Tibet Tours

Sera Monastery is one of the six major monasteries of the Order of Tibetan Buddhism Gélug (which I visited two of them – in Labrang Xiahe and Ganden). It is something outside of Lhasa, with beautiful views, whether the city itself, and not say the Potala.
Mainly the monastery is known for its terrace, where the everyday life of the monks are the practical skills of debate.
I arrived early, and began with the kora, as a pilgrim. To the monastery, there are many pictures, and also a restore one of them. Kora is welcome to climb behind the monastery in the hills, a beautiful view. There is a small chapel outside the walls of the monastery, where he was a monk sitting under a tree and pray alone.
In the monastery, I have the temples and schools, I saw many times before. A building of the printing house, where the monks are the printing of prayer books and other things. He was full of pictures with texts in Tibetan, and saw that the printing of books of prayer in an old, in the hand, printng the same page again and again
Overview of the Kora
A temple, a painting of the hill, and a stupa … again.
The main event began at 3 clock, as the monks began to gather in the courtyard, each with a red pillow on the floor sitting. I have never seen so many monks in one place. They participated in groups, sit in a circle on the floor, talking and laughing as the children of school age.
The discussion will be from a person, a teacher or a monk (also the most important change is a monk). Typically, the debate between the leader and a monk, and the others to hear and to respond with both applause, and another monk replied rare and wrote something.
The monk leading the discussion is almost constant. When you have finished your, and waits for a response (and sometimes even if you do not really expect an answer) – there is always the same – the release of his right hand on the shoulder and left hanging, the rise of the leg and the foot on one leg, then beat the legs on the ground applauded when the hands and pull her right hand on the monk who should respond.
Since has
Rock the Kora
a tourist attraction, and the yard is full of cameras clicking Planant between groups of monks, some of them are they really what theater. You do not feel very authentic, but always funny.
There are also rooms to hear the debate, and I did not really understand at least part of what was said there. Had the experience much better. I can not imagine how you sit all day, two hours long, and the debate. How did they discuss? As always interested in him?
He is proof that they are actually in the debate. The faces, the discussions, and sometimes to push and fight for the right to speak, has convinced me that some of them really debate, not only for the tourists. It seems that some monks are not to laugh and to smile. It is difficult to take stock. He has the debate very seriously.
At the end of the day, an old monk came from all groups and by the presence of a piece of paper. I was surprised.
When everything is finished and that
More colors
are in the yard through the narrow gate, the cat and all laugh, and the management of their pillows. Is any other location.
Until next time,