Located at the foot of Taipu Hill, Sera Monastery is one of the three most famous monasteries in Lhasa. Sera Monastery’s standing isn’t as high as that of Jokhang Temple and its scale does not match that of Drepung Monastery, but it has its own unique style. Nestled beneath the mountain, it consists of a Buddhist temple, sutra recitation hall and monastery, monastic house, Kang village, and the famous Living Buddhas’ palace. The well-ordered architecture is in tune with its natural surroundings.

Visitors who go to the Sera monastery are very interested in the debating of Buddhist Doctrines. The monks at Sera Monastery debate Doctrines every day: it’s a discussion of Buddhism to share knowledge as well as a challenging debate and a battle of words and wits. They use all kinds of gestures in order to strengthen their argument; the elder monks clap their hands to urge their opponent to answer the question or pull the monk’s prayer beads to signal that he has answered correctly. You will be deeply affected by the intense atmosphere.