Dr Rabin Man Shakya
Portland, Sept 23 (Nepal Oregon News): Despite the fact that Shakya Muni Siddhartha Gautam Buddha was born in Nepal, Nepal used to be called a Hindu kingdom until recently. Nepal still is a Hindu majority country. At a time when Buddhists of Japan, Korea, Tibet, Taiwan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and so on are working very hard to disseminate the ideas of Buddhism throughout the world, the role of Nepalese Buddhists in propagating and enriching Buddhism abroad is insignificant.
The role and scope of Nritya Mandala Mahavihara (NMM) in Portland, USA which is celebrating its tenth anniversary has to be analyzed against such disappointing background.
The Nritya Mandala Mahavihara - which is the only Nepalese Buddhist temple in the West so far - has moved to centerstage in Nepalese community in Oregon by observing the age-old festivals of the Kathmandu valley and by keeping alive the traditions and culture of the people of Nepal.
The tenth anniversary of Nritya Mandala Mahavihara is being celebrated in a grand manner throughout September to November. An opening celebration which consisted of various programs was organized at Henjyoji Shingon Temple in Portland on Saturday and Sunday Sept 21-22, 2019.
At the beginning of the program, various dignitaries of Portland's Dharma communities and some prominent Nepalese Portlanders were felicitated by wrapping Khata on them. The tenth anniversary program was declared open by co-founder of the Mahavihara Helen Appell by lightening diyo on the twarba.
The anniversary program started with opening chants and prayers by various luminaries of Portland's Dharma communities for an auspicious beginning. An art exhibition and cultural display was also organized on the occasion.
In his welcome remarks, Rev. Kosho Finch of the Henjyoji Shingon Temple said that the objective of the Buddhist Henjyoji Temple is to provide support to all congregrants in achieving their desired personal and spiritual potential through Shingon Buddhism.
"The Japanese Cultural Academy fosters the study and practice of traditional and evolving Japanese arts," he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Prajwal Vajracharya, priest and co-founder of the NMM said that Dance Mandala was launched in 1996 whereas Nritya Mandala was established in 2009 by Helen Appell and him.. Prajwal threw light on the history of the Mahavihara, the challenges and problems he faced in the beginning.
Nritya Mandala Mahavihara has been working to disseminate values of Newah Buddhism in the West. Similarly, various rituals like rice feeding ceremony, wedding ceremony, Bratbandha, Ihi and Bhimrathrohan rituals are also organized in the Mahavihara, Prajwal said.
The Newah Buddhist temple's ten year history with a slide show of the process and events of bringing Nepalese Buddhism to the West through NMM was able to vividly shed light on the activities of the Mahavihara.
The program was also addressed by Bharat Banskota, president of Nepali Association of Oregon and Daya Shakya, vice president of World Newah Organization and president of NRN NCC USA Oregon chapter.
One of the attractions of the day's programs was a talk " Nepalese Food Wisdom: Food as Medicine" by Bikram Vaidya. It was a slide-talk journey through the many regions of Nepal's culinary flavors, seasonal foods and their health benefits, culminating in the Kathmandu valley's indigenous foods.
Nepalese wisdom of balancing the five elements through nutrition is shared along with the traditional foods for different festivals of the Valley.
Chef Vaidya was born in the Kathmandu Valley in a lineage of Ayurvedic practitioners. He currently is Lead Chef Instructor at Oregon Culinary Institute in Portland.
Another equally important attraction of the celebration was Nepalese music performance and talk by Dr Subhash Prajapati. Dr Prajapati and his team performed both traditional and folk music from different ethnic groups of Nepal and also featured Newah Buddhist music "Gunla Bajan" of the Kathmandu valley using traditional drums like Dhaa, Nayekhin, Dhimey and Paschima.
Different programs were organized on Sunday, Sept 22 also. "Mudra Movement Workshop" by Prajwal Vajracharya was health through movement with intention, gestures and knowledge of the inner meanings of parts of the body and their five elements, the subtle body can come into balance.
Prajwal in a charismatic way discussed how certain movements and mudras effect health and shared simple yogic exercises for healing for hands, feet and energy channels, as well as the refuge dance for intention.
Prajwal Vajracharya was born into a lineage of Buddhist priests of the Kathmandu valley and was raised in the yogic and ritual art of Charya dance.
A workshop "Making Ritual Objects" by Uppa Shakya, Dina Shakya and Anjali Bajracharya was also organized. The workshop attempted to cultivate a meditative mind and dexterity and health in the hands through the practice of making Nepalese Buddhist ritual objects like Goza, Jajanka and Ita.
Similarly, Dr Subhash Prajapati conducted another workshop on "Sanskrit Scripts and Calligraphy" which explored and practiced sacred Sanskrit writing forms including Ranjana Lipi script developed around 11th century in Nepal.
At the end of the program on both days, the traditional sacred Buddhist dances of Nepal - Charya Nritya - a sadhana (meditation practice) through the embodiment of peaceful, semi-wrathful and wrathful deities, five Buddha energies, offering goddesses and couple dances were also presented before the audience.
The 10th anniversary organized by Nritya Mandala Mahavihara was attended by over 100 participants including luminaries of Portland's local Dharma communities, American and Nepalese Buddhists, office bearers and members of Nepali Association of Oregon, Nepaa Chhen and NRN NCC USA Oregon chapter and a representative from Nepal Oregon News.
Glimpses of the program. Sorry could not make it to all the events.
(Rabin Man Shakya is a Nepali journalist in USA)
No comments:
Post a Comment