Path: typhoon.sonic.net!news-out.cwix.com!newsfeed.cwix.com!europa.netcrusader.net!208.184.7.66!newsfeed.skycache.com!Cidera!nyccyc01!news-out.nyc.rr.com!typhoon.nyc.rr.com.POSTED!not-for-mail From: "????" Newsgroups: alt.zen,alt.religion.buddhism.tibetan,talk.religion.buddhism References: <5ars6.3099$9U5.1247236@news2.cableinet.net> <3AB27B68.91A29CC2@hotmail.com> Subject: Re: Should I learn Tibetan or Sanskrit? Lines: 42 X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Message-ID: Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2001 04:12:33 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 66.65.59.90 X-Complaints-To: abuse@rr.com X-Trace: typhoon.nyc.rr.com 985061553 66.65.59.90 (Mon, 19 Mar 2001 23:12:33 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2001 23:12:33 EST Organization: Road Runner - NYC Xref: typhoon.sonic.net alt.zen:222718 alt.religion.buddhism.tibetan:93890 talk.religion.buddhism:155001 i also know in Japan, the Japanese buddhist educational insitutions require that students take both Sanskrit and Tibetan classes. students generally take Sanskrit during the first year and Tibetan during the second year. at first i did not know why. then when i studies both languages myself (sanskrit first, tibetan second), i know why. "Dayamati" ????? news:3AB27B68.91A29CC2@hotmail.com... > William J Giddings wrote: > > > Your choice should be made upon the purpose of your work and the texts that > > you are likely to translate. Remember that Buddhism is a *LIVING* religion > > and that no *LIVING* tradition of the Mahayana any longer uses the Sanskrit > > recensions of the Tripitaka. The two languages of primary importance > > therefore are Chinese and Tibetan. The revival of Sanskrit is largely an > > academic pursuit derived from non-Buddhist scholastic research into Buddhist > > Studies. > > This is not entirely true. When I studied in Japan, I was in a > department in which every student of Sanskrit was either a Shin or a Zen > Buddhist priest or monk. I noted in travelling around Japan that many > priests and monks studied Sanskrit and Pali, as well as Chinese and > Tibetan. Sanskrit is also enjoying a revival among Tibetan monks and > even has followers in Theravadin countries. I think we are entering an > era in which all kinds of Buddhists are trying to overcome their > sectarian divisions and are taking textual study very seriously as part > of their practice. So Sanskrit is not nearly as "dead" as you and others > have been suggesting. It is still quite an important, perhaps still the > most important, basic language for non-Theravadin forms of Buddhism. > > -- > Dayamati > "One's only master is oneself. > What other master could there be?" > (Dhammapada 160)