TANTRIC BUDDHISM (INCLUDING CHINA AND JAPAN)53 The rite in which the priest recites the rnangala siitra.
54 Lit. "life-force wind". This exists in the body, but is dispersed at death. Here the
authors imply that the priil)aviiyu is the vehicle of karma.
55 An offering helpful for crossing the river of death, (Skt.) Vaitarana, as described
above.
56 A secret rite performed in front of the body by the vajriiciirya. It is done today only
for laymen who have taken the dilqii initiation.
57 Lamps are needed here and on subsequent days to guide the priil)a-viiyu back to its
resting place, in case it gets lost in the first movements out after death. It will thus still
stay close and benefit from the rituals that follow, even though the iron keeps it from
re-entering the body.
58 An unhappy malevolent spirit unable to pass into a new existence.
59 The depository site for dangerous impure refuse in each neighborhood. It is thought to
be the specific abode of one Newar form of Hi.iri.itl Ajima, and more generally the
haunting place of a host of minor spirits (Lewis 1984: 112).
60 A small carved stone ritual receptacle placed outside the main entranceway of every
Newar house (Lewis 1984: 124).
61 A tall lamp made of cloth.
62 Done by the women, who in high caste households do not go to the ghat.
63 lit. "Face Yama".
64 A drum/cymbal music played by untouchables.
65 Caste-specific riverside sites are the norm in the Kathmandu Valley.
66 Pil)i}as are kneaded balls of foods offered to the dead only. See the text for further
elaboration.
67 lit. "Righteous Path" or "the Buddha's Way".
68 "Safe passage for the ashes piijii".
69 Paiicagavya, the five cow products - milk, butter, curds, dung, urine - are used by
Newar Buddhist hierophants.
70 Sugarcane.
71 Myrobalan fruit.
72 The four goals in life, according to Brahmanical literature: wealth, fitting conduct,
pleasure, salvation.
73 Skt. piirl)irnii, the full moon day.
74 Used in all pil)i}a rituals, rhino meat is thought to insure the conveyance of offerings,
a belief recorded in the Mahiibhiirata (Briggs 1938: 7-8). Many wealthy Newar Bud-
dhists own a rhino skin vessel for pil)i}a piijiis (Lewis 1984: 322).
75 Uncooked husked rice and flattened rice, respectively.
76 Here is a good example of the complexity surrounding an analysis of Hindu-Buddhist
relations. At first view, this appears to be a straightforward Brahmanical adoption by
the Buddhist hierophants. But in fact this kusa grass (known in western botanical
classification by the Latin name poa cynosuroides) is mentioned in many Buddhist
accounts, from the earliest records onward, as having been the stuff of the Buddha's
enlightenment seat (see Thomas 1927: 71).
77 Every major Newar vihiira possesses indented stones for this purpose. This is one rite
that binds the laymen to a specific Buddhist establishment.
78 The text presented here is transliterated exactly as found in the original publication.
Only numbers have been added to order the headings. Savants will note that the San-
skrit spellings and endings are irregular, in places almost making the text indecipher-
able. To correct the errors in the published text would be an immense undertaking;
the slokas reproduced here stand as a specimen of Newari panditry. Readers inter-
ested in receiving a copy of the original niigarl should write to the author.