Language is one of the most important parts of any culture. It is the way by which people communicate with one another, build relationships, and create a sense of community. There are roughly 7000 spoken languages in the world today, and each is unique in a number of ways. Having been created for the sole purpose of conveying the Dharma, Tibetan can be considered the most precious language in the world, and it is very particular for the Himalayan region.
Last year, a group of Himalayan people who work in New Delhi and frequently visit KIBI to pay their respects as Buddhists, approached KIBI Office with the wish to learn more about their own culture and tradition. Therefore they requested our office to organize a basic Tibetan language course, which is very essential to them. KIBI Office happily accepted their request and, starting from Sunday, June 05, 2022, their class was held each Sunday for the period of three months, until Sunday, September 04, 2022. However, as it proved truly helpful to them, the course continued on until present and was joined by twenty-five students.
Yesterday, Sunday, May 07, 2023, the language course closed for the summer. On this occasion, we all gathered in the auditorium and shared our thoughts. KIBS General Secretary Lama Thabkha expressed his gratitude to the teacher and students, and briefly spoke about the importance of the Tibetan language. Then, some of the KIBI language course students shared about how happy they are for having learned so much till now, as well as their wish to continue on next semester.
Furthermore, just like each year, today we once again went to offer breakfast at the Blind Relief Association, Delhi. Supporting the blind school is an ongoing charity activity of KIBS, and we genuinely appreciate this connection. The inquisitiveness and shy yet warm welcoming of the students always makes for a special, truly inspiring moment!
May all sentient beings always be happy and have no obstacles in this precious life.
