The Kathmandu Valley Water Pot

This book is a collection of abstracts of my papers on Newer Buddhism in Nepal, which I have published over these past 25 years. I am aware that it would be desirable to completely rewrite these papers in light of the latest scholarship throughout the world. But I’m afraid that it would Become too bulky a volume. I didn’t wish to publish anything too larhe in size, so I restricted my citations of the latest studies to minimum. In fact, I omitted many important worksin orders to summarize my papers. I hope they will be reffered to in the development of discussion. I visited the Valley of Kathmandu for the first time in 1985 to research the Newer Buddhist Manuscripts. Everything that I saw there fascinated me at once. I was surprised by their festivals, manners and customs, and especially their Buddhist rituals. Many questions rushed at me one after another. I asked my self,”what is the real aim of their performance?” My papers were produced to help me arrive at my own answers, although some questions remains insoluble. I know that my papers are lacking in certain consideration, and I alone am responsible for any error of fact, interpreatation, or omission. I believe that they will make good their arrangements. I will be happy if my struggle to interpret the Newer Buddhish rituals is any help in baering fresh fruit.