debate

loud, heated and physical, the debate form used in many larger monasteries as an integral part of monks' education places monks in relationships to each other that range from adversaries to colleagues to comic partners. observers unfamiliar with the form often ask ' who won?' and the response just as often is 'no one' or 'everyone,' the primary point being to uncover unexamined assumptions and sharpen the understanding of the material under discussion. one mark of an excellent debater, however, is the ability to elicit laughter from onlookers.

photos from sakya monastery, tibet.

friendship

any visit to monastic communities in tibet rapidly erodes the vision of buddhist monasticism as an individual or solitary endeavor. the intense social texture of life in tibetan monasteries touches visitors and, of course, participants. here, two young monks stroll the walls surrounding this large monastic complex in tibet. after a day of collective ritual, classes, group debate and other communal activities, the two friends spent about an hour chatting and watching the comings and goings within the complex and outside it. taken at sakya monastery, tibet.