We’re pleased to share that one of Rinpoche’s long-term students, Doug Nurnberg, has recently been featured in an interview on Steve James’ Guru Viking Podcast. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have. Doug is a longtime friend of SINI, who through his labor and mentorship has been a foundational contributor and stalwart support to SINI. Volunteerism, community and service, as Doug gently reminds us throughout the interview, can nurture and sustain us in times of personal and societal challenge. We’re also pleased that Steve James will be working with monastics, in collaboration with SINI, on creating a first-of-its-kind Tibetan-language podcast. Stay tuned for details.
Whether talking with volunteers or the participants of SINI’s many programs and events, the traits mentioned most often are the unique and unparalleled opportunities SINI presents to connect with and live alongside traditionally trained monastics with advanced degrees in Buddhist studies in an environment that is both scholastic and accessible. For those interested in Buddhism and the Vajrayana path, SINI truly is distinctive. Not only is the institute located in Sarnath, one of the most important holy pilgrimage sites and the location where the Buddha first turned the wheel of the Dharma over 2,500 years ago, but SINI is the temporary home for monastics interested in learning English, studying translation, and deepening their understanding of the interface between traditional monastic life and the demands of modern lay experience.
SINI presents many opportunities to participate in and contribute to collaboration along a bridge where tradition meets modernity. For some, volunteering as a teacher in the English for Dharma Purposes program provides a multi-year in-depth opportunity to live and share alongside monastic English students. For others who may have studied Tibetan, SINI’s translation programs offer opportunities to collaborate with monastics in helping to translate sacred ancient texts of the Kangyur Karchag into modern languages. SINI has also hosted university students interested in short-term summer residential experiences in the hill stations of northern India who conduct English conversation groups and dyads while offering coursework in personal areas of expertise for SINI’s monastic students.
For those interested in an in-depth visit to Buddhist pilgrimage sites while simultaneously learning from monastics, the Four Noble Truths program is unparalleled. In the expert hands of SINI staff, volunteers and monastics, participants visit the ancient sites of Sarnath, Varanasi, Nalanda, Rajgir, and Bodhgaya. The monastics also accompany the participants to the Nyingma Monlam, an annual peace ceremony located where the Buddha first attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya, and attended by over 10,000 devotees annually. Participants consistently rate the program among the most memorable experiences of their lives.
If you have an interest in learning colloquial and classical Tibetan, SINI offers courses in both. Whether participating in SINI’s colloquial Tibetan language courses, developed by Franziska Oertle and well known for their innovative and joyful approach to language learning, or a more deep dive into classical Tibetan as featured in the ancient texts, our experienced and qualified teachers will guide your way.
In thanks to the Khyentse Foundation for its generous support and in collaboration with Tergar Institute, SINI is expanding its 3 Cups Teacher Training activities. In addition to conducting in-person training at SINI and bringing together monastics from throughout the Himalayan region, we are developing Tibetan-language resources to develop culturally responsive pedagogical methods for an ever-changing world, conducting on-site training activities at monasteries and nunneries, and ultimately developing a train-the-trainer model with both online and in-person components.
On behalf of the many of us who have had the good fortune to connect with the SINI family, whether through service and volunteerism, prayer requests made through our website, participation in one of SINI’s numerous projects and events, joining in pujas and chanting, or many of the other activities hosted through SINI, we welcome you. We invite you to take the time to explore our website. These days, in particular, it seems we feel an increasing thirst for the wisdom of ancient knowledge and guidance and a visceral yearning to connect with the goodness and beauty in our hearts and minds. If this resonates with you, we welcome you to explore more of SINI’s offerings and look forward to hearing from you soon!