What if dancing could be a path to awakening? "Meditation is not only sitting," says Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya, a Newar Buddhist priest and master of Charya Nritya, the sacred dance of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. For him, the dance is a practice for actualizing one's awakened qualities.
A 35th-generation priest, Prajwal began training at age eight under his father, who opened Charya Nritya beyond the few castes once permitted to practice it. Prajwal has carried it to the world. He founded Dance Mandal and co-founded Nritya Mandala Mahavihara in Portland, Oregon, the first Newar Buddhist temple in the West.
We explore how mudra, ornament, and movement, joined with somatic awareness, help practitioners embody the Buddha's qualities. Prajwal explains the outer, inner, and secret dimensions of the dance, discusses the connection between Buddhist art and meditation, and performs the charyas of Vajrasattva and Vajrapani on camera. Throughout, we return to how these practices bring compassion and awareness into everyday life.
Learn more:
Nritya Mandala Mahavihara: https://www.portlandbaha.org
Dance Mandal: https://www.dancemandal.com
Timestamp
00:00 A Secret Newar Buddhist Dance, and His Father Who Opened It
07:01 Training from Age Eight: Mudras, Jataka Tales, Deity Yoga
11:09 Becoming the Deity: Ornaments as the Six Paramitas
18:06 Mudras and the Five Elements in the Fingers
24:43 "Mudra Is the Whole Body"
31:54 Body, Speech and Mind: Outer, Inner and Secret Dance
40:21 The Mind is Evident in the Body (Charya Nritya and Zen)
43:27 "Everybody Has Their Own Mudra": Steps, Rhythm, Song
48:46 Sufi Whirling, Bhakti, and "You Are the Buddha"
54:34 Vajrapani and Vajrasattva: Deities of Protection and Purification
01:02:15 Prajwal Performs Vajrapani and Vajrasattva Charyas
01:07:25 Charya Nritya as Healing: Guilt, Forgiveness, Purification
01:13:18 The Integrity of Art and Performance
01:15:40 Opening Newar Buddhist Ritual Beyond Caste
01:24:49 Reviving Ancient Charya Through Meditation
01:29:10 "Meditation Is Not Only Sitting": Charya in Daily Life
Intro and outro music by Benjamin Bigelow
Photos provided by www.dancemandal.com
