DON'T ARGUE WITH A MONK

Monasteries are the learning centres for Buddhism doctrine, also called “dharma”. Monks study the Buddhist texts and sutras in order to achieve the highest level of understanding and must go through a rigorous series of classes, some lasting up to two years each. Studying is composed of understanding the writings of Buddha and also a lot of memorizing.

Debating is also an integral part of studying and monks practice this art in daily sessions. This involves groups of two or more where a “defender” sits and a “challenger” stands. The challenger asks questions on specific topics and the defender must answer and bring forth his own reasoning why his answer is correct. The whole interchange is very loud and can be quite unnerving as monks will debate very passionately, hand gestures are very important, stomping feet and clapping hands very close to heads and ears all have significance. Each monk must rely on memory from the texts but also bring and argue their point using their own interpretation. The overall purpose is however not to win the argument but to convince each other by mutual discussion.

LITTLE KNOWN FACT:

One of China’s biggest provinces, Yunnan borders Tibet, Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos.

BEST MONTH TO VISIT:

April/May and September/October

Longitude 80 runs a Horse Tea Road expedition along the Yunnan/Tibet border, a historical route where Chinese and tibetans traded horses for tea.