These Tibetan monks are debating Buddhist doctrines. The debate among monks unfolds in the presence of their teachers, with a very well set rules of procedure for the defender and the questioners. The tradition of such debates is traced to the ancient ‘Hindu Orthodoxy’ in India and this practice permeated into Buddhist orthodoxy in Tibet in the eighth century. When the standing monk feels he has presented a particularly good argument, he starts a baseball-like wind-up, followed by a resounding clapping of his hands together. Conversely, if he feels he has failed to deliver his point, he slaps the back of one hand to the palm of the other, like a backward clap. The whole scene is quite a sight to see. Most people generally perceive monks as reserved people; my perception of them was of being very lively and with a great sense of humor.
