Praise & Movement: Embodying the Awakened Ones

Eight Video Lessons with Prajwal Vajracharya

Recordings are available for viewing for one year from the date of purchase


In each video lesson of this unique course, Prajwal Vajracharya introduces one sloka (Sanskrit verse) in praise of a particular Buddha, bodhisattva, or dakini, and the accompanied physical movements and gestures that express their enlightened qualities of wisdom, compassion and power. By learning to humbly honor and praise these supreme beings, we can slowly also recognize that their qualities and energies exist within us and all beings, and begin the process of actually embodying and expressing these qualities in a genuine way through our own unique bodies, voices, and minds.


PART ONE: EMBODYING THE BUDDHAS & BODHISATTVAS

Part one of the course focuses on the male manifestations of awakened energy and wisdom. Each week we will learn about a different Buddha or bodhisattva (“hero”), invoking them through verses of praise and inviting their qualities into our own embodied experience through movement and mudra.


PART TWO: EMBODYING THE DAKINIS

Dakinis are the Tantric goddesses, or feminine embodiments of enlightened energy manifesting in a multitude of forms, both peaceful and wrathful. In Vajrayana Buddhism, it is said that without the blessings of the dakinis, progress on the path is impossible. Part two of our course brings us deep into connection with this enlightened female principle, giving us a glimpse of the ultimate freedom and bliss that it represents.


INCLUDED IN THIS COURSE

  • Eight Video Lessons (90 Minutes)
  • Audio Files of Charya Dance Songs
  • Articles on the history and tradition of Charya Dance
  • Additional Resources

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome to the course!

    • Course Overview

    • Online Classroom Etiquette & Technical Requirements

    • Navigating this Learning Platform (Video)

    • Navigating this Learning Platform (PDF)
  • 2

    COURSE LIBRARY

    • Articles about the Charya Nritya Dance Tradition of Nepal

    • Charya Dance Songs Used in this Course (Audio MP3)

    • Slokas/ Prayers
  • 3

    PART ONE: EMBODYING THE BUDDHAS & BODHISATTVAS

    • Class One: Amitabha

    • Class Two: Manjusri & Pragyaparamita

    • Class Three: Arya Tara & Basundhara

    • Class Four: 16 Offering Goddesses
  • 4

    PART TWO: EMBODYING THE DAKINIS

    • Class One: Vajrayogini

    • Extra Video (Vajrayogini)

    • Class Two: Nairatma

    • Class Three: Akasha Yogini

    • Class Four: Kadga Yogini

Instructor

Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya

Prajwal is a 35th generation Tantric Buddhist priest from Nepal and a ritual master both of the Charya Nritya dance tradition and other ritual forms performed by the Newar Vajracharya lineage. Prajwal began his training in Charya Nritya, the dance aspect of Newar Buddhism, from the age of eight, receiving formal instruction 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 around the globe. 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 wishes, 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.

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