Talk on "Newah Tradition and Culture" Organized at Nepalese Buddhist Temple in Portland, USA

Dr. Rabin Man Shakya

Portland, Oct 21, (Nepal Oregon News): A charismatic presentation on "Newah Tradition and Culture" by Daya Ratna Shakya was organized on Wednesday, Oct 16, 2019 at Nritya Mandala Mahavihara (NMA) in Portland as part of ongoing tenth anniversary of the NMA.

At the beginning of the program, priest Prajwal Vajracharya of the NMA presented a short introduction of presenter Shakya. Similarly, Vajracharya also performed Sankalpa Vaakya rituals at the program.

Speaking at the program, Daya Shakya underlined the need for preserving, promoting and protecting Newah culture and traditions.

Shakya said:"In ancient context, Newahs used to be melting pot of Nepal valley where people from different parts of the world moved in and then became Newahs."

Shakya expressed the view that Newahs in the USA have kept up praiseworthy and commendable tradition by celebrating a number of Newah days and festivals.

He then gave details about the activities of ancient Newah luminaries Jamana Guvaju, Surat Bajra and Bandhu Datta.

Shakya's presentation discussed the rich cultural heritage of Newah people of Nepal that fell in one of the highly recognized South Asian civilization in ancient Himalayan region, way long before the current Nepali culture was being discovered in modern Nepal.

The primary focus of the first half of Shakya's presentation was a discussion on power of ritual and its vocabulary that the Newah people use in daily life. .

Similarly, the second half of Shakya's presentation specifically focussed on the concept of understanding the works which have been done in past life and its current consequences as well as the way of tracing the future life, a unique technique that has to be discovered in maintaining the fruitful human life.

Daya Shakya - who is also the vice president of World Newah Organization, president of NRN-NCC-USA Oregon Chapter and president of Nepali Association of Oregon - also answered to different questions of the Nepalese and American guests at the program

(Rabin Man Shakya is a Newah journalist in America)