46. Kunsang | From Buddhist Nun to Tibetan Translator

In this episode we speak with Kunsang about her upcoming series
of courses in Classical Tibetan. We learn about her fascinating
journey growing up in Venezuela and Italy and first encountering
Tibetan Buddhism in her youth, studying Buddhist philosophy in
Italy, becoming ordained as a Buddhist nun, studying Tibetan
language and joining a nunnery in Dharamsala, India. We discuss
some of the details and curriculum of her life as a monastic
studying and training in India, eventually becoming a translator
for HH the Dalai Lama, among others. We then discuss the
differences between classical and modern Tibetan, the
relationship between Tibetan and Sanskrit, and pedagogies for
teaching Tibetan. We conclude by previewing Kunsang's upcoming
online course, TIBET 101 | Elementary Tibetan I.



Speaker Bio
Kunsang studied Letters and Philosophy at the Central
University of Venezuela and attended a two-year residential
Buddhist Philosophy program in Italy, where she became ordained
in the Tibetan Tradition in 2006. After this, she moved to India
and joined Thosamling Nunnery and Institute in Dharamsala. There
she completed both Basic and Advanced Tibetan Language programs.
She also completed the Traditional Buddhist Philosophy Studies in
Tibetan, which correspond to a Lobön (slob dpon) degree in
Buddhist Studies in the Tibetan Tradition.

She has been teaching Tibetan language, translating Buddhist
texts and interpreting for numerous masters for over 16 years.
Currently, as a lay teacher, she offers various courses online
aiming to transmit and preserve the study method of philosophical
debate derived from the ancient Nalanda University. She believes
that a direct, accurate translation from Tibetan into Western
languages is essential to better understand the Dharma through
the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism.



Links


https://www.yogicstudies.com/tibet-101

https://pdkunsang.wixsite.com/proyectodespertar