Sanskrit Summer School

12 – 14 / 12 – 21 / 12 – 26 July | Led by sraddhapa

This year the Triratna Scholars Network will for the first time be offering a two-week Sanskrit Summer School at Adhiṣṭhāna. The aim of this project is to help participants develop a working knowledge of Sanskrit and Pali that will allow them to go deeper in their study of the Dharma by engaging with Buddhist texts in their original language. The teaching will focus on practical skills that can be used right away, and students will start reading actual Buddhist texts from the very first lesson.

There will be two different classes to choose from – one for complete beginners, especially those who have never studied another language before, and one for those who have some experience of studying Sanskrit or Pali, or who are already confident language learners. Participants will attend 3 hours of classes in either the mornings or afternoons, with the remaining time free to spend on individual study and enjoying the beautiful surroundings of Adhiṣṭhāna. Participants will join the shared morning meditation practice, and in the evenings we will recite the Sevenfold Puja in Śāntideva’s original Sanskrit.

It is possible to attend the summer school for the first intensive taster weekend, for nine days, or for the whole two weeks.

The summer school will be led by Śraddhāpa, who has over a decade of experience as a language teacher. He has a Master’s degree in Sanskrit and is currently studying for a PhD in Buddhist Studies at the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts in Taiwan, specialising in Sanskrit Prajñāpāramitā literature.

The ideal method of studying Buddhism would be to read in the original language a number of carefully selected texts belonging to the Pāli, Sanskrit, Chinese, Tibetan, Mongolian, or Japanese canonical Buddhist literature.

Sangharakshita, A Survey of Buddhism

English (UK)