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Mayanjala, Vajrayogini and Vajrapani,
a Charya Nritya performance by
Newari Tantric Buddhist priest
Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya, Nepal
(Vajrayana Buddhism)

This is a sacred dance form from the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal.  The performer-priests are known as Vajracharyas, or masters of the Vajrayana. These yogic practitioners dance Charya Nritya in a state of deep meditative awareness in order to embody the presence of the compassionate, peaceful and fierce divinities of the Vajrayana Buddhist pantheon.  Their dances are performed as part of meditation practices, ceremonies and other rituals.

The Many Faces of Buddhism brought Vajracharya Prajwal Ratna and his accompanying musicians to London to perform Bodhisattvas of Vajrayana Buddhism. A Bodhisattva is a being whom upon attaining enlightenment rejects personal liberation and returns to assist others in the journey to enlightenment.

Mayanjala -	Boddhisattva in the form of a wandering holy man lamenting the suffering of this world, Samsara
Vajrayogini -	Main meditation Yiddam female deity used in many practices to sever ties to the ego and senses
Vajrapani -	Buddhisattva of the Buddha’s Protection

Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya is a priest of one of the Vajracharya Buddhist lineages of Nepal and a ritual master of both the Charya Nritya dance tradition and other ritual forms performed by the Newar Vajracharya lineage. His family extends over 35 generations. Prajwal began his training in Charya Nritya at the age of eight, receiving formal instruction mainly from his father, the Buddhist scholar and ritual master Ratna Kaji Vajracharya. Prajwal Vajracharya is now the premier teacher, practitioner and performer of the tradition and is a veteran of several world tours, with beginning and advanced students in several countries.

He founded Dance Mandal: Foundation for Sacred Buddhist Arts of Nepal to preserve and expand this rare art form and its related traditions. With the survival of this sacred ritual dance threatened by modernization, Prajwal, at his father's behest, has dedicated his life to bringing this unique Buddhist heritage from the temples of Nepal to the world, while adhering to its original purpose as a profound spiritual practice.

Charya Nritya is neither “pure dance” nor drama. Rather, it means “the practice of discipline.” Charya is the embodiment of a deity, which takes on the deity’s spiritual qualities to allow observers to participate in the Buddhist meditation experience directly through aesthetic means.

Buddhist Dances