Talk on Buddhist Life Cycle Rituals of Nepal at Nritya Mandala Mahavihara
Dr. Alexander von Rospatt
Rabin Man Shakya
Nepal Oregon News
A scholarly and brilliant presentation “Tantric Priests in Nepalese Buddhism: Their Performance of Life Cycle Rituals and Other Ceremonies” by Dr. Alexander von Rospatt was organized at Nritya Mandala Mahavihara in Portland on Saturday, November 9, 2019. This talk, which was the last one in a series of talks, was part of the ongoing tenth anniversary of Nritya Mandala Mahavihara.
The event kicked off with a presentation by Kuon Hunt from her biography of Nritya Mandala Mahavihara’s priest Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya, called “Hidden Treasures: The Story of a Vajracharya Boy from Kathmandu and Newar Vajrayana Buddhism”.
Prior to the starting of the presentation, priest and co-founder Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya gave a brief introduction of Dr. von Rospatt, saying ”Dr. Rospatt also speaks in Nepali and Nepal Bhasa, he is very close to me and my family in Nepal.”
Kuon Hunt
In making the presentation, Dr. von Rospatt said ”Religious rituals that begin from the birth of a child and end with the death of a man are very important in the lives of the Newah Buddhists.”
Special attention was paid to the life cycle rituals that Nepalese Buddhists undergo as they grow and pass away. Dr. von Rospatt shed light on birth rituals, rice feeding ceremonies, Ihi, Bara Tayegu, Chuda Karma, wedding ceremonies, Bhimratharohan, death rituals, and more.
Dr. von Rospatt’s talk engaged with the rituals of tantric priests (Vajracharyas) in the Nepalese traditions performed on behalf of their clients and the larger community.
Dr. von Rospatt has long been a part of the Nritya Mandala Mahavihara family and participated in its original consecration days ten years ago. Also, Dr. von Rospatt studied closely with Pandit Ratna Kaji Vajracharya, Prajwal’s father.
Dr. von Rospatt is professor for Buddhist and South Asian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and specializes in the doctrinal history of Indian Buddhism and in the indigenous Buddhist tradition of the Kathmandu Valley.
His new book “The Swayambhu Chaitya and Its Renovations” considers the ritual history and social contexts of the historical renovations of the Swayambhu Stupa of Kathmandu. His other research explores various aspects of Newar tradition, including its narrative literature, art and historical heritage and rituals. Dr. von Rospatt’s research is grounded in the study of Sanskrit and Newah texts and informed by fieldwork and the study of material culture.
During the program, Dr. von Rospatt answered numerous questions asked by Nepalese and American participants. To a question of Nepal Oregon News, “Newah Sukunda has Ganesh image on it, some Newah Buddhists worship Lord Ganesh during some rituals, maybe that is why some die-hard Hindus assert that Buddhism is a part of Hinduism. What is your comment?”, Dr Rospatt replied ”Many of the life cycle rituals of Newah Buddhists and Newah Hindus are similar to a greater extent. Buddhists and Hindus have been living in harmony in Nepal for centuries. Forget the die-hard Hindus.”
The program was attended by about 50 Nepalese and American Portlanders and was followed by a lunch.
Talks on Jewelry in Nepalese Buddhist Culture & Dharani Recitation in Nepalese Buddhist Community at Nritya Mandala Mahavihara
Prajwal Vajracharya, Dr. Christoph Emmrich, Dr. Miroj Shakya, & participants
Rabin Man Shakya
Nepal Oregon News
“The Newar jewelry market has been dominated over the last centuries by members of castes self-identifying as Buddhists, which means that Buddhists or not, Newars have to deal with Buddhists when they deal with jewels” said Dr. Christoph Emmrich during a presentation on “Jewelry in Nepalese Buddhist Culture” organized at Nritya Mandala Mahavihara in Portland on Saturday, November 4, 2019.
“Further, those Buddhists understand themselves as being in charge of the Newar jewelry business, just as they take pride in being the largest manufacturers and exporters of religious artifacts in Nepal” Dr. Emmrich went on saying.
Dr. Emmrich said ”These Buddhist Newar groups are well aware of the significance of jewels for caste and class differences and of the influence of Buddhist material culture on Nepalese society.”
“It hence behooves us to trace jewels into territory that may not be specifically Buddhist, but allows for the Buddhist and non-Buddhist to illuminate each other to help us understand how jewels work” Dr. Emmrich added.
During his brilliant presentation, Dr. Emmrich explored the artisanal fashioning as well as poetic evocation of precious gems and jewelry in the world of Nepalese Buddhists of the Kathmandu Valley.
Dr. Emmrich also analyzed the contrast and balance between householder and monastic, possessor and renunciate, and also offered a reflection on the nuances of gender, language, and the material in Nepalese Buddhist literature and culture.
Acquiring of jewels is celebrated as much as rejected, and the way in which the two are balanced or made to remain at odds is something Buddhist communities have articulated throughout history, particularly in songs and storytelling. Dr. Emmrich also shed light on the mentioning of jewelry in Newah songs. For example, Payo, Tayo, and Bijakani are mentioned in the historical Newah song “Rajamati”, he said.
Dr. Christoph Emmrich is an associate professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Toronto, where he has taught Newar, Burmese, Pali, Buddhist, and Jain studies since 2006. His latest monograph “Writing Rites for Newar Girls: Marriage, Mimesis & Memory in the Kathmandu Valley” is forthcoming from Brill.
Replying to a question of the Nepal Oregon News, Dr. Emmrich said just like jewelry in Nepalese Buddhist culture, Western Christian culture and civilization have also been deeply influenced by the symbolic power and impact of jewelry.
Similarly, another presentation on “Dharani Recitation in Nepalese Buddhist Community” was made by Dr. Miroj Shakya.
“The ancient roots of Dharani are still obscure, their emergence may partly be connected to indigenous mantric lore that found its way first to Atharvaved and then to both early Bramhanic and Buddhist spell literatures” Dr. Shakya said.
“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” Dr. Shakya added.
Dr. Shakya also discussed the origin and evolution of Dharanis in India and Nepal and their widespread use by Nepalese Buddhist practitioners.
Dr. Miroj Shakya is an associate professor and co-chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Religious Studies at the University of the West in Rosemead, California. He is part of the Rare Buddhist Sanskrit Manuscript Preservation Project and the Sanskrit Language Working Group, and editor of the “Catalog of Digitized Rare Sanskrit Buddhist Manuscripts.”
Answering to a query by Nepal Oregon News, Dr. Shakya said “Yes, Dharani recitation is on the verge of extinction. That is why information and study of Dharani should be included in schools and colleges, locals of the Kathmandu valley should preserve it and publicize the importance of Dharani literature for its revival.”
Meanwhile, speaking on the occasion, Prajwal Vajracharya of Nritya Mandala Mahavihara informed the audience that with the objective of publicizing the importance of Dharani, the Mahavihara is soon planning to organize a week-long workshop on Dharani recitation. Prior to the presentations, Prajwal also gave brief introductions of Dr. Emmrich and Dr. Shakya.
Dr. Emmrich and Dr. Shakya also replied to some questions asked by the audience at the program which was followed by a potluck dinner.
At the end of the program, Daya Shakya, vice president of World Newah Organization (WNO), presented WNO publications to both scholars.