|
amaste!
Nityananda Institute Nepal was founded to further the work of The Movement Center in Asia, particularly in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley. The
mission of Nityananda Institute Nepal is to investigate, document, and
help to preserve traditional Asian culture including religion, art, and
healing methodologies.
Nityananda Institute Nepal’s retreat center is located in Budhanilkantha,
in the northeast section of the Kathmandu Valley. The Kathmandu Valley
has a rich cultural and spiritual heritage. It has been a crossroads for
the two primary spiritual traditions of south Asia, Hinduism and Buddhism,
which have intermingled with older indigenous traditions into a unique
blend.
The main interest of Nityananda Institute Nepal is exploring the tantric
traditions of spiritual practice in Asia, particularly the tradition of
Kashmir Shaivism, which originated in northern India and made its way
to Nepal. For the past thirty years, under the leadership of Swami Chetanananda,
The Movement Center has supported scholarly research on the philosophy
of Kashmir Shaivism and has worked with practitioners and scholars on
translations of important philosophical and ritual texts. Many prominent
scholars of Shaivism have lectured at The Movement Center's programs, and its publishing division, Rudra
Press, has published books on the philosophy of Shaivism.
Nepal holds a unique place in the history of tantrism. It is a place where
spiritual practices pervade all aspects of life, and both the Hindu and
Buddhist strains of tantrism have co-existed. Authentic tantric practice
has survived into the 21st century in the hands of a few highly accomplished
practitioners, but its continued existence is in doubt.
The Kathmandu Valley is in the midst of unprecedented political, cultural
and environmental changes which threaten the traditional culture that
has characterized Nepal for centuries. Nityananda Institute Nepal has
been actively searching in the Kathmandu Valley to identify tantric masters,
many of whose lineages are in danger of dying out. As part of this effort,
Swami Chetanananda has studied with masters of several different traditions,
including the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, the karmacharyas of
Bhaktapur, and Shaiva tantric healers.
|
|