[Buddha-l] swearing etc

[Stephen Hodge]

Curt,

> That is so whack! OK - what the bejezus is going on in that 
> video!?!?!?!?!?!?

It's actually a bunch of Gelukpa monks engaging in ritualized debate, 
supposedly modelled on the way things were done in India.  The seated monk 
is the person who makes the proposition (pratij~na) to be debated and the 
standing one is the person who tries to refute the claim.  The hand-slapping 
and twirling of mala are used to emphasize points and punctuate the debate.

Best wishes,
Stephen Hodge