Pictures, words, understandings by Buddhadasa Bhikku

BOOK REVIEW; Pictures, words, understandings
1194 words
30 December 2006
Bangkok Post
O3
English
(c) 2006

Book by the late Buddhadasa Bhikku offers an easy approach to Buddhism

JEFFERY SNG

'Wanna know all about Thai Buddhism?" asked Don Sweetbaum, a slim, bearded farang activist (in the hippie mould) now turned Buddhist and living in Chiang Mai.

"Try picking up, randomly, any book on Buddhist philosophy or Buddhist ethics that you see on the shelf," said Sweetbaum, gesturing to a row of books on Buddhism at a second-hand book shop on Thapae Road in Chiang Mai city. "Unreadable ... right?"

But wait, here's some good news.

"There's a new book about Thai Buddhism in English with lots of beautiful pictures," Sweetbaum announced. Entitled Teaching Dhamma by Pictures, it was written by the late Buddhadasa Bhikku and was reprinted this year by the Sathirakoses-Nagapradipa Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

For lazy readers, this may be just the right book on Buddhism for beginners.

After all, as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Comic books appeal to children because they help to overcome textual difficulties by using pictures and vivid imagery. The same principle is at work here.

For the newcomer to Buddhism, looking for a simple, yet exciting introduction to Buddhist philosophy, a la "Buddhism 101", "Thai Buddhism for Dummies" or "Buddhism for Beginners", Buddhadasa's book may be just what the doctor ordered.

And it's not just beginners who should read Teaching Dhamma by Pictures. Advanced students of Buddhism will also benefit immensely. Teaching Dhamma is a philosophically profound and artistic book that appeals on many intellectual levels simultaneously. Buddhadasa used art and religious symbolism as a tool to explain the Buddhist world view. The religious paintings serve as a snapshot of the content, ingredients, characters, relationships and meanings of the Buddhist universe.

Mind and Body

An image entitled Mind and Body employs symbolism to illustrate Buddhist philosophical beliefs about mind and body. Buddhadasa explained that "body is represented by the earthenware vessels [carried by the man on the left] while mind is shown as the whimsical, swift and restless monkeys". The symbolism of the monkey representing the mind was also used in Lord Buddha's discourses.

In the picture the monkeys prove themselves adept at avoiding capture and the hunters have difficulty shooting down these agile creatures. The meaning is that the monkey, or mind, is difficult to control. The body, however, is mere clay and cannot move by itself. It is also fragile and easily broken. The meaning is that human existence is impermanent. In Buddhist epistemology the human being is made up of two components: Mind and body.

In Buddhist symbolism, the body is also sometimes represented by a ship. In the picture Saccamilomika-nana, or "The Ninth Stage of Knowledge Derived from Conformity with Truth", the ship represents the body (rupa) and the owner of the ship standing at the bow is the mind (citta). Buddhadasa explained: "The ship is crossing from the burning world of mortality to the other shore of Nibbana, which is represented by the Three Gems, to which the owner of the ship [the mind] points. The crew and equipment on board are the various teachings necessary to cross the seas of wandering-on in birth-and-death [samsara]. The Noble Eight-fold Path and other necessary dharmas such as faith [saddha] and wisdom [panna] are essentials to guide the ship across."

Saccamilomika-nana

Buddhadasa offers many more examples, translating various points of dharma into symbolic pictures. The book contains a collection of 47 pictures, in colour plates, reproduced from an old Buddhist manuscript found in Chaiya, southern Thailand, about 100 years ago. Teaching Dhamma by Pictures is based on Buddhadasa's explanations of this famed Chaiya Manuscript. It was in Chaiya that Buddhadasa set up his famous meditation centre, and from where he would exert a profound influence on Thai Buddhism through his teachings, sermons and explanations of Buddhist texts, paintings and manuscripts.

The manuscript was discovered in Chaiya before Buddhadasa went to preach there. Although it was created before Buddhadasa's time, it supports his world view of harmony between man and nature. Natural symbols, including birds, snakes and trees, represent human emotions that give meaning to human existence. Buddhadasa used the manuscript in his preaching and sermons. His profound explanations of the 47 pictures contained in the manuscript became widely known throughout the country during his lifetime.

Sulak Sivaraksa and Sweetbaum translated Buddhadasa's explanations of the 47 pictures from this Siamese text prepared by the late Rabil Bunnag, who was also a gifted photographer, into English. The first edition was published in 1960. Forty-six years later, with generous support from the Asia Foundation, the Venerable Bhikku Khantipalo edited and improved the English translation and Miss E. Lyons added a lucid introduction to the book, which was reprinted for the centenary celebrations of the birth of Buddhadasa (May 27, 1906).

The venerable monk passed away on May 27, 2006.

The timely reprinting of Buddhadasa's discourses on Buddhist symbolism also coincided with a new intellectual fashion created by the massive international reception accorded Dan Brown's blockbuster The Da Vinci Code. Thanks to Brown's novel, which was made into a Hollywood movie, the subject of pagan symbolism has become the 21st century's new intellectual craze. The search for clues and hidden symbolism in ancient paintings, artefacts and antique works of art has suddenly come into vogue.

Said Sweetbaum: "Buddhadasa's book is a virtual treasure trove of exotic Buddhist symbols."

Reminiscent of the history of the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages, art in ancient Siam was also put at the service of religion. Ancient Siamese Buddhism had effectively enlisted the artist to teach dharma by pictures. Temple manuscripts and mural paintings were used to tell the story of the Buddha in his various reincarnations and to communicate important religious teachings by means of pictorial examples. But the similarity between the Siamese painter and his Western counterpart basically ends there.

Unlike Leornado da Vinci, who painted the Mona Lisa, Siamese artists did not try to work in an original, individual style; they did not aim to express their own personality or a particular philosophy of theirs. In fact, they rarely signed their paintings. Thus, the traditional temple painter of Siam had little connection with the credo of the modern artist. The Siamese artist and the modern Western artist belong to two quite different paradigms.

There were no Van Goghs, Rembrandts or Monets in traditional Siam. The Siamese artist does not claim ownership of the painting like his Western counterpart does. Unlike Leonardo da Vinci, the Siamese artist does not work alone but usually as part of a team. Temple murals were usually painted by many artists working together. One artist may specialise in painting architecture and another may paint only figures. The complete painting usually reflects the work of many hands.

Thus, Buddhadasa's book contains more than just the secrets of religious symbolism. The pictures also speak to the symbolist and the modern artist about the exotic communal traditions in the craft of Siamese manuscript and temple-mural painting.