We, the undersigned, request you to respond with positive action to our
plea to grant a visa to Mr. Sharbagya Bajracharya, resident of Kathmandu,
Nepal. He has been denied a visa twice [last on September 24, 2009] and yet
is needed in the USA as the experienced ritual master to consecrate on Nov
9-11, 2009, the first and only Nepalese temple to function in the Western
world. This event is sponsored by Dance Mandal in Portland Oregon and is
not a personal request for a visa, but a matter of the survival of an
ancient Buddhist tradition and culture of Nepal recognized for peace,
compassion, and wisdom.
Sharbagya Bajracharya is one of only a very few fully qualified priests,
and one who is familiar with this unique ritual of consecration which is highly
specific. There are now very few new such temples built in Nepal and
therefore few consecrations necessary with the tradition in Nepal not
surviving well in modern times. This demonstrates the importance
of having a temple, and a properly consecrated one, in the west. Mr.
Bajracharya is significant because he is the consultant in Kathmandu
for Dance Mandal and the new temple and study center, Nritya Mandala
Vihara, and therefore is key to proper ties as intermediary for this
lineage between Nepal and the West.
His visa has been denied with interviews done by rote, without
the consulate's knowledge of the true facts and of this particular case
that affects a whole culture.
Mr. Bajracharya's entry to the US and return to Nepal can begin to
encourage the lineage here in the West while it barely survives in its
homeland. Please take this case into special consideration and take
appropriate action to grant his visa in time for this historic and
significant event. We are grateful for your consideration.
