Newar Buddhism Explained

Newar Buddhism is the form of Vajrayana Buddhism practiced by the Newar people of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.^{[1] [2]} It has developed unique socio-religious elements, which include a non-monastic Buddhist society based on the Newar caste system and patrilineality. The ritual priestly (guruju) caste, vajracharya (who perform rituals for others) and shakya (who perform rituals mostly within their own families) form the non-celibate religious clergy caste while other Buddhist Newar castes like the Urāy act as patrons. Uray also patronise Tibetan Vajrayana, Theravadin, and even Japanese clerics.^[3] It is the oldest known sect of the Vajrayana tradition outdating the Tibetan school of Vajrayana by more than 600 years.

Although there was a vibrant regional tradition of Buddhism in the Kathmandu Valley during the first millennium, the transformation into a distinctive cultural and linguistic form of Buddhism appears to have taken place in the fifteenth century, at about the same time that similar regional forms of Indic Buddhism such as those of Kashmir and Indonesia were on the wane.

Navagrantha

Newar Buddhism has a group of nine Sanskrit Mahayana sutras called the Navagrantha, these are considered the key Mahayana sutra texts of the tradition. They are:^{[4] [5]}

1. Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra
2. Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra
3. Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra
4. Samādhirāja Sūtra
5. Gandavyūha Sūtra
6. Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra
7. Daśabhūmika Sūtra
8. Lalitavistara Sūtra
9. Tathāgataguhya (the text of this sutra was lost, and later replaced by the Guhyasamāja Tantra)

Artistic tradition

Newar Buddhism is characterized by its extensive and detailed rituals, a rich artistic tradition of Buddhist monuments and artwork like the chaitya (stupa), Baha and Bahi monastic courtyards, statues, paubha scroll paintings and mandala sand paintings, and by being a storehouse of ancient Sanskrit Buddhist texts, many of which are now only extant in Nepal.^[6]

According to the authors of Rebuilding Buddhism: The Theravada Movement in Twentieth-Century Nepal: "Today traditional Newar Buddhism is unquestionably in retreat before Theravada Buddhism."^[7] Chachā (Charyā) ritual song and dance and Gunlā Bājan music are other artistic traditions of Newar Buddhism.^[8] Although Newar Buddhism was traditionally bound to the Kathmandu Valley and its environs, there is at least one new Newar Buddhist temple in Portland, Oregon.^[9]

Outdoor festivals

A number of major street celebrations are held periodically involving processions, displays of Buddha images and services in the three cities of the Kathmandu Valley and in other parts of Nepal.

The main events are Samyak (almsgiving and display of Buddha images), Gunla (holy month marked by musical processions and display of Buddha images), Jana Baha Dyah Jatra (chariot procession in Kathmandu), Bunga Dyah Jatra (chariot processions in Lalitpur, Dolakha and Nala), and Bajrayogini Jatra (processions in Sankhu and Pharping).

See also

• Buddhism in Nepal
• Kindo Baha
• List of Buddhist stotras in Nepalbhasha
• List of Mahaviharas of Newar Buddhism
• List of monasteries in Nepal
• List of stupas in Nepal
• Pranidhipurna Mahavihar
• Vajracharya
• Chinese Esoteric Buddhism
• Indonesian Esoteric Buddhism

Further reading

• Book: Gellner, David N.. Monk, Householder, and Tantric Priest: Newar Buddhism and its Hierarchy of Ritual (Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology) . Cambridge University Press. 1992. 978-0-521-38399-8. - Review of this book Theodore Riccardi Jr.
• Book: Lewis, Todd L.. Popular Buddhist Texts from Nepal: Narratives and Rituals of Newar Buddhism (SUNY Series in Buddhist Studies). State University of New York Publications. 2000. 978-0-7914-4611-9 .
• Locke, John K. Newar Buddhist Initiation Rites
• Mahajan, Phra Sujan (B.E. 2549). The Revival of Theravada Buddhism and its Contribution to Nepalese Society, Thesis, Bangkok: Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University
• Book: Tuladhar-Douglas, Will. Remaking Buddhism for Medieval Nepal: The Fifteenth-century Reformation of Newar Buddhism. New York: Routledge. 2006. 978-0-415-35919-1 .
• Book: Tuladhar-Douglas , William . Religions of the World . 2002 . Newar Buddhism.

External links

• Bajracharya
• The Art of Newar Buddhism, The Huntington Archive
• Newar news

Notes and References

1. Web site: Locke. John K.. Unique Features of Newar Buddhism. https://web.archive.org/web/20120324221525/http://www.niem.com.np/newararticles/unique_features.htm . 2012-03-24. Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods. 2008. 2 June 2011.
2. Novak . Charles M. . 1992 . A Portrait of Buddhism in Licchavi Nepal . Buddhist Himalaya: A Journal of Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods . Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods . 4 . 1, 2 . 20 March 2014.
3. Web site: Yoshizaki. Kazumi. The Kathmandu Valley as a Water Pot: Abstracts of Research Papers on Newar Buddhism in Nepal. https://web.archive.org/web/20131004234746/http://www.jn-net.com/yoshizaki/ronbun/NewarBuddhism.htm . 2013-10-04. Kumamoto: Kurokami Library. 2006. 2 June 2011.
4. Ratnakaji Bajracharya (1993), Traditions of Newar Buddhist Culture. "Newa Buddhist Culture Preservation seminar".
5. Shakya, Miroj. The Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon Project: Problems and Possibilities in "Veidlinger, Daniel (2019) Digital Humanities and Buddhism: An Introduction. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG."
6. Book: Gutschow, Niels . Architecture of the Newars: A History of Building Typologies and Details in Nepal . November 2011 . Serindia Publications . Chicago . 978-1-932476-54-5 . 707.
7. Book: LeVine . Sarah . Gellner . David N. . Rebuilding Buddhism: The Theravada Movement in Twentieth-Century Nepal. Harvard University Press. 2005. 37. 978-0-674-01908-9.
8. Widdess . Richard. 2004. Caryā and Cacā: Change and Continuity in Newar Buddhist Ritual Song . Asian Music . 35 . 2 . 7–41 . University of Texas Press . 4098444 .
9. http://news.northwestdharma.org/09OctNovDec/1stNepBudTemNA.htm Founding Ceremonies for Nritya Mandal Vihara