The Buddha wants you to dance

How else will monks and nuns truly understand his teachings? Tsenyi Tsodpa, a traditional but little-known Buddhist ritual unique to Tibetan monasteries sees monks and nuns clap and stomp their feet in a bid to challenge each other in a debate about truth. And you are invited to watch

The u00a0Brusque Himalayan Dhauladhar range skirts the skies of Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh. Austere nuns draped in red robes have taken over a Spartan-like avatar. They are at waru00a0-- the red dances like flames against the Himalayan skies as they leap gently in the air, clapping and stomping as they land on their feet.
Tsenyi Tsodpa is a traditional Buddhist debate practiced within most Tibetan monastic educational institutions, on a daily basis.

A monk participates in the debate by challenging the other via forceful
gestures and emphatic gestures. AFP Photo (picture used for representation)

Around 2,500 years ago, Gautam Buddha advised his followers to investigate, analyse and check the logic behind his philosophies instead of blindly believing. Some 500 years after his death, scholars like Nagarjuna and Dharma Kriti formulated this debate practice at renowned Buddhist institutes like the Nalanda University, to ensure that monks and nuns gained a thorough grasp of Buddhist teachings.

Over the years, these Buddhist teachings found their way into Tibet. Tibetans even today continue with the ancient practice, and it can e seen in most Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in India. Learnings from the morning class are debated in the outdoors, and you are welcome to watch, aided by friendly monks and nuns used to wide-eyed onlookers looking on curiously.

Let's learn
A monk is seated in contemplation on a green patch of grass outside his monastic abode in Bir, a small village in Himachal. Another looks him straight in the eye, posing a question: "Who are people?" The seated monk replies softly: "People are those walking, talking beings capable of reasoning and understanding."

The standing monk goes into a belligerent dance, leaping and clapping with a counter question: "What about the people who are not understanding, those who do not walk or talk? Are they not people?" Perhaps the only debate where the 'for' and 'against' scenario does not establish any winner, the objective of Tsenyi Tsodpa is only to gain a fuller understanding of the subject in question.

Two participants, one seated and the other standing, challenge each other in this spectacle. The latter postulates an argument that challenges the viewpoint of the seated monk or nun, to the accompaniment of clapping and stomping, to dramatise the act and be more forceful. After a point, both parties switch sides to gain a fuller understanding of the subject.

Unlike a usual woman's life
The ritual is what drew German Ani (nun) Kalsang Wangmo to Namgyal monastery in Dharmsala, 16 years ago. The nun, who has been living and teaching philosophy here ever since, says, "I find the debate style highly effective. It has helped me understand the scriptures, which were written some 2,500 years ago."

Wangmo travelled to India after completing high school, enamoured by what she had read about the Dalai Lama. She arrived in Dharamsala to study Buddhism, and decided to stick around and take up a monastic life. "I chose this life because it is unlike a regular woman's life where she is more concerned about her clothing, hair and husband. I have shaved my head, wear robes and find more time for my leisure and for studying Buddhism," she says. And if you ever decide to take that step and join her, you will, by default, be participating in the dramatic debate.

Remember
You can personally speak to a monk at the monastery. They are usually more than happy to translate the debate, which is always held in Tibetan. However, do maintain a sombre code of conduct and be respectful since you are at a scholarly Buddhist institute.

When to watch
Most monasteries and nunneries practise the ritual every afternoon and evening. Confirm timings by contacting the monastery.

Where
Tsenyi Tsodpa is held all over Buddhist monasteries and nunneries in India including the Dalai Lama monastery, Kriti monastery and Gaden Choeling nunnery in Dharamsala, Dsongsar monastery in Bir, Himachal Pradesh, andu00a0 Sera and Gadhen monasteries in Karnataka.