Day 8 Monday, October 28

Monday morning, we started early threading our way through Barkhor Market to the Jokhang Temple, the most sacred temple in Tibet. Local Tibetan tribes make annual pilgrimages to light a candle and offer small and large sums of money to the buddhas and they were present in large numbers. The main statue was made by Buddha Sakyamuni and the people bow to it on their passed before giving their offerings. A great deal of praying and ceremony on all sides. In the afternoon, we toured Norbulingkha, the summer palace of the Dalai Lama set in a beautiful garden surrounded by ponds.

We returned to the Barkhor Market for some serious shopping with Ken purchasing a sandalwood and jade necklace while Karen purchased a delicate bracelet made of coral and jade with silver. After lunch, we toured the Sera Monastery which houses and educates between 500 and 600 monks every year. The highlight was observing the monks in groups of three engaged in lively debate in the courtyard. The monastery was founded in 1419 by Sakya Yeshe, who first sponsored that style of debating.

We are in winter clothing it is -3c in the morning and it snows overnight and sometimes in the morning, these are large doors at the entrace to the Sera Monastery.

Monks going through a question and answer exercise in the court yard of the Sera Monastery