Sanskrit summer camp attracts China's intellectuals

A group of 60 Chinese intellectuals have enrolled at the Hangzhou Buddhism Institute for a free summer camp to study Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language.

The trainees were selected from more than 300 candidates and cover a broad sphere of professions, including yoga instructors, mechanical designers, performers, hotel management and environmental protection personnel.

Their study over the next six days will focus on reading and writing Sanskrit.

The language has very complicated grammar. For the present tense alone, the inflection of one verb can have 72 alterations, according Li Wei, an instructor who holds a doctorate in Indology from the University of Mainz, Germany.

Many of the trainees have been required to work overtime beforehand to get the six days off, some used their annual vacation while others working night-shifts to save the day for study.

Trainee He Min, who graduated with an economics degree from Renmin University of China in Beijing and now works as a yoga practitioner in Hangzhou, says the chance was "too precious" to pass up.

"Sanskrit is a common language used by yoga practitioners across the world. Though many yoga textbooks are written in English, the postures we practice remain named in Sanskrit and the chants are also in Sanskrit," said the 39-year-old who practices yoga two or three hours a day.

Teaching herself Sanskrit for almost three years, she said she was "still a rookie" due to the lack of professional instruction.

Another trainee Pan Long, a PHD in mechanical design and automation with Zhejiang University, joined the summer camp hoping to better understand Buddhist scriptures written in Sanskrit.

"In my spare time, I often read classical literature and Buddhist works such as the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra, but do not understand them well. This summer camp gives me a chance to live a different life and provides a getaway from everyday stress," the 27-year-old said.

Before the trainees arrived, volunteers from an ongoing Sanskrit class organized by the institute designed a T-shirt and a flag decorated with Sanskrit for participants.

Since March, more than 100 students have regularly attended the two-hour class held twice a week at the Institute. The lecture is also free, but currently in recess due to summer break.

To help the 60 trainees learn as much as possible, Li Wei said a dozen students from the regular class volunteered to be teaching assistants. They will help teach pronunciation and handwriting.

"Although the summer camp is only week-long, I hope all participants grasp basic reading and writing, while those who aspire to learn further can also get the assistance they need," said Li.

Trainee Zhang Can, 25, said she was inspired after the first day on Monday. She said the instructor clearly outlined the differences between Mandarin and Sanskrit, making study much easier.

"My goal for the summer camp is to speak and write correctly and use Sanskrit dictionaries properly. Therefore, in the future I can try teaching myself and consult with the instructor when necessary," she said.

Chinese schools began Sanskrit classes in the late 1940s. But the discipline has developed slowly due to the lack of proper textbooks and a teacher shortage.

Gang Xiao, deputy chief of the Hangzhou Buddhism Institute, said the purpose of holding the free summer camp was to meet growing public interests in Sanskrit and facilitate the disciplinary development of the language.

"Through public education and future international academic exchanges, we are hoping to turn Hangzhou into a center of Sanskrit study and exchanges," he said.

Having studied Sanskrit and Indology for 14 years in Germany, Li Wei said despite its slow academic progresses in Sanskrit, China has a rich history in Sanskrit study.

"The earliest Sanskrit study in China began at temples, with clergy of different generations spending more than 1,000 years translating Sanskrit Buddhist scripture," said he.

Amid all the alien words in modern Chinese, Sanskrit ranks the second biggest source only next to English. The amount of words from Sanskrit is twice as much as that from French, he added.

"The influence of Sanskrit upon the Chinese culture is so subtle that few people realize it,"said Li.

Zu Guang, a master with the Hangzhou Buddhism Institute and a doctorate in philosophy from the the Sri Lanka International Buddhist Academy, regarded the growing interest among Chinese intellectuals in Sanskrit "a good phenomenon".

"Quite a number of people used to think making more money as the way to live a better life. Now, they would rather devote their spare time to the study of an ancient language as well as ancient culture, that is exhilarating," she said. Endi