Dmu zhag(s)

One of the translations published recently over on our sister site, Lotsawa House, twice includes the expression “heavenly lustre.” This curious phrase is a translation of the Tibetan dmu zhag[s], a term that occurs a number of times in Mipham’s writings, but is absent from most dictionaries. I say “most” because although it is not found in popular lexicons, it does appear in Erik Haarh’s The Zhang-zhung Language (p. 37), where he says it is the equivalent of mkha’ lding, and offers the translation, “the sky-soaring one, Garuda.”

Now if we were to follow Haarh when translating Mipham’s writings, we would presumably make some reference to garuḍas or birds of prey even though this would not easily fit the context, which is usually one of prosperity, wealth or abundance. Luckily, Haarh’s is not the only dictionary to include a definition. The indispensable Golden Mirror of Decipherment (brda dkrol gser gyi me long) by Btsan lha ngag dbang tshul khrims (which we have had occasion to mention on this blog before), tells us (pp. 658–659) that dmu zhag is another term for g.yang (which we have translated as “spirit of abundance”) or bcud, meaning something like “vital essence” or “nutrition.”

So why have we translated it as “heavenly lustre”? When asked about the term, our most trusted authority, Alak Zenkar Rinpoche, explained that it ultimately refers to the earliest rulers of Tibet, who, so the histories tell us, descended from, and ascended to, heaven by means of a ‘celestial cord’ (dmu thag). These divine (or semi-divine) beings, it is said, were endowed with a special, healthy-looking oil (zhag), grease or film on their skin, giving them a healthy glow or lustre. This would seem to support the spelling zhag over the alternative form zhags which is sometimes encountered.

As a further example of dmu zhag in context, we can look at Mipham’s famous Gesar practice Gsol mchod phrin las myur ’grub, popularly known as gsol lo chen mo, which includes the following lines:

mkha’ la lha g.yang bdud rtsi’i sprin sdud pa/
In space, the prosperity of the gods gathers as clouds of nectar,

bar snang la mi g.yang dge mtshan gyi na bun ’khrigs pa/
In the sky, the prosperity of human beings collects into a mist of virtuous signs,

sa gzhi la klu g.yang dmu zhag gi rgya mtsho re bskyil ba/
And on the earth, the prosperity of the nāgas swirls into an ocean of heavenly lustre.

Zenkar Rinpoche said he was “a hundred percent certain” that dmu zhag here and in such contexts has nothing to with garuḍas. Nor, it seems, does it have much to do with the class of demonic beings known as dmu (contrary to what I have said in the past). 

Still a question arises: are there any modern writings then in which dmu zhag does signify garuḍa?

References

• Btsan lha ngag dbang tshul khrims. brda dkrol gser gyi me long. mi rigs dpe skrun khang. Beijing, 1997. 

• Haarh, Erik. The Zhang-zhung Language: A Grammar and Dictionary of the Unexplored Language of the Tibetan Bonpos. Universitetsforlaget i Aarhus og Munksgaard. Copenhagen, 1968.

The Magical Wish-Fulfilling Tree

༄༅། །ཐོན་མིའི་ལེགས་བཤད་སུམ་ཅུ་པའི་སྙིང་པོ་ལྗོན་པའི་དབང་པོ་བཞུགས་སོ།།

The Essence of Thönmi’s Masterpiece 'The Thirty Verses'

Dbyangs can grub pa'i rdo rje (1809–1887)

༈ ན་མོ་གུ་རུ་མ་ཉྫུ་གྷོ་ཤཱ་ཡ།
Namo guru mañjughoṣāya!

བླ་མ་མཆོག་དང་དབྱེར་མེད་པའི། །
འཇམ་པའི་དབྱངས་ལ་གུས་བཏུད་ནས། །
ཐོན་མིའི་ལེགས་བཤད་སུམ་ཅུ་པའི། །
སྙིང་པོ་མདོར་བསྡུས་་བཤད་པར་བྱ། །

To Mañjughoṣa, who is inseparable from the supreme teacher,
I respectfully bow down.
I shall now explain, in a brief summary, the essence
Of Thönmi’s excellent work, The Thirty Verses.

དབྱངས་ཀྱི་བྱ་བ་གསལ་པོ་རུ། །
བྱེད་པ་ཨ་ཨི་ཨུ་ཨེ་ཨོ་བཞི། །
གསལ་བྱེད་ཀ་སོགས་སུམ་ཅུ་ཡིན། །
The function of the vowels is to make clear,
There are four: i, u, e and o.
The consonants, ka and the rest, are thirty in number.

ག་ང་ད་ན་བ་མ་འ། །
ར་ལ་ས་རྣམས་རྗེས་འཇུག་བཅུ། །
ད་དང་ས་གཉིས་ཡང་འཇུག་སྟེ། །
ད་ནི་ན་ར་ལ་གསུམ་དང་། །
ས་ནི་ག་ང་བ་མར་འཐོབ། །
ga, nga, da, na, ba, ma, ‘a,
And ra, la and sa are the ten suffixes.
da and sa are the two post-suffixes.
The three [suffixes] na, ra and la take [post-suffix] da,
And [post-suffix] sa is added after ga, nga, ba and ma.

ག་ད་བ་མ་འ་སྔོན་འཇུག །
ga, da, ba, ma and ‘a are the prefixes.

གོ་ངོ་དོ་ནོ་བོ་མོ་འོ། །
རོ་ལོ་སོ་ཏོ་སླར་བསྡུ་སྟེ། །
རྫོགས་ཚིག་ཟླ་སྡུད་ཅེས་ཀྱང་བྱ། །
དྲག་ཡོད་ཏོ་དང་མཐའ་མེད་འོ། །
གཞན་རྣམས་མིན་མཐའི་རྗེས་མཐུན་བྱ། །
Go, ngo, do, no, bo, mo, ‘o,
And ro, lo, so, to are the concluding particles,
Also called the ‘terminative’ or ‘paired concluding.’
to is used with a da-drak and ‘o where there is no suffix.
The others match the final letters of the preceding syllable.

སུ་ར་རུ་དུ་ན་ལ་ཏུ། །
ལ་དོན་རྣམ་པ་བདུན་ཡིན་ཏེ། །
རྣམ་དབྱེ་གཉིས་བཞི་བདུན་པ་དང་། །
དེ་ཉིད་ཚེ་སྐབས་རྣམས་ལ་འཇུག །
སུ་སུ་ག་བ་དྲག་མཐར་ཏུ། །
ང་ད་ན་མ་ར་ལ་དུ། །
འ་དང་མཐའ་མེད་ར་དང་རུ། །
Su, ra, ru, du, na, la and tu
Are the seven 'la-equivalent' (la don),
They are used with the second, fourth and seventh cases,
And with ‘identity’[1] and the ‘temporal.’[2]
su follows a sa, tu is used after ga, ba and da-drak,
du is used after nga, da, na, ma, ra and la,
Syllables ending in ‘a or without a suffix take ra and ru.

གི་ཀྱི་གྱི་འི་ཡི་ལྔ་པོ། །
རྣམ་དབྱེ་དྲུག་པ་འབྲེལ་སྒྲ་དང་། །
དེ་རྣམས་ས་མཐའ་ཅན་ལྔ་ནི། །
རྣམ་དབྱེ་གསུམ་པ་བྱེད་སྒྲ་སྟེ། །
སྦྱོར་ཚུལ་ན་མ་ར་ལ་གྱི། །
ད་བ་ས་ཀྱི་གན་ང་གི །
འ་དང་མཐའ་མེད་འི་དང་ཡི། །
The five of gi, kyi, gyi, ‘i and yi
Are the connective particles of the sixth case.
The same five with the ending sa
Are the third case, the agentive.
They are applied as follows: na, ma, ra and la take gyi;
da, ba and sa take kyi; ga and nga take gi;
Syllables ending in ‘a or without a suffix take ‘i and yi.

ཀྱང་ཡང་འང་གསུམ་རྒྱན་སྡུད་དེ། །
ག་ད་བ་ས་དྲག་མཐར་ཀྱང་། །
ང་ན་མ་ར་ལ་མཐར་ཡང་། །
འ་དང་མཐའ་མེད་འང་དང་ཡང་། །
kyang, yang and ‘ang are the three ornamental and inclusive particles.
kyang is used after ga, da, ba, sa and da-drak,
yang after nga, na, ma, ra and la,
‘ang and yang are used after syllables ending in ‘a or without a suffix.

ཏེ་དེ་སྟེ་གསུམ་ལྷག་བཅས་ཏེ། །
ན་ར་ལ་ས་དྲག་མཐར་ཏེ། །
ད་དེ་ག་ང་བ་མ་འ། །
མཐའ་མེད་རྣམས་ལ་ས་སྟེ་འཐོབ། །
te, de and ste are the three continuative particles.
te is used after na, ra, la, sa and da-drak,
de is used after da, while after ga, nga, ba, ma, ‘a
And for syllables without a suffix ste is used.

གམ་ངམ་དམ་ནམ་བམ་མམ་འམ། །
རམ་ལམ་སམ་ཏམ་འབྱེད་སྡུད་དེ། །
སྦྱོར་ཚུལ་སླར་བསྡུའི་སྐབས་དང་མཚུངས། །
gam, ngam, dam, nam, bam, ‘am,
ram, lam, sam and tam divide and include.
The rules of application are as for the concluding particle.

ར་རུ་འི་ཡི་འང་ཡང་རྣམས། །
རྐང་པ་མི་སྐོང་སྐོང་བའི་ཁྱད། །
འོ་འུ་འམ་གྱི་གོང་དུ་ཚེག །
མེད་དང་ཡོད་པའང་དེ་བཞིན་ཡིན། །
The forms ra and ru, ‘i and yi or ‘ang and yang
May change to accommodate lines of verse.
The same principle determines whether or not
There is a dot (tsheg) before ‘o, ‘u and ‘am.

ནས་ལས་འབྱུང་ཁུངས་དགར་སྡུད་དེ། །
འབྱུང་ཁུངས་དངོས་ལ་གང་སྦྱར་འཐུས། །
རིགས་མཐུན་དགར་ནས་མི་མཐུན་ལས། །
སྡུད་ལ་ནས་སྒྲ་ཁོ་ན་འཇུག །
nas and las are used for the ablative, and for isolation and inclusion.
For the actual ablative, either form may be used.
For isolation from similar things nas is used, and from dissimilar las.
Whereas for inclusion nas alone may be used.

ཀྱེ་དང་ཀྭ་ཡེ་བོད་སྒྲ་སྟེ། །
ཕལ་ཆེར་མིང་གི་ཐོག་མར་སྦྱོར། །
kye and kwaye are vocative particles.
They usually come before the noun.

ནི་ནི་དགར་དང་བརྣན་པའི་སྒྲ །
ni is the particle of highlighting and emphasis.

དང་ནི་སྡུད་འབྱེད་རྒྱུ་མཚན་དང་། །
ཚེ་སྐབས་གདམས་ངག་ལྔ་ལ་འཇུག །
dang has five uses: to include, to divide and to indicate a reason,
A temporal relation or a command.

མིང་གི་ཐོག་མའི་དེ་སྒྲ་ནི། །
ཐ་སྙད་འདས་མ་ཐག་པ་དང་། །
རྣམ་གྲངས་གཞན་ཅན་གཉིས་ལ་འཇུག །
The pronoun particle de, which is used before a noun,
Refers either to a term just used,
Or another not stated [but implied].

ཅི་ཇི་སུ་གང་སྤྱི་སྒྲ་སྟེ། །
ཞིག་སྟེ་སླད་འདྲ་ཕྱིར་ལ་ཅི། །
སྙེད་སྲིད་ལྟར་བཞིན་ལ་ཇི། །
སུ་ནི་གང་ཟག་གང་ཀུན་ལའོ། །
ci, ji, su and gang are indefinite particles.
ci is used before zhig, ste, slad, ‘dra and phyir.
ji is used before snyed, srid, ltar, bzhin and skad.
su applies to people only, but gang is universal.

ན་རོ་ཡོད་མེད་པ་བ་མ། །
བདག་པོའི་སྒྲ་སྟེ་ག་ད་ན། །
བ་མ་ས་དང་དྲག་མཐར་པ། །
ང་འ་ར་ལ་མཐའ་མེད་ལ། །
བདག་སྒྲ་ཡར་གྱུར་བ་དང་ནི། །
ཆ་ལ་པ་ཉིད་སྦྱོར་བ་ལེགས། །
མིང་མཐའི་པ་བའང་ཕལ་ཆེར་འདྲ། །
མ་ནི་ངེས་མེད་སྐབས་དང་སྦྱར། །
pa, ba and ma, with or without an o vowel,
Are the nominalizing particles. After ga, da, na,
ba, ma, sa and da-drak, the particle pa is used.
After nga, 'a, ra, la and where there is no suffix,
The nominalizing particle to use is ba,
But it is good to use pa where there is an even number of syllables.
It is the same in most cases for words ending in pa or ba.
The use of ma is irregular and determined by context.

མ་མི་མིན་མེད་དགག་སྒྲ་སྟེ། །
མ་མི་ཐོག་མ་མིན་མེད་མཇུག །
མ་ནི་བར་གྱི་གསལ་བྱེད་ལའང་། །
ma, mi, min and med are the particles of negation.
ma and mi come before a word, min and med at the end.
ma can also be used as a clarifier in between [two words].[3]

ཚིག་ཕྲད་ཞིང་སོགས་ང་ན་མ། །
འ་དང་ར་ལ་མཐའ་མེད་མཐར། །
ཞིང་ཤེས་ཞེ་འོ་ཞེ་ན་ཞིག །
ག་ད་བ་དང་ད་དྲག་མཐར། །
ཅིང་ཅེས་ཅེ་འོ་ཅེ་ན་ཅིག།
ས་མཐར་དམིགས་བསལ་ཞེས་མ་གཏོགས། །
ཤིང་ཤིག་ཤེ་འོ་ཤེ་ན་འཐོབ། །
The particles zhing and so on are used after syllables ending in nga, na, ma,
‘a, ra, la and those without any suffix.
They are zhing, zhes, zhe’o, zhe na and zhig.
After syllables ending in ga, da, ba and a da-drak,
cing, ces, ce ‘o, ce na and cig are used.
After a final sa, zhes is the special exception,[4]
But shing, shig, she ‘o and she na are all used.

འོན་ཀྱང་ཁ་ཅིག་ལྷན་ཅིག་སོགས། །
མིང་གི་ཆ་དང་མ་ནོར་གཅེས །།
However, it is important not to confuse these
With actual words like kha cig, lhan cig and so on.

རྐྱང་པ་འཕུལ་ལ་འ་མཐའ་དགོས། །
གུག་ཀྱེད་བརྩེགས་འདོགས་ཅན་ལ་སྤང། །
A bare basic letter with a prefix will need the suffix ‘a,
But not if it has a vowel sign, or a head or subjoined letter.

ལྷུག་པའི་དོན་མང་མིང་མཚམས་དང་། །
དོན་འབྲིང་འབྱེད་དང་དོན་ཉུང་རྫོགས། །
ཚིགས་བཅད་ག་མཐར་ཆིག་བཤད་བྱ། །
རྫོགས་ཚིག་མཐའ་ཅན་ལྷུག་པ་དང་། །
ཚིགས་བཅད་རྐང་མཐར་ཉིས་ཤད་འཐོབ། །
དོན་ཚན་ཆེན་མོ་རྫོགས་པ་དང་། །
ལེའུའི་མཚམས་སུ་བཞི་ཤད་སོགས། །
ང་ཡིག་མ་གཏོགས་ཡིག་ཤད་དབར། །
ཚེད་མེད་དེ་སོགས་ཞིབ་ཏུ་འབད། །
To separate words in longer passages of prose,
To divide medium-length passages and conclude short ones,
And following a ga in a line of verse, use a single shad.
Use a double shad in prose following a terminative particle,
Or at the end of a line of verse.
A quadruple shad is required at the end of a long section of text,
Or at the conclusion of a chapter.
Take special care not to do such things as writing a tsheg
Between a final letter and a shad, unless the letter is a nga.

ཚིག་གི་ལོ་མས་མ་བསྒྲིབས་ཤིང་། །
དོན་གྱི་འབྲས་བུ་གཡུར་ཟ་བའི། །
ལེགས་བཤད་ལྗོན་པའི་དབང་པོ་འདི། །
དབྱངས་ཅན་གྲུབ་པའི་རྡོ་རྗེས་སྤེལ། །
This wish-fulfilling tree of fine explanation,
Unobscured by the leaves of verbiage,
And laden with meaning's plentiful fruit,
Was composed by Yangchen Drubpé Dorje.

Translated by Adam Pearcey 2005. Revised and updated 2012.

---

[1] A sub-category of the second case.
[2] A sub-category of the seventh case.
[3] In some tri-syllabic expressions ma is found in between two syllables, negating them both:

rta ma bong Neither horse nor donkey
ra ma lug Neither goat nor sheep

These expressions are used by way of analogy for a mixture that is neither quite one thing nor another.

[4] In other words, shes is not used so as to avoid confusion with the verb ‘to know’, and zhes is used instead.

Symposium on Translation of Madhyamaka Terms

Message from Mangalam Reasearch Center:

Dear Colleagues,

Mangalam Research Center for Buddhist Languages in Berkeley, CA is pleased to announce two related programs in the field of Madhyamaka studies, to be held from August 3-9, 2012. Consistent with MRC’s mission, the programs will focus on issues of language, philology, and translation.

The two programs will be led by Drs. Anne MacDonald and Luis Gómez. Invited participants include Drs. Bill Ames, Dan Arnold, Karen Lang, Akira Saito, and Kevin Vose. Also participating will be Dr. Michael Hahn, one of MRC’s two academic directors, and Dr. Siglinde Dietz, Visiting Scholar in Residence, as well as the MRC postdoctoral fellows.

MRC invites other academics and advanced graduate students with an interest in Madhyamaka to apply to participate in these two programs.

The first program, which will run from August 3-6, is a seminar on selected portions of the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. The anticipated focus (subject to change) is the first 5-7 verses of MMK ch. 4 (refutation of cause and effect); MMK ch. 5, with consideration of its commentary in the Prasannapadā, and selected verses from chapters 15, 24, and 25, with reference to the Prasannapadā where helpful.

The second program is a symposium, to run from August 7 through August 9. The symposium is intended to focus on translation and terminology choices for key Madhyamaka terms in light of the discussion during the preceding seminar.

The second program is open only to individuals who have completed the first. Interested persons who wish to attend only the first program are welcome to apply.

The programs will be held at Mangalam Research Center for Buddhist Languages in Berkeley. Details on how to apply, costs, housing options, etc. will be posted on the MRC website, www.mangalamresearch.org.

Regards,

Jack Petranker Director, Mangalam Research Center

Greater than A Wish-Fulfilling Jewel: on the translation of the first of the Eight Verses

Dge bshes Glang ri Thang pa (1054-1123)’s Eight Verses of Training the Mind (blo sbyong tshigs rkang brgyad ma) is a seminal work of Tibetan literature, and surely deserves to be ranked among the world’s spiritual classics. There have been many translations, especially in recent years, largely on account of its popularity with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who has taught it on numerous occasions all over the world. Historically however, it appears to have received less scholarly attention and inspired fewer commentaries than related works such as the Seven Points of Mind Training (blo sbyong don bdun ma) attributed to Dge bshes 'Chad ka ba (1101-75), who, incidentally, also composed a commentary on the Eight Verses. Perhaps this shortage of commentarial literature explains the apparent difficulty of interpreting the very first of Glang ri Thang pa’s eight verses.

There appear to be two versions of the Tibetan root text available. In the first, which is found for example, in theg pa chen po blo sbyong brgya rtsa (Delhi, 2004. p. 177), the first verse is as follows:

bdag ni sems can thams cad la/ /
yid bzhin nor bas lhag pa yin/ /
don mchog sgrub pa'i bsam pa yis/ /
mchog tu gces par 'dzin pa bslab/ /

A more common version, which is found here on the Dalai Lama's official website and elsewhere, gives the following:

bdag ni sems can thams cad la/ /
yid bzhin nor bu las lhag pa’i/ /
don mchog sgrub pa'i bsam pa yis/ /
mchog tu gces par 'dzin par shog/ /

The question that concerns us here is: who or what is greater than a wish-fulfilling jewel (yid bzhin nor bu las lhag pa)?

Of these two versions of the Tibetan text, the first would seem to imply that it is all sentient beings who are being praised so highly. The second version, with its connective particle at the end of the second line, would indicate that it is actually the highest aim or supreme objective (don mchog), which is greater than the fabled cintāmaṇi.

Dge bshes 'Chad ka ba’s commentary, included in the Great Collection of Mind Training (blo sbyong brgya rtsa), follows the first of the two versions above. It begins its explanation of this verse by describing how we can train to see sentient beings as wishing gems and offering a comparison: just as a wish-granting jewel can't cleanse itself, beings can't free themselves from the mire of samsara, nor can they wash away their suffering and its causes. It goes on to say that just as a wishing gem can become the source of all that we desire once we have cleansed it, sentient beings can, with our help, become a source of all temporary and ultimate benefit. It is on the basis of sentient beings therefore, Dge bshes 'Chad ka ba explains, that the unexcelled state of buddhahood can be achieved (sems can la brten nas sangs rgyas kyi go ‘pang bla na med pa thob par ‘gyur ro).

With Dge bshes 'Chad ka ba’s explanation in mind, we could translate the first version (the one he uses) as follows:

I will train to see all sentient beings
As greater than a wishing gem.
With the thought of accomplishing the highest aim,
I will cherish and regard them as supreme.

If we now look at previous translations of this verse, we can divide them into two groups based on how they answer our question.

1. All Sentient Beings
In an early English translation of the text by Geshe Rabten, Gonsar Tenzin Khedup and Lobsang Kalden (1982), it is all sentient beings who are accorded the highest honour and described as greater than a wish-granting gem. The translators render the verse as follows:

“With the determination of accomplishing the highest welfare for all sentient beings, who excel even the wish-granting Gem (Cintāmaṇi), may I at all times hold them dear!”

This is also the interpretation favoured by members of the Asian Classics Input Project (ACIP):

“May I think of every living being
As more precious than a wish-giving gem
For reaching the ultimate goal,
And so always hold them dear.”

2. The Supreme Objective
Other translators, such as Heidi Köppl (2004), consider that it is the “supreme purpose” which is superior to a wish-fulfilling jewel. Still, in her version, it is all sentient beings who accomplish this:

“Considering that all sentient beings
Accomplish a supreme purpose
Superior to the wish-fulfilling jewel,
I shall at all times hold them to be very precious.”

Ruth Sonam (2001) also thinks it is the highest good which is superior to the jewel, but, unlike Heidi Köppl, she thinks we must accomplish it for them:

“May I always cherish all beings
With the resolve to accomplish for them
The highest good that is more precious
Than any wish-fulfilling jewel.”

Professor Robert Thurman (1995) concurs:

“Through my ambition to achieve
The supreme of goals
Far better than any wish-granting gem,
May I always dearly cherish every being!”

Geshe Thupten Jinpa (2006) also thinks it is the highest aim which exceeds a wish-fulfilling gem. He translates the verse as follows:

“With the wish to achieve the highest aim,
Which surpasses even a wish-fulfilling gem,
I will train myself to at all times,
Cherish every sentient being as supreme.”

The fact that the majority of translators associate the highest aim (don mchog), rather than all sentient beings, with the metaphor of the wish-fulfilling jewel is perhaps based on the prevalence today of the second Tibetan version given above. Yet if we consider, as Geshe Thubten Jinpa does, that the commentary attributed to Dge bshes 'Chad ka ba is genuine, and that it might even reflect Dge bshes Glang ri Thang pa’s own explanations, it seems that the first of the two Tibetan versions may be the more authentic; and that, for Glang ri Thang pa, it is all sentient beings who are to be extolled above even a wish-fulfilling jewel. Still, it is interesting to note that even Geshe Thupten Jinpa does not follow this interpretation in his own translation of the root text.

i. Tibetan

• byang sems gzhon nu rgyal mchog & sems dpa' chen po mus chen dkon mchog rgyal mtshan, theg pa chen po blo sbyong brgya rtsa. Delhi. 2004

ii. Secondary Sources

• Asian Classics Input Project, asianclassics.org
• Dragpa, Chökyi. Uniting Wisdom and Compassion. Translated by Heidi I. Köppl. Boston: Wisdom Publications. 2004
• Jinpa, Thupten. Mind Training: The Great Collection. Boston: Wisdom Publications. 2006
• Geshe Rabten, Gonsar Tenzin Khedup and Lobsang Kalden. In His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, Four Essential Buddhist Commentaries. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1982
• Sonam Rinchen, Geshe. Eight Verses for Training the Mind. Translated by Ruth Sonam. Ithaca: Snow Lion. 2001
• Thurman, Robert A. F. Essential Tibetan Buddhism. Harper Collins. 1995

Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program

From the FPMT site:

The Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Programme is a 4-year Tibetan language training program aimed at providing native speaker interpreters in our FPMT centers worldwide.

The program consists of two years of classroom study in Dharamsala, India followed by two years of training at an FPMT center as an interpreter for a geshe.

There have been five LRZTP programs so far.

The next LRZTP (LRZTP 6) will start in September 2012

NB: LRZTP 6 will have a few places available for students wishing to follow only the 2-year classroom program without committing to becoming an FPMT interpreter.

More information will appear on the dedicated blog (http://lrztp.blogspot.com/)

Ming Tsam Tibetan Program

This from the Ming Tsam blog:

Aspiring translators, Tibetan language enthusiasts, and Buddhist philosophy pundits, welcome to the Ming Tsam Tibetan Program. Initiated by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche in 2010, the Ming Tsam Tibetan program's most central aim is to one day become a translator training program! Of course, much ground must be covered before we reach that goal and for these first years we are simply working on the basic building blocks of a foreign language program.  

Now, at the beginning of 2012, the first five-month beginner and four-month intermediate courses have been completed. The Beginner course began with 7 students and ended with 5 and the intermediate course began with 5 and ended with 3; not bad for a first year! 

This year, the focus of the program will be towards students at an intermediate level. Main subjects of study will be Buddhist philosophy, grammar, and Tibetan liberal arts. However, the program's most exciting and notable feature will be the Junior Translator Pairs of Ming Tsam students and Dzongsar Shedra monks and khenpos! 

For more information you may email the program coordinator Wyatt Arnold at wyetto@gmail.com

Dīpaṃkara Tibetan Translator Internship Program

See here for information about the Dīpaṃkara Tibetan Translator Internship Program which runs from June 18th - July 31st, 2012 at Rangjung Yeshe Gomde in Northern California. Interns will work alongside established translators from the Dharmachakra Translation Committee on texts from the Kangyur to be published as part of the 84000 translation project.