By Dr Rabin Man Shakya
Portland, Feb 7 (Nepal Oregon News):"Akash Yogini, who is one of the important deities in Newar Vajrayana Buddhism, is one of the forms of Vajrayogini. In Nepal Mandala, there are many important shrines dedicated to Tantric Yoginis: Vajrayogini, Vajravarahi, Khadgayogini and Akashyogini."
Prajwal Vajracharya, co-founder of Nritya Mandala Mahavihara in Portland, USA said this while making the second and advanced presentation on Akash Yogini. The on-line presentation program was organized by Hong Kong Buddhist Studies Association on Friday, Feb 7, 2025.
Akash Yogini is revered by the Newar Buddhists of the Kathmandu valley as one of the important Tantric deities, Prajwal Guruji reiterated and said:"In ancient times, Akash Yogini was worshipped by sentient beings, deities and Rakshasas as well with mysterious flowers. She was the Dakini who flew and crossed the oceans."
During the remotely-held teaching, Prajwal Guruji went on saying:"Tantric Vajrayana Buddhism believes that she hails from Odhiyana, the land of Dakinis and she lives in the sky.
The teaching by Prajwal Guruji dealt with subtle details about Akash Yogini. Laying emphasis on the significance of this deity in Tantric Vajrayana Buddhism, the Guruji said:"Akash Yogini possesses powerful light, one that is more powerful than the thunder light. She is portrayed as the mother of the whole world in Newar Vajrayana Buddhism."
Giving the introduction of the Akash Yogini Charya Nritya, Prajwal Guruji, a noted Charya Nritya pedagogue, said:"The name of this Charya Nritya is Bidhayadhari Devi/Akash Yogini (sky dakini). Its raga is Trabali and Tala is Trihura."
The Guruji added:"This dance is named after the Goddess Akash Yogini. It is one of the ancient classical dances of Nepal. According to Tantric Vajrayana Buddhism, there are four Yoginis or Tantric Goddesses in the Kathmandu valley. This dance is performed as a devotion to Goddess Bijeshori whose temple is in Kathmandu right below the Swoyambhu."
The Guruji further stated:"Akash Yogini, who is a semi-wrathful deity, is red in color, has three eyes, two arms, one face with beaautiful hair."
Giving more details to the zoom participants, he said:"She also wears a crown with Tathagata depicted on it. This deity is depicted leaping into space in the flying posture of a sky-going Dakini, with her right leg bent back at the knee. Akash Yogini holds Khatvanga marked with a Vajra - a magic stick with magic power - on her left hand. Similarly, she drinks from a skull cup. She holds a Katri (chopper) on her right hand. Akash Yogini, who wears a lot of jewelries, is also wrapped by a
mani (serpent) on the neck."
The first teaching on Akash Yogini focused on the theoretical aspect while the second one sought to zero in on the Nritya aspect, Nritya gestures and movements and how Akash Yogini charya dance is performed.
During the teaching, Prajwal Guruji also performed Charya nritya 'Akash Yogini'. Prajwal Guruji demonstrated the movements of legs, gestures of hand and fingers and expressions of face during the Akash Yogini charya dance teaching. In the Akash Yogini Charya Nritya, Prajwal Guruji said, finger Mudra, symbolic movements of hands and legs are skillfully timed with general body movement.
A number of pictures of Thangkas, religious paintings and statues of Akash Yogini were displayed on the zoom during the teaching by Prajwal Guruji.
20 people took part at the Akash Yogini presentation, including Dr Miranda Shaw, Dr Tina Ho, Dr Eliza Lau, Karen Greenspan and Kuon Hunt.
At the end of the zoom teaching, Prajwal Guruji replied to several questions of the participants.
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Prajwal Guruji Interviewed by Guru Viking on Lifecycle Rituals in Newar Buddhism
Portland, Feb 28 (Nepal Oregon News): Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya, co-founder of Nritya MMandala Mahavihara in Portland, USA and also a senior priest from one of the Vajrayana Buddhist lineages of Nepal, was interviewed by Guru Viking on podcast on Friday, Feb 28, 2025. This was Prajwal Guruji's third interview by Guru Viking.
Addressing the podcast dialogue with Guru Viking, Prajwal Guruji said:"Ever since the inception of the Nritya Mandala Mahavihara in Portland in 2009, we have been trying to keep alive these Newar Buddhist rituals in America."
Prajwal Guruji's interview presented a detailed and comprehensive introduction on the importance and history of lifecycle rituals in Newar Vajrayana Buddhism.
Exploring the relevance of lifecycle rituals, the chief pujari at Portland's Newar Buddhist monastery during the virtual encounter with Guru Viking, said:"Religious rituals that begin from the birth of a child and ends with the death of a man are very important in the lives of Newar Buddhists."
In a wide ranging podcast show, Prajwal Guruji shared his knowledge on every aspect of lifecycle rituals: pre-birth, birth of a child, Naam Sanskara, Macha Janko, Ihi, Bara Tayegu, Chudakarma, Ihipa (Wedding), Bura Buri Janko, Death, After Death ceremonies.
He said:"The lifecycle rituals of our community members of Oregon were performed at the Mahavihara. Also, I have travelled to many parts of the USA and Canada to perform various lifecycle rituals."
Reflecting on his own life, Prajwal Guruji said,"These are the rituals I grew up with my life. Apart from religious and cultural significance, these rituals create joy and enthusiasm for happy occasions while for bad and sad occasions these rituals provide consolation and comfort."
Vajrayana rituals are not just confined to lifecycle rituals alone, we have rituals virtually for everything: birthday, bad luck, bad health, bad career, promotion, passing examination, foreign trip, house protection chanting, purification puja and so on, Prajwal Guruji added.
When Guru Viking queried Prajwal Guruji about the source of the lifecycle rituals, he said:"Lifecycle rituals originated from Manjushree Mulkalpa and other ancient and medieval texts. Gurumandala Puja is a key part of chanting the rituals."
Speaking during the virtual encounter with Guru Viking, a respected podcaster, Prajwal Guruji said:"We do not have American Vajracharyas as of now yet. Westerners are doing Nitya Puja in the morning at the temple everyday. However, we do have plans to create Western Vajracharyas in the future. In ancient times, Vajracharya was a title for ritual master. Now it has become a caste."
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Two Bratabandha Ceremonies Solemnized Separately in Hillsboro, Oregon, USA
Portland, Feb 3 (Nepal Oregon News): A Bratabandha is a special Nepalese ceremony for young men aged 8 - 12 years. It is a Hindu tradition that symbolizes the beginning of a male child's journey into adulthood.
Bratabandha is called Keta Puja in Nepal Bhasa. Bratabandha or Keta Puja is a ceremony in Nepal for Hindu Newars and Hindu Nepalese. Bratabandha is a Sanskrit word in which Brata means 'promise' and Bandha denotes 'to be bound'.
Bratabandha is an essential part of lifecycle rituals. This Sanskara (rite of passage) involves elaborate Karma Kanda which involves the participation of entire family and a Guru (teacher) who then accepts the boy as a disciple in the Guru-Shishya tradition in Nepal.
Traditionally, in the past, the boys were sent to Gurus to learn in a Gurukul system of education, but in modern times this act of the boy going around for first alms in town and leaving his family for Guru's hermitage is performed symbolically within the family and is later stopped by his maternal uncle from leaving.
Meanwhile, a Keta Puja ceremony for Ayush Rajbhandari, son of Sarju Rajbhandari and Upasana Rajbhandari was held on Monday, Feb 3 2025 at their house in Hillsboro, Oregon.
The Gurumandala Puja and other essential rituals were performed by Guruju Prajwal Vajracharya.
Similarly, another Bratabandha ceremony held on Friday, Feb 14, 2025 for Batuk (Bratabandha boy) Aadi Parajuli, son of Omkar Parajuli and Shikchya Tandukar at theirhome in Hillsboro.
Gurumandala Puja, Homa Puja (Fire Ritual) and other essential Pujas were performed by Guruji Prajwal Vajracharya.
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Month-long Online Swosthani Brata Chanting Wraps up at Vihara
By Adam Bidema and Rabin Man Shakya
Portland, Feb 12 (Nepal Oregon News): A month-long Swosthani Katha chanting to honor the story and its connection to the wisdom was conducted everyday from Mila Punhi to Si Punhi at the initiative of Dabuli, a Seattle based non-profit Nepali community organization.
However, the final day of Swosthani Brata Katha reciting wrapped up with a Puja ritual at the Nritya Mandala Mahavihara in Portland on Wednesday, Feb 12, 2025, the day of Si Punhi. The participants had daily gathered on zoom for a month with the English recitation of Swosthani Vrata Katha led by Dr Linda Iltis.
Dr Linda Iltis, who speaks in Nepal Bhasa and Nepali, and who has done her Ph D in Swosthani Brata, said that a month-long fasting and storytelling about Swosthani Devi begins from the Day of Mila Purnima for a month onwards.
During Swosthani Brata, the devotees especially women wearing red sari take a dip into Shali river in Sankhu in the morning and fast for a month worshipping Goddess Swosthani, Dr Iltis added.
Prof Dr Linda Iltis is Professional International Studies Academic advisor with a demonstrated history (three decades) of teaching and award winning academic service in higher education at the University of Washington Henry M Jackson School of International Studies.
Dr Iltis was also university researcher, professional editor, publisher, with international experience teaching and training in three countries (USA, Nepal and Ghana), in fields of Cultural Anthropology, Comparative Religion, textual studies, Applied International Development in Himalayan and South Asian, and African areas, including non-profit and fund-raising experience with international communities and human rights advocacy.
Late Buddhist scholar Ratna Kaji Vajracharya (Prajwal Guruji's father) was the mentor of Dr Iltis during her stay in Nepal for research and study.
Swosthani Brata Katha was translated in the eighties from Nepal Bhasa to English by Dr Linda Iltis who studied the Nepal Bhasa language and compiled a translation of the story as well as a large amount of information on the history, versions and Puja surrounding the month long Swosthani recitation including video footage documenting the culture surrounding the text in Sankhu and families who read it together.
Originally released as a Ph D thesis in the eighties, Dr Iltis has been compiling more information and re-working with further notes and history in hopes to publish as book soon.
The text focuses on Sri Swosthani and details her life through a number of smaller stories related to the origination and love of Shiva, her forms of Kali and Parvati, their various life times, as well as other deities and Gods of the regions. The story details the meeting of Swosthani with Bramha, Vishnu and Shiva, the courtship of Shiva as well as her eventual death, rebirth and struggles of love throughout multiple lifetimes.
Many stories reflect the Gods dealing with concepts around desire, either through their own passion, or through others struggling with their own desire. Certainly, these stories reflect our own struggles with these concepts.
The Buddha often represents the unification of wisdom and method. Siva represents the reflection of action or Karma.
So in this way, we can learn to read the story to examine how our own actions affect the world more deeply. But it also highlights the ancientness and lineage of people who have devoted their lives to these studies and complexities of getting life right is something that transcends the human life.
The Puja at the Vihara itself consisted of multiple rounds of offerings to the deities of the story, such as, Ganesha, Siva, Agni, Daksa, Prajapati and Swosthani herself amongst others. The offerings also consisted of various colors of thread, sweets, Pancha Amrita, rice, barley, and other grains and items to the various deities. Then it concluded with 108 circumnavigation of the Puja area.
Similar to the Puja, the temple is centered around, Guru Mandala, seeing this as a way to more deeply honor one's community as the community grows through harvest seasons, and lifecycle rites. Reflecting on older times, even if participants are just purchasing the items, then to fully perform the Puja, you had to know or be the person producing rice, or producing incense, barley etc and have close enough family ties to acquire the items you don't. So these Pujas and stories represent connection to the production of the food and other necessities the community needs and then centering their lives around that connection.
The Puja was attended by Guruji Prajwal and family, Teya and Dewa, Dr Iltis, her husband Dr Ter Ellington. Others attending the Puja were Dr Subhas Prajapati, Chaitanya Shakya, Adam Bidema, Anastasia Roderick. Local Newah women Minu, Ganga, Meera, Sharmista and Bernie as well as noted chef Bikram Vaidya also took part at the concluding ceremony of Swosthani Brata Katha, which was followed by a dinner.
Meanwhile, to mark the Si Punhi, the Sangha members of the Mahavihara chanted Naamsangiti on the zoom the same day.
(Dr Rabin Shakya is a Newah journalist in USA)
(Adam Bidema is a Sangha Member of Nritya Mandala Mahavihara in Portland, USA)
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