Drikung Kagyu Symbol

H.H Chetsang Drikung Kyabgon Rinpoche		Songtsen Library, Dehra Dun, India
http://www.dkinstitute.org/s_library.htm

Press Release:

Songtsen Library; Center for Tibetan and Himalayan Studies in Dehradun, India hosted the first International Conference on Tibetan Language and Literature from March 29 to April 2 2003. The chief guest for the occasion, His Holiness the Sakya Trizin Rinpoche inaugurated the conference and gave his keynote address thanking Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche in establishing Songtsen Library and for organizing the International Conference on Tibetan Language and Literature.

The Tibetan language is under threat of becoming obsolete. Inside Tibet, the language was under threat from the policies pursued by the government of China in diminishing the Tibetan language by employing Tibetans who speaks only Chinese. The Tibetan Diaspora had no choice but to live in the environment of host countries. As such Tibetans living in exile has to be well versed in the language of their countries of adoption. Therefore, younger generation of Tibetans find less use of their mother tongue. Under such realities the conference was held to discuss the challenges faced by Tibetan Language in the modern day world and to coin new words for new terms. Some technical names for example, includes words like satellite, cellular phone, computer etc.

The five-day conference was participated by 16 scholars including 63 observers. Indian scholars like Professor, S. K. Pathak, former visiting professor in Tibetan studies at the Asiatic Society, Calcutta and from the Himalayan regions deliberated and presented their papers in Tibetan. Foreign scholars too presented their paper and gave their views and discussed in preserving and promoting the Tibetan Language.

Invited observers consisted of Khenpos and Tibetan teachers from Drikung Kagyu Buddhist Academy, Drikung Kagyu nunnery, Tashi Kyil monastery, Sakya Center, Sakya College, Sakya Ngor monastery and Tibetan Homes Foundation.

A number of Tibetan scholars from Tibet and China sent in abstracts of their intended presentations. Unfortunately they could not attend the conference. Similarly, some scholars from the West could not attend the conference due to Gulf War-II and the recent outbreak of SARS. The conference thanked Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, who is also a linguist for his historic effort to make the conference a reality.

Mr. Tashi Tsering, Director of Amnye Machen Institute in Dharamsala was the convener of the conference. His Holiness Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche thanked him for a job well done.

As the concluding speech, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgon mentioned that the conference is not an end in itself but is the beginning of the long process to achieve the conference's aims, which needs more discussions and elaborations in future.

http://drikung.org/songtsen_conf.html
(preconference materials)