on the surface there are some 30 men in costumes with holy masks with exaggerated features of bulging eyes,huge grins, sharp pointed teeth, or buck teeth, big nostrils, etc. only the prince rama and his 2 assistants have small masks with moderate facial features and a demure expression. the play is done with dancing movements with the focus on the hand and feet movements. they are all wearing cloaks which are suddenly lifted on the right side a bit at the hip, or on the left...revealing often dramatic ornamental belts or banners that hang just below their stomach on top of their white pants,
since i haven't found a balinese that can explain all the symbolism to me, i am trying to observe the effect the actors have on me, in order to figure out the intention, since each movement is perfectly timed and planned in step with the drums and gamelons that accompany it. i realized that the music actually is the story teller, also for the dancers who can barely see through the slits in the masks, and also for the crowds. even though the dancers are saying their parts inside the mask, no one can hear since they do not use a microphone and also because the jam packed audience is talking and laughing non stop with praying and chanting going on at the same time since it is in the courtyard of the temple.
what could this "lifting of the cloak" each time mean? like "da da!!" and then it all begin to fall into place....the cloak for rama was also lifted by him, but barely, and only once or twice revealing his inner belt which was gold with a triangle pointing upwards and another one downwards. it must be the "showing of emotions" ....that the ideal is to behave with complete control and show a buddha smile on the outside, and the gold belt reflecting healthy sexuality which effects the person in the upper torso as well as the lower. and that all these monstrous masked dancers were all different parts of us, our desires that need to be in moderation instead of impulsive and with outbursts or egocentricity.
and the tale always ends the same, with the priest sitting down in the middle of the dancers performing a sacred blessing over the evil, since it too is part of us, after which a battle between the good and evil ensues with the good the hero. the battle at the end is always the liveliest part of it all as the kids in typical balinese style, began to chant out the good guys' name, but they do it in such a way that it's like they are answering each other; first the right side says it, and then the left part of the temple repeats the name....this underlying interaction all of the time, whether in chanting out the heros name, or sieving sand, or carrying something, or the fishermen going out to sea...always at least 2 people working together, chanting together, drums answering each other, priests doing the ceremony together, collecting donations for the temple together....
after the play ended everyone left. the lead drummer/gamelon player/conductor invited me to follow him home so he could change into another outfit for the next event at the temple which was 1/2 hour later. it was a chance for him to show off a bit that he knows a foreign woman, i think. we returned again to the temple, and he motioned that i sit down again on the ground. i realized that it is time for the next prayer ritual. i had hoped to see another dance by some men that wear a black sarong, but no one could say when that would happen. meanwhile the orchestra was getting things organized and i saw 4 men walk behind one of the altars and two returned with tall poles with decorative white umbrellas....i thought that maybe they were arranging new ones around the temple in honor of the occasion, but suddenly understood that in fact they were just accompanying the other 2 men who were carrying a huge gong a distance of 3 meters from one place to another and is held in reverence by the symbolic umbrella making sure that it is not hot in the sun or wet from the rain (and it is night time and not monsoon....it is the intention) ....and then suddenly i understood another inexplicable riddle i have had...
everything is sacred, everything is under the roof of hinduism, everything is in service to god, there is no actor, no dancer, no chanter,no priest, no drummer,or gamelon player, that is doing this for his own egoistic desire. when i was sitting next to gede at the performance, he suddenly disappeared. since there is not a toilet at the temple, he didn't go there...so where is he, and then a little while later he returned and sat down and took the big drum and began to lead the orchestra. it was then that i noticed the few grains of rice on his third eye. i realized he had gone to pray and be blessed before beginning to play. his playing was amazing. and when it was over i quietly applauded him and told him how great it was, without responding he turned around and faced the direction of the altar and said a prayer. now i understood that he was used as a vehicle to play the music for this sacred play, that is all. no one applauds, not the dancers, or musicians, it is all anonymous. there is no recognition made, no stars, no bowing, no encores....
the courtyard continued to fill up again and gede began to play the gamelon, hitting the first notes which are the signal to the other 20 some musicians to join in now.(they do not have written music, it is all done by demonstrating and memorizing). this was also the first time that i could just sit there and again, get in touch with what the music was doing in my body, not only listening to it. but trying to figure out if there is any rhyme or reason to the non stop melodies. as i watched gede i saw that he was watching the priests, just like he had been watching the dancers in the play, and that now the music was telling the story of the prayer ceremony! it was no longer random comings and goings of the priest, but stage after stage of a combination of actions and intensive music that was changing the cell structure in my body. it reminded me of when i did vipassana silent meditation for 10 days 10 hours a day. there was one day when the instructions were (at least how i interpreted them) as if a sword is going in and out of your body every millimeter, breaking down all the stored up patterns, memories, pains, that can then be dissolved instead of being like blocks stuck in my body.
as the priest began the ceremony the music was pf fast disharmonic notes, as if a shaking up of everything that is not in balance inside of me. as they began to sprinkle the water on all the offerings in all directions in order to sanctify, the music was then a very repetitive soothing tune that i especially like, and after a few moments of silence, when the priests all rose and began to sprinkle the water on each person the music sounded like something from heaven, showering down again and again. it was then that i realized that i have been asking everyone i meet if they know anyone who can teach me temple songs on the gamelon. i don't really ever get a response. even the man that is teaching me, nods his head, but teaches me some music for a dance, not for temple. and i realized that no one is going to teach me temple songs, outside of the temple....it is only used for the ceremony, it is sacred music. the fact that i like it and want to learn how to play it does not mean that someone who knows it can teach it to me. this is music that is played, only when wearing temple clothing after having prayed and been blessed, inside a temple for a ceremony.
the biggest surprise happened after that. suddenly the hundreds of people sitting on the grass did a 180 degree turnabout all at once and were suddenly facing the opposite direction and had quickly moved to the sides so that a pathway was formed as an aisle for the priests to walk down towards another entrance in the courtyard and perform there another ceremony. i couldn't figure out how everyone did that all at once, as if they had practiced it for weeks. as we sat their in silence i began to hear giggles and noticed that one of the male dancers with the black sarongs and the wooden swords in their belt had stood up and was making provocative humoristic movements towards the other end of the crowd where another male dancer suddenly rose from the seated devotees. he began to "reply" with his own provocative actions and they slowly approached each other, using controlled martial arts movements, together with humoristic caricatures. this went on for a few minutes at which point it escalated into a mock fight with a winner and a loser. they returned to their seat on the grass. and the priests continued praying and a few minutes later, another dancer rose and began with another as if impromptu humorous interaction with his partner from the other end of the courtyard, there was laughter. after about 6 couples everyone suddenly again did a 180 degree turnabout and the ceremony ended with om shanti shanti shanti om and off they all went.
i laughed how in the end, i unexpectedly got to witness this dance that by chance happened at this moment, and not the night before when i had purposely gone to see it. it is something that just "happens" and no one can tell you when or how or why. i asked several people what it was all about. they said they don't really know, but they like it....one told me it is a pun about warriors. it is unique to tejakula (ah, they love being unique in everything) and that it shows how you must be a warrior in all walks of life. "do you mean towards all of the enemies within myself" i asked. "also those within and also those without. learn to be a good warrior".
i found it interesting that it is a bit like the court jester. together with that, humor is a big part of their approach to everything, including religion.
No comments:
Post a Comment