl')
Notes:
4. is used to set off a phrase which will be the subject of the next phrase. such
as the way we use the colon (:) in English. Usually it need not be translated.
e \
7
7 (sometimes
spelled TT but hardly ever written down) directly to the verbal root of the first verb, replacing the aT'4T' appropriately.
0 etc. of .
literary Tibetan.
subject +
verbal root
qey
~~nlvq-3yY~Tgq+q\
-r'
I will go to work.
EyTq4(aqY~qa~%yYyq~1
T$,~TTT$T~~~I%~~\
root to form an infinitive or a sense of something which is to be done. It can be used with all verbs. subject + verbal root
+
. $ ~ ~ ~ ~ f l ~ v ~ aYou all have a lot of studying to do. &?37y?fl?%~, - - .-- -. L -- --t4 !4(-! W IQql q\'V\ I --.--..
Does he have (something) to say?
F ~ T ? ~ T x ~ W p q \
~+YZ~~~TVTT~,$T$
Please come to eat. 1 came to ask you questions. Constructions using U 1 7 In a similar way
qq' (corresponds to L,' in literary, see p. 10) is added to the first verbal @
q7
verbal root
37 etc.
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L;-~Tqa%q~a3T8+61 I I I $4 11
.w gai~ ~
9
We hope to go to India. Do you have plans of meeting
.8Fg!q~w~~~yq%qG7\
, 4 -
Constructions with T F LV To convey the meaning of 'the manner of doing' or 'how to do' TqN is added to the verbal root, replacing
-/
y$qysyyy~qTT$G7\
~ ~ [ a q ~ ~ ~
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pqT@'=\~~y4td7'tj:~y
4
~ ~ ~ $ ~ ~ ~ q q y ~ Please tell me the way ~ meditate on shamatha. q ~ y q y q to 1 q ~ ~ ~ a . l ~ ~ $ My husband knows theq ~ buildfstupas.~ ~ q ~ ~ ~ way to $ ~ y
Chance or possibility of performing an action is expressed by adding q (place, locality) or WN. (method, means) to the verbal stem. If one listens to the lama's instructions, there's no chance of mistake.
+,TTVl
R ~
$,?N.%T~ ~ ~ T ~ T T F
t o intend t o
1
These words can also be added directly to the verbal root to express the various meanings.
77 + zysq'
g~3av*cyJq\ P7-x,LF'ala\%
Do you intend to go on pilgrimage? They are about to arrive. I am about to meditate. Now it's time to go. Iam ready to help you.
~4%''a~5yl~~y
~@gJ~qqy\
+ +
can be added to the verbal root or to an entire verbal phrase to turn it into a subject, i.e. 'the one who goes' or 'the goer.' It is widely used in both spoken and IiteraryTibetan. It functions the same way that sometimes u or a.does as in gbr "seller, merchant."
T~$,7*?q\ ~~"N.~F~TBTZ%C~"~E~\
4
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3 ~ ~ q- $ -V \ .% .V ?
Do you intend to go to the moon?
7.
yrayqT%T.- - -ay9(
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-f
r/.ymlqay
Don't go now.
II .p;q?~;%aiqv-q,.. ,-
-1 q
30
MORE COMPOSITE PHRASES! Literary Just like u l this is added to the verbal root either to give an infinitive ~ sense or to form a substantive.
qe 3
The letter which is to be sent tomorrow will be forgotten. Here, there is both something to understand and something to meditate on. There is nothing to explain about the absolute. Although one looks, one doesn't find (something) to look (at).
%7qqa47$a71
The future tense of
verbal noun which functions as the object or recipient of the action of the verb. (This is to be distinguished from a terminative particle. See p.2.) To benefit all those to be subdued. (disciples) The obscuration of knowables. (that which one can know) The ~~"N"F%~-&$T?T~skin feels objects of touch. That which is to be recited (the recitation) is the instruction of refuge and bodhicitta. (lit 'object' or 'place, country') is also used with a verb to make it an object of the action.
with the sense of 'should,' which always uses the infinitive of the verb plus
.$,..y~t;-@avs~y+kvsq1
-.ne object of tine giving of generosity is poveriy siricken beings. I
q~*aqq~3flv5q$y-a~~sq\
The object of the meditation of compassion is suffering beings.
Usually it means 'if.' It comes after the verbal root If one eats a lot of food, one will become ill.
-/
- 4
If there is no abiding in calmness there is no superior seeing (i.e. no shamatha, no vipashyana) If (you) desire happiness, give up sin.
%2,%74~n~q\ '3
In the future or past tense construction, ?comes after the conjugated verb. In future it is . always conjugated with 3 ~The past uses %??just after the verbal root.
$ 7 If you will go to Tibet, I will also go. $ 7 7 % 5 ~ ~ ~ y dIf youit to~ looked at that book,~ ~ ~ ~ lend have ~ ~ ~ ~ 7 me. please
can also have a temporal sense, meaning 'when,' although i may be difficult to tell in t some cases.
w e -
TT~%?T~T~\
hq-~rl~%7%~4\
A more literary version is $ (after ~ 7 s ) (after T8iaT.q& vowels) and $7 (after q). Sometimes even &etc. is left out and there is just to indicate a rhetorical question.
37
?$hWyTq\ L L
RELATIVE CLAUSE
There are many ways that two whole phrases can stand in relation to another. A relative clause is one that describes the main subject, such as 'the man who went to the moon.' In Tibetan, the relative clause comes first. The verb stands in the infinitive and is joined to the main subject by the genitive
o
y.u.9 ais?3\
The man who went to the moon. The yogi who enters the door of the supreme (vehicle.)
w?Y$W~$~?%&T~\
34~5aiafl~s?@a?$q-nlq\
Activity which liberates all beings. The individual who desires to attain supreme enlightenment.
?igq~W@@a\
There are many benefits of going for refuge. All (our) parents (i.e. beings) who experience suffering. Sometimes in literature a relative clause can be indicated without using the genitive ?but by the verb at the end of the clause having a s or s. Usually it is set off by or
$'$?
(As you can see from the first example, the relative clause can come after the subject it modifies in this formation.)
9~ 3 V 3 V1 -
The instrumental is used when two verbal clauses have a causative relationship. In other words, the verb at the end of the first clause is put in the instrumental when it causes, supports or just sets up the action of the following phrase. It can be translated by 'because', 'since' or by using a present participle ('...ing' wordk. Which particle is !sed depends cn the preceding letter. (see p. 16, lesson $2) a ,?'and V?'are most common (adding T to the infinitive), since the verb is usually infinitive. This is a literary formation.
n ~ % ~ 3 s ~ $ w ~ ~ q ~ mL ~ ~ 3 a w ~ y w q ~ ~ ~ \
By the arising of relative bodhicitta, ultimate bodhicitta will be realized.
~a~~vaqa~q~~z~3w~35a.;"5\
b
a . -
"*w$qqT3aV5q&yq3~qa.$m%y\ '3
Since compassion didn't arise, (one) can't do the benefit of beings.
Since food, wealth ef cefera are no benefit at the time of death (one should) be without any need at all.
aV is used as a comparative in literary Tibetan, the same way q"\T used in colloquial. is
It might be easy to get it confused with the verbal instrumental a"\Tas shown above.
e -
qqnl'3qq~qv2wa'1T$ai$F571
The lama's kindness is greater than all the buddhas'. Many people younger than I have died. It is more beneficial if he goes than if another goes.
TEMPORAL ORDER5,etc. -
$,v (time)
(occasion) or
takes place at the same time as the action of the princmle clause. These are usually added directly to the verbal stem, although in fact this is a shortened form of the expressions of place or time which use the genetive lesson #2)
or
nl~T$,j7rl?5~q\
while working
~ @ l - ~ a - ~ ~ y " , ~ ~ q d q \ While meditating Ifell asleep. a ( ~ q a ~ ~ ~ a ~ ~ % While staying at~home~ ~ ~ q 1 ~ ~ y a r we will eat.
When buddha is attained (one) will do vast enlightened activity.
To indicate that the action of the first clause is completely finished before the action of T the next one takes place, q is used after the verbal root of the first. It can usually be translated by a participle such as 'having done' such and such, 'then' such and such can take place. It is very common, especially in literary Tibetan. After ~qnla~q$qv~qyynl'qq$qqa(1 going to Nepal I will go to Bhutan. L Having finished the preliminaries one may meditate on deity. Knowing the qualities of the Jewels, faith
7 ~ ~~ ~ y ~ q ~ $ ? ~ ~ ~ ~ ' ~ f i ~ ~ 4 ~ 73 ~
alued appearance
Having realized that all is pure from the beginning, appearance arises as the pure land. (notice the two uses of q here.) v
Another connecting word used to give a temporal relationship to two verbal phrases is 3.;-and its variations. It indicates simultaneous action taking place, translated by the present participle (...ing) or by 'having done such and such,' etc. It can also indicate that the second action follows directly on the first, perhaps even with an indirect causative relationship. Sometimes it can simpiy be transiated by "and."
11 q7
7 comes after T
comes after N .
7 W rS T T and vowels.
I
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(His) body being possessed of brilliance, (his) mind thinks of beings with unconditional compassion.
y"w.qpnl'3~3yay~q%~~.g~;'a\
Wandering in samsara (beings) experience various suffering.
w W
hva~3i~y6paqa\ Q
L
~ y ~ . q a " ~ 4 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ u ~ ; i ~ q a a ~ 1
Circling all directions, once again (the pigeon) will land there.
Ey.l~q~pTTqq1
Eating flesh and drinking blood.
This particle coming at the end of a phrase indicates that the action of the preceding verb continues to take place and that there is more to be said on the subject. As such, it can be called a confinuative particle. It means "as for such and such..." It has many uses. It can indicate temporal succession (as with qv), that an action has taken place because of the first action (like the instrumental av etc), that although the first takes that place etc. (as with the particle 3 ~ ) there is simultaneous action (as with 27 etc.) or just mark the end of a list. The meaning just has to be discerned from the context. What is certain is that the second phrase stands in some relationship to and will explain or elaborate on the first.
7T aw T
'that*)
y"r"r,"qqW+.l-y$~\
If (one) practices, confusion is cleared away and (one is) liberated.
Finally, "J. can be used in a similar way to coordinate two phrases, and is known as a coordinating particle. It can mean "as for that", "in order to" indicate simultaneous or consecutive action, transform the preceding statement into a participle (...ing), or simply mean "and". Be sure to note whether T governs the whole phrase or just the preceding word, in which case it is probably the dative or locative particle 'to','inl etc.
To obtain this precious human life, one needs to accomplish the cause virtue.
abundant
While not having given up sin, (he) hopes to be freed from samsara.
$ZYT'TL;'?~~V%%~T%~\
human body obtain charma door in enter relativeY clause ,meaning know
Furthermore, each of us has got a human life. To know the meaning of entering the door of Dharma,
m~nd Dhanna to go
need
mind Dhanna to go to make (aux verb) (tennative particle) as for, in order to. etc
jewels
of
of faiih
have need
having known
it is necessary that, knowing the qualities of the Jewels, one has the faith of belief.
(conditionalphrase)
stability
.,
Y
reason
that is
that is the reason for the need to meditate on impermanence at the beginning.
q F hon. W q ZT
slajvT7
q-6~
w e qpTq
to promise
76%
Ti*
W?-=T
absolute
v. to visualize n. visualization frame of reference to borrow; to lend to give; to meet to learn; to teach
a'1~3~
qj(%)ajw q?q%?
37' \
qqv@
situation, condition
to bless
~57qq TqmK
-/
help question
B
3~
Identify the phrases underlined below as being either (1) a relative clause, (2) an infinitive using a terminative particle, (3) a causative relationship using the instrumental, (4) simultaneous action or (5) using a coordinating verbal particle.
@
ar
3~
3~
of the path not arising, the blessings of the Lama and deity .rar 3 &+ i %qq ...is $a ? will have difficulty to enter. Therefore without the 7 7 4~ ( ~ ) q ~ ( ~ ) 4 ari. preliminary of the practice of the path there is no way."
Yqq
T+f
"ii
yW@~;r
RlaS
+aja=jm
This kind of run-on sentence is very common. If you were really trying to translate it into acceptable English you would probably want to break it up more. However, this is a more literal translation to make it easier to see the relationships in Tibetan. The Tihetan words are put beneath the English translation that they correspond to.
TRANSLATE
From Jewel Ornament of Liberation -
V?J'%q$*aq
by Gampopa
and
Notes:
"self-buddha," pratyekabuddhas (level of hinayana practitioner) short for $J";ai l TVT "beyond misery", nirvana WT
tsong kang dra min dra yo re There are all kinds of shops.
cha lak ga re go na di la fob gi re Whatever things you need, you will get here.
di ne from la tak ring tung ga tso re How far is it to the market from here?
kang pa gyap na chu fs0 nyi gor yong It'lltake two hours on foot.
di ne ma dro go gi re am di ne yar dro go gi re Should one go down from here or up from here?
yin na yang rik pa drim chu la /hung yong But watch out, you'll fall in the water.
tok fsa shuk chu fung gi yin nga ka kom song I'm thirsty, wait a little, I'm going to drink some water.
da dro ren song dang po kye rang pep Now it's time to go, you first.
kye rang gi so bu gi ze pa yin pa dra Your tooth was probably eaten by bugs (bacteria).
men tre gi re am chi la ten go gi du You must go to a doctor, he'll give you medicine.
men ma za na pen gi min du If you don't take the medicine, it will not help.
men di tok tsa drak du Due to this medicine it's a little better.
yi tsi yo pe nge zuk PO tru go gi du I must wash my body, do you have any soap?
de ring sar shok la ne tsul duk po chik tong jung I saw some bad news in today's paper.
don me pai mak mang po je gi yo re There are many meaningless wars being waged.
tab duk po re zam bu ling gi Iuk sol re It is bad, it's,the way of this world (jarnbudvipa).
cieng sang din dre zo gi ma re These days it's not done like this.
dawa re re la kang la ga tso tre go gi re How much rent per month must one give?
dawa re re la ari gor mo nyi gya tre go gi re One musi give two hundred American doiiars per month.
kye rang lak pa ke pa re wa You are skilled with your hands, aren't you?
nge yak po zo she gi min du yin na yang I don't know how to do it well, however,
tab shikje gi yin gang tup tup je gi yin I will try, I will do my best.
T ~ ~ g j y T q $?-w\ Tq
ngon la ja gar la dro nyong nge Have you ever been to lndia before?
tsa ne dro ma nyong di teng ma dang po re I have never been. This is the first time.
?a%$
3T3@fq49
re wa yo pe sa jung na dro gi yin I hope so, if I get the money I'll go.
de tso yang kyar tuk tup na yak po re If I could meet them again it would be good.
lama rinpoche yun ring po ma jal ne nga ka le kak song It's been so hard not seeing Rinpoche for a long time.
nga kun dun la jal ka chik fob go gi yo I need to have an audience with the Lama.
data rinpoche she lak she gi du chok gi re toktsa guk You may. Wait a little, now Rinpoche is eating food.
..
oh re da sang nyin yang yong gi yin Oh yes, so we'll come again tomorrow.
sang nyin.yong na nga dro shok a If you come tomorrow, come in the morning.
shok ge nga dro la long rok nang nya re nyo re ma zo nang a Don't be lazy, please get up in the early morning.
kong tro long ken me na zo pa su la gom If there were no irritating people, on whom would one practice patience?
dafa bar du nga rang fso dak nang gi ke cha mang po she song Up until now, we have talked a lot about pure appearance.
dak nang gi fa wa di gandre tog di re lam ga re re How do you realize this view of pure appearance? What is the path?
dang p o lama zang po nyam dang fokpa yo pa gyu zin ken ne Firstly from a good lama, who has experience and realization, a lineage holder,
minj e gi wang drolje gi tri gyab ten gi lung cha tsang shu go gi re one must receive completely the empowerment that ripens, the instruction that frees and the supportive literary authority.
bum p a i wang sang wai wang sherab yeshe gi wang dang The vase empowerment, the secret empowerment, the wisdom empowerment,
bum p a i wang gi iu gi go ne saic pai diic drip tam she dak By the vase empowerment, all sins and defilements accumulated through the door of the body are purified;
/ha yi ku kye rim gom pa la wang top One is empowered to meditate on the deity's body, the creation stage
ma ong pa trul icu icob pai sabon gyu /a shal<gi re (and) the seed of attaining the nirmanakaya in the future is planted in one's stream of being.
sang wai wang gi ngak gi go ne sak pai dik drip tam che dak By the secret empowerment all defilements accumulated through the door of the speech are purified.
ngak da wa.tsa lung gom pa la wang top One is empowered to meditate on the mantra recitation and the channels and winds,
ma ong pa long ku top pai kal pa dang den pa gyur (and) one becomes the fortunate one who will later attain sambhogakaya.
sherab yeshe gi wang gi yid gi go ne sak pai dik drip tam che dak By the wisdom empowerment all sins and defilements accumulated through the door of the mind are purified.
nyom juk de tong yeshe gom pa la wang top One is empowered to meditate on the bliss-void wisdom of union,
ma ong pa cho ku top pai sabon gyij la shak gi re (and) the seed of attaining the dharmakaya in the future is planted in the stream of one's being.
wang shi pa fsik gi wang rin po che kap su At the moment of the fourth empowerment, the precious empowerment of the word,
lu ngak yid sum gi dik drip fam che dak all sins and obscurations of the body, speech and mind are purified.
chak gya chen po gom pa la wang top one is empowered to meditate on mahamudra, (and)
ma ong pa ngo wo nyi gi ku fop pai sabon gyu la shak gi re the seed of attaining the svabhavikakaya in the future is planted in the stream of one's being.
wang shi fob tsar ne dam fsik sung go gi re Having received the four empowerments, one must keep the samaya.
tso wo lama ga re sung na di che dang Principally, do whatever the lama says and
nang wa tam che /ha ku ja fson ta bu gom meditate that ail appearance is the deity's body, like a rainbow,
dra tam che jo me ngak gi dra drak cha fa bu gom meditate that all sound is the ineffable sound of mantra, like an echo,
dren tok tam che ch8 ku yeshe kyi longmik gyu fa bu gom and meditate that all memory and thought is the wisdom expanse of dharmakaya like a mirage.
din dra je na damtsik tam che du dro gi re If you do like this, all samayas are contained (in this).
kye pai rim pa dang zok pai rim pa nyi gom go gi re one must meditate on the two stages of creation and completion.
kye pai rim pa la fsen nyi sum yo re The creation stage has three characteristics.
nam pa sal wa nam dak dren pa nga gyal ten pa di sum Clear manifesting, mindfulness of purity, and suppori of pride, these three.
de ne yib dang ka dok gyen cha chak tsen la sok pa Then the shape and color, ornaments, implements etcetera,
tsang ma sal po cha tsang yo pa re re shin fu gom go gi re all clear, complete, and individually precise, one must meditate.
le dang po pa yin na sal po ne fub gi ma re If one is a beginner, one cannot keep (it) clear.
per na !ha ku ka dok marpo yin na For example if the deity's body color is red,
kap kap su ser po dra gyur gi re occasionally it'll change to something like yellow.
yang me na u yo sa la chak yong gi re Or else where there is a head, along comes a hand.
di fa bu tok tsa ttuk gi re In this way it'll get a little mixed up.
kap chik la sal po gom na yeng ne sal po me pa yong gi re At one time meditating clearly, then distracted, it becomes unclear.
yun ring po sal po gom tub pa chik yong go gi re One must gain the ability to meditate clearly for a long time.
sal po ten po yak po ne tub gi re one can remain clear and stable and well.
tsam tsam la lhai ku chung chung yung kar tsam gom sometimes meditate that the deity's body is small as a mustard seed.
tsm tsam la chen po ri tsam gom Sometimes meditate it's big as a mountain.
ke chik la chung chung le chen PO chen PO le chung chung In an instant, from small to big, big to small,
truk ya me par sal po gom tub pa yong gi re without mix up, the ability to meditate clearly will come.
de ne narn dak dren pa di yang gom go gi re Then one must also meditate on this mindfulness of purity.
lhai ku di chir fang gi zuk po ma re This deity's body is not an ordinary form,
kor de ro nyom yin pai shal chik yo re samsara and nirvana, being of one flavor, there is one face.
ye ne dri ma me pai ku dok kar po re Being stainless since the beginning, the body color is white.
tse me shijam nying je ga wa fang nyom yo pai chak shi yo re Having the four irnmeasurables. love, compassion. joy. equanimity. there are four arms.
gyen druk par chin druk gi tak re The six ornaments symbolize the six paramitas.
6 zer ka dok nam nga fro pa di This emanating of the five colored light rays
yeshe ngai rang shin yin pai tak re is the symbol of being the actual nature of the five wisdoms.
dene /ha yi nga gyal gal chen po re The pride of (being) the deity is very important.
tsam tsam la doqe nga gyal ser gi re Sometimes it's called vajra pride.
dotje nga gyal lang go pai gyum tsen ga re yo re ser na What is the reason for needing to arouse vajra pride?
ka she gi dak dzin shuk che ru dro sa ma re be Some say "won't ego clinging become stronger?"
per na am chok nang la chu toMsa yo na di ma re This is not it. For example if you have a little water in the ear,
chu mang tse luk na de ne tsang ma le la po ton gi re if you add more water, then it will come out easily.
de ne ngo wo tong pa yin par she ne Then recognizing that the essence is empty,
dak dzin fsa wa ne me pa dro gi re ego-clinging from the root becomes nothing.
di je tsa nga chen re zik yin gorn go gi re Therefore, one must meditate, "I am Chenrezi."
kye rim gi tsen nyi gal che sho nga gyal di re The most important characteristic of the creation stage is this pride.
ngak da wa la ne gak gal che sho The most importaiii point uf mantra recitation
/ha ngak dang rang gi sem yer me pa gom ya di re is meditating that-the mantra, the deity, and one's own mind are inseparable.
ngak ser ken di de ga tse ur dra ma re These things called mantras are not just mere sounds.
yon ten nil pa jin lap Sam gi mi kyap pa yo re They have inconceivable qualities, power and blessings.
yid ma che na pen gi ma re If you have no conviction (belief) it will not help.
nga tso dik drip mang po yo tsa As we have many sins and obscurations,
yid che de pa nying je mo gu la sok pa yong kak po re belief, faith, compassion, devotion, etcetera, are difficult to come by.
di je tsa tsok sak drip jang gi don du Due to this, in order to develop the accumulations and purify obscurations
dang po ngon dro bum nga drup go gi re first one must practice the preliminary five "one hundred thousands."
de ne gyen cha la sok pa ga re go na chok gi re Then whatever ornamentation, et cetera, that's needed, is fine.
-L---
dang po tok ka kap ne fsik pa fsik pai luk sol yo ma re -A--z.c--a ..u- 6 ..:- t . --A& & .-I . h,.;lA;m- *ha 11" I l , Y I I I ~ I I ~ U tiusrulll u l a t a r purntty us= ~ u u l U I F ~ ~ IU I I U I I I ~ u n r w w 2 n w .
,A,
da rang gi sem ngo tro ken So, the one who points out your mind,
wang lung tri sum nang ken the one who bestows the ernpowerrnents, instructions and literary authority,
ka drin chen po tsa wai lama di re is the greatly kind root lama.
rang gi tsa wai lama dang dra wa so yang me pa re There is no one like one's root lama.
j tar zing ne pur waija rok gi i Just like a crow flying from a ship,
chok nam kor shing lar yang de ru bap circling all directions, once again will alight there,
do pai sem gi tok paije che kyang the desirous mind, ceasing it's following of thought,
dang poi sem nyi nyuk ma nyi du bap alights in the naturalness of the original mind itself.
In Sanskrit what is called madhyamaka, if we translate it into Tibetan is called uma. Uma means not falling to the right, not falling to the left, going straight down the middle - that path is called uma. If you ask "what is the right?", the right direction is very great clinging. (Uma) does not fall into this extreme of eternalism. (The left is) the very strong thought that everything is naught. (Uma) does not fall into this extreme of nihilism. The path which keeps straight in the middle is called uma.
by itself means the head or top, but V K also means the middle.
So, if you ask "what is uma?": in general, when the Bhagavan Buddha taught the sacred Dharma, he did not say "this is definitely not permitted to be done" and "if you do not do this it is not alright". In this sense what did he primarily do? He primarily taught the truth. He primarily taught what one needs to understand and needs to realize.
yq5i in this lecture this is usually used for "what" rather tban "how".
8 87%
qqq-qqq~&r 'de$Ate!y',
lo YvnN
past tense of Y?1,W speak' or (n.) 'speech'. Also means 'to teach', 'teaching'. 'to
'I 7T5nN hon. for 'to t h i i or (n.) 'thought', but when speaking of buddhas, etc., it must be remembered
that there is no " t h i i g " as such, so it is sometimes translated as "enlightened intention", "wisdom", "Mind", etc. Can also mean "view".
Based on that, in the Buddha's teaching there are what are called the Four Truths and the Two Truths, which are like the essence of his thought. Since he primarily dealt with truth, he taught the Four Truths and the Two Truths
Furthermore, what do we so-called sentient beings need to eliminate? We need to eliminate suffering. What does the root of suffering rest upon? This is neurotic emotion: desire, hatred, stupidity, pride, jealousy, etc. It rests upon the three poisons and the five poisons.
Thus, if one eliminates the cause, neurotic emotion, then one can also eliminate the result, suffering. If one does not eliminate the cause, all the neurotic emotions, even though one needs to eliminate the resulting suffering, one cannot. For this reason, the Buddha taught that in order to eliminate suffering, the need to primarily eliminate neurotic emotion is most important.
--
lZ
I3
q]'?~+@~'?~ lit. 'on what does it touch'.SJT is 40 touch; to meec to pertain to;to arrive at; to light
To eliminate this neurotic emotion, one needs to eliminate it from the depths of the mind. Therefore we need to meditate. Realizing the nature of mind and the nature of phenomena just as it is, this neurotic emotion will be eliminated.
l4 ~ 9 ~ ' 9 y lit 'to do eliminating'. uses the auxiliary verb $ic~ along with the particle nF to get the nF
In meditation, furthermore, one first needs to have a good understanding of the main point of the meditation subject. That shouldn't be just knowledge; one needs to develop a really good conviction from the depths of the mind. Conviction. Conviction means thinking "is this really so?", "is this really the truth?", "is this really it?", "is this really the reason for it?" - then what is called conviction c a r i deveiop.
The cause of developing this kind of conviction was introduced by the Buddha and taught in the prajnaparamita sutras. The meaning of the prajnaparamita sutras was clearly explained. The clear explanation along with its reasons were taught. We call this the madhyamaka shastra. It is called madhyamaka.
--
'"q l $ @.&f. 7 3 7 ) to introduce, reveal, point out, cause to recognize. ('recognize' is 5ly ) AS a noun,
vlv
V
YIY
anival ?T .&
- of mtelligence 9 .
@f. of
q l"to put, place") to be set, settled, set forth, placed, etc. Can be used as an p
lit. formulated teaching, is the translation of the Sanshit shastra ,a treatise with a very
specific format
Furthermore, in the prajnaparamita sutras there are the long, medium and short prajnaparamita sutras. The long one is called The Hundred Thousand. The medium one is shorter than that: The 25 Thousand. Then, the short ones: there is The Eiqht Thousand, etc. Furthermore, there is the extremely short one the of Praina Sutra -these kinds of sutras.
Also there are commentaries on all these views. The authors of the commentaries are the great erudites such as Nagajuna, Chandrakirti, etc. All these great scholars did commentaries on whatever was taught in the prajnaparamita sutras; the reasons and objectives were clearly revealed.
2'
? $ letc.p name refers to the number of slokas ,quatrains or four line verses, in each of these $ fT The
U$-=+Fqqq~ N%Muna
25
73q-q
sz
'paddesq, pue ',asmspa-uou, 'a[as-nou Bmaq, ',ano8, ',-uou, ',$on,se A[snop~ pazvpuq aq ues I 'qder%ered s ! q 'qq8n3 o%jlasl! $onsaop ! auo ~ pua[
q 3 1 q sasnjo a8ua ap!M E seq nope8an a j d ~ ssi p 'n4aq!LJo @q[dtqs punojo~d q ,%on, ~ am dp Lz
fi sl'lql 'sas!le Guuagns 'uo!goua 3!golnau 40 Gu!spe ayl uo pasea -sas!le uo!joua c~!lodnau'Bu!Bu!p 40 pu!y s!4~ paseg ',,I,, 40 a3ua)s!xa aqlio lyfinoql ayl y3eue uo a~ auals!xa-uou s!ql otuo 'ls!xa jlasy lou saop Ass s ! y l ulas s!ql s! aJalyV\
~ ~ 03a Gu!fiu!p ays uo paseq saspe $1 juo JsaJ uo!goua s 3go~nau $001ayl saop l a m 'uo!$ouia c~!golnau 40 s!,fiu!~agns$0 JOOJ aql 'a~o4aq pau!eldxa se 'le~auafi illas-uou Bu!y3eatjo h!ssacIau ayl JOJ uoseaJ ayl s! J e w ul
'ssau!$dluapue
a,u i
one understands non-self as being non-self, this self-clinging will disappear. When self-clinging has gone, gradually all neurotic emotion will disappear. When neurotic emotion has gone, consequently all suffering will disappear.
For that reason, one needs to meditate on non-self. Non-self, furthermore has, in general, two kinds of self-clinging. What are these two? They are called clinging to self and to selfs. What is clinging to selfs? The thought of "I" and the thought of "mine" - there are these two.
Based on these two, suffering arises. An example to explain the root of the arising of suffering: for instance, I go to a shop. Then in this shop I see a watch. If this watch gets broken...if at this time the watch gets broken...if it is broken by
being struck on a rock, except for thinking "oh, in the shop a watch was broken", there would be no suffering over it. If I had something like a watch strapped to my wrist and this broke, then I would think "oh, m~ watch broke", and stinginess would arise and then suffering. That stinginess and suffering -what is the basis of it? Based on that thought of "mine" there is suffering. The watch breaking is the same. Yes, but in one (case) no suffering will arise, and in one suffering will arise. What is the reason for that? Based on the thought of mine, that suffering comes.
We know this to be the root of suffering. Since this is so, that thought of "mine" this which is called "my watch" - where is it? In general there is a watch. However, if you look at what is called "my watch", really there is no finding of it. That so-called "mine" is nowhere outside, inside or in-between. However this mind of mine, being deluded, attaches the thought of "it is mine" where there is no (thing) called "mine". And based on that thought of "mine", suffering arises.
In that way also with the thought of "I". For example, we cling to the thought of "I". When one clings to the thought of "I",the so-called "I" seems to be one thing. Like the thought "I am". Furthermore, from before, when I was young, until now, I am the same one. The one thinking "I"clings to this sort of thought of "Iam one".
When there is this kind of clinging, if you look at where the subject of clinging, the "I",and the object of clinging are, they aren't there. For instance, I don't say "I" about my head. In this way, [holds up hand] except for calling this "hand", it is not "I". So in this way feet, skin, flesh, bones; except that they exist individually, there is no "I".If one looks for where that one is who thinks "I"and says "I", it is nowhere in the three places of my body: outside, inside or in-between.
Actually, there is never any finding of that "I". That "I" cannot be seen. For this reason, "I" cannot be obtained. One attaches "I" onto that which is no "I". Now, what do we need to understand? We need to understand no "I". Furthermore, if
29 ?
or simply
wqq,
which refers to the inner clingling to mind or a self and the outer clinging to phenomenal objects. -7 2 can often just be translated as 'dualistic clinging', since there is really no satisfactory way to translate the two fonns of clinghg by something redundant like "clinging and grasping".
3O n is repeated when enumerating individual things, as are numbers. l T
31 v 3 i V
YV
lit. 'fiom the root' means "never" and is often pronounced "tsaa-nay". automaticallyornaturally.
33
one understands the non-existence of "I" as non-existence, that clinging to "I" is naturally turned around.
Thus, however much we think about it...for example, in my thinking, there is the clinging to the thought of "I". If we had a hundred people in here, and if you asked each person "is this I " each person would say "this is you". Then if you ?, f asked another person "is this I", he would say "it is not I, it is you". Then i you asked all of the hundred people, all of them would say "it is you" and there would never be someone to say "it is I". The one who thinks "it is I" is only oneself, among a hundred people. That thought "I am" is deluded. This thought "it is you" is the thought of the majority of people.
Therefore, other than oneself, who, being deluded, thinks "I", everyone thinks "it is you".
y~~~~.;u?~~~%~ay~a~y~~q%y.;:y\
Based on that, the Buddha taught non-self.
PE
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So, then, what is the reason for there being emptiness? It is interdependent relationship. It is called interdependent relationship, right? Interdependent relationship means that, except for one thing existing depending on another, there isn't (anything) really existing (independently)
For example, if we have something like this [holds up two pieces of incense]. There are two pieces of incense, right? If one asks "how is this?" is this long?", you would say "it is long", right? What is this? You would say "this is short", right? And I also think this is short. I think this is long. Also if you ask any other person, she will say "this is short, this is long".
But if one asks "which is the long incense?", you would say "it is this very one."
But if one did like this [holds up another longer one]? Now which is long?
373@~ o
3g%%nd ga in the same sentence are both use in the sense of actually or truly existing independently.
\
One might say "obtaining true existence."bis most often used in this way. p
So now how is it? This is long. This is short. Before it was long, now it has become short, right?
The meaning of this is that there is no long and there is no short. My mind sometimes thinks this is long, sometimes thinks this is short.
In this way that which is called long and short are by nature not real. They are emptiness.
Also if we have something like this [holds up two pieces of paper]. We would say this is small, right? This is big, right?
This is big. This is small. Right? Now, although we say like that, if we do like that [picks up bigger piece], then that which is called big and small are fabricated by one's mind and other than that the actual object, as far as it is concerned, has no big and has no small.
Thus, all real objects are empty. By thinking "that so-called long doesn't exist, does it?" and "those so-called long and short don't exist, do they", then one can understand. In that way "that so-called big also doesn't exist, does it?",and ''that so-called small also doesn't exist, does it?", and "then emptiness is true, isn't it?" - one can understand, right?
So, in that way, those so-called good and bad, beautiful and ugly, are all fabricated by one's mind. Other than that, really what is called good cannot be identified. Saying "this is bad", one cannot identify it. Saying "this is beautiful", one cannot identify it. Saying "this is ugly", one cannot identify it. Everything, in its nature, is not real. About everything the mind thinks "this is good", "this is bad", "this is beautiful", "this is ugly" and mentally labels it so.
39-6~~27 identify, recognize or discern if something does or doesn't exist is good or bad, etc. to correctly
If we think about it - if we have something like this [holds up hand] - it is called "my hand", right? If I call it my hand, and if I show it to everybody, they will say "it is your hand, it is a hand. If I question whether it is a hand, they will say "it is a hand". If I wonder if I have a hand, 1 will think "I have my hand". And that is not all -- by putting the hand up and down it can do work. So there is this thought "it is a hand, it is a hand", right?
But if we really look at where this hand is: if you ask "is this a hand?" [holds up thumb], this is not the hand. This is called, in Tibetan, febong (thumb).
Is this the hand? [holds up finger] This is also not the hand. finger...second...third ...fourth.
First
Then, for example, if you ask "is this the hand?" [holds up skin of hand] It is not the hand. Its c.ailed skin, right?
V V
41
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and r 3putting 8 before the verb expresses doubt about the statement: 'I doubt if there is...' f a
Then what we have inside this, is that called hand? It is not hand, it is flesh.
fqqnyl.qyTqyj,yqy~a\\ ~qypl%~w?'i\
So if we look for where the hand is - there is no hand now.
So this non-existence of the hand, welt what is it? We think that this conglomerate of thumb, fingers, skin, flesh and bone is the hand, but other than that, there really is no hand.
Therefore we say this hand is emptiness. There is no hand. If we search for the hand in the hand, there is no finding of hand. The hand is emptiness.
i
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In that way, not only the hand: my feet, head, the rest of the body - if we search for all of these, they do not exist.
i I .
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In that way, if we look at all the objects of the outer environment, they are all emptiness. To this I attach (the idea 09 single, solid (things). Actually, although one says those are objects, there is no place to hold on to.
Based on that, it is taught that in the absolute there is emptiness. However, although there is emptiness, but from the relative standpoint... in the absolute, if one really searches for the hand, there is none. There isn't, but from the relative standpoint there a hand. The hand can do work, feelings come to it.
This is called the relative truth. In this relativity, there is a hand. That is called relative truth, right? In the absolute, the hand is emptiness. That is called the absolute truth.
42
%@; the outer 3containm or vessel ijqSjthe environmenb in apposition to F Fthe inner contents, ie T
Y
4 3 Y q ~ or a b s o l u t e , - f i p T ~ q $ ~ absolute n t h . the ultimate the "q e 8 ~ ~ Z j : means relative, ~ @ 3 4 is the relative truth. 7455means literally 'if q$$f $~
done in the power of. ie, "fmmthe standpoint of', "fromthis point of view", "accordingto",etc. I this n case it is "fromthe relative standpoint".
sentient beings
So, in that way, from the relative standpoint, if we say this is long, it is long. If we say this is short, it is short. Therefore, in the relative truth, from the relative standpoint, there is long and there is short. From the absolute standpoint, really what is long? What is short? They do not exist.
Now, the Buddha taught the two truths and then taught this emptiness. This teaching of two truths is the teaching of emptiness. Two truths: in the relative (things) exist, in the absolute they don't exist. (There is) emptiness.
In that way, this was how we (examine) outer objects. In that way there is the inner mind. From the standpoint of the inner mind, maybe we think "this so-called I is my mind, and then this so-called mind really is not emptiness, it really exists."
45
q&@~3is usually "maybe",as in this case, but can sometimes mean "if(you) do such and such",as in i
With thoughts like that, the experience arises. But this so-called mind is also by nature empty.
Furthermore, if you say that mind is emptiness, then what is it? Our mind now has many thoughts arising. For example, something like hatred arises in me. Thoughts of hatred and desire arise, right? While this hatred is arising, it is extremely strong. It is powerful. It is as if my mind can't bear it. At this time, its as if I could turn very red in the face. In that way it is extremely strong. One may think something like "that hatred is really a real thing", right?
But really, when hatred arises, really looking straight at it, what is that hatred? I have a lot of hatred, right? Hatred manifests with great strength. What is that hatred? Where does that hatred arise? Where is that hatred? If I look, it doesn't exist. If I really look at it directly.
46
7 the usual word for "example"is often used to mean "extremely"or "exemplarily!" 9
Therefore, this essence of my mind is emptiness. However, everything arises, doesn't it? Thoughts, anger, etc. - everything arises, doesn't it? From the relative view we could say there is anger. We can say this is a hand. (The fact) that we can say "this is", although the essence is empty, is called the relative truth.
So, some think that this so-called non-self is to be understood as practically being like a corpse. It is not like that. What's called non-self is to be understood as being by nature free of the root of suffering.
47 % V? - $ $ !, .
Furthermore, if you ask 'What is the reason for emptiness?": if we had a rope...lets pretend it was here in front of me, a thin rope, and I was deluded and thought "this is a snake". If a thought like "this is a snake" arises, then fear of it will come. Then thinking "this is a poisonous snake", and "tonight it will bite me" will cause much fear to arise. Really there is no need of fear. Why? There is no snake. If there were a snake, one would need fear. If there is no snake, no need of fear. If there is a rope, I don't need fear. Thinking "it is a rope", knowing it, then the fear will instantly vanish of itself.
Therefore, when there is no snake, one knows there is no snake and that the rope is a rope. If one knows, then all the fear will disappear.
As in this example, our suffering and fear, the suffering and fear of samsara, comes. That suffering and fear, ieaiiy if these outer real objects a i d l i i i i ~iiiiiid i were really true, and if that self were really real, then there would be no eliminating of all the fear. No, but from the standpoint of non-self and the emptiness of all phenomena, there is no need whatsoever of our fear and fright. What should we
48
qy or q?9W$jjy.
understand about this lack of the need for fear, the need for fright? One needs to; understand emptiness as being emptiness. One needs to understand non-self a 1 s being non-self. If one knows that, then one can be freed from all fear. I
Well, what if we have extremely great suffering, will it help to think "I am emptiness"? For the time being, it won't help. Why? By nature we have become used to it from the beginning, we have a habitual tendency. Due to the strength of this, (even) thinking that it is emptiness, even understanding it, one cannot actualize this truth immediately. So we really need to meditate. Having meditated, when it becomes actualized, then one can become free of suffering in everything whatsoever.
propensity or habitual tendency imprinted through karmic action and carried from lifetime to lifetime. It is one ofthe four main obscusations . preventing enlightenment.
55
Furthermore, for example, those like Jetsun Milarepa, etc., left their footprints in stone and left handprints. Based on what could they leave these prints? They could see the stone was emptiness, that it was not real in the absolute. They (knew) the stone, in general, was not a solid, real thing, and they left their handprints and footprints. But we, no matter how much we think it is emptiness, cannot leave our footprints or handprints. Why? They all meditated and actualized emptiness. And although we think now that it is emptiness, we cannot actualize it.
In that way, holding both the relative truth and the absolute truth is called madhyarnaka. Not falling into the extreme of eternalism, nor falling into the extreme of nihilism is called madhyamaka.
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If I meditate, my mind always gets distracted.
qa.Tg"a.qvyqvq~@-q,y
I can never remain in calmness.
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L L I'm not distracted by generally seeing form or hearing sound, etc.
qafal'"yqv~3TTifqqy
By discursive thinking I become distracted.
y?$yyv?jJ'~l qw4p5~a'~yv?$'y\
What should I do? How should I meditate?
qafypTTq-Ta.vayyqv~%~\
You need to look at the essence of the thought itself.
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You must see if the thoughts and the one who looks are the same or different.
If I look at the essence of the thought, except for (feeling) I am looking, I see nothing.
q4$~y.yap~~p~u~4KTqa~y
I don't see any difference between the thought and the looker.
I don't know how I can say that they are the same, or that they are separate.
That's good! Thoughts and the looker are like water and waves, aren't they? They're not different, are they?
So now, with the mind vast, relaxed, if you drop into the depths of mind,
T q ~ ~ ~ ~ 4 f l fL a ~ ~ % ~ T ~ ~ ~ ~ a ; l ' ~ L i ' \ ~
then if many thoughts arise, don't be upset at them.
~ ~ v ~ N TL v ~ v T ~ ~ ~ ~ E ; ~ ~ ~ T v
If the mind becomes clear and peaceful, don't be attached to this.
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~I I~ &1 1~ ~ ~I ~ U~ ~ ~ 1 5 ~ ~ 1 f 1 l 1 a i ? a ~ ~ m l 8 m l ~ T I ' I 1 / 1 I
You need to rest the mind just so, without effort, like a child.
APPLYING GOLD
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A thangka painter, making gold paint, will simply apply that.
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Sometimes the gold leaf is beaten and then applied using varnish.
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Gold leaf which has been applied with varnish does not last long.
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This hot gold lasts a long time.
To apply hot gold, first you must pound the gold into fine particles.
?qnl~$L!.$a.$r;.q4y'61q'i~qnl1
Then, on a flat stone, with another stone,
you must grind it with mercury for a long time. It must be mixed.
Tqvy3~Ky+qqqq~+q@q~F~nl'%~l b L
So then, whether it's a ganzara or a statue, it is actually copper.
35isaj4"iqq3Tvqya5Ta\nl+q@71
If it is a large statue, it is probably beaten copper sheet.
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Then apply the mercuric aureate. It will stick immediately when applied.
if available, with both horse shit and moss you can spread it really well.
Tqnl'~y$T%al'~~pfyy'1T%rr,tb.;.&~371
So now the ganzara has become completely white.
qT~~T$qnl'&yq%71 -, .
The mercury itself is burned by the fire.
?TgpTTnlvnlr(-rr,3yq%7\ $Tn]7a~~g?pj\
It burns immediately and goes away as smoke.
It is a terrible poison. Even if you drink it and don't die, you will become crazy.
Furthermore, if you hold it too long over the fire, the gold itself will melt.
Then they will get drunk on much beer and hold a lemon in their mouth.
Because of the beer and lemon, the poisonous mercury smoke cannot do any harm.
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7
How? They say that all appearance is the outer guru of symbols, right?
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Therefore, take the gold-mercury mix as intrinsic wisdom and intrinsic consciousness.
The foundation consciousness must be burned in the fire of wisdom. It will be burned.
Then finally, you find the blazing light form of great Vajaradhara.
Here is the prayer by Ven. Kalu Rinpoche that you did in Lesson #I an as exercise in reading, writing and transliteration. Now you should be able to get a good idea of its contents. Using the notes on the following pages, translate it into readable English.
y r = ?qa?g-~ q
yVT p3 '
= ?q~'i-Wflu.
instrumental of
W V
f3%+
WTrl.
773'
3 '
transcendent lit. 'mind like,' i.e. like or according to their wishes; desire-fulfilling to whomever
% Y %
whatever is appropriate grandmother (sentient beings) "all those," here refers to "grandmother sentient beings"
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itself means existence or possibility 587 here refers back to T?$T~~w means "in my mind" or "in my stream of being." It is the beginning of a phrase which continues in the next line.
harm sorrow, regret fatigue, weariness unwavering diligence, effort poverty hunger thirst (lit. dry mouth) enjoyments to endeavor difficult to bear, unbearable load to take up, carry "those" refers to those in previous lives Ven. Kalu Rinpoche's name to wish, pray, hope
11
How to use a Tibetan Dictionary In a Tibetan dictionary words are listed in alphabetical order according to the root letter. So there are 30 sections, one for each letter of the alphabet. Within each section, the word order is as follows.
1) the root letter alone 2) the root letter with suffixes, appearing in alphabetical order:
~z;-$~T6l'TTTV
3) the root letter with vowel signs: gigu, shabgyu, drengbu, naro (and each one of these with the suffixes and vowels)
4) with subscribed letters: yata, rata, lata (each of these with suffixes, vowels, and subscribed letters)
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suffixes, vowels, subscribed letters and prefixes, in alphabetical order) Looking up verbs Usually only the present tense infinitive verb is listed, and the spelling of the past, future or imperative verb is often so different from the present root that it is impossible to find. Although it is hard to find a pattern in these changes, here is a simplified key that you might try when trying to deduce the present tense from other tenses. Try using it when you suspect a word of being a verb and it's not listed in the dictionary. See if vour words is in the dictionaw when vou:
1) add a prefix T or substitute it for whatever prefix is there 2) remove final V (verbs such as become)
3) remove initial T
4) if the root vowel is 'a', try substituting '0' or 'e'.
( T+
GLOSSARY
Q
all (lit.)
relative (truth)
q ~ T s 7 kindness
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also, even, too, but, although
qqau'
to spread
leg
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to read
QW?J,T
chair
w'sRY~JF difficult
$7
viij7 '7
white
87nN'
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a second
(rare + sublime + 3)
=
qqnl-
ns.q-yw
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qqnl-y
qTV
a minute
3
8.qS
L
w
mouth
food
'
to encircle; to traverse
Pq'Y
several
about, concerning
fJYff7
different
$qV
refuge
ffW'
house
p43.r
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birth; to be born
room
fJ4V
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.c/
P/
to promise
$yay
hair
woman; wife
p3,'
w
only
PTT
he, him
qqTY'
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aeon
pT"$
qaTa'
to exhort
T?qflV$
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they, them
throne
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to have time to
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PTV
to spread; to cover up
market
household
m( 7 ls q
1 7
flock, herd
sky
$?q~&
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mp 1 $ 4 l~7+'
dakini
you (h)
m( nY ls l
learned, clever
$?TT~
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husband
1E q 7T
to bring; to carry
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rF 7T
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you (pl.)
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py
blood
r i $ ~ ~ to bring; to carry
73 ( ? WY
why
Tpnlq' b
confusion, bewilderment
~ % v T whatever; whatsoever
q'
T % ~ Z ( Z ~ F : why
which
TS%T~Y
73V
when
y?
whenever
what (lit.)
75q47Z74T
YTT
all (coll.)
n l '
how
yqnl'
YriT'
from whence
YTqT
individual
where
snow
qY W
respect
~ $ 7 how many
7%
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monk
student
gqnl'
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+ verb = to be about to
to get spread
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virtue
knife
(virtue + aspiration)
75l 7 n~
Tqnl'Z
T
friend (female)
T nT ql
city, town
S$&T
festivak party
to do (h) (lit.)
head
a$$4G
fast, quickly
yq
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to become; to be
77~7 teacher
qqmml. by, beside
TqqV
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to be accomplished
$ T , j
victorious
$
T$&'
+ verb = to be about to
to go; beings
3%
k , g
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aT ' Ja
queen
T ~ T T to liberate
victor
qy%
old man
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iJj
L
b ~ % old woman
cause
q f ~ mare
,
iJj
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width, extent
$J4&7
iJjyT
India
3 continuity; lineage; 7
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sf
PJ
vast'
stream of mind
L
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continuously, always
box
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behind, in back or
$~p?
window
$
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door
L F T
to meditate
speech
V
,
-/
meditation
bad
K
L
illusion
?WT
?ST
to be certain
sound
silver, money
&FT
obscuration
VTPS
bank
actual
v:
feather
drum
five
~5
V
early
mantra; praise
777% we,us
to dedicate
T7'7T
+w
preliminaries
7x7
7%
qg
ten
to break
YqV
blue
to cut
q' 7T
5nly
before
things
~&"?~TTv
Bhagaoan
what (lit.)
3
whatsoever
wife (h)
~ V whatever; T
tongue
8~
+ verb = "ing"
5 ~ 3table
41'3s. one
beer
5] 9V
to be broken
4 1 8 7 ~the same
to be cut
qpqy
alone, only
water
7 2 ~ 5 naked
to swim
7
a57
5T5T -v -w
small, little
plan
8ifT
-/
great, big
q%a'
death; to die
54)'5?
+ verb = to be ready to
to be allowed to
tea
.
-/
+,TV
to forget
-/
Dharma practitioner
44nl'T
to meet (h)
%Y%'ynl'
Dharma center
~273~ world
(destructible + support)
siblings
'
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Dharma friend
q4)'r;l.
exahd,sublime
to enter, to participate
lord
3
4134
y
y3V-z
$q4.
danger
after
~ V V fault; evil
two
green
both
fish
both
7q4.
to listen
second
74nl.yqq~ practice
49Kfi
together (with)
7VJ
F\
to sleep
old (objects)
rc)'K sun;day
ancient (tradition)
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itself; ...ness
374.
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to find
compassion
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nice, cute
3.i;
close, near
??F
heart; pith
TjyT
permanent
'$T
sesame
$'
77q777
$b)ZfV
certain
$ 7 ~perception; knowledge;
to send (h)
realization
7$bl'
to send
? ,
i 7 l to perceive; to realize J nT
~ T T T to scatter YT
a r ~ T k equanimity ~
Tn1T
qy?T
to send (past)
V
5'
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horse
male horse
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on, upon
mare
qTqT
aYW!mlY'
to be sad (h)
ayV$~
wish (h)
hope (h)
all
gyY?qa\~a'
to hope (h)
freedom; to be freed
3qV
87-4'
to meet; soup
w
3q.l~
-/
doubt
8YV
qqYp&l'
. q7nl.g
%TnT
compassion (h)
%qT to obtain
-/
S!q'f.
ultimate
first
force
high
7
WTTWa(.
T
height (high + low)
connected with
V
to see
faith
4
to drink
holy, sacred
7. iT
to flourish; to spread
~ 7 ~ 5 animal
QV
time; while (after verb)
$?
now
+ verb = imperative
those
T mY V T la
equal to
7 % ~today
;ia.
book
qY$Wq9'
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primordially
qgq qgal.37
q$G
qTT
seven
5 7 7 ~ absolute
4
week
fine, well
to recover
condition
I a$?T ,
T
(happiness + suffering)
in front of
to purify
TTnlV
question
beyond; transcending
~7
g
T
this
$$T w+
L
to smell
A*.... ULCSC
5q
777
six here
carpet, seat
qy
T5ai.V
1
" V
bad
aspiration
T5WS
to subdue; to convert
T5VsV
composite things
(Skt. samskara)
8 i T
to be ill
T ~ T z ~ N attachment .
'~5~1. 4
stone
q4lq
black
to want, to desire
ajyV&T
forest
V
vajra, immutable, lord of stones
family
-@ ?
Daljeeling
ajTV
inside
F~T key
q q ~sin
5yqyT
,
qa-y7J.r
a\V
sky
West
~a\TnlWlrjLF'qqLF'q
to dream (h)
$ 3
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B q n j n l ~ q 3 q q V to dream (h)
4Byy
discursive thought
qT'a'
to err
4 l mV
-F'
a\TT
a '
jewel
3BVT
qdnl'
all (lit.)
\
L
yogin
Ta\VqqWN' airport
(sky + boat + fall + earth)
q"l.$+-q
nose
yo@
#?a'
form; appearence
ya\.ll'
place; abode
434nlY'
~\qnl'%%' pilgrimage
to carry
skin
lainl?l'
qa(nl'6l.
47-a'
situation; condition
lotus
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household
1 $7~
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to emanate
Va3'
~ k 3 ( for example
parents
q v
benefit
f3 .W
to give up
4EXV 1fy
L
benefit
qf Z3
brother
55%
siblings
heap, aggregate;
(Skt."skandaV) to increase
first offering
35%
htelligent
$~EJTV~$TV Chenrezi
(Skt. Avalokita) general, ordinary, common
I-/
qTq L
3~$Ys(qTa- to write (h) 2TT
child
3q-$JT
L
pen (h,
FIT
to be increased
to work (h)
aqV
cow
9. "
3TqVnl'
outside
W V
fall
qT5
(time) ~l-??
inbetween state
because, since
qqyq
L
vq
3qV
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child
girl; daughter
s ? ~ d d J V ~ ~ ~ Bodhisattvn
debts
q
3 q q T
North
9
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Tibet
Northeast
3Jl dn T
love, kindness
8611 (religion)
activity
aa\Y
practitioner of Bon
s4 W'
to do (past)
3 3
chicken
fut. of "to do"; + verb = noun
to bless
%?iqv
blessing
3%
3%
3
7
rooster
little bird
hen
$ 7
Y
to do; to make
deeds, actions
Y
dance
Y
enlightenment
to taste
37gdmlV
Bodhicitta
Lama
3=qq
$ 3
v:
supreme; unsurpassed
to arise
mind, intellect
LjW
power, empowerment
8 . 1 ~ignorance
8 .
neg. of 2nd, 3rd pers. of "to be"
head (h)
hair (h)
8.qT
-3JT85'
73.q'
hat (h)
Y ~ Tpoor
$zVT
in the middle
~i% many
-J 3T
butter; below
VT'T
$a ,.
r qq
summer
man, human
division
I
av7Tq?VV
unvirtuous action
\q
to tear
impermanent
WyV
effort, exertion
family
$L;'?a\.
misery
name
$7?TqVqTVT
(beyond misery)
'
Nirvana
'
$.
Nirvana
BZ~V??
~ml~q red
boundary, extreme
737nlV
to visualize, imagine;
a - $ ~pearl
fire
$77
f
-/
flower
3 3 l dream ~m .
$ V K q 5 7 ~ to dream
fla\.ffT
hospital (medicine + house)
car
KT7
she, her
-/
WTS$
mln19'
they, them ( f )
4j aV
doctor
interest, devotion
TIT.^^
to ripen, to age
time; life
vein, nerve
&U.
date
Kq
root
a plural
grass, herb
~ T V accumulation
shop
&q$
seller, merchant
6
fi
Z %
hot
to sell
nephew; cousin
to feel
niece; cousin
mldy
salt
ml$ml~~
at the border
$yT
to get burnt
tjeauiifiil
&
R%,T to hold
to close
w
44q
delicious
perfect, complete
qT
fox
qynl'v
to enter; to join
qH
7qV
hat
very
s(q
qq
ground, foundation
four
@,~$l'qqWT
to promise (h)
qqs(WT
TqqT
soup (h)
qqi;a.
to build (h)
food (h)
qqWT
TlgT
restaurant
TT
to eat
3a.Z
3
profound
4p.. T a1
to eat (past)
34V
to be closed
413fin~
to sleep (h)
aTZ(
% 3
& T
form; body
~ T T to say
to make
ZT
moon
4\3TpT
Sunday
d '
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milk
~Friday ~
under
qqr~@?1'
Saturday
4pqW'
Thursday
qspa\
4\"74~
Tuesday
-i"
VT
good
4PRzT
Monday
73T?7?1'
Wednesday
q y q q
=W
~ K
WT
above
@Ziq%?
to be (indefinite)
v:
38(nl'W?~
to be (probablynot)
I
U I T ~ J J W ~ ( ~ Tto expand, to improve T
-/
q8(~?~
YK
to be (probably;I llunk)
letter
to write
n l '
hungry ghost
f q ~ mind
innate
472W'
qjj)Y
primordial wisdom
qq
W
qY = 3 3 ~
"going to" when added to verb
to be (probably not)
&$J%;5.
to be (probably; I t h i i )
.
to come
-/
47'liq'
%i~qq
UlT
K? ??
Ula\g8(
qlClTa'
-/
quality; learned
7V-Y
to glance
to borrow; to lend
?.
?YT
mountain
4)Clnl'
right
awareness
hiynl'
7
Ta' goat
*
enclosure
long
TgT
TT
?8(
4
price, value
itself
qnl'
area; drawing
77
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+ verb = is time to
7 -
hope
excellent
each
TT4'
to get torn
?c;j?i'
to touch
Tnl'
cloth
v:
T
flavor; corpse
AT
easy
TYVTK
help
body
-/
TTa'
toplay
q a \ ~ to take
4
v:
A
flat
TayZfqT
depending on
year
"I$w
A
etcetera
foot, leg
nq 1V
n19rl'
Fq 3q
V:-
old (person)
7rnjai.t
young (person)
nK 1
path, road
Xq.7
-/
school
aaq
to learn; to teach
tree
forest
$$ q
v w
studies
3
7
to study (h)
to study
student, disciple
4
?fY
lesson
meat, flesh
q~5y.1.
q~$f
East
butcher
Southeast
q" I
dead
a
wood, tree; + verb = k g u
nl'
Wnl'
purified
m clear away
Rllddhl
y
!$WY
who
VV
"T
-/
every
anybody
to whom
'V?
$'
3nl'
qmlnl'
whose
n Y
son (h)
by whom
qY n%
daughter (h)
mind
sister
$7
amlnl'5~ se~tient being
\
existence
protector, dharmapala
$9 7.
qnla)V
to bum
hFWW'
to be sad
1 I
yellow
new
q2E;'
E ; '
speech (h)
very
to speak (h)
'
almost
m l '
three
deity
the three
YPE;'
shrine room
rJlgml'X 734V
the three
~ 3 7asma
TV
Lhasa (deity+earth=land of gods)
third
41%
T
stallion
gold
$$$T
~ G T K 01) tea
q
W W
W3
southwest
south
+ verb = imperative
uncle (paternal)
qnJqzqP?.a. qV4
.V:
-./
to be thought
sister
475Ta'
Y
to think, to ponder
Wm15q T
+ .V:
to hear
WF brother
WV
Wml'
father
mother
uncle (maternal)
3 %
doctor