The Three-Year Program in Logic and Debate, first established in 2020 at the Lama Tzong Khapa Institute (Italy), is a three-year program designed to teach theBuddhist art of debate,a sophisticated practice that originated at the renowned Nālandā University, in India around the 5th century CE and later developed in the Tibetan monastic universities, where it remains central to their pedagogy to this day.
In this tradition, debate is considered an essential tool for gaining a deep understanding of the Buddhist teachings and for further developing one’s meditative practice as a result.
Debate invites us to recognize both the strengths and vulnerabilities of our logical reasoning, the limited, yet necessary, nature of conceptual thought, and ultimately to turn that very conceptuality against itself in a process of deconstruction that can reveal the truth beyond it.
In addition to holding a central place on the Buddhist path, the practice of debate serves as a powerful tool for sharpening critical thinking, cultivating active listening, and engaging with one’s own assumptions—both explicit and implicit.
The course was held remotely, was available in Italian and English, and enabled participants to take part in intensive in-person sessions at important Buddhist institutions in Italy and India.