| Newar Buddhism | |
|---|---|
 Dīpankara Buddha (Bahi-dyah) on display duringGunla. Gunla is a holy month for Newar Buddhists. | |
| Type | Vajrayana |
| Scripture | Various Mahayana Sutras and Tantras |
| Language | Sanskrit, Nepal Bhasa |
| Separated from | Mainstream Nepalese Buddhism |
| Members | Newar people |
| Ministers | Vajracharya priests |
| Part ofa series on |
| Vajrayana Buddhism |
|---|
 |
Traditions Historical traditions:
New branches: |
History |
Practices |
Festivals |
Ordination and transmission |
Newar Buddhism is a form ofVajrayanaBuddhism practiced by theNewar people of theKathmandu Valley,Nepal.[1][2] It has developed unique socio-religious elements, which include a non-monastic Buddhist society based on theNewar caste system andpatrilineality.
Although there was a vibrant regional tradition of Buddhism in theKathmandu 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 ofKashmir andIndonesia were on the wane.
Its caste system has a non-celibate religiousclergy caste formed ofvajracharya (who perform rituals for others) andshakya (who perform rituals mostly within their own families). Other Buddhist Newar castes like theUrāy act as patrons. Urāy also patroniseTibetan Vajrayana,Theravadin, and evenJapanese clerics.[3]
Newar Buddhism has a group of nine SanskritMahayana sutras called the Navagrantha, these are considered the key Mahayana sutra texts of the tradition. They are:[4][5]
Newar Buddhism is characterized by its extensive and detailed rituals, a rich artistic tradition of Buddhist monuments and artwork like thechaitya (stupa), Baha and Bahi monastic courtyards, statues,paubha scroll paintings andmandala sand paintings, and by being a storehouse of ancient SanskritBuddhist texts, many of which are now only extant inNepal.[6]
According to the authors ofRebuilding 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 andGunlā 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 inPortland, Oregon.[9]
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 areSamyak (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 inLalitpur,Dolakha andNala), andBajrayogini Jatra (processions inSankhu and Pharping).
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)| Music | |
|---|---|
| Cuisine | |
| Festival | |
| Rituals | |
| Architecture | |
| Language | |
| Deities | |
| Castes | |
| Misc | |
| Religion | |
.svg)