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What’s a good language for meditation? | ||
Tags: Meditation | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages |  | |
| viedums Hexaglot Senior Member Thailand Joined 4665 days ago 327 posts - 528 votes  Speaks: Latvian, English*, German, Mandarin, Thai, French Studies: Vietnamese | Message 17 of 24 13 March 2013 at 9:29am | IP Logged | ||
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That’s a really interesting idea, Ari. Actually, meditation is a big part of Buddhism in Thailand too – as I understand it, Thai monks follow one of two basic paths, one focusing on textual study, the other on meditation techniques. It’s something Thai men learn to do when they ordain as monks, which many do for a short period at some point in their lives. Many Thai people visit temples to meditate on their own or go on organized retreats.
I’ve never tried this myself, but after looking into it briefly on the Web, I would suggest a temple called Suan Mokkh for a meditation retreat run in English. The founder of this temple, Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, was a very important figure in Thai Buddhism – you find whole shelves of his writings in Thai bookstores. Here’s a link, and if you Google it you should also find some testimonials from Westerners who have stayed there. It’s in the South, convenient for some excellent beaches too. Suan Mokkh Also very interesting is the link you are making between Theravada Buddhism (that is, the kind practiced in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Burma and Sri Lanka) and language learning. For Thai, Sanskrit and Pali play a similar role to that of Latin and Greek with English, they are sources of vocabulary and at the same time provide a cultural model. This is one feature that makes Thai quite different from Chinese. Shifting to Cambodia, just visit Angkor Wat and you will see Indic culture on display, and it extended to the language too – I think the collection of Sanskrit inscriptions from the Angkor temples runs to 8 volumes or so. Not only that, but there’s a high degree of linguistic diversity in mainland Southeast Asia which is fascinating for someone who’s into languages. Speaking for myself, I’ve learned Thai while living here, but also explored Khmer, Burmese, Lao, Vietnamese, Mon, Hmong, Khmu, Cham… 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Ari Heptaglot Senior Member Norway Joined 6581 days ago 2314 posts - 5695 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese Studies: Czech, Latin, German | Message 18 of 24 13 March 2013 at 7:24pm | IP Logged | ||
Thanks a lot, viedums! It looks like there are many temples and meditation centers in Thailand and they seem to be very friendly and cheap or free of charge. Just going to Suan Mokkh for a 10-day retreat in English would hardly be worth it; I can do that in Sweden (in fact, I plan to do it this summer). However, this peaks my interest:
An excellent library with books in many languages? Staying free of charge? Man, I wouldn't mind staying there for a few months, spending the first ten days of every month on a silent retreat and the other days doing personal meditation practice and perusing their library. I can also see myself travelling around Thailand visiting a few temples and staying for some time in each of them, spending the time inbetween at cheap hotels reading, meditating and enjoying what Thailand has to offer. It seems like Thailand is almost ideal for this sort of experience. Thai is looking pretty good as my language of choice now, though Japanese is still pretty tempting. I've read up on the Soto Zen school which seems to suit my wants pretty well, too. Anyone have any knowledge about zen monasteries/temples in Japan? Are they as open to visitors and meditators as are their Thai counterparts? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Medulin Tetraglot Senior Member Croatia Joined 4667 days ago 1199 posts - 2192 votes Speaks: Croatian*, English, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Norwegian, Hindi, Nepali | Message 19 of 24 13 March 2013 at 8:45pm | IP Logged | ||
The best schools of meditation are in Bihar and in West Bengal. So, try Hindi and/or Bengali. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Ari Heptaglot Senior Member Norway Joined 6581 days ago 2314 posts - 5695 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese Studies: Czech, Latin, German | Message 20 of 24 13 March 2013 at 9:37pm | IP Logged | ||
Thanks! Do you have any examples or links? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| viedums Hexaglot Senior Member Thailand Joined 4665 days ago 327 posts - 528 votes Speaks: Latvian, English*, German, Mandarin, Thai, French Studies: Vietnamese | Message 21 of 24 29 March 2013 at 2:25am | IP Logged | ||
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This (from a listserv I’m on) looks interesting too, if you prefer South Asia. Kathmandu wouldn’t be too expensive.
“Kathmandu University - Centre for Buddhist Studies at Rangjung Yeshe Institute is now accepting applications for its Tibetan, Sanskrit and Nepalese summer intensive language courses offered in 2013. For the first time this year, the program includes Beginning Classical Tibetan, in addition to three levels of colloquial Tibetan (beginning, intermediate, and advanced), beginning Sanskrit, and beginning and intermediate Nepalese. An introductory Buddhist Studies intensive, combining study and a meditation practicum, is also offered. The courses, which are structured as a full immersion into the local languages and cultures, include the opportunity to live with Tibetan and Nepalese families. All classes are held at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery, just a few minutes’ walk from the Great Stupa of Boudhanath in the Kathmandu Valley. This summer's courses begin June 12 and end August 9. For more information, visit: www.cbs.edu.np/summer-courses/” 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| vilas Pentaglot Senior Member Italy Joined 6959 days ago 531 posts - 722 votes Speaks: Spanish, Italian*, English, French, Portuguese | Message 22 of 24 29 March 2013 at 6:00pm | IP Logged | ||
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The best language for meditation is Gibberish (or Jbberish)
In facts there are many mistycs and gurus that teach Gibberish Meditation . And you don't need to go anywhere . You can do it wherever you are. http://www.gurumaa.com/content/tag/gibberish-meditation http://www.messagefrommasters.com/Meditation/Meditation_Tech niques/Active/Gibberish_Meditation.htm Gibberish was first used hundreds of years ago by a Sufi mystic named Jabbar. In fact the very word 'gibberish' derives from his name. The mind thinks in terms of words. Gibberish helps to break up this pattern of continuous verbalization. Without suppressing your thoughts, you can throw them out using the Gibberish meditation. It is a wonderful way to release physical, mental and emotional stress. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| FinnegansWake Diglot Newbie United States Joined 4434 days ago 10 posts - 14 votes Speaks: English*, Italian Studies: French | Message 23 of 24 07 April 2013 at 6:45pm | IP Logged | ||
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The best languages for reading Buddhist texts is Sanskrit, the classical language of
India and Pali. Sanskrit is a very complex language, but you should be able to find decent material and maybe a good tutor. Pali, on the other hand, is almost obsolete. I don't think you will be able to find materials to study it effectively. I think most of the Buddhist texts are translated to Chinese and Tibetan. You could probably check them out. The best place for meditating in my opinion is Dharmasala, India (The place where the Dalai lama lives). [EDIT] I visited the place in 2010. If you ever go there, make sure you listen to Indian/Bollywood music and eat a lot of nan. The locals there sell some great stuff that might help your meditation (try guessing what). It is delightful. :) Edited by FinnegansWake on 07 April 2013 at 6:57pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| patrickwilken Senior Member Germany radiant-flux.net Joined 4532 days ago 1546 posts - 3200 votes Studies: German | Message 24 of 24 07 April 2013 at 8:02pm | IP Logged | ||
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Wouldn't it be better to work out what sort of mediation practice you want to do, and then see what places would be best to try this out?
I have heard great things about Vipassana Meditation, but I have a feeling that wouldn't really fit your needs vis-a-vis language. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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