Editing Debate (section)

=== Tibetan Buddhist debating ===
This is a traditional [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] form of debating that was influenced by earlier Indian forms.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://asiasociety.org/tibetan-buddhist-debate |title=Tibetan Buddhist Debate |last=Perdue |first=David |date= |website= |publisher=Asia Society |access-date=2021-02-07 |quote="The Tibetan argument forms were brought over with minor adaptations from the Indian logical forms."}}</ref> Largely developed in Tibet, this style includes two individuals, one functioning as the Challenger (questioner) and the other as the Defender (answerer). The debaters must depend on their memorization of the points of doctrine, definitions, illustrations, and even whole text, together with their measure of understanding gained from instruction and study.

Characteristics that uniquely define the Tibetan Buddhist style of debating are ceremonial recitation and symbolic movements and hand gestures by debaters. At the opening of a debate, the standing Challenger claps his hands together and invokes [[Manjushri]], who is the manifestation of the wisdom of all the Buddhas and, as such, is the special deity of debate.<ref name=perdue>Daniel Perdue, The Course in Buddhist Reasoning and Logic: An Asian Approach to Analytical Thinking Drawn from Indian and Tibetan Sources. Snow Lion / Shambhala. (Boston, 2014). See also: https://thubtenchodron.org/2019/02/debate-deity/</ref>

When the Challenger first puts their question to the sitting Defender, their right hand is held above the shoulder at the level of their head, and the left hand is stretched forward with the palm turned upward. At the end of their statement, the Challenger punctuates by loudly clapping together their hands and simultaneously stomping their left foot. They then stylistically drawback their right hand slowly with the palm held upward and, at the same time, hold forth their left hand with the palm turned downward. Holding forth the left hand after clapping symbolizes closing the door to rebirth in [[samsara]]. The drawing back and raising of the right hand symbolizes one's will to raise all sentient beings out of samsara, and cyclic existence, and to establish them in the omniscience of Buddhahood. The left hand represents "[[Wisdom (Buddhism)|Wisdom]]" – the "antidote" to cyclic existence, and the right hand represents "Method" – the altruistic intention to become enlightened for the benefit of all.<ref name=perdue/> The clap represents a union of Method and Wisdom.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gomang.org/packet_files/debate_notes.pdf |title=Debate in Tibetan Buddhism* |access-date=2015-07-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081754/http://www.gomang.org/packet_files/debate_notes.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04 }}</ref>