Dancing compassion: Cultivating a body of love in the Tantric Buddhist dance of Nepal

This article examines Charya Nritya, the contemplative and yogic dance practice of the Tantric Buddhist priests of Nepal. Taking as my focus a dance devoted to a divinity who embodies universal compassion, I elucidate how the ways of moving and somatic sensitivities nurtured by the dance can serve in the Buddhist quest to cultivate a compassionate bodily presence on earth.