Buddhist Aesthetics
The qualities of beauty - aesthetics - that are held in high regard within the art and architecture of Buddhism consist of: perfect order and balance of the temple building and the worshiper who enters, the appropriateness of the Buddha images in maintaining that order, the proper iconography of the art and all associated symbols, and a visual sense of enlightenment and spiritual determination, made visible by the color gold.
The Town of Luang Prabang, Laos
On 25 July, 1861, I reached Luang Prabang, a delightful little town, set in its amphitheater of mountains...a paradise.
These words were written by French explorer Henri Mouhot (1826 - 1861), who is perhaps best known for his earlier discoveries and recordings of the Khmer ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. A gifted writer and poet, Mouhot was a naturalist, botanist, linguist and artist. As a man of the Victorian Age he would be called a 'polymath,' a person of skills and expert abilities in a wide range of areas. Shortly after these words were written in his journal, he set off for China. Within a day, he contracted malaria and soon died. His body was laid to rest only five miles from the town, not to be rediscovered until 1990.
The 2,700 mile long Mekong River begins its flow from the Tibetan Plateau, crossing through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and finally through Vietnam where it empties into the South China Sea. Like the Ganges in India, this river is also considered sacred because of the origin of its headwaters.
The town of Luang Prabang is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its ancient traditions of indigenous Lao culture, the French Colonial architecture of the town, and the deeply maintained Buddhist culture. The later is reflected in the name of the town, which means "Royal Buddha Image." This had also once been the capital of the Lao Kingdom. Today, Laos is governed under the political name of Lao People's Democratic Republic, which is a socialist state.
The town is mostly situated within a peninsula with the Mekong River on the right, and the Nam Khan River flowing to the left.
The religious, political and traditional cultural influences of Laos maintain a conservative sense of well-being and respect. As in many Buddhist nations, the monks are held in very high regard.
Signs throughout the town remind tourists how monks should be approached.
Few buildings in the town are what might be called 'modern.' If not a Buddhist temple, most of the architecture remains from the 19th and 20th centuries when the French governed over this part of Southeast Asia.
Common throughout Asia are people who prepare food in front of their house to sell to passers-by on the street. Always a great snack when wandering around the village.
Buddhists monks making the early morning rounds to receive alms from the people in the form of their daily rice. Monks eat only once a day and never after 11 a.m. (Photo Credit: Bruno Barbey ARTSTOR)
The Buddhist Art and Architecture
The following sections identify some of the aesthetic qualities of Buddhist art and architecture. There is an old Lao saying which states, "A beautiful soul is better than a beautiful form." While the art and temples are designed to aesthetically lift our senses (which is the meaning of the word 'aesthetics'), it is how they lift our spirit, heighten our awareness to the universe, and give us comfort within the community of all human beings that is the most important.
Images of the Buddha
Following strict rules of iconography, given the sacred nature of Buddhist art, is essential. The artists are always Buddhists as well. In ancient China, the painters of landscapes and poets of nature were Buddhist monks, often living in a mountain temple, away from the world of everyday human affairs. Because Buddhist art, whether it be sculpture or painting, serves a didactic role, the pictorial elements that shape the art must be accurate. This is also an aesthetic of iconography.
Teaching Through Mural Art
Most people are familiar with the stained glass windows of Europe's Gothic cathedrals. At once instructional with their references to the life of Christ, his followers and patrons, they are also conduits of the Holy Spirit into the souls of the devout. The passing of light through the windows carries with it the translucent colors which bath the interior as well as the worshipers below. The Light of God, literally for the parishioner.
Inside and out of the Hindu and Buddhist temples of Asia, the stories of these religions as well as the ancient tales of heroes and deities are portrayed through murals instead of glass windows. As with the Christian themes seen in Europe, in Asia there are stories which are told and retold through mural art. The Lives of the Buddha, called the Jataka Stories, is an example. Yes, lives, plural, because the man called Gautama Buddha has had many previous incarnations. The Hindu epic, the Ramayana, is frequently represented. There are Buddhist versions of this story as well because the lessons of morality presented in the epic adventures and lives are applicable to all humans. These stories tell of battles between Good and Evil. What varies from one locale to the other might be seen in the application of artistic technique, as well as the methods and quality of the representation. In the temples of Luang Prabang, this also varies. The murals below illustrate episodes of war as told in the Lao version of the Ramayana. Also depicted from one of the town's temples are scenes of the Hindu/Buddhist hell. Not considered an actual place, their understanding of hell is a spiritual malaise that one might experience in this life, not the "here-after." It depicts the condition of the cluttered and unenlightened mind, devoid of knowledge and insight.
The Intimacy of a Spiritual Place
A recurring theme in Asian art and poetry is silence or quietude. The Chinese hermit monk living in the seclusion of his mountain hut. Intimacy is not only an aesthetic of what is small in space, but also represents the relationships we need to cultivate with one another and the world of nature. The universe seems infinite and even a bit abstract, more than the human mind is capable of grasping. That is because we have not achieved the beauty or aesthetic of intimacy with the universe. Our minds are racing, unclear, and uncertain. What the art and poetry of these traditions in Asia attempt to do is to quiet the troubled mind, to establish a state of being, stillness, and silence. Such a state of mind is replicated within one of Luang Prabang's more intimate spaces, the 19th century Wat Pa Hauk, which means 'The Monastery of the Bamboo Forest.' Forests and groves have long been sought out as places of personal refuge, where alone and silent, one can meditate and see the universe on a scale that is intimate.
Who speaks the sound of an echo? Who paints the image in a mirror? Where are the spectacles in a dream? Nowhere at all -- that's the nature of mind! - 8th century Tantra Buddhist poem
After a short climb up the hill, the visitor is presented with a path that leads to the façade of this small temple. Upon entering there is a table that offers gold-painted bodhi leaves, ink drawings, and prints illustrating images of the Buddha. These are available for free, but one is encouraged to leave a donation. There is a primary seated Buddha flanked by two smaller ones. The murals in this temple, instead of depicting stories of the Buddha, illustrate the legends of Chomphu Patti, a king with magical powers which he used in a malevolent way to control his subjects. The Buddha appealed to the king to show compassion and behave with concern for the people. He refused. A battle ensued and the king lost. This story symbolically represents the need for our kings, rulers and leaders to put the people first. Any powers they may have, even magic, are not of their own creation. Their position and power is given them to use for the betterment of humanity not for their personal gain.
When seated in this temple, alone with only the sound of birds and rustling trees outside, absorbing the scent of burning incense, the world and all that it contains makes sense. Nothing, no one, is stronger and more powerful than what you experience at that very moment.
Looking for Gold
The rarity of gold is equivalent to the rarity of right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right 'samadhi.' 'Samadhi' is a Sanskrit word that describes the state within each of us when we are absorbed into the Oneness of the universe. These conditions are known in Buddhism as the Eight Fold Path, the characteristics and actions of someone enlightened, one imbued with pure selfless compassion. Such a person is called in Buddhism a 'Bodhisattva.' While there have been countless people who live this life, the Bodhisattva may be difficult to find. Such can be the teachings as well. They are all around us if we can but seem them. Yes, the teachings are recorded and written in the Buddhist sutrās, but that is to help the blind to see their way forward. This is also why we see the importance of nature given by the artist-monks, the poets and the wandering hermits of the forests. Nature and our experience within it, provides the ground of being that gives us insights into reality. If you scroll back up to the murals, you will see one such wandering hermit depicted.
“You yourselves must strive. The Buddhas are only teachers. The meditative ones who practice the path are released from the bonds of evil” - from the Buddha's words and discourses recorded in the Dhammapada.
Gold, as also seen in the saffron robes of the monk, represents the rarity of such people, but also the great reward that one receives when they attain that place where they give to others the benefit of their learning through teaching and instruction in practice. Of course, we do not need to have yet attained such a reward to properly practice or to have attained Buddhahood. By shaping our lives through right thought and the other mileposts on this road, we are cultivating for ourselves and others a way through human suffering.
While gold is often used in the creation of Buddha images, and where the devout who visit Southeast Asia's Buddhist temples place gold leaf on the statues of the Buddha, it is at Luang Prabang where we see an immersion into the use of gold throughout. Gold is not a decorative scheme nor is it used to represent power or money. Just the opposite. Gold is worn by the monks and adorns the walls and building of the temples in Luang Prabang to represent how the acquisition of knowledge and insight leads not to power but to humility.
Contemporary Art: A Note
In a town that attracts more tourists than art collectors, such as Luang Prabang, it is common to see art in the local galleries that tend to favor the tastes, budget and portability of the traveler. However, in my experience, I occasionally find work that is not stylistically derivative and that serves more than a decorative purpose. One such artist who explores Buddhist themes, with a nod to the feminine aspects of Buddhism, is the Lao painter Mankone. His paintings are created on a ground of handmade paper or on individual ceramic tiles which are then assembled together to form the full painting. (Artwork photographed by Fred Sigman with the permission of the Kop Noi Gallery.)
Photographs made on a journey to Luang Prabang in January 2019. Text written in September 2020. All photographs by Fred Sigman except where noted.