(each day, the monks of the sera monastery gather in a courtyard and debate buddhist philosophy.)
2011-09-23
sera monastery monk debates 2 (lhasa, tibet)
(questions are posed and free discussion takes place in conjunction with performance of repeated ritual gestures and stances.)
sera monastery monk debates 3 (lhasa, tibet)
(the performative aspects are often carried out with great passion and energy.)
sera monastery monk debates 4 (lhasa, tibet)
(but for all the moral lecturing that takes place, there always remains a palpable lightness, for the monks love and enjoy this ritual.)
sera monastery monk debates 5 (lhasa, tibet)
(after an hour, the session adjourns and the monks pour out of the courtyard to return home.)
sera monastery monk debates 6 (lhasa, tibet)
(thus does the ritual conclude until the masters pose new questions and the students continue their growth the next day.)
