Nalanda Translation Apprenticeship
For over twenty-five years we have translated a
broad range of Buddhist and Shambhala teachings
from Tibetan into English. The committee has translated
over four hundred texts, including such key works
as the Heart Sutra, Werma Sadhana,
and Vajrayogini Sadhana. Following in the
Buddha's footsteps, the Vidyadhara Chögyam
Trungpa Rinpoche was adamant that people needed
to practice and study in their own languages, and
the committee's work with him and other teachers
has made this possible in English and other Western
languages.
Recognizing that translation will remain important
to our community for decades and centuries to come,
the Translation Committee is now exploring apprenticeships,
to ensure that the expertise gained over decades
is passed on. What we learned at the feet of the
Vidyadhara, particularly the general principles
of what constitutes a good translation, must not
disappear with the committee's first generation.
Establishing this apprenticeship program is a key step in
the committee's effort to train a new generation
of translators,
and we have had a number of enthusiastic and well-qualified applicants.
Our apprenticeship program is beginning to grow, both from a number of sangha members actively pursuing Tibetan-language studies, as well as our new apprentice: Jessie Litven, a second-generation Buddhist Shambhalian raised here in Halifax. After living in India with Tibetans for just over nine months, her facility with spoken Tibetan is remarkable and inspiring, and we feel it is important to encourage and support her. We are excited to have her working with us. Patricia Yerburgh, our first apprentice, was in Asia last year (2005-06) and returned to work with us in Halifax this summer and fall. This coming winter (2007), she and Jessie will return to Asia for further study and training at the Rigpe Dorje Institute, a Tibetan language and dharma study program held at Pullahari Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. We look forward to their return in the spring. Please get to know them a little better by reading more about them below.
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