10th Anniversary Closing Ceremonies
The Nritya Mandala Mahavihara temple was consecrated on November 10, 2009. Join us on the day of the temple’s 10th Anniversary for special pujas, offerings of song and dance, and a celebratory feast!
8 AM – 1 PM
Fire Ritual & Saptavidhanottara Puja
For the first time ever, the opening Gurumandala Puja will include 10 practitioners from the Nritya Mandala community performing the ritual to re-empower the deities represented in the temple.
1–3 PM
Nepalese Feast
3–4 PM
Dharani Chanting
Enjoy chanting led by Rev. Yuko Okamoto of the Tendai tradition, visiting from Japan, and others.
4–5 PM
Open Microphone
Share sacred practices of song, movement, and storytelling.
5–7 PM
Special Dance Offerings by Dance Mandal
Experience the deity dances of the Charya tradition in a unique format, as observers pay homage and make offerings to request a particular Buddhist deity, and the deity arises in dance to offer blessings!
Tantric Priests & Their Performance of Life Cycle Rituals & Other Ceremonies in Nepalese Buddhism
Pandit Ratna Kaji Vajracharya
Dr. Alexander von Rospatt will explore the ceremonies Vajracharya tantric priests in the Nepalese Buddhist tradition perform on behalf of their clients and community, paying special attention to the unique life cycle rituals of the Nepalese people. Essentially the same rituals are performed when consecrating Buddhist icons and endowing them with life, allowing us to reflect on the consecration of the Nritya Mandala Mahavihara temple 10 years ago.
Nepalese lunch to follow
The morning will begin with
Biography Reading of Priest Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya
Longtime Charya dancer and Nritya Mandala Mahavihara board member Kuon Hunt will read excerpts from the biography she is writing of Dance Mandal founder and Nritya Mandala priest Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya, entitled Hidden Treasures: The Story of a Vajracharya Boy from Kathmandu & Newar Vajrayana Buddhism.
Dressed in Jewels: Fashion, Verse, & the Precious Among Nepalese Buddhists
Photo by Skanda Gautam/ZUMA Wire Press
Dr. Christoph Emmrich will explore the artisanal fashioning as well as poetic evocation of precious gems and jewelry in the world of Nepalese Buddhists. He will consider the contrast and balance between householder and monastic, possessor and renunciate, and will offer a reflection on the nuances of gender, language, and the material in Nepalese Buddhist literature and culture.
Dharani Recitation in Nepalese Buddhist Community
Photo by Skanda Gautam/ZUMA Wire Press
Dharani literature has existed for over two millennia in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. Typically used to prevent misfortune, remove obstacles, heal, and protect, Dharanis are also used in life cycle rituals and other practices. Dr. Miroj Shakya will discuss the origin and evolution of Dharanis in India and Nepal and their widespread use by Nepalese Buddhist practitioners.
Divine Theater: Modern Buddhist Legend
Five Buddha Families
Join us for a reading from Maya's Mandala: A Play in Awakening, a world premier play about the five Buddha mandala and the quest of a young woman to ignite her inner Bodhisattva. The evening will feature live acting and dance, presentations on puppetry and dub mixing, and time for discussion and feedback on this unique work-in-progress. Playwright, director, and actor Axi Nityananda (Tristan Codrescu) will be joined by puppet master Erin Chmela and dub master Quincy Davis. The full-length version of Maya’s Mandala will premier in spring 2020.
Past & Future Lives & the Power of Ritual in Newah Tradition
In this interactive lecture and discussion, Daya Ratna Shakya will share the rich cultural heritage of the indigenous Newah people of Nepal. He will explore the use and power of ritual in daily Newah life as well as the Newah approach to making the most of our present human existence through understanding its cause-and-effect connections to past and future lives.
Nepalese dinner to follow
POSTPONED: Dancing Deities & Living Wisdom: The Vajrayana Dance of Nepal
Dr. Shaw’s presentation and the accompanying performance will be held at a later date due to the passing of her 90-year-old father. The Nritya Mandala Mahavihara family is praying for his continuing peaceful transition. Please subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates about these events.
Dr. Miranda Shaw will lead a poetic and visual journey into the heart of the Vajrayana dance tradition of Nepal, sharing insights from fieldwork in Kathmandu and decades of research. She will illuminate how Charya dance serves both as an exquisite Tantric art, an esoteric yogic practice for purifying karma, and a refined expression of Nepal’s unique cultural heritage.
Nepalese dinner to follow
The evening will feature
Sacred Dance Offerings by Dance Mandal
To accompany Dr. Shaw’s talk, Dance Mandal will offer performances of Charya Nritya, embodying the peaceful, joyful, and wrathful deities of the Buddhist pantheon.
Honoring the Gift of Sacred Dance
Prema Dasara and Myri Dakini Naves will offer an evening of stories, dance performances, and group dance lessons from the Tara Dhatu tradition, including a dedication prayer of the Four Immeasurables.
Nepalese Buddhist Art & Iconography: What Makes it Distinct?
Although based on the same well-known Sanskrit texts Sadhanamala and Nispannayogavali, the Buddhist iconography of Nepal and Tibet show many interesting differences. In this illustrated lecture, Dr. Vajracharya will share and explain these differences in light of his observations of Buddhist history and Himalayan geography and climate.
Nepalese dinner to follow
The evening will begin with
Making
Nepalese Buddhist
Ritual Masks
From blessing the materials to embodying the deity, Alysha Graham will present the process of creating masks for Charya Nritya, dance as a spiritual practice.
10th Anniversary Opening Celebration: Day 2
Join us for free presentations, workshops, & performances
Enjoy art exhibitions & cultural displays throughout the weekend
11 AM – 1 PM
Doors open for viewing displays
Mudra Movement Workshop
Experience the inner beauty of the body through the spiritual movement practice of emulating the body positions of traditional Buddhist deities
1 – 2:30 PM
Complimentary lunch of Nepalese vegetarian cuisine
2:30 – 4 PM
Making Ritual Objects
Cultivate a meditative mind and dexterity and health in the hands through the practice of making Nepalese Buddhist ritual objects
Sanskrit Scripts & Calligraphy
Explore and practice sacred Sanskrit writing forms including the Ranjana Lipi script developed around the 11th century in Nepal
Closing Music, Song, & Dance
10th Anniversary Opening Celebration: Day 1
Join us for free presentations, workshops, & performances
Enjoy art exhibitions & cultural displays throughout the weekend
10:30 AM
Doors open for viewing displays
11 AM – 1 PM
Opening Ceremonies
Prayers and greetings by local Dharma and Nepalese community leaders and welcome by Reverend Kosho Finch of Henjyoji Temple
Our 10-Year History
Learn about the history of bringing Nepalese Buddhism to the West with the founding of Nritya Mandala Mahavihara
Nepalese Food Wisdom: Food as Medicine
Explore Nepal’s culinary regions, traditional foods, and the wisdom of balancing the five elements and supporting health through nutrition
1 – 2:30 PM
Complimentary lunch of Nepalese vegetarian cuisine
2:30 – 5 PM
Health Through Movement
Balance the subtle elements and energies of the body and support health and a positive mind with movement, mudra, and simple yogic exercises
Nepalese Music Traditions
Experience a performance and discussion of traditional Nepalese folk music as well as Newar Buddhist music, known as Gunla Baja
5 – 7 PM
Dance Mandal Offering
Enjoy Charya Nritya, the traditional sacred dance of Nepal, a practice of movement meditation and embodying the energies of Buddhist deities