TIbet 2005,Tibetan Monks Debate, NOW they Protest!

Monastery of Arjia Rinpoche author of "Surviving the Dragon"
Visiting Kumbum the former monastery of Arjia Rinpoche (塔爾寺 CH) in Amdo Tibet, Tibetan Monks are found debating in the Courtyard. Prior to1958 there were over 3,500 monks studying and practicing the art of debate, but now there are only 400 monks. It is said that freedom of expression is both closely monitored and restricted.

Today Kumbum has become a kind of Monastic amusement park and a popular tourist site for Chinese tour groups.
For Tibetans, Kumbum Monastery, the birth place of Tsongkhapa (founder of the Gelugpa sect to Tibetan Buddhism) is a sacred pilgrimage site.

The former Abbot of Kumbum, Arjia Rinpoche, fleed into exile in 1998. Arjia Rinpoche now lives and teaches in the USA.
http://www.tccwonline.org/rinpoche.htm

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