VESTIGES OF BUDDHIST JAVA STILL SURVIVE IN TRADITIONAL
DANCE
photo courtesy
www.yogyes.com
Buddhism flourished in Central Java during
the 8th and the 9th centuries. It is sometimes
difficult to remember that Moslem Java was
at one time a great centre of Buddhism.
Dharma Kirti, located near Borobudur,
was
a prominent seat of learning
that was attended
by monks from all over Asia.
Its importance
and stature were mentioned in
the writings
of a Buddhist monk of the period,
and its
continued influence should not
be overlooked.
Buddhism, as it was practiced
at Borobudur,
was seminal in the evolution
of art, dance
and culture in Java. To completely
understand
the continuity that links medieval
Java to
the Java of today, one should
explore the
world of Javanese traditional
dance.
Bedaya is a refined dance emphasizing
emotional
control and is executed while
the soul is
at its highest level of consciousness.
It is thought that the emotions
and the mind
stop entirely during this advanced
spiritual
state. This is similar to the
concept of
Satori in Zen Buddhism. This
concept is also
apparent in the architecture
of Borobudur.
Satori in Zen Buddhism holds
that self-constraint
and silent meditation can create
a sudden
purifying state of enlightenment.
By contrast,
these elements are not found
in Javanese
art, which does not acknowledge
the concept
of sudden enlightenment.
Buddhism in the Javanese dance
and art is
explored through a steady process
of embracing
a philosophy that teaches a tranquil
and
eternal life.
In traditional Javanese dance,
the movements
are introverted. Movement is
directed towards
the interior of the body. The
entire body
is connected by a steady stream
of energy.
The great Javanese choreographer,
Sardono,
wrote:
"Every detail of movement
is executed
with such intensity that it must
be separated
from any desire to make it ornamental
or
decorative".
These concepts reflect awareness
that the
body itself is a microcosm. Each
atom of
the body is given equal life
and respect
and must not be subordinated
to any other
part.
In this universe that is our
body, the eyes
are said to be the sun and a
star, our breath
is the air which fills the skies,
our veins
and arteries are the rivers,
and our hair
is the foliage.
In the Gamelan musical instruments,
the terms gulu (throat), and dhådhå (chest) are the names of the tones. The
beating of the kêtêg (heart) is the word used for the basic pulse
of the music.
Dancing should be a kind of meditation.
It
must be separated from all emotion
so that
it may achieve pure awareness.
One's countenance should be expressionless
so that the peaceful soul in
all its various
forms of character will manifest
itself without
the imposition of the self.
This will make of the dancer
the best possible
vehicle for the presentation
of the story
and performance. Javanese dance
eventually
became a unique synthesis of
various religions
and philosophies that are still
present in
Java today.
[Sardono W. Kusumo]
back to the top
