Tibetan Storytime is a tool for developing listen comprehension skills in the Tibetan language. It features audio files of a native Tibetan speaker, Lhoppon Rechung, reading passages from Tibetan texts and retelling them in colloquial Lhasa dialect.
There are twelve units, each centered around a passage from Tibetan literature, either prose or poetry. The selections span diverse topics including Tibetan customs, folk tales, ethics, architecture and landscape. The length and challenge of passages increases as one proceeds through the units.
Vocabulary sheets and supporting material are included with each unit.
Unit #1 - Proverb for the Wise
Verse 25 from Sakya Paṇḍita's Eloquent Sayings or Sa skya'i legs bshad
Unit #2 - Eight Auspicious Symbols
Description of the Eight Auspicious Symbols from Bod kyi dmangs srol gces btus
Unit #3 - The Trickster
Tale of the Tibetan folk hero and trickster, Aku Tonpa, from A khu ston pa
Unit #4 - An Affectionate Mongoose
Classic Indian folk tale from the Pañcatantra as recounted in a Tibetan schoolbook
Unit #5 - Jewel Pisser
Tale of another Tibetan trickster, Nyicho Zangpo, from Nyi chos bzang po'i sgrung
Unit #6 - The Great Departure
Narration of the Buddha's renunciation of princely luxury in a comic book rendition of his life story.
Unit #7 - Brief Guide to Samye
An introduction to Samye, Tibet's first Buddhist temple, including its history and architecture.
Unit #8 - Losar - Tibetan New Year
Description of how Tibetans celebrate the lunar new year, called "losar" (lo gsar) in Tibetan.
Unit #9 - Life of Jomo Menmo
The brief hagiography of the female visionary, Jomo Menmo, from Jamgon Kongtrul's Treasury of Knowledge.
Unit #10 - Song of the Joyful Yogin
A song of advice on how to pursue true happiness from the 19th century yogin Shabkar Tsokdrug Rangdrol.
Unit #11 - Advice to the People of Tingri
The Indian master Padampa Sangye addresses the people of Tingri in southern Tibet along the border with Nepal.
Unit #12 - Guide to Amnye Machen
A short guide to the sacred mountain, Amnye Machen, in the region of Golok in eastern Tibet.