Located around five kilometers to the north of the Ramoche Temple and Potala Palace in Lhasa, on the outskirts of the city, Sera Monastery lies at the foot of the Serawoze Mountain, at an altitude of around 3,700 meters. Built in 1419, the monastery was the third of the Great Three university monasteries of the Gelug tradition to be built in Lhasa, the first two being Ganden and Drepung Monasteries.
Built in the same year that the founder of the Gelug tradition, Je Tsongkhapa, died, the monastery has been one of the most important teaching monasteries in Tibet for more than 600 years.
The main part of the monastery consists of the Great Assembly Hall, the largest building in the complex. Built in 1710, the structure contains 125 stone pillars and the entrance is lined with ten large columns. Composed of the Hall Square, the famous Sutra Hall, and five of the many Lhakhangs of the monastery, the hall is noted for its huge statue of the Jampa Buddha and the massive wall-length thangka that adorns the interior.
The debating courtyard, behind the Sera je College, is a cobblestone area where the monks of the colleges hold their daily debating lessons. Monastic debates are one of the many ways of teaching and learning the philosophy and theology of Tibetan Buddhism, and are an exciting and enthralling event to watch. Done in pairs, the debates are extravagant and dramatic, with a lot of foot stamping and hand clapping, as well as loud shouts and exclamations.
Monk Debates
The major highlight of the monastery are the debates held in the Debating Courtyard every day except for Sunday. Monastic debates are a form of discussion and learning that originated in India, where the opposing sides debate the philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism. As one of the most popular features of the Sera Monastery, it is often viewed by many tourists, and is one of the most extravagant and expressive forms of debate in the world.
This expressive and expansive form of debating is exclusive to Sera Monastery, and the debating monks use various gestures, such as stamping and hand clapping, to increase the intensity of their position on the debate. In the debate, the questioner has to put forward his point of view on the topics given, and the defender, who is sitting, can answer only yes, no, or unknown, and must respond within a given time. The questioner must try to persuade the other monk that his point of view is overpoweringly correct, and if the point is proven, the defender must accept it and give way.
These enthusiastic debates form a major lesson in learning the philosophy and spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism, and can sometimes be a source of great interest for the high lamas, when a debater comes up with a point of view that is new, yet essentially correct.
