Aesthetic Thai Life Based on Buddhist Philosophy |
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Talk about art and people immediately think of beautiful paintings by famous artists, or life-sized sculptures adorning different tourist sites in Rome. Still, there is another art form that is the fruit of thoughts and feelings, represented by the gentle movements in the accompaniment of musical rhythms in a tale of belief of the olden days. Eclipse represents the outcome of a collaborative effort by 11 young and energetic artists, involving musicians, traditional performing artists, and other performers. Together, they present a performance of contemporary dance and music based on traditional Thai musical instruments dominated by an assort¬ment of drums including Peung Mang Drum, Thad Drum, Sabudchai Drum and Pain Drum, vital for the traditional performance featuring the belief in solar eclipse according to Buddhist philosophy. A mixed perform i ng a rt, the performa nee is based on traditional Thai musical instruments that have been integrated into the product of the younger generation in a new format and rhythmic arrangements to give Eclipse a story to tell. The tale of Rahou ( the demon who causes eclipses) gobbling up the moon is a legend told from generation to generation. As a solar eclipse occurs, people in the olden days would help expel Rahou by beating the drums in order to make noises, in the belief that Rahou would be scared away imme¬diately upon hearing the deafening blast. The sun, as a result, wi II be set free to ill u mi nate the world once again. Thus, d ru ms a re a Iways used at ecl i pses. For Buddhism, 'Drum' is the instrument used to dispel Rahou, the symbol of greed, anger and indulgence. To get rid of these vices, drum always features prominently. At (solar) eclipse, darkness, the source of suffering, prevails; suffering is therefore the result of ignorance. The world, in ef¬fect, is shrouded in darkness only momentarily at the eclipse and light soon resumes. It is equated to suffering that takes place briefly before it vanishes soon after. Therefore, as suffer¬ing takes hold, tolerance is crucial. Never fight for new suffer¬ings; larger ones that could be added to previous ones. But never take them as personal, because they are not. Suffering has no form; we human beings, too, are formless. Despite our attempts to dodge suffering, there is no way we can be free from suffering; fighting it thus is futilely exhaustive. Ignorance, the root of struggle, destruction and aggressive¬ness, are sufferings. How, then, can we transcend those sufferings? How can we be safe from being gobbled up by Rahou? Sufferings are there to be regarded, not to be. Once we spot suffering, we are well advised to seek counsel from true friends, the wise ones and spiritual practitioners. True friends are those who enter our life and turn the insipid into an enriched one; life, once blinded, will be enlightened; the lowly and worthless will become precious; the wicked into a civilized one. In the end, Eclipse not only tells us that such a natural phenomenon is nothing but fear, rooted in man's imagina¬tion. However, a Buddhist philosophy is entrenched to underline the transient nature suggesting, "the virtuous and the evil will subsequently face the consequences of their respective actions". The performing cast includes Manop Meechamras, Napassakorn Mitr-em, Sirithorn Srichalakom, Darinee Chamnarnmo, Ratchasak Ruangjai, Monchai Soncharoon, Nattahapong Chaleuiwares, Kriengkrai Chardson, Witchadalum Laowanich, Surachai Somboonphan, Worawat Sirisak and Kriengkrai Onsam-ang |
