Sera Monastery

Sera Monastery ⛩️ Located at the base of a mountain, take a wander into a significant Monastery in Lhasa's history. Walk the streets and smell the incense from all directions whilst admiring the traditional Tibetan architecture. 🏠 Inside the Monastery itself you'll find butter offerings to various Buddhas and admire the artistry in each room, intricate carpets and wall paintings throughout 🖼🎨 Ensure you're there between 3:00pm and 5:00pm to see the "Monks' Debate". Where Monks test one another's knowledge about all things Buddhism, Scripture and Tibetan.. #monastery #tibet #monks

Sera Monastery (sera-theg-chen-gling), located about 5 kilometers north of Lhasa city center, at the southern foot of Sera Utsé Mountain. 'Sera' in Tibetan means 'wild rose garden'. Its formal name is 'theg-chen-gling', which means 'Mahayana continent'. Founded in 1419, it was built with the support of the noble Langkazanbu (nam-mkav-bzang-po) by Jamchen Chöjé Shakya Yeshe, a disciple of Tsongkhapa. Sera Monastery covers an area of 114,964 square meters. It is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, originally designed for 5,500 monks but actually housing over 9,000. The main structures include the Coqen Hall (assembly hall), the 'three great Zhacangs' and 32 Kangtsens. The early buildings were centered around the Mazhacang and Abacang, and after many generations of expansion and renovation, it has reached its current size, hence there is no overall plan in its layout. However, the architecture is adapted to the local conditions, with a prominent main body, dense but not cramped, complex but not chaotic, reflecting the unique style of the Gelug monasteries, resembling a religious capital city. In 1962, it was listed as a key cultural relic protection unit by the autonomous region.

Lhasa, the holy land for backpackers, the most suitable city for solo travel in the country. 🧚🏻In winter, all A-level tourist attractions in Lhasa except temples are free, and the travel price is very low, half cheaper than summer tourism. Free attractions include the Potala Palace, Norbulingka, Yamdrok Lake, etc. ⛰️The main city tour of Lhasa is to visit temples and tour the Potala Palace. Book free tickets in advance through the Potala Palace ticket reservation system one day in advance. There is basically no need to queue in the off-season, but it is very tiring to climb the Potala Palace. Those with poor physical fitness should prepare oxygen tanks in advance. Note that photography is not allowed inside. 💞The winter climate in Lhasa is cold, and you need to prepare thick down jackets and thermal underwear. If you are traveling alone, you should prepare all kinds of medicines, especially for colds, fever, diarrhea, etc. Oxygen tanks are life-saving. 🚂The starting price for taxis in Lhasa is 10 yuan, and 12 yuan at night. They don't like to use the meter, so you need to agree on the price in advance. City buses can also reach major attractions. You can take a bus to tour Lhasa alone, and you can reach Barkhor Street, Jokhang Temple, Potala Palace, Yaowang Mountain, Sera Monastery, Norbulingka, Zaki Temple, etc. along the way. 🍩It is suitable for individuals to eat Tibetan noodles and drink sweet tea, the most cost-effective food and drink in Lhasa, with an average cost of 10 yuan. 🧘🏻‍♀️Winter is the cheapest season for accommodation in Lhasa. You can stay in a youth hostel or a guest house. Around 50 yuan.

Sera Monastery. Lhasa is a multifaceted city, both modern and traditional, both commercial and devout. For the first two days here, what I felt was the overwhelming prosperity and noise, the commercial atmosphere was so strong that I could forget that I was on the snow-capped plateau, with many people, cars, and shops everywhere. In the following days, I started to visit various temples, and truly felt the peaceful and serene life atmosphere of the traditional Tibetans. Today I came to Sera Monastery, initially attracted by the architecture, colors, and debates mentioned in the mouth. Although I still didn't catch up with the debate, the architectural colors were as expected, and they were very photogenic~ Yellow and white are the main colors, occasionally matched with red, very simple and atmospheric, it is a good choice to slowly play in Lhasa. Small tips: 1. The debate time is 3-5 pm (rest on Sundays), the entrance is a bit far from the debate field, if you want to listen to the debate, you need to advance A 2. Sera Monastery is a bit big, each independent small courtyard has its own characteristics, suitable for not in a hurry to stroll around 3. Before 5 o'clock, the ticket is 50, after 5 o'clock, because many places are closed, the ticket is 10 yuan. If you just want to take pictures, it is suitable to go after 5 o'clock.

Sera Monastery, located at the foot of Sera Uze Mountain in the northern suburbs of Lhasa, is one of the three major monasteries in Lhasa and the second largest monastery in Tibet. The architectural style of the monastery is unique, and the golden and magnificent main hall and the grand scale are breathtaking. The monastery houses many precious Buddha statues, as well as a large number of scriptures, exquisite thangkas, embroidery, murals and other art treasures, which are excellent choices for worship or viewing. The debate activities of Sera Monastery are well-known in Tibet and are an important part of visiting Sera Monastery. The debate activities are held in the debate field in the north of the monastery, starting at three o'clock in the afternoon and lasting until five o'clock. It should be noted that there are no debate activities on Sundays and special holidays. During the debate, the monks are exaggerated in their actions and debate the scriptures, which is very interesting. You can walk to see the buildings and Buddha halls of Sera Monastery. The perimeter of the entire monastery is about 1.5 kilometers. The layout of Sera Monastery is centered on the Cochin Hall, surrounded by many buildings of the major Zha Cang. Unlike the architecture of Han Buddhism in the mainland, the architectural layout of Sera Monastery is not centrally symmetrical, but scattered in the mountains. The more famous halls include the Horse Head Ming King Hall and the Cochin Hall, which can be visited in focus. The Horse Head Ming King Hall enshrines the famous Horse Head Ming King statue of Sera Monastery. The Horse Head Ming King is a Dharma protector of Tibetan Buddhism's Vajrayana, with powerful magic power to exorcise evil and solve difficulties. It is said that this statue of the Horse Head Ming King was dug out by Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism, when he heard the neighing of a horse while walking, so it has a strong exorcism power in the legend of Tibetan Buddhism. This is also a key point for believers to worship at Sera Monastery. You can join the believers' team to worship and pray for blessings and exorcism. The central Cochin Hall is a larger building of Sera Monastery, supported by 108 large pillars. During religious ceremonies, it can accommodate more than 8,000 monks. The statue of the founder of the monastery, Shakyamuni, is enshrined in the hall. The hat on the head of the statue is very unique, with Sanskrit written on it. This hat was personally bestowed by the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty when he was preaching in the mainland. You can go and discover it yourself. The back mountain of Sera Monastery is relatively high, and you can see the panoramic view of Lhasa city from the top of the mountain, which is a good place for mountain climbers. The relative height of the mountain is about 500 meters, and it takes about 4 hours to climb, requiring a certain amount of physical strength. Looking back at the city of Lhasa along the mountain road, the view is very wide. However, it is not recommended for tourists who are prone to altitude sickness when they first arrive in Lhasa to go to the top of the mountain.

- Arrived at Sera Monastery near Lhasa city in the afternoon There's no debate on Sundays, the temple is quiet and comfortable In my view, it's better to shoot here than the Potala Palace The light and shadow will guide the way forward The bright colors of red, yellow, and white will guide you to press the shutter Some shooting positions, I see no one has shot before~ The Tibetan incense of Sera Monastery is a worthy souvenir, 8-15r As for the ticket, it's worth a deal If you're just here for photos, it's suggested to come after 5 pm, 10r for a ticket If you want to see the details inside the hall, it's suggested to come in the afternoon, 50r for a ticket But don't get stuck coming after 4 pm, in addition to the expensive ticket The big and small halls are also closing one after another

Pabongka Monastery is located on the back hill of Sera Monastery in the north. At first glance, it is a very unremarkable small temple, but upon closer inspection, you can see its beauty. This temple does not require a ticket, and there are not many people, so you can basically go in directly when you arrive. We do not need to make an appointment in advance. But please note that its opening hours are from 9 am to 5 pm. The temple is closed at other times and no longer receives visitors. When we went there, it happened to be spring, and the peach blossoms in the temple were in full bloom. The towering temple wall could not block the spring scenery of the full garden. However, according to the person in charge of the temple, the best scenery is in winter. The pure white snow and the red walls of the temple are particularly matched. Standing on the high place of the temple and looking down, the scenery under the mountain is exceptionally beautiful.

Visiting Sera Monastery was a spontaneous decision, so I didn't specifically plan to watch a debate. But as one of the three major temples in Lhasa and one of the six main monasteries of the Gelug sect, the fact that Sera Monastery has such a strong sense of life was unexpected. Perhaps it's because in Tibet, life is faith, and faith is life, which is why Buddhism has continued to this day. As for the origin of the name Sera Monastery, one theory is that before the monastery was built, the land was full of wild roses, and Sera is the pronunciation of 'rose' in Tibetan. Another theory is that during the foundation of the monastery, there was a fierce hailstorm, so Sera Monastery means 'Hail Monastery'. If it were up to me, I would of course prefer the former, after all, flowers may be frail, but they always bring fragrance, hail is strong, but always accompanied by destruction. Walking down the steps from the Guanyin Hall of Sera Monastery, I happened to see a small altar full of roses, and an old man was kneeling in worship, this scene was so gentle, unlike in the powerful temples of Lhasa. It was the time when autumn was getting stronger, and the ginkgo trees in Sera Monastery were also beginning to turn yellow. During the less crowded times, I saw local residents walking in the sun in the temple, leisurely entering and exiting the Buddha Hall, praying in the prayer wheel corridor, and a large group of dogs wandering around freely, I really felt that Sera Monastery was like a religious small town, where faith is daily life, and even the small animals seem to have become accustomed to living a leisurely life amidst the chanting and the smell of butter. Sera Monastery is built on a hill, and although it is not grand and luxurious, it has formed a certain scale and characteristics through generations of expansion. The buildings that seem to be scattered in the mountain actually all have their own roles and functions. The Coqen Hall, the three major warehouses, and 32 Kang villages form the clear and strict organizational structure of Sera Monastery. The tens of thousands of Vajra Buddha statues and murals, and Thangkas are all very wonderful and worth a careful look. If you have good physical strength, you can climb the mountain before sunset and overlook the whole Lhasa, which is said to be very spectacular. Tips: Tickets are 50 before 5 o'clock, and 10 after 5 o'clock. Although it is in the suburbs, there are many buses available, and the transportation is convenient.

Sera Temple is the Gelugpai Temple. It is also known as the "Lhasa Three Great Temples" with Ganden Temple and Drepung Monastery. I went to the Sera Monastery completely for the debate, because I heard about the Sera Monastery before I left. The debate is one of the folklore that Lhasa must watch. The lamas were in the hall of the hall, chanting, and I and the Tibetans sat around the stools around the main hall, feeling the sacredness of the short, long, sacred, listening to the debate at three o'clock in the afternoon, first by an elderly The lama introduced a brief opening ceremony. Then, after the debate began, although the words could not be understood, I would like to visit the Sera Monastery in order to experience the inheritance of this day. After the event, watch a scene of debate for faith. [Tips] Transportation: Located at the foothills of the Sera in the northern suburbs of Lhasa, the Jokhang Temple comes out to Beijing Middle Road, take the 503 CMB to Sera Monastery, the fare is 2 yuan, the journey is about 50 minutes. Tickets: 50 yuan Note: The debate is not carried out in the hall, but outdoors, to pay attention to the place, the time is usually started at 3 pm.

I like the living conditions of Buddhism in Tibet. Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery and Ganden Monastery are the three major temples in Lhasa. It is the oldest building in the three major temples. The temple has the most famous debate ceremony in Tibetan areas When I arrived at the temple, both the monks dressed in shackles and the Tibetans in Tibetan clothes revealed their sincerity towards the Buddha. It is like two worlds with us./ Most tourists like us are all directed at us. The most famous debate ceremony here comes ~ There are many people who watch the debate. When we arrived, the debate hall was filled with dense tourists, and there were many foreign tourists~ dozens Lama or standing or standing, divided into one-on-one, one-to-many, or many-to-one combinations, questioning, rebutting, refuting and then answering, using a variety of gestures, physical movements, or hand rosary, One foot is independent, even glaring at each other, vigorously claping to make a strong voice~ A debate is a practice for the monks, it is like watching a lively event for tourists~ but dont care, dont understand, dont use Deliberately explore the meaning of chanting, be able to come here and feel positive Everything that has been born is already the fate of the previous Buddha... In addition to watching the debate, the Sera Monastery itself is also a very large temple~ Walk around and turn around, maybe a corner can surprise you~ There are all kinds of beautiful Thangka murals inside, so you cant take pictures~

Sera Monastery tickets are 50 yuan and there is no student ID card. Local residents do not need tickets. Yes, the student ID card is very bad in Tibet. Brought with a leucorrhea. Sera Temple has a well-known debate. I used to see it in books. The book describes the very...the Holy Spirit. (Forgive me for not being able to describe words.) The debate was originally from India. In fact, it is to follow the logic of reasoning system, to debate the teaching of Buddhist teachings. Of course, when we went to see it, we couldnt understand what they were saying. Only their momentum can infect people. Everyone is very focused on doing one thing, very devoutly speaking about the Buddhist theory they understand. Sometimes when you are excited, you will also increase your voice and your face will rise. After reading a debate, your back will be unconsciously sweated.

In the morning, I went to the Sera Monastery and climbed up. Our goal is actually Figure 9, or it is a little worse, and I can't climb. The weather in Lhasa is really good.