Buddhist Daily Ritual: The Nitya Puja In Kathmandu Valley Shrines - Hardcover

Sharkey, Gregory

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 9748304809 ISBN 13: 9789748304809

Publisher: Orchid Press Publishing Limited, 2002

Synopsis

The Sakyas and Vajracaryas are the highest Buddhist castes among the Newars, the indigenous people of Kathmandu Valley of Nepal and the inheritors of the most authentic monastic rituals and traditions. The author here presents a record of their unique form of Buddhist devotionalism and ritual. The esoteric liturgies performed each day at the main shrines of babas and babis (as traditional Newar Buddhist vibaras are know) are described and the relationship of these rites to other elements of Newar Buddhist practice are analyzed in order to shed light on connections between the latter and Buddhist practices elsewhere

About this title

Synopsis

This text presents findings of reseearch on a particular form of Buddhist ritual practised by Sakyas and Vajracaryas, the inheritors of the monastic tradition and the highest Buddhist castes among the Newars, the indigenous people of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. The author presents an authentic record of a unique form of Buddhist devotionalism and ritual: the everyday practices of the Newar Buddhists, the sole remnant of South Asia's once extensive Mahayana community. Specifically, the exoteric liturgies performed each day at the main shrines of "bahahs" and "bahis" (as traditional Newar Buddhist "viharas" are known) are described, and the relationship of these rites to other elements of Newar Buddhist practice are analyzed, in order to shed light on connections between the latter and Buddhist practices elsewhere.

Edition details

• Publisher: Orchid Press Publishing Limited
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9748304809
• ISBN 13: 9789748304809
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Thapa Mukti Singh
• Number of pages: 388