Picture of Sera monastery lying on the hills north of Lhasa (Sera, China)

Sera monastery built against the hills north of Lhasa

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Sera monastery is famous for its debating sessions in the afternoon; the monastery itself is like a small, abandoned village.
It also made clear what impact the Chinese invasion had had here: this once thriving monastery, with a history going back to the early 15th century, with several different colleges within its walls, seemed virtually wiped out. Looking for the several hundreds of monks currently residing here, I found them at the debating courtyard. After the silence of the rest of the monastery, the contrast could not have been bigger. Monks fiercely defending their point, debating with fire, in small groups on the stoney courtyard, covered by trees in which spring had just arrived. A lengthy service made the monks join in a circle, at the end of which they all put on their yellow hats again - an amazingly beautiful sight. After the service, the monks just continued their debating session, a noisy affair, in which one monk stands in the middle of a group, and monks are constantly debating in a fierce way, supporting their point by clapping their hands. A fascinating spectacle. Afterwards, as the sun was already on its way to setting, I scrambled up the hills above Sera monastery, offering great views over the monastery and the surroundings, as well as the Potala palace.
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