Nepali Temple in Portland, US Eventful with Various Religious and Language Classes

Dr Rabin Man Shakya

Portland, Jan 27 (Nepal Oregon News): Established in 2009 in Portland, Oregon,  Nritya Mandala Mahavihara which is the only Nepalese Buddhist temple in the USA has been launching various religious, cultural, traditional, musical, dance and educational activities to promote, preserve and protect traditional and cultural values and heritage of Nepal.

The Nritya Mandala Mahavihara is abuzz and eventful with different educational, religious and cultural activities.  Additional practices on Gurumandala Puja consisted of both the practical as well as the theoretical aspects of the Puja are being held each Saturday at 10:30 AM in the morning at the Portland Baha.



Likewise, classes on Dharani recitation are also being run very actively and enthusiastically at the Mahavihara. Dharani recitation is on the verge of extinction, therefore, with the objective of publicizing the importance of Dharani and keeping it alive, the Mahavihara has decided to conduct classes on Dharani recitation, says Rev Prajwal Vajracharya. Classes are being run every Tuesday at 7 PM at the Mahavihara.

Dharani literature has existed for over two millennia in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. Typically used to prevent misfortune, remove obstacles, heal and protect, Dharani are also used in life cycle rituals and other practices.

Similarly, Rev Prajwal is also going to conduct "Retreat and Empowerment" in Hongkong this year.

Meanwhile, an evening of Indian classical music is to be organised at the Mahavihara on Feb 8, 2020. Acclaimed international performer David Trasoff will be playing on Sarode together with renowned multi-instrumentalist Benjy Wertheimer at the Raga program.

A workshop on wisdom movement, which introduces the theory of the movement style, mudra yoga, accompanying visualizations and chants, is going to be held on Feb 7-9, 2020. According to Nritya Mandala sources, participants will be guided through basic movements and dance sequences of this yogic dance form.

Similarly. classes on how to read and write Devanagari script are going on every Thursday 7 to 8 PM at the Mahavihara, according to Rev Vajracharya. Devanagari is a left-to-right alphasyllabery based on the ancient Brahmi script used in the Indian subcontinent. It was developed  in ancient India from the 1st to the 4th century AD and was in regular use by the 7th century AD.

The Devanagari script - composed of 47 primary characters  including 14 vowels and 33 consonants -  is one of the most adopted writing systems in the world being used for over 120 languages including Sanskrit and Pali languages.

These classes are preparation for learning Sanskrit, says Rev Prajwal Vajracharya. The classes are being taught in a deep and meaningful yogic way, such that students learn the connections of each alphabet to our own bodies, adds Rev Vajracharya.

Nritya Mandala Mahavihara is also going to launch Sanskrit language classes for a month effective April 16 to May 15, 2020. The classes, which are to be conducted by renowned Sanskritist Dr Gautama Vajracharya, Professor Emeritus at University of Wisconsin, Madison, are designed to run two hours a day, five days a week, co-founder of the Mahavihara Vajracharya told a journalist from Nepal Oregon News, USA.
Besides these programs and classes, we also do meditation, rituals and tea at the Mahavihara every morning, says Rev Vajracharya.

(Rabin Man Shakya is a Nepali journalist in America)

New Year Celebration Purification Ritual Held at Nepali Temple in Portland, America

Dr. Rabin Man Shakya

Portland, Jan 2 (Nepal Oregon News): A New Year Celebration Purification Ritual - Dhalan Danegu - was held at Nritya Mandala Mahavihara in Portland on Wednesday, Jan 1, 2020. The purification ritual which was held for about three hours was performed by Rev Guruju Prajwal Vajracharya.

About 40 people - majority of them were local Americans - joined the Puja for purifying and reviving the old energy of the previous year and for overcoming obstacles and opening to fresh new potential through the annual New Year's purification ritual at the Mahavihara.  

The Gurumandala Workshop  trainees - Helen Appell, Anna Shustrova, Anastasia Roderick, Aleksei Dobry, Joshua Proto, Leson Baker, Gabriel Quitslund, Dina Shakya and Naveena Shakya - were also among those present at the purification ritual. Vajra (thunderbolt) and Gan (bell) were also used by all the Gurumandala participants.

The traditional community ceremony honored oneself and others by making offerings of purified elements and was guided by using one's own mandala of sand.

A special Puja Sankalpa consisting of Jaki, Sinha,  Ita, Dhup, Swan, Jajanka, Taaye etc was  carefully prepared for each participant who were seen sitting cross-legged in different lines inside the Portland Baha.

On the occasion, a mandala - which is a circle or cosmic diagram for ritual or interior visualization, representing various realms of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and their cosmic energies - was drawn for each participant. Also, three Gojas on the sand Mandala were worshipped during the ritual.

On the occasion, participants were also given time for a short meditation. They were later offered with Khen Sagan together with a  fish and Thwon. Similarly, a long Pasuka  (sacred thread) was used, spread, passed over to all the New Year purification ritual participants. It was an important component of the purification rutual.

Vajrayana tradition is based on Tantric Buddhism, so rituals performed by Rev Prajwal Guruju included using of mantras, dharinis, mudras, mandalas and visualization of deities and the Buddhas.

Talking with a journalist from Nepal Oregon News, USA, Rev Prajwal Vajracharya said that mantra is a word which means chanting or meditation, containing within it the sacred power and cosmic energies of a Buddha or Bodhisattvas.

Rev Vajracharya went on to say that the Mantra protects the mind from negative mental states by invoking devine energies within oneself.

Purification ritual event was followed by dinner and an interaction on Newah culture and traditions by Daya Shakya who is also the president of Nepali Association of Oregon (NAO) and NRNA-NCC-USA Oregon chapter.

(Rabin Man Shakya is a Nepali journalist in USA)