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)
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