Continue from Advanced 301 · Live in 2027

Finally discuss the Dharma in Tibetan

Five modules (Lessons 26–30) deepen your Dharma vocabulary into dependent origination, bodhicitta, and meditation, alongside advanced grammar like expressive particles and verb-pairs. It's the last stretch of live coursework in the program, built to move you from recognizing these words to actually discussing them in Tibetan.

Register for Advanced 302

Join 300+ students, guided since 2021
A learner in conversation with Tibetans in Lhasa

At a glance

Advanced 302 at a glance

Over five modules (Lessons 26–30, plus a review of Advanced 301), you'll keep building the vocabulary this whole program has been leading toward: dependent origination, bodhicitta, meditation, alongside advanced grammar like expressive particles and verb-pairs. You'll keep meeting one-on-one with your tutor every week, inside the same kind of small group that's carried you this far. It's the last live course in the program, the point where you start reading, listening to, and working with short Dharma dialogues and texts in Tibetan yourself.

Modules 6 (Lessons 26–30 + review)
Format Live + Tutor + Moodle
Time Commitment ~11–13 hrs/week here's how it breaks down ↓
Starting point You've completed Advanced 301 or have equivalent skills
  • Small groups of ~4
  • Weekly 1:1 with a native tutor
  • The last live course in the program

What you'll achieve

What You'll Achieve

By the end of Advanced 302, you will:

A learner working with a Tibetan Dharma manual

Deepen your command of Dharma vocabulary in colloquial use: dependent origination, bodhicitta, meditation, the qualities of the Three Jewels, and the Four Immeasurables

A learner studying advanced Tibetan grammar

Strengthen advanced grammar: expressive particles, the ཡིན་དང་ཡིན། verb-pairs, and words like "already" and "almost"

A learner reading a Tibetan book in a café

Read, listen to, and discuss short Dharma-related dialogues and texts in Tibetan

A learner in conversation with a Tibetan monk

Hold extended conversations on Buddhist philosophy, culture, and daily life, the point this whole program has been building toward

A peek inside

A Peek Inside Advanced 302

We're still building a dedicated preview for this course. In the meantime, here's a peek at how Advanced classes run, from the Advanced 301 webinar.

What's included

What You'll Get in This Course

Students from around the world together in a live SINI class call

Live Learning

Weekly live classes with your teachers, small-group support, and one-on-one time with a native speaker: this is where Dharma vocabulary turns into something you'd actually say in a conversation.

One-on-one tutor sessions with a native Tibetan speaker The single feature our students call a game changer.
  • Weekly live classes, in two time slots, all on Saturdays
  • Live Forum discussion on cultural topics and soft skills
  • Small Learning Communities (SLCs), often the same group since Beginner
  • White Wednesday Talks (optional), featuring contemporary female Buddhist teachers

Study Resources
  • One webinar per module (up to 2 hours), with detailed grammar explanations
  • Key-point videos (5–10 minutes each)
  • Dialogues, songs, and end-of-module challenges
  • Rubrics for self-assessment
The non-human classmates who make games, songs, and practice stick

Digital Tools
  • Anki flashcards with audio and example sentences
  • Memrise decks
  • Digital language-lab style speaking practice and self-paced Moodle activities
The Moodle learning platform, where you follow your progress on any device

Support & Progress
  • E-Portfolio with personalized feedback from your teacher
  • Moodle platform, with class recordings for every session (shared via YouTube)
  • Send your questions ahead if you'll miss a class

Our methodology

A Method Built to Finally Make Tibetan Click

Advanced 302 continues the course Franziska Oertle designed, the teacher her students say "cracked the code" of teaching Tibetan. For this last course in the program, she teaches live herself, alongside Lhakpa Tsering and Bhargavi Viswanath. Instead of forcing Tibetan into Latin-style rules, it teaches the language from the inside out, and always explains why. It's rigorous, and there are no tests and no pressure.

Dr. Fink's Taxonomy

Underneath, we draw on Dr. Fink's 6-fold Taxonomy of Significant Learning, which brings together knowledge, application, integration, the human dimension, caring, and learning how to learn.

Soft Skills & Metacognition

We also give real attention to soft skills: reflection, self-awareness, collaboration, and empathy. You'll keep an e-Portfolio and share reflections in forums. The Live Forum builds these same skills in English, alongside your Tibetan conversations.

Joy and Humor

Joy and humor are built into the method itself. A smile, a little laughter, and curiosity keep learning light while the real progress happens underneath.

Want to Learn More about our Methodology? Here's a Detailed Video

From the wider journey

A few words from our students

Advanced 302 is a new addition to the program, and we don't have stories from this exact course to share just yet. Here's what students have said about the journey that gets them here.

The way of explaining Tibetan is unique and based on the internal structure of the language rather than Latin or other Western models. The courses incorporate humor and playfulness, and it's still a rigorous and effective program: no tests, no pressure.
Linda J.2021–22
With SINI you can really learn to speak Tibetan. You learn all aspects (grammar, speaking, understanding, cultural knowledge) and most importantly you learn how to learn.
Sigrun

Meet the team

Your Learning Team

Meet the teachers, tutors, and companions who make learning fun.

Franziska Oertle, Teacher & Course Designer

Franziska Oertle

Teacher & Course Designer

Affectionately known by her students as the one who "cracked the code" of teaching Tibetan. She designed every course in this program, and for this last one, she also teaches live herself, alongside Lhakpa Tsering and Bhargavi Viswanath.

Lhakpa Tsering, Teacher

Lhakpa Tsering

Teacher

Nepal-born Buddhist scholar with a Shastri in Buddhist philosophy and an Acharya in Tibetan linguistics. Teaches the live Advanced 302 classes.

Bhargavi Viswanath, Teacher

Bhargavi Viswanath

Teacher

Holds a master's in Tibetan history from Columbia, and has studied Tibetan at Esukhia, Tibet University, and Rangjung Yeshe Institute. Also teaches the live Advanced 302 classes.

Tutor Team, Native speaker tutors

Tutor Team

Native speaker tutors

Kind, patient speakers in India & Nepal.

Meet your non-human classmates

Every class comes with a few extra students — here to keep the pace kind and the grammar playful.

Mr. Sloth, Learning Companion

Mr. Sloth

Here to remind you there's always a way to learn at your own pace. The four-week rhythm of every module here follows his lead.

Ms. Giraffe, Learning Companion

Ms. Giraffe

Nerdy grammar scout.

P.S.

Pets are welcome learning buddies too. They're patient listeners who never complain about a grammar mistake.

Worried these ideas are too abstract to actually discuss?

By the time you reach Advanced 302, you already know you belong here: you've finished 301, or shown equivalent skills through an Entrance Presentation. What tends to worry people at this level is different. Can a concept like dependent origination turn into something you actually discuss in Tibetan, or does it stay something you only recognize when you hear it? Most of the ~11–13 hours a week are built to close exactly that gap:

  • Live class
  • Your 1:1 with your tutor
  • Your Small Learning Community
  • Self-study, on your own schedule

That's exactly the gap this course is built to close. Short Dharma dialogues and texts give you real material to read, listen to, and work with in class.

Your weekly tutor session and your Small Learning Community, often the same group that's been with you since Beginner, give you a place to say the words out loud every week, until they start sounding like your own.

302 keeps the four-week Mr. Sloth pace: extra room to sit with vocabulary that can otherwise stay abstract, so there's always a way to move at your own speed.

Mr. Sloth, the learning companion who reminds you to go at your own pace

Flexible option

Prefer a lighter commitment? Audit the course

If a lighter commitment suits you better, you can audit the course. Auditors follow the same weekly pace as full students, joining an SLC, a tutor class, and self-study, with full access to Moodle resources and recordings. You won't attend the Saturday live classes (except the Live Forum) or submit assignments, so you won't receive teacher feedback, and tuition is lower.

Register (choose the auditing rate at checkout)

Practical details

Practical Details

Everything you need to know before enrolling

Prerequisites
  • Alumni of Intermediate 201 & 202 and Advanced 301 are qualified
  • Former auditors of Advanced 301: join review sessions or submit an Entrance Presentation video
  • Newcomers: must have studied The Heart of Tibetan Language, Volumes 1 & 2, and half of Volume 3, or equivalent
  • Module 0 (Learning how to learn online) required if not already completed

Tuition & Financial Support
  • Sliding scale tuition: $475 minimum
  • Monastic rate: $325
  • Auditing version: $300 ($225 for monastics)
  • Scholarships, sponsorships, and payment plans available
More on tuition & support

Our mission: we keep costs as low as possible to make Tibetan studies accessible worldwide.

Sliding scale

Pay what you can, starting from the listed minimums.

Monastic discount

A dedicated scholarship for monks and nuns.

Payment in installments

Payment plans are available, though not on a monthly schedule given how long each module runs. Contact us before registering to arrange it.

Sponsor option

Add $108 to support fellow students and help sustain the program.

Refund Policy
  • Refund depends on withdrawal timing
  • Up to 55% refund if leaving during the review / Module 1
  • Reduced percentages as the course continues
See the full refund schedule

Refund schedule

  • Review / Module 1 — 55%
  • Module 2 — 40%
  • Module 3 — 30%
  • After Module 3 — no refund
The Heart of Tibetan Language, Vol. 3 — cover

Discover the textbook that accompanies this course

The Heart of Tibetan Language, Vol. 3

Lessons 26–30, with accompanying workbook

Look inside (sample pages) Coming soon Get Textbook on Google Play Get Workbook on Google Play

Why Advanced 302

Why Choose Advanced 302

Advanced 302 is where this whole program's promise finally becomes something you can actually do: talk with your teacher about dependent origination, bodhicitta, and meditation, in Tibetan. It's the last live course here, built on everything you've learned so far, and taught by the same person who designed the entire method, alongside Lhakpa Tsering and Bhargavi Viswanath. With weekly tutor sessions, a Small Learning Community, and the same playful, no-pressure approach that got you this far, you'll finish the program actually speaking the Dharma vocabulary you've spent years learning to recognize.

The last live course in the program Your own native tutor Designed and taught by Franziska

Next cohort

When Does Advanced 302 Start?

Advanced 302 runs live in 2027. We'll confirm exact dates as soon as they're set.

Sliding scale from $475 · payment plans available · monastic rate $325 Get notified when Advanced 302 opens

Ready to begin

Ready to Finish What You Started?

Join our next Advanced 302 cohort, and complete the journey from your first letter of Tibetan to a real conversation about the Dharma, in Tibetan.

Register for Advanced 302 Explore self-paced Advanced resources

Haven't finished Advanced 301 yet? Start there first →

Before you start

Advanced 302 FAQ

The questions we hear most, answered.

What is Advanced 302?
Advanced 302 is the Upper Advanced Course, and the last course in the program. It reviews grammar from Advanced 301 and then covers Lessons 26–30 of The Heart of Tibetan Language, Volume 3. It focuses on advanced colloquial grammar and Dharma vocabulary, including dialogues on Buddhist views, meditation, the qualities of the Three Jewels, bodhicitta, and the Four Immeasurables.
Who can join Advanced 302?
Alumni of Intermediate 201 & 202 and Advanced 301 are ready to continue. Auditing students of Advanced 301 can join as full students by attending review sessions or submitting an Entrance Presentation video. New students with other Tibetan training must show they've studied Volumes 1 & 2 and at least half of Volume 3, or purchase access to our preparatory resources. Everyone new submits a short Entrance Presentation video, part in Tibetan, part in English.
What will I learn during Advanced 302?
You'll strengthen your colloquial grammar (expressive particles, advanced modal verbs, nominalizers, "already," "almost") and your Dharma vocabulary, including short Buddhist quotes, prayers, and grammar drawn from indigenous Tibetan treatises. By the end, you'll be able to discuss Buddhist topics in Tibetan with real fluency and nuance.
How much time should I plan each week?
Plan for about 11–13 hours a week: live classes, self-study, practice with your learning group, and your weekly 1:1 with a native speaker. See "Worried these ideas are too abstract?" above for how it actually breaks down.
How long is each module?
302 follows the "Mr. Sloth" pace: four weeks per module. This slower rhythm gives you time to sit with vocabulary that can otherwise stay abstract.
When are the live classes?
There are four live sessions per module, on Saturdays, in two time slots. One session per module is a Live Forum focused on soft skills. Optional White Wednesday cultural talks are also included. All sessions are recorded.
What if I miss a class?
Send your questions ahead of time, then catch up with the recording. Recordings are posted to Moodle or shared via YouTube with your Gmail login.
Who are the teachers?
Advanced 302 is taught live by Franziska Oertle, the teacher who designed this entire program, alongside Lhakpa Tsering and Bhargavi Viswanath. You'll also work with native speaker tutors and your SLC.
What materials are included?
Live classes with conversation, Dharma vocabulary, games, songs, and Q&A; a grammar and vocabulary webinar per module; weekly SLC meetings; weekly 1:1 conversation with a native speaker; a digital practice lab; an e-Portfolio with teacher feedback; Anki and Memrise flashcards; end-of-module challenges; and optional White Wednesday cultural talks.
Which textbook do I need?
We use The Heart of Tibetan Language, Volume 3, plus the workbook, both available as eBooks on Google Play.
What platforms and tools are used?
Moodle for resources and assignments, Zoom for live classes, YouTube for recordings, Gmail and Google Drive for sharing, and WhatsApp for tutor groups and conversation partners.
How much is tuition?
Tuition follows a sliding scale. The minimum fee is $475 ($325 for monastics). Auditing is available for $300 ($225 for monastics).
Can I pay in installments?
Yes. Payment plans are available, though not on a monthly schedule, given how long each module runs. Contact us before registering to arrange this.
Do you offer scholarships or sponsorships?
Monastics can apply for a scholarship directly. Other students can add a $108 sponsorship to help others join.
What is the refund policy?
If you withdraw during the review or Module 1, you'll receive a 55% refund. Module 2, 40%. Module 3, 30%. After that, no refund.
Not sure this is your level?
If you haven't completed Advanced 301 yet, start there first. Advanced 302 assumes you're already comfortable with the Dharma vocabulary and grammar from 301, and ready to go deeper into more abstract topics like bodhicitta and dependent origination.
What happens after Advanced 302?
Advanced 302 is the last live course in the program. There's no "Advanced 303": what comes next is up to you. Many students continue practicing through our self-paced Advanced resources, keep working with their tutor, or simply keep using the Tibetan they've built. If we ever open a new course beyond this one, we'll let past students know first.