Basanta Tibet Blog - Basanta Tibet

Traditional Tibetan Incense Making Experience in Lhasa

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0200

The incense-making process begins with the careful selection of herbs, many of which are also central to traditional Tibetan medicine. The senior artisans methodically dry, grind, and blend the ingredients using stone tools, following centuries-old formulas preserved through monasteries and family lineages. The pace is intentionally slow, reflecting the meditative nature of the craft and its deep spiritual significance.

As the herbal mixture is kneaded into a soft paste and hand-rolled into slender incense sticks, mantras are often softly recited, imbuing the process with intention and mindfulness. The fragrance develops gradually—initially sharp and resinous, then unfolding into a calming, balanced scent that is both grounding and restorative. This is not industrial production, but a ritual rooted in devotion, wellness, and tradition.

With the subtle rhythm of prayer wheels from the most worshipped Temple of Chukla Khang famously known as Jokhang Temple and the Potala Palace forming a timeless backdrop, the experience becomes fully immersive. In Tibetan Buddhist practice, incense is offered as a symbol of purification and compassion, making its creation an act of spiritual merit as well as craftsmanship.

By the end of the experience, visitors do more than observe traditional Tibetan incense making. They leave with a lasting sensory memory of Lhasa itself—a blend of spirituality, cultural continuity, and Himalayan wisdom that lingers long after the smoke has faded.

A Journey of Purpose

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0200

How fortunate am I, in this path I embrace,
To guide and uplift, to cherish and grace.

To help dreams take flight, to watch them soar,
Opening hearts to seek and explore.

To heal weary minds, to soothe and restore,
Bringing peace to the soul, and strength to the core.

To weave precious moments, both simple and grand,
Memories crafted by heart and by hand.

To build bonds that endure, through distance and time,
Friendships that blossom, connections that climb.

To kindle compassion, to nurture the heart,
Uniting the world, though oceans apart.

To inspire reflection, in nature’s embrace,
Finding stillness and wonder in each sacred place.

To share the rich echoes of culture and past,
Lessons of family, traditions that last.

A life filled with purpose, a journey so true,
How fortunate am I, to do what I do.

My favorite festival Losar (Tibetan New Year)

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0200

Every year, I eagerly look forward to celebrating Tibetan New Year, cherishing the happy memories of my childhood and continuing the rich cultural traditions of my heritage. I feel proud and blessed to share this celebration with my family and friends, promoting love and compassion through our festivities.

As a child, I enjoyed every aspect of Losar without fully understanding the significance of the rituals. Yet, I knew I wanted to continue celebrating and passing it on to the next generation. Growing up in an open-minded, multicultural family made it easier to embrace my love for culture and tradition. I am grateful to those dear to me who encouraged and shared in the joy of Losar.

I fondly remember the Gutor ceremony on New Year’s Eve, where we played games over a special Gutuk dinner and performed a ritual to cleanse our home of evil spirits. My mother would stay up late, passionately decorating the Derga offerings. The best part was waking up on New Year’s morning to the aroma of Kondy, a special drink made of Tsampa, rice wine, and rare Tibetan herbs. Alongside it were Tibetan cookies and Dresi (a type of rice pudding).

The first day of Losar began with greetings, dressing in our finest attire, and visiting the temple for prayers and blessings. We continued the festivities for three days, visiting and inviting friends and family to share in the joy of the New Year.

SAGA DAWA FESTIVAL OF TIBET

Tue, 11 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0200

Meaning of Saga Dawa Duchen (Festival):

Saga" translates to "glowing star," and "Dawa" signifies "month." The Saga Dawa festival, also known as Saga Dawa Duchen, takes place on the full moon day of the 15th day in the fourth lunar month according to the Tibetan calendar.

This month-long festival commemorates three principal events in Buddha’s life: “his birth, enlightenment, and Parinirvana (death)”. Throughout this holy month, devotees engage in various religious and charitable activities, such as visiting sacred places, offering donations, and taking part in volunteer work. Many people adhere to the five basic teachings of Buddha, known as Panchasil, which include abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, wrong speech, and intoxication.

Celebration of Saga Dawa festival:
Saga Dawa is celebrated all over Tibet, with the most important site being Tarpoche in Kailash on the main full moon day. Here, hundreds of monks and devotees gather from across Tibet to participate in a special ceremony last day full moon, praying for peace and harmony and seeking blessings. Each year, devotees from Tibet and around the world travel to Kailash for pilgrimage.

The ancient capital of Lhasa and the second largest city of Tibet, Shigatse, are home to most of the major monasteries, temples, and palaces. Pilgrims travel for months from various parts of Tibet to these important cities to offer prayers for good health and happiness. This is an ideal time to visit and witness the rich religious and cultural heritage of Tibet.

Basanta Adventure organizes pilgrimage tours to Kailash and Lhasa, showcasing the profound religious and cultural heritage of Tibet.

For more information Saga Dawa Festival

Karnali and the Far West - Reviving Ancient Prosperity through Tourism

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0200

For over a thousand years, the far west of Nepal served as a major trading route between India and Tibet, with huge caravans of goats and sheep carrying salt from the Tibetan plateau down to the Indian plains, returning with grain, cloth, and consumer goods. The prosperity of this trade fueled the expansion of the great medieval Khas-Malla kingdom, the cradle of the Nepali language, which at its greatest extent ranged into modern-day Tibet, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. From the mid-twentieth century, India was able to acquire salt from elsewhere, while China restricted cross-border commerce in the 1960s. The once-flourishing caravan trade
suffered, and few traders survive: those who do carry consumer goods from Chinese supermarkets on the north-western border of Nepal into the interior hill bazaars of the Karnali region. The far west is now the country’s poorest, least populated, and most remote region.

Today, remittances provide the main source of income to those living in far western Provinces 6 and 7 - and while this has helped reduce poverty, the social costs of temporary migration are high: family and community structures are disappearing, and traditional agriculture and animal husbandry is being abandoned for lack of adequate manpower; the notable traditional weaving of Bakhu, Docha, and Kammal is also in decline. In reaction to these changes, an increasing number of Humli and Jumli are now actively looking for new ways of preserving their local way of life and environment. Cultural and eco-tourism in this area are becoming an increasingly attractive proposition, particularly since many areas in Nepal traditionally popular for tourism have been degraded by modern development and by an excessive number of visitors. We believe that tourism can help lead a revival of the far west’s fortunes. Not only does the far west offer tourists a more genuine sense of life in Nepal prior to modernization - it is also the gateway to the breathtaking trekking trails of the Limi Valley, part of the popular Great Himalayan Trail (GHT) and for cross-border pilgrimage tourism to Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in Tibet.
Basanta Adventure Treks & Expedition has been organizing both adventure and spiritual tourism trips that showcase the natural and cultural heritage of this remote part of Nepal. Tourists traveling to Tibet (Kailash) increasingly travel along these ancient trade routes on their way to or from the border.

FESTIVALS OF TIBET – 2025

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0200

LOSAR FESTIVAL (TIBETAN NEW YEAR) - 2025
Festival date – 28th February, 2025

Lhosar, the Tibetan New Year, the largest and most popular non-religious festival of the year. Lhosar is primarily a family oriented festival, festival brings much happiness and joy amongst the Tibetan people, celebrated in homes and with friends by eating special pastries and drinking plenty of Chang (Barley Beer). On New Year’s Day in Lhasa pilgrims visits the Jokhang Temple and Potala Palace to make offerings of butter in the burning lamps. The great incense burners around the Barkhor Street billow scented smoke continuously as queues of worshipers wait to add their offerings of juniper boughs. Everyone dresses in their finest clothes and many people gather around the Barkhor.

Early the morning of the third day pilgrims climb the hills around Lhasa to light fires of incense bush. In town, new colored prayer flags are hung out above each home and small incense fires burn everywhere. First 3 days of the New Year are very important when family get together and wish each other, celebration continue for a month taking part in various social activities.

SAGA DAWA FESTIVAL – 2025
Festival date – 11th June, 2025

“Saga” translates to “glowing star,” and “Dawa” signifies “month.” The festival, also known as Saga Dawa Duchen, occurs in the fourth lunar month on the full moon day of the 15th day according to the Tibetan calendar.

This one month long Saga Dawa festival is a celebration that commemorates three principal events in Buddha’s life: his birth, enlightenment, and Parinirvana (death). Devotees engage in various religious and charitable activities throughout this holy month, visiting sacred places, making donations, and actively volunteering. Many adhere to the five basic teachings of Buddha, known as Panchasil, which include abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, wrong speech, and intoxication.

The epicenter of this festival is Tarpoche in Kailash, where hundreds of monks and devotees gather from across Tibet to partake in a special ceremony, praying for peace and harmony and seeking blessings. Following the ceremony, devotees circumambulate the holy Kailash. Every year, numerous tourists travel to Tibet to witness this significant festival, contributing to the powerful energy that resonates across the Tibetan plateau during Saga Dawa.

SHOTON FESTIVAL – 2025
Festival date – 20th - 27th August, 2025

Shoton, also known as the Curd Festival, commences with the unveiling of the Giant Thangka of Buddha at Drepung Monastery. Early in the morning, hundreds of people gather at the monastery to witness a captivating ceremony, where monks chant religious prayers and perform tantric dances.

Subsequently, a grand cultural ceremony unfolds in the vast square in front of Tibet’s iconic landmark, the Potala Palace. This summer festival radiates happiness and joy, featuring daily opera shows and diverse cultural activities performed by artists from various regions of Tibet in the courtyard of Norbulingka Palace, the summer residence of the Dalai Lama.

In ancient times, the Dalai Lama used to relish these performances during his stays at Norbulingka. The government grants an official one-week holiday for this festival, allowing Tibetan people to maximize their enjoyment. Families and friends organize picnic lunches, relish delicious foods, play cards and engage in traditional activities like Para sho and Majung, creating cherished memories during this festive week.

Thank you for taking time to read the information.

We look forward to hear from you and assure you best as always.

Kind regards,
Pemba Sherpa

An authentic Tibet Travel Expert since 1998

Covid Pandamic Fundraising campaign

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0200

Dear Family and Friends,

Warm greetings from Basanta Adventure! We hope you are safe, well and in good spirits.

I am writing to inform you that we have just launched a crowdfunding campaign in a renewed appeal for donations to support our staff and their families https://fundrazr.com/NepalRescue2021?ref=ab_1AFLW5

RESCUE THE RESCUER: Now Himalayan guides and their families need your support.

We are deeply grateful to all of you who have been so generous in helping to support our staff for the past year. Your donations have enabled our staff to survive and to look after their families. But sadly, COVID has returned with a vengeance, far worse than last year and it is most unlikely that we will be able to restart our business before Spring 2022.

We are very close to the point where all our savings and donations will have been used up. So, once again we appeal for your kindness, compassion, and generosity to enable us to support our staff and their families (in total 69 people) who are fearful of approaching poverty and starvation.

HOW YOU CAN HELP…

Donate here

ALL donations, however, small will be most gratefully received.

AND/OR

Share this link with your families, friends, and anyone else who might be willing to contribute.

Every penny counts. ALL donations will be shared with our 16 staff members and their families, in total 69 people.

In anticipation, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

With our very best wishes.

Kind Regards,
Basant Bajracharya

Customer story: Spiritual Journey to Tibet & Nepal

Mon, 03 May 2021 00:00:00 +0200

It was back in March 2019, during our visit to Travel Fair of ITB, Berlin in Germany. Ms. Cybele from Lebanon randomly visited our company stand, during conversation, she started crying when she realized that we are Tibetan and we organize trip to Tibet. Ms. Cybele told us that her father who is a retired executive and he has been longing to visit Tibet for many years for very special spiritual journey and perhaps inner peace. We were not sure about obtaining visa for Lebanese national, after spending much time, we said good bye to each other. After the fair, we return home. We requested the authority to grant him invitation letter to enable Mr. Salim to visit Tibet, authority accepted the visa application and issued invitation letter which we forwarded to Ms. Cybele hoping Chinese Embassy will issue Visa for him. After few weeks waiting anxiously, Mr. Salim received his Visa to travel Tibet, Ms. Cybele was over the moon knowing the fact that his father will be finally traveling to his much awaited place.

Now our concern was to ensure safety and wellbeing of elderly person traveling from sea level to highest plateau on earth over 4000m, but Mr. Salim had no problem and he visited all the major temples, power places, took part in special prayers season with high monk, he learned and practiced meditation conducted for him by Buddhist Nun. Mr. Salim was escorted by our trusted senior and well experienced Guide who happened to be former monk during his entire trip in Tibet.

After Tibet, Mr. Salim visited birth place of Buddha in Nepal and again visited power places located around the Kathmandu valley. Mr. Salim returned home safely after fulfilling his inner desire to visit places he always wanted in his life.

We felt blessed and lucky to be able to help Ms. Cybele fulfilled her father`s dream. We have organized several similar spiritual and life changing holiday but this was something very special.

Author - Basant Bajracharya

Salim from Lebanon had been dreaming of traveling to Tibet for many years in search of peace and harmony for himself. His daughter Cybele tried to arrange many times but failed until she meets the basantatibet team in Berlin at ITB Travel fair. Basantatibet successfully organized issuing special permits which are not easy always for Lebanese citizens. Salim visited all the major pilgrimage sites in Tibet fulfilling his dream and managed to find a teacher (Guru).

Tibet & its People

Fri, 04 Jan 2019 00:00:00 +0200

Tibet spans the world's largest and, with average heights of over 4,000m, also the world's highest plateau.

In the mid-7th century, Tibetan people started living in Tibet around 3000 to 5000 year ago. Songtsen Gampo established the unified Tibetan Empire, and married two princesses, one from China and one from Nepa. Tibetan was closed from outline the world due to its remote and harsh geographical location as well as Tibetan were ruthless until Buddhism enters in 7th century which easily changed people perspective and Buddhism became the most important faith of Tibetan people and a way of life. Tibetan widely follow 5 principle of Buddha teaching, people have high regards for their spiritual leader Dalai Lama and every family keeps his portrait in their shrine room. Tibetan people living in high altitude have developed special habit of surviving as their boyd have developed unique mutated gene to balance the body structure to act normally in less supplied oxygen in atmosphere, Tibetan people have also develop more powerful lung supply lesser oxygen. However, modern life of Tibetan who specially lives in city with all the facilities have made people life much comfortable physically but perhaps mentally more challenging with all changes of modern lifestyle.

6th Basumtso International Mountain Trail Cycling Race 2018

Tue, 02 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0200

Race duration was from 1st to 2nd May 2018, covering combination of single and double tracts of total 99 km through extremely dangerous and remote section located in the Jomdo county of Nyingchi, approx. 500km East of Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was at an elevation of 3700m/12136ft., the only grade 5A natural landscape in Tibet.

Basanta Adventure was a part of this event and organized cyclists from Nepal. In this event we take great pride of our very own Nepalese cyclist Pemba Sherpa, a member of Basanta Adventure team for being awarded “MOST COMPETITIVE SPIRIT”. He may not have won the race but won the hearts of the people. Pemba helped one of the cyclists who was badly injured in one of remote section during the race; she had fallen off the main tract and had injured herself. Unfortunately, none of the cyclists stopped to help her but Pemba volunteered to help the wounded cyclist and spent time with her until rescue team arrived.

Well done Pemba!

Best Time to Visit & Explore Tibet

Tue, 02 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0200

It usually happens many times that we can’t decide our journey date and time, so we get looking on internet for help. And if you are going to completely new Places you better need good knowledge & better preparation before get to that place for future inconvenient. It occur with many traveler that they got stuck with difficulties which is coz of their poor preparation.

So if you’re planning to visit Tibet this season you better buckle up & do hard preparation. Many traveler have their own interest & choice of traveling to Tibet and they can’t fix when to go. They probably thinking what is the best time to visit Tibet.

Best time to visit Tibet mainly differs on person interest. Some likes winter season, some prefer summer & autumn season and some want to visit there to watch their culture and the way to celebrate their festivals. So, it is hard to say which the best time to get to Tibet is.

But don’t worry Basanta Tibet will make it easy for you decide when get to Tibet with your choice and interest. And we have pointed out some point to make you clear and easy to choose your time to have Tibet tours.

To visit Tibet best time is summer to autumn or May to October because of May-October often bring some dazzling clear weather and in this time weather is mild, no extremely coldness or hotness. This is the time when many tourists comes to visit Tibet.

This is suitable for all kind of people because many people prefer mild weather. Winter is much colder in Tibet, and if you decide to explore outside of the bigger cities or towns, the weather can be harsh at times. Snowstorms and mountain roads aren’t really the best combination. There are many more sandstorms in the winter, and at times smaller roads are snowed out, making them impassable. That’s why May to October is the best time to visit Tibet.

As we all know Tibet is mountainous reason so Tibet has mostly cold weather. Winter season is known as offseason to visit Tibet. The lowest price season for travelers is in winter in Tibet. Most tourists prefer to come to Tibet in summer because they regard Tibet as very cold place to visit in winter, but in winter it’s not so cold actually. So, in this season the price of a hotel, air ticket, and tour services decrease because we all know that is offseason there will be the lack of tourists.

So people of Tibet decrease their price value to attract tourists. That’s why this time is best for Traveler who have a low budget. So, if you want to visit Tibet in your low budget then you can visit Tibet in the winter season.

Tibetan have their own type of culture and festival. They have their own way to celebrate their festivals. If you want to experiences Tibetan festival you have to visit Tibet in Tibetan New Year or Monlam Prayer Festival or Chotrul Duchen (Butter lamp Festival). You have to visit there at this time. As we all know Tibetan celebrated their festivals according to Tibetan lunar calendar and it is totally different from the western country. So, you can visit Tibet by checking the lunar calendar to experiences their culture.

Tibet is a really great and beautiful place for trek and hike. You will be able to see great mountains on your trekking route and also different kind of mountain animals on your way.

Many traveler visit Tibet to do trekking. Especially all people think winter season will be best for trekking but you are wrong. During winter, not only the mountains are inaccessible but the highways that take you to the trailheads which are blocked if it snows. It is extremely cold in mountainous areas of Tibet in winter. So, it is not suitable to have trekked in Tibet in the winter season.

Spring and autumn are best time to trek in Tibet which are respectively from April to May and August to October because in that time there will be not too cloudy and not so rainy but it is bit cold in spring.

During trek, you have to pass through many passes and hills that’s why weather should be first thing that you have to know. If you come to Tibet in wrong season then you will not be able to complete your trek route and also you might get sick. So weather condition is very important for trekkers.

Basanta Tibet is one & only Tibet Tour Operator in Nepal who can make your visit to Tibet a way easier with no difficulties. Basanta Tibet is been providing different Tibet Tour Packages and other outdoor activities. Feel free to get any information related with Tibet Tour & we would love to help on making your trip memorable.

Padmasambhawa

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0200

Presents of great master Padmasambhawa or Guru is everywhere in Tibet. Padmasambhawa was invited invited to Tibet in 967 AD by King Trison Detsen to help him with from demonic forces that were creating an obstacle while building his dream monastery in Samye.

Padmasambhawa successfully subdued the demon and redirected the demon in the path of dharma. You will notice and hear many stories of Padmasambhawa who traveled all around Tibet, highland of Nepal and Bhutan where he practices and teaches his Vajrayana tantra and meditation. Padmasambhawa supervised the massive translation of Buddhist script specially related to tantric Buddhism into Tibetan language working closely with Indian monk abode Santaraksita.

This led to first Tibetan Buddhist sect, the Ngima order.

Various Sects in Tibetan buddhism

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0200

What are the different sects of Tibetan Buddhism?
Here a quick overview of the different Tibetan Buddhist Sects.

The first Tibetan Buddhist School: The Nyingma Sect

As can be read in the blog how Buddhism arrived in Tibet. Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) introduced Buddhism in Tibet by translating Buddhist scriptures into Tibetan. He founded the first Tibetan Buddhism school called Nyingma, which was a mix of Buddhism and the local Tantric Bon Religion. Nyingma is part of what later became the red hats order.

Experience the history of the beginning of Tibetan Buddhism in the Chimpu Caves & Samye Monastery

The second Tibetan Buddhist School: The Kyaga Sect

This school started in the 12th century after Tibetans went to India and learned Buddhism from an Indian master called: Naropa.
Marpa, Milarepa & Gampopa spread the knowledge orally to their students which became the Kyaga school.

The key part of Kyaga are meditation technique and 6 ways to get to faster enlightenment (the 6 dharmas of Naropa)

The third Tibetan Buddhist School; The Sakya Sect

The Sakya school comes from followers of the Nyingma school who were also interested in the new Buddhist teachings coming from India. The core of Sakya school is a structured meditation system Lam-Dre that will lead to nirvana. The school believes every human can attain Buddhahood as long as you remove the obstacles to get there in a structured way.

The fourth Tibetan Buddhist School: The Gelug Sect

The Gelug school sees itself as a reformation and is also the school of the Dalai Lama. It goes back to the teachings of Buddhist master Atisha. Its core is studying the scriptures in great detail with a philosophical approach and apply logic and debating to sharpen your knowledge. It’s the newest Buddhist school and it considers Ganden monastery close to Lhasa as it’s founding the monastery

How Buddhism arrived in Tibet

Mon, 23 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0200

How Buddhism arrived in Tibet

Buddhism arrived in Tibet during the time of great king Songtsen Gampu during 7th century who married to Nepali Princes Brikuti and Chinese prince Wenchen who brought the youngcesW, SongtsenGampu sent his trustbut only 9 or 10th century during the time of King Trisong Detsen buddhism flourished in Tibet with help of Padmasambhava. The Great Tantric Master Padmasambhawa also called Guru Rinpoche was invited to Tibet 967 AD by King Trison Detsen to help him from demonic force which was creating obstacle to built his dream monastery in Samye, Padmasambhawa successfully subdue the demon and redirect the demon in the path of dharma. Later on Pansambhawa supervised massive translation of specially tantric Buddhist script into Tibetan along with abode Santaraksita who was also invited by King Trisong Detsen to build the first monastery Samye Ling.

Great Master Tsongkhapa ( 1357 - 1419 ) original founder of new school of thoughts which later become Geluk Tradition also called yellow hat. Ganden Monastery was a first school belong this tradition. Tsongkhapa was most learnet master of that time, he was greatly influenced by Manjushree and believed to be emanation of Manjushri. Tsongkhapa received full ordination as a monk at the age of 24, ol, he received teaching from several master of different traditions & practice it. Tsongkhapa died at the age of 62 in 1419.

Milarepa: one of the few enlightened master in Tibet, Milarepa story from destroyers due to selfish reason later become a Yogi after receiving teaching from than great master Naropa, we went to retreat for 12 years where he received full enlightenment. Melarap believed to have supernatural power using his meditational state, he is said to have meditated on top of holy Mt. Kailash with his supernatural power.

Practice of Debate by Monks in Tibet Cultural Background and Functioning

Wed, 18 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0200

Established in the 14th century by Tsongkhapa, the Gelugpa School, school of the yellow caps, is the most recent of the four great schools of the Tibetan Buddhism. It emphasizes the importance of a logical and rigorous debate and introduces, in monasteries, practice of regular debates as a substitute for tantric practices. The first one of the followers was the first Dalai-Lama, Gendun Drup whose His Holiness the Dalaï-Lama is the reincarnation.
4 noble truths of the Buddhism are: Suffering, the origin of this suffering shown by the ignorance due to a failing perception of the reality, the cessation of the suffering and the real path of the cessation of the suffering by the experiment of that would be the real nature of the phenomena.
As any Buddhist practice, the purpose of the practice of the debate is to overcome the first two pitfalls – suffering and the origin of suffering – by the intellectual search for the real nature of the phenomena. It suggests investing the bases of logics, The Indian texts, the Sutras and the Comments. The practice lasts on average 4 hours a day within monasteries: 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening. About fifteen classes over about twenty years are necessary to obtain the highest status of the community, these of Geshe.
How do the debates begin?
They are always public and take place in the monasteries. Two people face each other: the messenger of the tradition, defendant of a thesis, sits. The challenger, clarifier of the reasoning, defends no thesis and stands in front of him. To begin the debate, the challenger gets closer and stays a few steps away from the defendant, he makes a short clapping and pronounces a time-honored expression: “Dhih!” Expression referring to the Incarnation of the wisdom of all Buddhas, Manjusri, who is represented with the sword of intelligence and lively wit in the right hand and the book of doctrine in the left hand. The challenger reincarnates the weft of the debates of Manjusri. So, the apprenticeship of a rigorous logic serves the liberation of all human beings of the erroneous views and the suffering.
The first task of the followers is to establish a mutual agreement. The challenger raises a question to the defendant, this one exposes his thesis. The challenger can ask several questions. It is the approval of the defendant that allows to begin the debate itself. A single monk holds the defendant’s role whereas the challenger can be joined by other co-challengers. The questions of the challenger contain a subject, a predicate and a reason.
For example, the question (think you that) the subject, Socrates, is mortal because he is a man, attributes a predicate: be mortal on the subject Socrates by virtue of a reason: be a man.
The defendant has three possible answers:

He says : “I accept” (’dod) if the formulation of the challenger transcribes carefully his thesis.
He says : “The reason is not established” (rtags ma grub) if the subject doesn’t fit with the reason “Socrates is mortal because of being an elephant”
He says : “It does not pervade” (ma khyab). This possibility is a tibetan innovation: the reason does not allow the predicate, because there is uncertainty, contradiction or exclusion. “Socrates is a philosopher because he is a man”: this is an uncertain formulation: All men are not philosopher, the reason, doesn’t allow the predicate: be one philosopher. Socrates is a reptile because he is a man: this is contradictory because the terms man and reptile are exclusives, men are not reptiles.

How do the debates take place?

After the phases of common consensus, the followers establish the coherence of the Buddhist doctrine. The challenger has to repeat the formulation of the defendant even if he considers it inconsistent. The defendant defends the ideology of the text and embodies the unified doctrinal tradition by remaining serene and unflappable. The challenger tries to demonstrate two main types of incoherence: the non-concordance with the contents of being a recognized authority reference and the argumentation of the defendant.
The first example of the learning of the debate is the one of the color: the defendant asserts, in an absurd way, that all colors are inevitably red. The challenger doesn’t try to establish the antithesis. On the contrary, he takes back the formulation of the defendant to demonstrate the irrationality. To introduce the incoherence of the reasoning, the challenger has to introduce another color than red and assert that it is red.
How do the debates end?
The challenger shouts: “finished”, three times: The palm of the left hand strikes the right hand. The purpose of the practice of the debate is not to undo an opponent but to allow to overtake, together, the erroneous designs of the reality. In the disputation of the European Middle Ages, a professor outside the debate, detains the truth and teaches it to his pupils. In the practice of the debate of Tibetan Buddhism, the truth is thing to do and experiment, it is a process of self-training: the monk is a poet, in the etymological sense of creator of his phenomenological reality.

2- HOW CAN THE PRACTICE OF THE DEBATE BE A SPACE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?

By separating the intelligence of individuals physical history in an environment and by making a clean sweep of the imagination, the science found itself in an cleft stick. For both precursors of the Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, the philosopher of the Vth century Dignana and the logician of the VIIth, Dharmakarti, the words of the language are abstract constructions created by the imagination and the human intellect. Two researchers in cognitive science and artificial intelligence, Francesco Varela and Herbert Simon, reject the scientific speeches based exclusively on the logic because of their insufficiency to produce a speech of the truth.
FRANCESCO VARELA, disappeared in 2001, is the co-creator with His Holiness the Dalai-Lama, of the Mind and Life Institute: association which explores the relation of the science and the Buddhism as the methodologies for the understanding of the nature of reality.
As a biologist, he created at first the concept of autopoïesis to illustrate the property of a system to create itself. By analogy, Enaction or Embodied Cognition is a way of conceiving the spirit which emphasizes the way the bodies and the human minds get organized themselves in interaction with the environment. The brain doesn’t work as a computer, it builds its own world. The knowledge becomes creation of the reality. It arises from the action and requires a body to form. As for Buddhism, the man is a poet: He creates his world, his Gods, his truth by making them.

HOW THE BODY AND THE LANGUAGE INTERACT TO MAKE THE KNOWLEDGE IN THE PRACTICE OF THE DEBATE?

The Challenger claps with hands, stamps, shouts mockeries when he argues whereas the seated defendant, remains stoical and imperturbable. The left hand represents wisdom. The right hand represents the method and is the will to release all the human beings off the ignorance. The clapping represents the union of the wisdom and the method which helps to reach the state of the Buddha. To hold out the left hand after every clap, is to close the door of the revivals.
When the challenger raises a question, he holds out the right hand above the shoulder and above the head and the left hand is stretched out forward with the turned palm upward. At the end of his statement, the challenger claps with hands and stamps his left foot on the ground, in a synchronized way, a friendly gesture to stamp out any misplaced sense of pride. Then he removes the right hand, stretches out his palm forward and spreads the left hand with the turned palm downward. The kinaesthetic supports of the challenger wake up, refresh and update the dynamics and the lively wit of each of the actors. The attention is constantly required. The slightest absence can be fatal.
On the level of the language, both debaters use the rehearsal process to give itself time and look for the best answer to be brought to a formulation of the opponent. It is at first the rhythm which is looked for by monks and by the sound of which they recognize themselves, recognize their knowledge and have them to recognize as such by the public. So, both actors can claim to achieve knowledge: that of the text and the one which runs under the text. When a second challenger joins the first one, the rehearsals create musical chords. This synchronization is an embodied cognition, a thinking and making together.
These verbal and gestural synchronizations, the theatrically and the dramatization accompanying the argumentations of the opponents, make a choreography. The challenger, for example, stretches and tightens its rosary as a bow to propel its argument in the direction of the defendant, or he turns it three times around his head to point to an argument considered absurd.

HOW DOES THE PRACTICE OF THE DEBATE BECOMES A REPRESENTATION OF EMBODIED COGNITION'S?

The monk practising the debate is immersed, in his everyday life of Buddhist and as a tibetan, in a cultural universe filled with songs, music and dances crowned, in a singular relationship to gods whom he knows how he has invented to help him to represent itself and to live the logic of the contradictory which makes the phenomena. The practice of the debate is undoubtedly a propaedeutics: It doesn’t stage a relationship fossilised with a supposed fossilised tradition. It makes emerging a kind of physical embodiment of the tradition. The body becomes a practical means, a functional one of the Tibetan Philosophy.
Where the mandala represents with sand, where the mantra represents on paper, the practice of the debate, seems to embody and display the rhythms of a relation between the man and his cosmological environment. It appears like a mantra removed from the thread that suspends it from a tree, words carried by the winds of the dialogue to present another level of reality than the only learning of logic. Metaphorically, debaters discover the fire, make internal combustion engines which bang and eventually act as two co-pilots of a plane : they switch on gases, engines begin to buzz, making together the synchronized operations allowing the take-off until the plane reaches its cruising speed: The rhythm and logic fueling each other.

Monks & Monasteries in Tibet

Mon, 04 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0200

Monks and Monasteries are integral part Tibetan cultural Heritage. Great master, enlighten Yogi and King founded different school of Buddhism in ancient time. Tantrik Master Padmasambhawa also called Guru Rimpuche who was invited to Tibet to subdue a demonic forces, Padmasambha successfully subdue the demon and redirect the demon in the path of dharma. Tantric principle do not eliminate any negative forces but oblige them to take the journey of spiritual awakening. Pansambhawa supervised massive translation of specially tantric Buddhist script into Tibetan along with abod Santaraksita who was invited by King Triso Disen to build the first monastery Samyle Ling.

Great MasterTsongkhapa ( 1357 - 1419 ) original founder of new school of thoughts which later become Geluk Tradition also called yellow hat. Ganden Monastery was a first school belong this tradition. Tsongkhapa was most learnet master of that time, he was greatly influenced by Manjushree and believed to be emanation of Manjushreee. Tsongkapa received full ordination as a monk at the age of 24, ol, he received teaching from several master of different traditions & practice it. Tsonkapa died at the age of 62 in 1419.

Melarapa: one of the few enlighted master in Tibet, Melarap story from distroyers due to selfish reason later become a Yogi after receiveing teacing from than great master Naropa, we went to retreat for 12 years where he received full enlightment. Melarap believed to have super natural power using his meditational state, he is said to have meditated on top of holy Mt. Kailash with his super natural power.