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July/August 2008 NW Newsmakers
NW Newsmakers 7-08

Weekend Retreat with Eli Jaxon-Bear

Eli Jaxon-Bear, spiritual teacher and author, comes to Seattle University on July 18 for a public meeting and on July 19-20 for a weekend retreat.

As a cultural revolutionary, Jaxon-Bear took a stand for freedom as a young man in the Civil Rights movement. As a non-violent activist, he was beaten in the streets of Montgomery and eventually became a federal fugitive. In 1990, he began to follow spiritual teacher H.W.L. Poonja, also known as Papaji. Jaxon-Bear edited compilations of Papaji's teachings, including the newly released collector's edition Wake Up and Roar: Satsang with H.W.L. Poonja.

During the past two years, Jaxon-Bear has experienced a life crisis including a diagnosis of terminal cancer. During the weekend retreat, Jaxon-Bear shares his experience of facing life and death, and how the teachings he received from Papaji have assisted him through this challenge.

Visit www.leela.org.

Newar Buddhist Temple Opens in Summer

Construction is underway on a small Nepalese Newar temple in the courtyard at Dance Mandal in Portland. Dance Mandal, which is the Foundation for Sacred Buddhist Arts of Nepal, was established in 1996 by Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya, who is a priest of one of the Vajrayana Buddhist lineages of Nepal and a ritual master both of the Charya Nritya dance tradition and other ritual forms performed by the Newar Vajracharya lineage.

The foundation is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Charya Nritya and the related traditions of instrumental and vocal music, choreography, and the craft of making the masks, costumes and jewelry used in the dances. Since its inception, Dance Mandal has performed in Asia, Europe and North America. Here in Portland, Dance Mandal offers classes and workshops on this sacred art form.

The Newar Buddhist tradition, distinct in its rich sacred arts and architectural traditions, is grounded in experiential practice and esoteric Vajrayana ritual and yet is accessible to outsiders through its emphasis on the energies and interactions of the five elements. It is the last living current of Sanskrit Buddhism still actively practiced in Asia today.

The tradition, long hidden due to the secrecy surrounding Vajrayana practice, has only recently come to scholarly attention and public view. Portland transplant Prajwal Vajracharya has devoted his life to the fulfillment of his father's vision of bringing Newar Buddhism and especially Newar temple dance out to the world.

Establishing a Newar temple in the United States is a major step forward in the preservation, expansion and exploration of Newar Buddhist art and dance, meditation and ritual.

Dance Mandal anticipates opening the temple in mid-summer for its first workshop on Aug. 3 called The Spontaneous Bliss of Sacred Dance and Song, which is funded by the Regional Arts and Culture Council. A related dance performance takes place at a different venue on Aug. 2 at the First Congregational Church in Portland.

Visit www.dancemandal.com.

Using Nutrition Response Testing for Health

Paul J. Rosen, an acupuncturist and herbalist at AcuNatural Family Healthcare in Vancouver, thought he was living a healthy lifestyle. He took vitamins, had regular checkups and exercised regularly. But in 1996 everything went wrong.

While waiting for a plane home after a fishing trip in Idaho, Rosen's heartbeat became irregular. After being examined in the emergency room, he was told that he was dehydrated and was released. Upon returning home, he experienced a deep fatigue, couldn't get from the bed to a chair without assistance, had continuing heart irregularities, panic attacks and a feeling of suffocation. He reduced his hours at work and saw every kind of health practitioner: homeopath, osteopath, acupuncturist/herbalist, chiropractor - but nothing helped and the symptoms continued for years.

Then in 2002 it all changed.

"A friend introduced me to Dr. Freddie Ulan and the work he called Nutrition Response Testing," Rosen says on his website at www.acunatural.com. "Dr. Ulan evaluated me, finding I had thyroid exhaustion, an immune challenge and digestive enzyme deficiencies. He put me on a health improvement program of whole food supplements and dietary changes. Within weeks, I began to feel better. I hadn't felt that good in years."

Nutrition Response Testing is used to identify hidden health problems as well to present strategies to correct the imbalance. A personalized health improvement program often includes whole food supplements, herbs, and dietary and lifestyle changes.

The technique uses kinesiology to determine how stress or deficiencies are interfering with the body's healing process. Patients are tested for five common stressors: scars, food sensitivities, immune challenges, chemical challenges and metal challenges. Next, the priority gland or organ is determined. Then nutritional whole food supplements or herbs are recommended.

Learn more at www.acunatural.com.