English: Colorful debates on Buddhist doctrines are held here and these employ a style distinctive from those at Lhasa's other famous monasteries. Lhasa, Tibet This is the debate courtyard of the byes college. Up to several years ago, the two philosophical colleges of se ra -- byes and smad -- used their own textbooks (yig cha), and debated separately. Fearing that there were not sufficient numbers of monks to sustain separate debate periods, the two colleges decided to consolidate their curricula sometime in the last decade. They adopted the textbooks of the byes college monastery, and since that time the monks of both colleges debate together for a two-hour period every afternoon when the doctrinal session, or "quatrimester" (chos thog) is convened. Like all of se ra's major debate courtyards, the byes debate ground is surrounded by an outer perimeter wall, and contains many trees that provide shade in the summer.