Learn to speak Tibetan, and understand your teachers in their own words.

Franziska Oertle

Her path began with a dream: to one day understand His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Tibetan. She left her home country, her job, her family, and her friends to study in Nepal. Nineteen years later, she's helped hundreds of students go from zero to holding conversations, reading Dharma texts, and even interpreting.

What sets Franziska apart is her ability to make a complex language feel approachable. She blends indigenous Tibetan grammar with contemporary teaching and learning methodology, turning abstract concepts into playful, memorable lessons. Students describe her classes as joyful, practical, and surprisingly fun.

Her four-volume textbook series, བོད་སྐད་སྙིང་པོ། The Heart of Tibetan Language, is the foundation of this program. It's a living resource, full of dialogues, cultural notes, (Dharma) vocabulary, grammar explanations, and even Tibetan songs. With the help of her “non-human colleagues”, རྒན་སེང་གེ་ལགས། (Gen Sengey la) and རྒན་ Christabella ལགས། (Gen Christabella), she invites students into a learning experience that's warm, creative, and deeply rooted in Tibetan tradition.

Franziska's mission is simple: to share the beauty of Tibetan with anyone willing to learn. Her teaching is driven by gratitude for what she's received, and by a commitment to keeping the Tibetan language alive and flourishing.

Juan Felipe Garcia-Peña

Juan Felipe Garcia-Peña has always been fascinated by learning technologies, even as a child growing up in Colombia and attending college in Costa Rica. Through his experiences in university-level teaching, government contracting, and private institutions, he understands the importance of evidence-based, collaborative research in solving problems and reaching goals. He has worked to develop medical software and learning systems, integrating philosophy, language, media tools, engineering, and biopedagogy. At SINI, he brings to his work a recognition of education as a vibrant, creative, self-sustaining process where new ideas for making online learning more effective can be tested and improved. He is excited to work on Tarthang Rinpoche's projects through SINI, where higher education is a never-ending journey.

Nat Thammamitr

Tashi Delek, everyone! Like many of you, I am sure, I wanted to understand the precious Dharma teachings directly from the peerless teachers like His Holiness the Dalai Lama and others. Many years ago I traveled far up north of India to a small village called Spiti, where His Holiness was going to teach. The peerless teacher was there; the precious teaching was there; the excellent translator was there. Most foreigners had small radios to tune into the teaching. I too had one. Sounded perfect, right? But of course, the radio transmission was far from perfect. We could not hear anything. Most of us foreigners were sitting there like ignorant monkeys holding precious diamonds. At that moment, I promised myself that I must study the Tibetan language.

I tested the weather with Rangjung Yeshe Institute's (RYI) summer intensive programs — 3 consecutive summers on beginning, intermediate, and advanced colloquial and Dharma Tibetan courses. Before I knew it, I spent 2 years in Dharamsala and graduated from Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program (LRZTP7) in 2017. Gen Franziska la was (still is) my teacher from both RYI and LRZTP.

I cannot wait to support you to learn this amazing language and I am looking forward to hearing your experience on the first time you understand the teachings in Tibetan. I promise you; it will be special.

Lhakpa Tsering

Lhakpa Tsering Lama was born in Nepal and raised in India. He completed his Bachelor's (Shastri degree) in Buddhist philosophy in 2019. He recently earned his M.A. (Acharya) in Tibetan linguistics at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (C.I.H.T.S.) in Sarnath, Varanasi, India. During summer vacations, he enjoys traveling to rural areas, including Tibetan settlements, to explore and promote the Tibetan language. He has had the opportunity to visit several Tibetan settlements where knowledge of the language is limited. During a one-month summer break in Pharping, Kathmandu, Nepal, he taught Tibetan to monks.

Bhargavi

Tashi Delek! My name is Bhargavi, and I am from Chennai, India. I grew up in China for most of my life and completed my undergraduate studies in Chinese language. I recently earned a master's degree in Tibetan history from Columbia University. I have studied Tibetan at Esukhia in Dharamshala (2018), Tibet University (2019), and Rangjung Yeshe Institute (2023), and I continue to learn online. I am currently interning at SINI, assisting Gen Franziska la and her team in their tasks.

Melissa Katz

Tashi Delek Everyone! My name is Melissa and I'm originally from the United States. Franziska and I met at my University while I was a student and she was a professor. Our friendship blossomed and in 2019 she informed me about the 2-month intensive course at SINI, and I ended up joining. After the intensive course my interest for Tibetan language and Tibetan Medicine became stronger and that has become my larger study goal.

I've been studying at Sarah College in Dharamshala for the past two years and thanks to my teachers my interest in writing, Buddhism, history, and grammar have also deepened. I'm still learning so much everyday and am excited to join you on the revision journey!

It is a true joy to continue to be in touch with the teaching material that the SINI team has created over the years and to spread it to learners around the world. In my free time I go for walks in the mountains and make local guides about the Dharamshala area and other places I visit in India. See you all in the virtual classroom!

Pema Woeser

Hello, my name is Pema Woeser and I am from Pemako, one of the major sacred places of Guru Padma Sambhava which is located in east Arunachal Pradesh, India. I have completed my master on Tibetan literature in Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath, Varanasi. In 2019, I got this opportunity to work with such a well-organized online course by SINI. Currently, I am working as a coordinator and I am putting my best effort to take all my responsibility.

Tzoe Wong

Tzoe was a student of the Colloquial Tibetan Beginner Course back in 2021. She has always been interested in the Tibetan language and Buddhism and did not hesitate to sign up when she found out about the online program offered by SINI. She enjoyed it very much and connected with the small group of non-human students, especially Mr. Sloth. In 2023, Tzoe was fortunate to be given the opportunity to work with the program to assist in filming and producing the key point videos and webinars for the Intermediate classes.

Currently, Tzoe is assisting with the production of the Advanced Course webinars and helps with administrative tasks and IT support. She counts herself truly lucky to be able to support aspiring language learners and to work with an amazing and dedicated team at SINI. When she is not checking something off her to-do list, you will find her idling around with Mr. Sloth.