(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3) (cid:4)(cid:4) THE PRECIOUS KEY AN INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY TIBETAN FOR DHARMA STUDENTS PART ONE BY MCCOMAS TAYLOR AND LAMA CHOEDAK YUTHOK 1 2 (cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3) (cid:4)(cid:4) INVOCATION OF MANJUSHRI (cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:9)(cid:10)(cid:8)(cid:11)(cid:7)(cid:12)(cid:8)(cid:13)(cid:14)(cid:8)(cid:15)(cid:11)(cid:7)(cid:10)(cid:8)(cid:16)(cid:5)(cid:8)(cid:17)(cid:18)(cid:12)(cid:8)(cid:19)(cid:7)(cid:16)(cid:8)(cid:20)(cid:14)(cid:21)(cid:4) (cid:5)(cid:12)(cid:22)(cid:8)(cid:23)(cid:18)(cid:17)(cid:14)(cid:8)(cid:22)(cid:24)(cid:14)(cid:8)(cid:15)(cid:25)(cid:22)(cid:8)(cid:15)(cid:25)(cid:10)(cid:8)(cid:26)(cid:8)(cid:16)(cid:5)(cid:8)(cid:5)(cid:21)(cid:27)(cid:8)(cid:10)(cid:21)(cid:4) (cid:5)(cid:28)(cid:17)(cid:8)(cid:12)(cid:29)(cid:8)(cid:5)(cid:30)(cid:10)(cid:8)(cid:5)(cid:31)(cid:18)(cid:21)(cid:8)(cid:22) !(cid:29)(cid:8)(cid:27)(cid:25)(cid:22)(cid:21)(cid:8)"(cid:18)(cid:22)(cid:21)(cid:8)(cid:26)(cid:8)#(cid:14)(cid:4) (cid:23)(cid:18)(cid:8)$(cid:18)(cid:21)(cid:8)%(cid:18)(cid:5)(cid:21)(cid:8)(cid:26)(cid:17)(cid:14)(cid:8)&(cid:29)(cid:8)(cid:5)(cid:8)'(cid:27)(cid:8)(cid:12)((cid:8)(cid:22)(cid:21)(cid:18)(cid:27)(cid:4) tse-den khye kyi khyen-rab ö-zer gyi dag lo’i ti-mug mün-pa rab-sal ne ka dang ten-cö zhung-lug tog-pa-yi lo-drö pob pa’i nang-wa tsal du sol With the brilliance of your wisdom, O compassionate one, illuminate the darkness of the ignorance of my mind. Then grant me the light of intellect and wisdom so that I may understand the teachings, the commentaries and the precepts. 3 (cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3) (cid:4)(cid:4) PREFACE This book has been written for students of the Buddhadharma who wish to read Tibetan texts in the original. It aims to provide introductory proficiency and makes no claims to be comprehensive in its scope. At the completion of Part One, a student should be able to read aloud and understand simple texts. We intend this course to be suitable for Tibetan language classes in dharma centres and universities, but we have attempted to make it simple enough for anyone who wishes to study independently. No more than three or four grammatical points are introduced in each lesson. A useful vocabulary of common words is introduced gradually. We have tried to restrict the number of new words in a lesson to about ten. We believe that learning should be a pleasureable experience and we have attempted to keep the explanatory text light and non-technical. There is a glossary of grammatical terms used in the book for non- grammarians in Appendix 3. Acknowledgments: Merril Gardiner, Pauline Westwood, Richard Stanley,. Special thanks are due toViv Laynne who spent many hours proof- reading and offered many insightful criticisms of the text. Lama Rigzin gave freely of his time and expertise to check the Tibetan text. We would also like to acknowledge our debt to Dr Thomas Egenes who demonstrated so ably with his Introduction to Sanskrit (Motilal Barnarsidass, Delhi) that it is possible to write a truly modern textbook for an ancient language. The Tibetan language is the precious key to the treasure-house of the teachings of the Buddhas and our gurus. May the riches therein benefit the users of this book and all living beings! 4 (cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3) (cid:4)(cid:4) CONTENTS 1. Notes on pronunciation 7 The alphabet: Rows 1 and 2 Simple sentences Word order The subject marker ni 2. The alphabet: Rows 3 and 4 17 More about word order The locative marker la Adjectives 3. The alphabet: Rows 5 and 6 25 The verb yö, ‘to have’ The conjunction dang, ‘and’ The plural marker nam 4. The alphabet: Rows 7 and 8 33 Expressing non-existence with me Marking possession using ‘i 5. The four vowel signs 39 Expressing ‘from’ with ne and le The plural marker dag 6. Summary of the alphabet and vowel signs 47 Revision of all grammatical points 7. Final consonants 57 Making nouns from verbs using pa The pronouns di ‘this’ and de ‘that’ 8. Subjoined letters 69 9. Expressing qualities and attributes with cen, 79 dang ce-pa and dang den-pa 10. Surmounted letters, 85 Prefixed letters The suffix sa The special uses of a-chung 11. Review of all the rules of 97 spelling and grammar 5 12. The possession markers gi, kyi and gyi 107 Expressing purpose with dön-tu and chir Sentence markers Punctuation: she 13. Agent markers 115 Passive constructions 14. More on verbal nouns 123 How to use a dictionary 15. Continuation markers 133 Supplications with the pattern tsal du sol 16. Questions and alternatives with am, etc. 141 Negation with mi and ma 17. More about location markers 149 The vocative: addressing by name 18. Reading: Refuge Prayer 159 Expressing a wish with shog 19. Reading: The Four Immeasurable Thoughts 167 The auxiliary verb gyur, ‘become’ The command markers cig, etc. 20. Reading: Dedication Prayer 177 More about adverbs The conjunctions kyang, etc. Appendices A1. Alphabet worksheets A2. Key to exercises A3. Grammatical tables A4. Grammatical terms for non-grammarians A5. Tibetan–English Glossary (Phonetic) Tibetan–English Glossary (Tibetan alphabetic) English–Tibetan Glossary 6 1 (cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:3) (cid:4)(cid:4) LESSON ONE Notes on pronunciation Consonants Vowels The alphabet Rows 1 and 2 Grammar Word order The subject marker ni The verbs yin ‘to be’ and min ‘to be not’ Note on definite and indefinite articles Vocabulary Exercises 7 NOTES ON PRONUNCIATION While we are gradually introducing the letters of the Tibetan alphabet, we will use a system of phonetic transcription, that is, Tibetan words will be written with the English alphabet approximately as they are pronounced. Words in phonetic transcription are shown in a different font like this: ka and kha. The aim is to provide a rough guide to pronunciation, rather than perfect accuracy. As your proficiency develops, listen carefully to advanced students and to native Tibetan speakers to improve your pronunciation. Consonants By and large, the sounds of Tibetan are not difficult for a speaker of English. One point that warrants some attention is aspiration. Aspiration means the addition of breath. To make the aspirated sound kha, for example, say ka, and simultaneously add a puff of breath. It is rather like saying ka and ha at the same time. To test if you are aspirating correctly, hold your hand in front of your mouth and say kha. You should be able to feel a puff of air. In the sounds kh, ch, th, tsh and ph, remember that the h represents aspiration. The following tables show all the sounds of the Tibetan language. The first column in each box give the Tibetan sound; the second gives the closest English equivalent. k kite ts cats kh kite, with tsh cats, with aspiration, aspiration not like ch in ‘chat’ g gap dz adze ng sing, c chat, but not like cat w wet ch chat, with aspiration zh leisure j jar z zoo ny canyon t tap y yes th tap, with aspiration, r rat not like English th in l let ‘that’ d dam n nut p pat sh shut 8 ph pat, with aspiration, s sat not like English h hat ph in ‘phone’ b bat m mat Points to remember • c is pronounced like the ch in chat. • ch is pronounced like the ch in chat, but with aspiration. • kh, th, ph and tsh are aspirated. Resist the temptation to pronounce them as we do in English. Retroflexed r When r occurs in second place, as in tra, it is retroflexed, i.e., the tip of the tongue is arched up and back, and it rests on the roof of your mouth. You might already know the common Tibetan greeting tra-shi de-leg. The first syllable contains such a retroflexed r. Vowels The vowels are pronounced according to the following table. The five ‘pure’ vowels on the left can be pronounced as they are in Italian or German: a father ö like the ir in girdle or i hit the oe in Goethe u put ü like the u in French tu, similar to e get the oo in food o hot Transcription and transliteration Please note that phonetic transcription, i.e. the system described above, is different from transliteration. Transliteration means writing down every single Tibetan letter with a corresponding English letter. Transliteration shows how a word is actually spelled in Tibetan. Our phonetic transcription, on the other hand, shows how a word is pronounced. The spelling and pronunciation of a given word in Tibetan, as in English, are not necessarily the same. For example, there are many silent letters that are not pronounced at all. The word for Buddha is transliterated into English as sangs-rgyas because this 9 represents each of the Tibetan letters, but is transcribed as sang-gye, because this gives the approximate pronunciation. THE ALPHABET: ROWS 1 AND 2 We think of the letters of the English alphabet as a single continuous string of the 26 letters from A to Z. The Tibetan alphabet of 30 letters is traditionally arranged in eight rows of three or four letters per row. This is the approach adopted by the very first Tibetan grammarians who studied in India. For the first five rows at least, the letters of each row are articulated in the same place in the mouth, for example, the back or roof of the mouth, the teeth, the lips, etc. There are two items below each letter. The first is the name of the letter. Many of these letters are actual stand-alone words in their own right. In these cases, the second item is the meaning of the word. The rules for pronunciation are on page 7. Row 1. The letters of Row 1 are formed at the back of the mouth, and are technically known as velar sounds. Say each of these sounds aloud. Notice how the back of your tongue is pressed against the back of your mouth. (cid:28) ) (cid:22) (cid:29) ka kha ga nga — ‘mouth’ — — Hint. How do you tell kha and ga apart? kha is the first of the pair, so its long vertical stroke comes first (that is, on the left); ga is the last of the pair, so its long stroke is last (that is, on right). 10