The Overseas Study Program
OSP is moving to Nepal! Immerse yourself in Tibetan language and culture through this six-week intensive program based in Kathmandu, a historic crossroads of Himalayan Buddhist tradition. Students will engage in daily instruction in spoken Tibetan, taught by experienced native and academic instructors in small, discussion-based classes. The curriculum builds practical conversational fluency and cultural fluency.
To be eligible for consideration, applicants must demonstrate a genuine interest in delving deeper into the language.
From the moment you arrive for our program, til the moment we drop you back off at the airport, we will take care of everything for you: classes, accommodation, meals, and weekend pilgrimage and sightseeing trips. We have more than 20 years of experience running Tibetan study programs and are dedicated to making sure you get the most of your time with us.
OSP Students should expect a rigorous program of language studies and are required to attend all classes and to complete all homework assignments.
The Kathmandu area is known for numerous Buddhist pilgrimage sites including Naropa, Tilopa, and Milarepa caves, countless Vajrayogini temples, and more. Group sightseeing activities on days off are optional, but we encourage students to participate. Students will also have the opportunity to give back to the community by volunteering with different organizations and directly helping people and animals in need.
Accommodation in Kathmandu is simple and modest.
What to Expect
Sample Daily Schedule
*Daily schedule will depend on the teachers' availability, and may change
8:00am: Optional group breakfast
9:00-10:30am: Spoken Tibetan language class
10:45-11:45am: Scriptural Tibetan translation class
12pm: Lunch
2pm: Meet with personal tutor (3x week), Debate class (2x/week)
4:00-5:15pm: Applied spoken Tibetan class
6pm: Optional group dinner
Pilgrimage Sites
One of the most important parts of OSP is our visits to various holy pilgrimage sites. Here is a selection of places we will visit together.
Swayambhunath – One of the oldest and most important Buddhist stupas in Nepal. According to legend, Manjushri drained a great lake to reveal the valley, and the hill of Swayambhunath was the first dry land — the lotus of light that had been floating on the lake settled here.
Boudhanath – The largest stupa in Nepal and an extremely important Buddhist site which holds sacred relics of Kashyapa Buddha, the Buddha who lived before Shakyamuni Buddha. Many monasteries surround it, and pilgrims walk around the stupa while turning prayer wheels to accumulate vast amounts of merit.
Namobuddha – Connected to an old story about Buddha's past life when Buddha was a prince who gave his body to feed a hungry tiger and her babies. These 5 tigers later became Buddhas first 5 students. Monasteries have been built here and practitioners come here for quiet retreat.
Pharping (Asura Cave) – This cave is where Guru Rinpoche reached tantric enlightenment. Many practitioners still come here today to meditate, just like Guru Rinpoche did long ago.
Pashupatinath area caves – Near the river at Pashupatinath, there are old caves that yogis have used for meditation since medieval times, including Masters Tilopa and Naropa.
Sankhu's Vajrayogini Temple – Dedicated to Vajrayogini, this temple includes a small cave built into the cliff where Milarepa stayed alone in deep meditation. The temple area also has a small stupa that some people believe is even older than Buddha Shakyamuni himself.
Gen Norbu
Norbu was born in Tibet, and now lives in the refugee camps in India. With ten years of experience teaching Tibetan language and classical texts to non-Tibetans, he is the perfect addition to our program. Dedicated to promoting cross-cultural understanding and appreciation, Norbu is an experienced educator with a Master's degree in English and a Bachelor's degree in Art and Buddhism Philosophy. He brings a fun and engaging style to learning Tibetan.
OSP Teachers
In Memory of Geshe Lotar
Geshe Lotar was a monk for most of his life. He served his teacher, Khen RInpoche Geshe Lobsang Tarchin for many years, and then later served as the Vice Abbot and Debate Master at Sera Mey. Geshela raised over 100 boys in his 65+ years at Sera. He loved teaching our OSP students Lam Rim. We will miss his humor, his love, and his stories.