Vajrayāna Traditions in Nepal
Vajrayāna Traditions in Nepal
Since around 900 CE, the Kathmandu Valley has been an important center of Buddhist tantric traditions, and the only non-ethnic Tibetan region of South Asia in which tantric Buddhist traditions have survived to the present day. For this reason, it played a major role in the preservation and dissemination of tantric Buddhist traditions across the Indo-Tibetan region. Just as the vast majority of surviving Sanskrit Buddhist manuscripts have been preserved there by the Newar Buddhist community, so are many other cultural traditions associated with tantric Buddhism still extant. Since Newar tantric traditions remain among the least explored in Asia, this chapter seeks to remedy this lacuna by summarizing what is known about its history, focusing on the major texts, ritual practices, and distinctive religious sites. The sangha of Newars, especially its Vajrācārya (New. Bajrācārya) sub-community, receives detailed description, including portraits of its notable modern religious scholars and tantric masters.
Keywords: Newar, Buddhism, Kathmandu, Vajrayāna, tantric, Tibet
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