Online Classes on Vajrayogini Nritya Wrap Up

 Nepal Oregon News reporter

Portland, (Nepal Oregon News): An eight week live online course on "Sacred Buddhist Dance of Nepal: Vajrayogini" organized by Yangchema Arts and Music concluded on Saturday, July 31, 2021.

The Vajrayogini dance course was conducted by Guru Prajwal Vajracharya of the Nritya Mandala Mahavihara.

35 participants from 15 different countries took part at the two month long Vajrayogini dance course which was held each Saturday for one and half hour.

On the concluding day, the participants were given Dikchhya an act of empowerment by Guru Prajwal.

Delivering the concluding remarks, Guru Prajwal said:"Vajrayogini is the quintessence of a selfless Dakini who always works for the happiness and prosperity of the sentient beings."

In this course, Guru Prajwal taught the foundational movements, and exercises to train the body and wake up the subtle channels, as well as the complete dances of Refuge, 16 Offering  Goddesses, Avalokiteshvara and groundwork for all future deity dances.

Also, on July 17, 2021, Prof Dr Myrinda Shaw, author of books on Vajrayogini, was the guest lecturer for the participants of the course. Prof Dr Shaw threw light on different aspects of Vajrayogini's form and mandala.

Macha Janko (Anna Prashana) is an Important Part of Lifecycle Rituals, says Vajracharya

Nepal Oregon News reporter

Portland, (Nepal Oregon News): Macha Janko, Anna Prashana, Pasni -- these are the words used for rice feeding ceremony to a child in Nepal. The rice feeding ceremony is a celebration in Nepal in which a child is first fed rice, according to Guru Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya, the chief priest at Portland's Nritya Mandala Mahavihara.

Macha Janko or the rice feeding ceremony is an important part of lifecycle rituals, said Vajracharya who is also a scholar on Newah Vajrayana Buddhism.

Guru Vajracharya went on saying:"Although centuries old tradition, modern science has established the fact that child's digestive system is capable of processing solid food when he or she is approximately six months old which is why Macha Janko is held for when a baby turns six months old but it can vary between daughters and sons."

Guru Prajwal added:"This ceremony is held at five months for daughters and six months for sons. An auspicious date and time is chosen by an astrologer, special costumes are worn during ceremonies."

Meanwhile, Guru Prajwal Vajracharya was in San Diego, California recently to perform Macha Janko rituals of Alex, son of Bhima and David and grand son of Portland's Daya Shakya.

During the Macha Janko rituals, a Mandap was drawn and Gurumandala Puja was performed by Guru Vajracharya. The Guru chanted mantra, offered worship to Lord Ganesh. Sukunda,  Vajra, Bell and other ritual objects were used during the Macha Janko rituals.

The ritual outfit worn by the baby was made of red silk embroidered with golden threads. The baby was also adorned with gold Sikha, Churi, Marcha and silver ornaments like Kalli (anklets). After offering praying to Lord Ganesh, the baby was offered rice pudding with varieties of food.

It is believed that the child gets similar food throughout his or her life as the food offered on the Macha  Janko day.

A Thayebhu -- a huge feast with rice, eggs, dhau ayala and 64 different kinds of cuisines were offered on the occasion. The event was graced by about 30 people.

During the ritual, the baby was offered toys, candy, pen, note book, book, cell phone and stethoscope on a kisti, but the baby chose to grab a stethoscope. 

It is believed that the first thing the baby grabs or touches determines his or her future destination.

Role of Vajradhatu Practice in Newar Buddhism Stressed

By Dr Rabin Man Shakya

Portland, (Nepal Oregon News): A scholarly presentation entitled "Vajradhatu Practice in Newar Buddhism" was made by Guru Prajwal Vajracharya, co-founder of Portland's Nritya Mandala Mahavihara in the zoom program hosted by Yangchema Arts & Music, California and organized by Core of Culture, Chicago on Tuesday, July 6, 2021. 

The virtual event was participated by 65 distinguished personalities including professors and academic figures.

Guru Vajracharya, foremost exponent of the oldest known form of Buddhist ritual expression, during the presentation, expanded on his earlier talk about 'mudra', by presenting "Diamond Spheres, the Vajradhatu," as it is lived and practiced in Newar Buddhist traditions.

An erudite scholar on Newar Vajrayana Buddhism, Guru Prajwal examined the dimensions and realities of Vajradhatu rituals in Nepal and demonstrated how essential the act of embodiment is to Buddhist practice. The Newar traditions precede the Tibetian Vajrayana by hundreds of years.

Addressing the zoom gathering, Guru Prajwal, also a Buddhist Gubhaju (priest), said:"Vajra means thunderbolt or diamond sphere or essence and is used as a ritual object to symbolize the undestroyable diamond power and irresistible force of thunderbolt."

Underlining the effects of Vajra, he said that a common Vajra has only 4 Dhars (stripes) while an extended and intricate Vajra has 8 stripes, and when both Vajras are united, it becomes a Vishwo Vajra (global Vajra).

Speaking about Dhatu, he said:"Dhatu is a Sanskrit term for the seven fundamental elements of the body: Rasa Dhatu, Rakta Dhatu, Mamsa Dhatu, Medha Dhatu, Asthi Dhatu, Majja Dhatu and Shukra Dhatu."

When Vajra and Dhatu are united together, it becomes Vajradhatu, said Vajracharya and added:"Vajradhatu is a metaphysical space inhabited by 53 deities including Pancha Buddhas -- Vairochana, Amitabha, Amoghasiddhi, Akshovya, Ratnasambhava, 16 Mahabodhisattvas, 16 Bhadrakalpa Bodhisattvas, 8 Offering Goddesses and 8 Dvarapalas."

According to Newar Vajrayana Buddhism, the whole universe is moving about and revolving around the Vajradhatu's fundamental principles, Guru Vajracharya went on saying.

He said:"Vajradhatu rituals and practice date back to thousands of years in Newar Vajrayana Buddhism. There are more than 4,000 Vajradhatu Chaityas in Nepal. Similarly, there are a number of Dharma Dhatu stupas in the Kathmandu valley. Swayambhu stupa is the most ancient Dharmadhatu stupa of Nepal."

The subtle difference between Vajradhatu and Dharmadhatu chaityas is: a vajradhatu chaitya consists of 53 deities while in Dharmadhatu chaitya, we can also find the spouses of deities -- the Tara deities too, he added.

Talking about Vajradhatu and Dharmadhatu, Guru Prajwal said that Dharmadhatu is more complex and intricate than the Vajradhatu.

Gautama Buddha was born in Nepal. The previous Buddhas before Siddhartha Gautama Buddha -- Vipashwi Buddha, Shikhi Buddha, Vishwobhu Buddha, Krakuchanda Buddha, Kanakmuni Buddha, Kashyap Buddha -- all of these great Buddhas had visited  Nepal Mandala being a holy and sacred place. Similarly, Vajradhatu as well as Dharmadhatu originated in Nepal. Despite all this, Nepal is taking a backseat in the Buddhist sphere, he said.

He concluded:"The historical irony of Nepal is -- Nepal has been ruled by non-Buddhist kings  since 12th century onwards and  important records and evidences about Buddhism have been destroyed or lost."

Prior to the presentation, Guru Prajwal Vajracharya was introduced to the virtual participants by Joseph Houseal, Director of Core of Culture.

Guru Prajwal's presentation was a part of "Mudra & the Diamond Sphere: Part Two", lecture series along with Dr Thinles Dorje and Dr Vena Ramphal". 

This was Core of Culture's international cultural preservation initiative with lead support from the Robert H N Ho Family Foundation and additional support from the Kipper Family Foundation. 

Prajwal Vajracharya is a 35th generation Tantric Buddhist priest from Nepal and ritual master of the Charya Nritya dance tradition and other ritual forms. Prajwal began his training in Charya Nritya, the dance aspect of Newar Buddhism, from the age of eight, receiving formal instruction from his father, the Buddhist scholar and ritual master Ratna Kaji Vajracharya.

Guru Prajwal is now the foremost teacher, practitioner and performer of the tradition. He is a veteran of several world tours. He teaches beginning and advanced students around the globe. He founded Dance Mandal in 1996, and the Foundation for Sacred Buddhist Arts of Nepal to preserve and expand this rare ancient form of Buddhism and its related traditions.

( Nepal Oregon News writer Rabin Man Shakya is a Newah journalist in USA)

Padmanateshvara is One of the 108 Manifestations of Avalokiteshvara, says Dr Eliza Lau

By Dr Rabin Man Shakya

Portland, (Nepal Oregon News): Padmanateshvara (Nasa Dyo), the deity which represents performance art, the yidam of Charya nritya - the Lord Dancing on 'Padma' is considered to be the 92nd manifestation of the 108 Avalokiteshvaras.

Dr Eliza Lau of the Hong Kong Dance Mandala said this at an e-heritage " The Blessing of Padmanateshvara", a virtual conversation organized on Saturday, July 3, 2021 by World Newah Organization, USA chapter.

During the presentation, Dr Lau presented a detailed description of Jana Baha Dyo (White Guanyin) and Hidenobu Takaoka 's (a Buddhist monk from Japan) role in research of the 108 Lokeshvaras of Nepal.

She said:"Takaoka went to Nepal in the 1970s and did research under the guidance of Amoghvajra Vajracharya. He was interested in the cult heritage of the 108 Lokeshvaras in Nepal."

With a wish to introduce this precious Tantric heritage to Japan, Takaoka worked with various artists in Nepal in producing a collection of woodcut prints of the 108 Lokeshvaras. Each piece of paper in the collection was handmade from materials collected in the Himalayas, Dr Lau Said. 

She said:"Padmanateshvara's initial gesture is to indicate the wisdom of the heart, with the second one he touches heaven, with the third the earth."

"All the other symbols he holds in his hands refer to the Buddha dharma, and about one making decisions to follow this path. The blue lotus refers to the gentle, infinite wisdom of the sky, while using your muscles for action. For on your journey, the possibilities of gaining wisdom are infinite."  she said.

Dr Lau said further:"The initiation into Padmanateshvara is to incarnate this wisdom by dancing, and by dancing,  share it with all. Padmanateshvara is the source of artistic inspiration, joy, compassion and equanimity. He opens up the path for the practitioner to attainment and success, leading to wisdom."

Likewise, in her brief address, another speaker from the Hong Kong Sangha Dr Tina Ho threw light on the role of Padmanateshvara as a trailblazer for Charya dancers.

Dr Ho reminisced her two visits to Kathmandu and said:"While Hong Kong is full of skyscrapers and supermarkets, Kathmandu is filled with Chaityas, temples and Viharas." 

Also, at the virtual interaction, Guru Prajwal Vajracharya of the Nritya Mandala Mahavihara highlighted the important role of Takaoka in the research of 108 manifestations of Lokeshvara.

"I used to know Takaoka when I was still a 5 year old kid in Nepal", Guru Vajracharya said and added that before the pandemic he met Takaoka at the Nagoya temple every year during his visit to Japan.

Other participants like Daya Shakya and Yamuna Yogini also expressed their views about Padmanateshvara at the zoom event which was coordinated by Prajwal Vajracharya and Pramesh Shrestha of the World Newah Organization - USA chapter. 

(Rabin Man Shakya is a Newah journalist in USA)