Within the Dalai Lama Temple Complex, is Namgyal, personal monastery of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Everyday from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM, you can see young Tibetan monks debate in the traditional Tibetan style embellished with hand clapping and emphatic gestures.
The Debate
Debate is an integral part of a Tibetan monk’s training, and is an effective means of expanding the mind, increasing mental sharpness, developing analytical capacity, and gaining internal clarity.
There are two parties to the debate: a defender and a questioner, each with clear roles and strict rules of behavior which assure an orderly exchange of questions and answers. The defender is usually a novice, while the questioner is a more experienced debater.
Debate Style
The style of the debate follows a precisely choreographed routine beginning with a ritual invocation of Manjrushri, the boddhisattva of wisdom, in a loud high pitched tone.
Then the questioner, who is standing, begins the questioning in a very low and barely audible voice. He bends gently forward toward the defender, who is sitting, as a sign of humility and respect. At this point, the questioner is wearing his robe in the customary style, with the left shoulder covered, and the right shoulder bare. These initial gestures and soft speech are part of a skillful strategy designed to bring about a false sense of security in his opponent.
The defender presents his thesis. The questioner raises doubts. As the back and forth exchange of questions and answers progresses, the debate grows increasingly animated, impassioned, and physically intense, with plenty of forceful clapping and spirited verbal exchanges.
If the questioner has been able to draw the defender into making errors and contradicting himself, the questioner wraps his upper robe around his waist, as a sign of his understanding and control. No longer bending forward, he stands tall and makes forceful sweeping gestures, clapping his hands loudly to stress the power and decisiveness of his arguments.
Finally, after 2.5 hours, it all comes peacefully to an end.
Tibetan Monks Debate in Dharamsala
The performance aspect of the debate is instrumental in building enthusiasm and enabling players to access intellectual resources that could not be accessed in any other way. It’s been said that the questions that debates deal with are so technical, it is not always possible to feel excited about their content alone.
Tibetan scholars say they love the intense physical and emotional demands of the debate, and that they miss it once their training is finished.
Meaning of the Physical Gestures
Putting the left hand forward symbolizes closing the doors to the lower states of rebirth.
Clapping 2 hands together represents the union of the two aspects of the path: wisdom and method (i.e., compassionate actions).
Drawing back the right hand signifies a wish to liberate all sentient beings.
Circling the opponent’s head three times with the right hand, while speaking in an decisive and forceful voice., “These are the three circles.” (‘di ‘khor gsum) indicates the the defender has made a mistake or a false argument.
Wrapping the upper robe around the waist is a sign of understanding and control
Standing tall, making forceful sweeping gestures, and clapping hands loudly signifies the power and decisiveness of the questioner's arguments.
Tibetan Monks Debate
Chanting Monks from Dharamsala Namgyal Monastery
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Everyday from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM, you can see young Tibetan monks debate in the traditional Tibetan style embellished with hand clapping and emphatic gestures.
