My Year of Apprenticeship by Jessie Litven Photo by Marvon Moore My first year of working with the Nalanda Translation Committee has been quite illuminating for me. I would like to thank all of you who gave your support so that I was able to take this important step into the wide world of translation. As soon as my foot hit the ground, I discovered there are two main parts to working with a Tibetan translation committee; the first is “Tibetan translation,” and the second is “committee.” While some of the work I did this year consisted of formal Tibetan translation, I also spent a great deal of time entering many of the collected Tibetan writings (sungbum) of Trungpa Rinpoche into a computerized format. They are now digitally archived so we can publish the texts in Tibetan. This entailed typing each letter of the original texts written in the u-me script, painstakingly proofreading the documents together with other translators, entering the corrections, and then reviewing those files with Karma Senge Rinpoche. This last part of the process is a whole other cycle of correction and editing, which we are still engaged in. One of the greatest blessings of translating Tibetan is the opportunity to work intimately with visiting teachers. When Karma Senge Rinpoche was in Halifax, I had the opportunity to work with him extensively, serving as the coordinator for his household, as well as working closely with him on digitizing the sungbum. A memorable time for me was the day just before his departure. He told us that he needed a few particular texts of the Vidyadhara’s typed digitally, printed in pecha (Tibetan book) format, and photocopied—all before he returned to Tibet the next morning. Needless to say, we spent most of our waking hours that last day sharing the computer screen, typing, and proofreading. Rinpoche learned about instantaneous deletion and addition, and the art of computer de-freezing, while simultaneously delivering a crash course in Tibetan cursive, spelling, grammar, and sadhana composition. In the end, the texts were completed, and he took them home to give to his many nuns to practice. Now we can begin to translate these. Working intimately with the Halifax contingent of the Translation Committee has been a wonderful opportunity for me. They have inherited a linguistic lineage that makes it possible for us to practice more effectively, and they have a lot of wisdom and advice to pass on. They continually offer their skills to support our community, not only as translators, but as teachers and valued community members. I am honored to join their tradition. One might think that so much exposure to dharma should guarantee swift progress along the path. With “self-existing wisdom” and “primordial nature” appearing on-screen at least fifty times a day, this would seem an ideal situation for waking up. But it became apparent to me that when things come in abundance, not only is it possible to take them for granted, but it is quite easy to complicate them beyond their natural simplicity. I’ve come to appreciate that repetition can act as a reminder, but unless these jewels of instruction are fully incorporated, they are ultimately lost. May the words that have been translated penetrate and be of benefit! Donate Now Patricia Yerburgh’s Year Abroad Patricia started as NTC’s first apprentice in 2002, and continues to study Tibetan intensively and contribute as a new member. She returned to Halifax this summer after spending a year improving her Tibetan language skills in Asia. This fall Patricia will continue to work part-time for the Translation Committee in Halifax. In the winter, she will return to the Rigpe Dorje Institute, a Tibetan language and dharma study program held at Pullahari Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. As part of last year’s course there, she translated a section of the sixth chapter of the Treasury of Knowledge on the skandhas, dhatus, ayatanas, and nidanas, and invented a card game for studying the twelve nidanas. Here in Halifax, Patricia continues to focus on translating Trungpa Rinpoche’s writings from Tibet. Patricia playing her nidanas card game with friend Tom Bell. Donate Now