introduce
Sera Monastery is located at the foot of Sera Uzi Mountain in the northern suburb of Lhasa. It is one of the three major monasteries in Lhasa and the second largest monastery in Tibetan areas. The buildings in the temple are all in Tibetan style, and the main hall of the temple is resplendent and magnificent. There are many Buddha statues enshrined in the temple, and there are also a large number of scriptures, exquisite thangkas, pile embroidery, murals and other precious art treasures. It is a good choice to visit or watch.
famous debate
Sera Monastery's debates have always been famous in Tibetan areas, and it is also the focus of visiting Sera Monastery. The scripture debating ceremony in Sera Monastery is held in the debating hall on the north side of the temple. It starts at 3:00 p.m. every day and lasts until 5:00 p.m., which is not available on Sundays and special festivals. You need to pay attention. When debating scriptures, monks often sit on the ground while the other stands opposite, debating scriptures with exaggerated movements, which is very interesting.
Appreciate the architecture of Sera Temple
You can walk to see the architectural Buddhist hall of Sera Monastery. The circumference of the whole monastery is about 1.5 kilometers. Different from the buildings of Chinese Buddhism in the Mainland, the Sera Monastery is not arranged symmetrically on the central axis, but is scattered among the mountains. Among the famous temples are the Matou Mingwang Hall and the Tsochin Hall, which can be visited in particular.
The Matou Mingwang Hall enshrines the famous Matou Mingwang statue in Sera Temple. Matou Mingwang is the guardian deity of Tibetan Buddhism Esoteric Buddhism. He has powerful magic power to drive away evil spirits and solve problems. It is said that this horse-headed Mingwang statue was excavated underground along with the neighing sound of a horse when Master Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, heard the neighing sound while walking. Powerful magic power to ward off evil spirits. This is also the focus of believers visiting Sera Monastery. You can join the ranks of believers and pay homage to pray for yourself and ward off evil spirits.
The Tsochin Hall in the center is the larger building of Sera Monastery, supported by 108 large pillars, and can accommodate more than 8,000 monks when religious ceremonies are held. The hall enshrines the statue of the founder of the temple, Sakyamuni Yixi. The hat on the top of the statue is very unique, with Sanskrit written on it. This hat was bestowed by Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty when he was preaching in the mainland. You can go and find it yourself.
Climb the back mountain to see the panorama of Lhasa
The back mountain of Sera Monastery is relatively high, and the panoramic view of Lhasa can be seen from the top of the mountain. It is a resort for mountain climbers. The relative height of the mountain is about 500 meters. It takes about 4 hours to climb the mountain. It requires a certain amount of physical strength. However, if you go up a little bit along the mountain road and look back at the city of Lhasa, you will have a very wide view. Tourists with poor physical strength or who are prone to high reflexes when they just arrived in Lhasa are recommended not to go up. to the top.
opening hours
08:30-17:00 all year round
Preferential treatment policy
must see tips
1. Every year on December 27th of the Tibetan calendar, the monastery will have a Vajra Blessing Festival. There will be a blessed Vajra for believers to bless and exorcise evil spirits. At that time, many believers will come here to participate in the ceremony, and tourists can also come here to pray and exorcise evil spirits.
2. According to the rituals of Tibetan Buddhism, walking around the temple, turning around the scriptures, and turning around the hall should all be in a clockwise direction.
3. To respect the beliefs of the local people, do not use your fingers to point to the Buddha statues, take off your hat and be quiet after entering the main hall, and do not take pictures casually.
4. After three o'clock in the afternoon, many halls will be closed. It is recommended to visit here in the morning or at noon, and you can look at the debates in the afternoon.
5. Try to keep quiet when watching and filming the debates, and do not get close to take pictures all the time, so as to minimize the impact on monks.
6. The altitude of Sera Monastery is relatively high. Tourists who are new to Lhasa should be careful not to exercise vigorously to avoid high altitude. When climbing the back mountain of Sera Monastery, you must do what you can, and you don't have to force yourself to climb to the top.
