Reading Classical Tibetan

Today's post is about distant trees, verbal adjectives, and 6th case particles. 

Tibetan uses verbal adjectives to construct complex noun phrases. The verbal adjective phrase is connected with a 6th case particle to the noun or noun phrase following it that it modifies. In the phrase I have illustrated, this 6th case particle is implied.

I've also given two possible translations. The 6th case can mimic other cases, so here it could be mimicing a 2nd case place of activity. Where is the tree seen? In the distance.

The 6th case may also be thought of here as connecting an adjective to the modified noun: distant trees.

My friend Travis McCauley (travis mccauley | web developer | (416) 537-6465) persuaded me to start this blog about Tibetan sentences I happen to be thinking about. Here's what I'm thinking about today:

I've been thinking about translations of the word gsal in the context of what Georges Dreyfus has to say in Recognizing Reality about the defining property (mtshan nyid) of consciousness (shes pa). The standard translation is "that which is clear and knows" or "that which is clear and knowing.

Dreyfus says: “Clear refers to the ability that mental states have of revealing things.” Dreyfus, RR, 286.

So, why not translate gsal as reveal? That's what I'm thinking about today.