Event

Most scholars for the past century have assessed the state of Newar Buddhism in the Kathmandu Valley as “decadent,” “corrupted by Hinduism,” and predicted its withering away, most often due to competition from the reformist Theravādins, a movement that arrived in Nepal a century ago. The predations of the modern Hindu Nepalese state have also been a central axis of analysis. What has emerged over the last decade, however, is a hitherto unimagined revival of its venerable tradition centered on Mahāyāna-Vajrayāna teachings and practices. Young Buddhist leaders have introduced new spiritual initiatives, institutional innovations, along with gender and caste reforms; supported by wealthy merchants and migrants living abroad, Newar Buddhist traditions have shown a remarkable resiliency and vibrancy. The talk will sketch the confluence of reconfigurations and revivals, and devote special focus on how these factors converged in the nearly-completed construction of a Newar Vajrayāna monastery in Lumbini.

Todd Lewis is a Research Associate at Harvard University and holder of the Murray Distinguished Professorship at Holy Cross College, where he has taught since 1990. His expertise is on Newar Buddhism, and he has also written about Buddhist narratives, their depiction in popular art, and the role of merchants in Buddhist history.