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Published: November 4th 2005
Hi again,
Sera monastery is one of the six important monasteries of the Gelugpa order of the Tibetan Buddhism (I have already visited two of them - Labrang in Xiahe, and Ganden). It is just in the outskirts of Lhasa, with fine views if the city itself, and, goes without saying, of the Potala.
The monastery is known mainly for its courtyard, where everyday the monks are practicing their debating skills.
I arrived early, and started with the kora, like a good pilgrim. Around the monastery are many rock paintings, and I even caught a restoration of one of them. The kora was nice, climbing behind the monastery up the hills, for fine views. There is a small hermitage just outside the monastery walls, where I saw a monk sitting under a tree and praying alone.
In the monastery i saw the regular temples and colleges that I have seen many times before. An interesting building was the printing press, where monks were printing prayer books and other things. It was full of printing blocks with Tibetan letters on them, and I could see them printing prayer books in an old fashioned way, manualy, printng the same page over and over
View from the kora
A temple, a painting up the hill, and a stupa...again.
The main event started around 3 P.M. when the monks started to gather up in the courtyard, each with his red cushion for sitting on the floor. I have never seen so many monks in one place. They gathered up in groups, sitting in circles on the floor, chatting and laughing like school kids.
The debate is being led by somebody, perhaps a teacher, or just one of the monks (they sometimes change the leading monk in turns). Usually the the debate is between the leader and one monk, and the others listen and respond sometimes with clapping, and rarely another monk responds and says something.
The monk leading the debate is talking almost constantly. When he is done making his point and expects a response (and sometimes even when he doesn't really expects an answer) - he always does the same thing - freeing his right hands from the beads he is holding by hanging them on his left shoulder, raising his leg and standing on one leg, and then pounding the leg on the floor while clapping his hands together, and sliding his right hand towards the monk who is supposed to respond.
Since the place has
become such a tourists attraction, and the courtyard is full of clicking cameras hovering between the groups of monks, some of them make it really theatrical. It doesn't feel very authentic anymore, but it is still fun to watch.
There are even some locals who come to listen to the debate, and I really did want to understand at least a part of what was said there. It could have made the experience so much better. I can't imagine how they can sit there everyday, for two hours, and debate. What are they debating about? How are they still interested in it?
There were evidences that they really do get into the debate. The faces, the arguing, and sometimes even some pushing and fighting over the right to speak convinced me that some of them really were debating and not just showing off for the tourists. It seemed like some monks weren't smiling and laughing. They were really fighting to make a point. Took the debate seriously.
At the end of the day an older monk walked between all the groups and marked down the attendance on a piece of paper. I was shocked.
When it all finished and they
swarmed out of the courtyard through the narrow gate, all chatting and laughing, and holding their cushions. It was another special site.
Until next time,
R.
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