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ABRAXAS

 

An International Quarterly Journal

of Literary Transgressions

 

International Editor: Sorada Thumrongvit

tsorada@gmail.com

Published Online @ The Walter Benjamin Research Syndicate

Issue No. 1, Spring 2006

Contents

tereza@zulu.cz

 

The Great Bet

by Tereza Holusová

translated by Rene Bystron

 

"May I confess my sins, father?"

"Certainly, my son. What is it that vexes you?"

"Everything is identical. It keeps repeating!"

"Excuse me?"

"Today is the very day I turn thirty, and it is you I have chosen. You seem to have fully commited yourself to God."

"Certainly!"

"I would like to tell you this story of mine."

"Please try to."

"I am not the man I used to be. I used to be a clergyman exactly the same as you are, before it happened."

"I might not understand you."

"Ten years ago, one man came to confess his sins, and this was the very day it all began. ......... "

 

"Dear Father, I would like to confess my sins."

" Yes, son, what is it that vexes you?"

"You know, Father, I am not Christian and I do not believe in your god"

"Never mind, Son, He will still listen to you".

"Actually, I am here because no one wanted to listen to me anymore; but I know you have to listen."

"What vexes you then, my Son?"

"First of all, I would like to ask you not to call me your son. I hate the Church. However, this temple was the very first place I saw when I was entering the city, the only place I can turn to with all my faints. I always wished to be somehow useful to mankind. But as time went on, I began to see that our existence does not require us to be useful; it is only the others who draw a profit from our own lives. I would have to create something useful, so that my life would be useful. For instance, such works of arts that make a man shake, arising unexpectedly and then dwelling in a people for centuries. Do you get me??"

"I am not quite sure, Son."

"There was longing and passion in my life, plenitude of everything, I was able to create great things."

"What vexes you then, my Son?"

"The more I discovered, the more I received the messages of concealed countries, strange people and their work."

"Well?"

"Well, it was all the same. I do not mean two similar pictures that resemble one another in their shades, colors or themes. No, simply everything was the very same, down to the last point, sound, echo. Everything contained only one theme. It didn't matter whether it was poetry, music or an uncommon life of a common man. It was then that I finally understood the nonsensicality of my work.....From the very dawn of human history people have endeavoured to search for one and the same thing. It was connected to the music in Mozart's head, it forced through words in the minds of the restless, and then all the prophets, holy men and the cheaters too. The men fell into a vicious cycle and the worst thing is that they never got out of it. Whether I create anything or not, I am driven by an invisible hand; it compels me to repeat the sentences and the wishes claimed thousands of times by every generation before us. Father, there is no escape from it. "

"Dear Son, it is God who talks to you; He loves you, He wants to use you for His purpose."

"Father, it has nothing to do with God. It is one of not many things that I discovered in my eternal wanderings. I do not know exactly what the word 'God' means, but I know that your Christian 'God' does not make up even a grain of the treasure I have been endeavouring to dig up for such a long time. You preach that we -non-believers- are lost sheep that should be helped to find the way to God's arms, but you do not even guess that sheep do not exist! I don't live my life to be used by whomever - by the Church or by God - it's still the same masquerade."

"You blaspheme, Son!"

"The word "to use" resembles the word "to misuse" a lot"

"Enough!!!"

"I have not always been like this. I have been meeting people in the places where I felt that everything was almost within arm's reach..."

"What happened after that?"

"The dream vanished and I learned that they were not perfect and they looked for the path to the treasure in the same way as I did. I do not ask for any thesis, doctrines or advice. Yes, I would accept advice but it would have to be totally true. And the real truth I have not found yet. Everyone has a lot of truths, sometimes you can feel a fire burning out of them, but I have never found the absolute truth, the deepest truth. "

"Son, I believe you had better find a psychologist."

"That's what I just did."

"But why did you look up a priest then?"

"I hoped to manage two in one. I thought that in a short contemplation I would sort out something from my life and that perhaps I would open your eyes."

"Open MY eyes? My soul belongs only to God, do not tempt to misguide me."

"I thought that a sheep would remain a sheep and that a wolf would forever be a wolf. The only disadvantage wolves have is the damned solitude. You know, if the world had been divided into sheep and wolves, the guided ones and the guiding ones, there would have been at least an order. But in fact there are many more wolves than sheep. People prefer indeed to leave their souls to God and to wait for the will of heaven, but in the hundreds of thousands of other souls a silent rebellion broke out. And that is the thing that deprives me of my buoyancy."

"Hold on, son, I thought it was just you who were the main leader of these rebellions."

"Yes, I used to be before I discovered what a great vanity it brings. You might already understand me. Everyone yearns for the one thing, no matter whether he knows it or not. We have received this passion involuntarily. I have some options then. I may become a composer and try to express myself through immortal music, I may even write - it can be an utterly individualistic and refined opinion, I may become a painter and write myself down into human minds through colors and paintings. I may forget it all as well.

"Why did you not make such a choice then? Why did you not become an artist?"

"I know what is being expected. However, everything is so common, I cannot create anything that has not already been created from the same motive before. I can never be myself. In fact, none of us has ever been 'himself'. We think that we have the opportunity to choose to treat freely the time that we were given."

"Yes, it is exactly like this!"

"No, none of this is true. There is no choice; we just keep walking by, looking for the door that is locked in the corner. We cannot find our own individuality, since we have not been created as individual creatures. Sometimes I feel like a puppet - I sit down in the park observing people. Sometimes I fix my eyes on a person who is thoughtfully watching water. But then his expression changes and there emerges the eager madness that verges with the fanatical passion, and I know exactly what he is thinking of, what he is longing for, how much he does not enjoy living without the something that he cannot even denominate. Then I understand who we all really are, even though we endeavour to convince each other that we do act freely. We are only puppets - nothing more. I have been considering different ways to make an escape from the space where there is no more fresh air to breathe. But I made a different decision - I will never wake up to the same dream."

"Oh, son, what are you thinking of! Pray!"

"Stop trying, father, it's too late. You do not even know what it means to wake up every morning with a feeling of a great unfulfillment. There is a ubiquitous chaos inside of me, it beats in my head and forces me to waste the energy needed to find the medicament against this lifelong disease. I have been wandering in this way for all of thirty years, I have met masters, priests, yogis. I had been waking up every night praying until the moment I finally understood that man's God had died and that mankind had become free. I lost the sense that I have been breathing for every day. You cannot imagine what it is like when there is a time-bomb deep inside of you counting down the time as relentlessly as the heart beats; it can even deafen the heart's beat, it never stops. It is much stronger than the instinct of self-preservation."

"You frighten me, Son."

"If there is an invisible mortar drawing off your heart daily and it tries to force the heart out, then you look for any escape, but all you find are merely other disfigurements. It must end at some time. I can never extinguish the longing, switch off the trigger, and that is the very lack of freedom. I have never had the opportunity to live a free life. You might think that I have come here for new direction, for fire"

"I truly understand you, you need not explain further. What are you drinking? Do you aim to desecrate the temple of God?

"Oh, Father, you know by yourself that there is no 'God' here. It is much better than holy water. Believe me. The time will come when you too will taste it. Why did you become a priest?"

"I wanted to switch off the trigger!"

"Then I have found again another wolf."

"Yes, you have."

"Then tell me, Father, did it die away at least for a few seconds when you vowed yourself to 'God?!"

"Never."

"I have no energy to live in the fire. I decided to end. I will use the only option I was given - a free departure from the Game."

"What are you uttering?"

"It is like this, Father. There is a poison inside of my body, you need not to do anything, I took it a few minutes ago and there is no antidote. I made a bet with myself, I chose any house and any man I would meet. I told myself that if I managed to find at least one man without any longing, an only sheep, an wholely unspoilt human being who kept an inner peace, I would relinquish my purpose and I would find a new solution for there would be a hope that there is a medicament even for me. You were the very first one that I met. It seemed to be promising at the very beginning, there was no fire in your eyes as there is right now. You did not guess that in case you had remained loyal to your God, I would have believed that this was the way because you were guided. I would have become the guided sheep if there had been someone to guide me. However you are a predator, same as I am, a wolf. Then it is all over. Cry not, Father, I do not blame you for it, the decisions were made long time before, you have been a simple figure in an open game."

"Call me Father no more."

"Aren't you a priest any more?"

"It was you who knighted me in a wolfish state and you are dying for it right now."

"Do not take it so tragically. You alone are going to do the same as I did; there is just one thing I advise you: do not waste your time by searching. If you start the same game as I did, I advise you: Do not put your bet on sheep!"

"Son, wait, can you hear me? Wake up. Can you hear meeee???!..........."

 

"It all begins and ends like this."

"Yes, it does."

"Why do you keep silent, father?"

"I do not know what to say....."

"Of course, you do. You know that I am waiting for your answer. Are you a sheep or a wolf?"

"I do not want to be guilty of anyone's death. You see, I was given the opportunity...."

"If you please!"

"I am a sheep!"

"It is over then. I put my bet on the wolf."

Living Dream

by Chivalya

 

I am free.

My wings glitter as they move.

When I fly I become a shining star.

Flowers nourish me.

The world is for me to explore.

 

But I wake up.

Everything was just a dream.

 

My blood is seeping from my wings.

They are drying, folding, shrinking into my back.

My body is so heavy on my legs.

I crawl into an empty nest.

I feel like dying.

 

But I wake up.

Everything was just a dream.

 

Now my wings are gone.

They are buried somewhere in my body.

Instead, I have so many legs.

Hunger has taken over me.

A bird swings by; am I too to be eaten?

 

But I wake up.

Everything was just a dream.

 

I am covered with unknown warmth.

There is no sense of time.

The light is fading; so is my consciousness.

I cannot move.

But how strange! I have never felt freer.

 

--Inspired by Chuang-tzu's verse:

'Once I dreamed I was a butterfly, and now I no longer know whether I am Chuang-tzu, who dreamed I was a butterfly, or whether I am a butterfly dreaming that I am Chuang-tzu.'

.

The New Generation of Buddhist Architecture in Thailand

by Sorada Thumrongvit

 

Archaeologists and historians disagree about the exact time when Buddhism was first introduced to Thailand. Some scholars believe that it reached Thailand in the11th century, when Buddhism in India itself started to decline. Others think that it came to Thailand during the reign of King Ashoka. However, whether Buddhism entered the kingdom earlier or later does not by any means alter the modern history of Thailand. Buddhism has long planted its roots deep into Thai culture regardless of when it started.

Although the religion has experienced a periodic rise and decline in Thailand, and has somewhat fused with Hinduism, Buddhism has never been challenged by any other religion. That is, no other belief has ever come close to becoming a major religion for the Thai people. Although they have looked to Hindu belief to claim rightful kingship, all Thai kings are Buddhists.

The 'wat,' a compound of Buddhist temples and monasteries, has therefore always been supported and cherished as an important part of every Thai community.

In this passing decade, the architectural realm of Thailand has witnessed the rise of many interesting religious works; some are such a dramatic change that they make people look at religious architecture in a whole new aspect. There are many factors contributing to this revolutionary movement. Changes in the function of the itself and changes in people's perceptions are the major elements that have made it possible.

The Role of the Wat

Buddhist rites usually involve annual commemoration of important events in Buddha's life and supporting Buddhist practice. For example, Magha Buja, the full moon night of the 3rd lunar month of every year, is the day people commemorate the event in which Buddha gave lessons on the principles of Buddhism to 1,250 monks. Every year on that night, devout Buddhists go to wats and pay tribute to Buddha and the event. However, the practice of these rites has evolved and adapted itself to suit people's lifestyles in any particular time.

In Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, where people are relatively less religious than people in the countryside, we usually see relatively smaller crowds and shorter gatherings than those in the countryside. Although the space constraint in the city does not allow many new wats to be built or expanded, the result of the change in people's beliefs and lifestyles can be seen in both wats in the downtown area and new wats in suburbs and countryside. While the gathering space of wats in the city is becoming less and less significant, a large Buddha Mandala was built in a Bangkok suburb specifically for gathering purposes. Compared to the typical wats of the past, recently built wats are, to a certain degree, designed to accommodate more specific activities.

As the requirement of each activity is an important factor to the design of architecture, the nature and designer's interpretation of each practice should also be taken into consideration. The service regarding moral support that the has provided for Thai people ranges from specific guidance or advice to the ordaining of those who wish to seriously practice Buddhism. Facilities provided by wats, however, are different from one place to another and depend mostly on the tradition and the abbot of that wat. Some practices, like meditation, require the space to have qualities such as silence, a comfortable temperature, or visual serenity. However, the functional requirement is subjective and depends on the architect's or the commissioner's interpretation of that function. While distraction and discomfort can be seen as obstacles to some meditators, they can be challenges to others. Also, the ordaining practices can be very different from one to another; some wats allow only proven serious practitioners to ordain, while other wats practically accept everyone. These functions with certain needs directly contribute to the uniqueness of each wat. Even in the same sect, slight difference in practices can greatly affect the architectural design.

Because Buddhism has always been supported by the rulers of Thailand since it was introduced to the region, it has continually infused itself into the system of belief of the Thai people. The wat then, as a center of faith, was entrusted with many tasks besides religious practice. Education, for example, used to be provided almost solely by monks. The first university in Thailand was said to be the school of Ayuraveda in a temple commissioned by King Rama I, Po. Moreover, as the space is usually designed to accommodate religious gathering, and is usually situated at the center of the community, it was convenient to use the wat for social gatherings as well. Agricultural festivals or even entertaining events were often found in the wat's wide open space. In the past, the was much needed for both private and public affairs, but as the modern city usually provides more public spaces, such as parks and squares, the wat's space as a dominant community center has become relatively insignificant. Since the usual gathering space is less needed today, the designs of wats are also becoming less typical.

Artist and Commissioner

What happened with the art and architectural scene in Thailand in the last century is much like the revolutionary movement in 18th century Europe. As artisans and their arts started to gain wider attention, they began to free themselves from religious and royal commissioners. Also, the education system, including the founding of art schools and institutes, strengthened the professional and social status of artists. This development in the art field has progressed to the extent that some artists have made a fortune out of their works, enabling them to accept work only from their preferred commissioners or to even fund their big, expensive ideas themselves. Rong Khun, an architectural work of Chaloemchai Kositpipat, was funded by the artist himself with the wherewithal he got from selling his paintings. Similarly, Pa Sunantawanaram, a modest temple that could never have been afforded by a design fee from a famous architect, was designed pro bono by one of the most prominent architects of Thailand, Nithi Sthapitanonda. Without the financial stability of the artists, remarkable projects like these two temples could never have been carried out.

Moreover, as children of the elites were sent to Europe and America for western education, they brought back with them the post-revolutionary European notions of value and beauty. The concept of artistic value then gradually shifted from a richly decorated style to an expressive technique and profound meaning. Later on, the artist's interpretation of the subject matter became more and more important to the works of art, especially in religious subjects. The society then began to appreciate and value the unique style of each artist, thus making it possible for artists to live by their own styles and be accepted. This change in the notion of value has encouraged artists and architects to look for innovative solutions beyond traditional style. The unprecedented financial stability of the artists has also enabled them to investigate deeper into the essence of the subject, to experiment with new techniques, and to stretch the potentials of materials to their full extent. The architectural scene in Thailand lately has seen a great variety of these qualities in religious works of leading artists that can cross the skepticism threshold.

     

Rong Khun

 

Rong Khun and Pa Sunantawanaram

Location always plays a vital role in determining the function of any given architectural project. In religious architecture, location even affects the practice of each temple. As the aim of the situated in the heart of the community is, of course, to draw as many people as possible to the religion, the tradition of this type of is often more adaptive and flexible than that of wats situated far from the community. On the other hand, the method of Pa, the practice for serious practitioners that aim for nirvana, is devout, conservative, and uncompromising. Rong Khun, situated right by the main street to Chiangrai downtown, is respectively treated with every intention to call for attentiveness. Furthermore, every element used in the work is already familiar to Thai eyes; therefore, it is accessible to large audiences. The location enhances the design so well that the temple has become a new tourist spot in Chiangrai. While the site of Rong Khun complements its loud design, the site of Pa Sunantawanaram does not provide as large a crowd to appreciate its architecture as that of Rong Khun. The temple is located in the midst of uninhabited fields and is surrounded by mountains. The audiences it receives are only those who intentionally go there. With this character of the location taken into account, the architect of Pa Sunantawanaram has chosen to use a subtle visual language to calm and politely ask the determined Buddhists to search for the underlying message of the architecture. All traditional ornaments are omitted to create the look of serenity, one of the Buddhist principles. The architecture of Pa Sunantawanaram is so visually quiet that it could easily be overwhelmed by a noisy environment if it was built in a city. The slow pace of life in the countryside makes it possible for the design to be fully appreciated the way the architect intended.

Since the active location of Rong Khun suggests highly dynamic activities, the decorations all over the place seem to be designed with equal attention, making no place more visually special than others. Because the ornaments are equally detailed, the dynamic of the space seems to invite visitors to keep moving in order to see as much of the story as possible. Moreover the style used in the work itself is appreciably dynamic; one could hardly find a place that makes him or her feel like sitting still. The priority in the design of Pa Sunantawanaram is also given respectively to the activity of the users. As the expected viewers are either devout Buddhists or determined visitors, the space was planned out to accommodate an activity that would be interesting to these users: meditation and discussion on dharma. Both practices clearly demand great concentration and are better carried out in rather passive surroundings. The simple details and ordinary materials of the architecture propose such still ambience to assist these serious Buddhist practices. The purpose of the space always plays a vital role in the design because different activities require different visual effects.

As the value of every piece of art lies partly in the notion of precedent works, precisely how the artist differentiates or develops his work from existing models should also be taken into consideration. Chaloemchai Kositpipat, the artist of Rong Khun, keeps and explicitly modifies every element in the traditional Buddhist architecture of Thailand. Symbols from the story of Buddha's life are fully preserved and richly adorned. In a way, the artist sees the myth as a means to draw people to the religion; therefore, he emphasizes it and makes it more noticeable. On the other hand, Nithi Sthapitanonda, the architect of Pa Sunantawanaram, completely disregards all mythical ornaments of the traditional style. The work appears to be greatly influenced by modernism, as all the details are simplified and all crafty works are omitted, but this appearance by no means undermines the principles of Buddhism. As the architect sees it, the truthfulness, simplicity, and serenity are the essences of the Buddhist way of life. To manifest the truthfulness, he uses inexpensive materials that can be easily found in local markets and presents them in their original colors and forms. The simplicity is conveyed in simple construction techniques and details. To generate a serene and inspirational effect, a technique similar to the one used in Saint Teresa in Ecstasy of the Cornaro Chapel is put to use. The hidden sources of light were placed behind the Buddha statue to make it appear glowing. The approaches of Sthapitanonda and Kositpipat might be contrastingly different, but they both work equally well in their own contexts.

Many factors contribute to such dramatic diversity in recent Buddhist architecture. The financial independence of artists allows them to choose like-minded commissioners and to express their interpretations of the subject in their own styles. Changes in people's behavior and differences in contexts are also creating new programs that give birth to new architectural solutions. These factors are still developing and there will be more aspects for architects to consider as the society continues to evolve. In response to these new conditions, the future will see many more possibilities sprawled from the old religious requisite.

 

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Judaica & Kabbalah

Judaica

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THE HYMN OF THE PEARL

(2nd Century A.D.)

When I was a little child and dwelt in the kingdom of my Father's house and delighted in the wealth and splendor of those who raised me, my parents sent me forth from the East, our homeland, with provisions for the journey. From the riches of our treasure-house they tied me a burden: great it was, yet light, so that I might carry it alone. ... They took off from me the robe of glory which in their love they had made for me, and my purple mantle that was woven to conform exactly to my figure, and made a covenant with me, and wrote it in my heart that I might not forget it: "When thou goest down into Egypt and bringest the One Pearl which lies in the middle of the sea which is encircled by the snorting serpent, thou shalt put on again thy robe of glory and thy mantle over it and with thy brother our next in rank be heir in our kingdom."

I left the East and took my way downwards, accompanied by two royal envoys, since the way was dangerous and hard and I was young for such a journey; I passed over the borders of Maishan, the gathering-place of the merchants of the East, and came into the land of Babel and entered within the walls of Sarbûg. I went down into Egypt, and my companions parted from me. I went straightway to the serpent and settled down close by his inn until he should slumber and sleep so that I might take the Pearl from him. Since I was one and kept to myself, I was a stranger to my fellow-dwellers in the inn. Yet saw I there one of my race, a fair and well-favored youth, the son of kings [lit. 'anointed ones']. He came and attached himself to me, and I made him my trusted familiar to whom I imparted my mission. I [he?] warned him [me?] against the Egyptians and the contact with the unclean ones. Yet I clothed myself in their garments, lest they suspect me as one coming from without to take the Pearl and arouse the serpent against me. But through some cause they marked that I was not their countryman, and they ingratiated themselves with me, and mixed me [drink] with their cunning, and gave me to taste of their meat; and I forgot that I was a king's son and served their king. I forgot the Pearl for which my parents had sent me. Through the heaviness of their nourishment I sank into deep slumber.

All this that befell me, my parents marked, and they were grieved for me. It was proclaimed in our kingdom that all should come to our gates. And the kings and grandees of Parthia and all the nobles of the East wove a plan that I must not be left in Egypt. And they wrote a letter to me, and each of the great ones signed it with his name.

"From thy Father the King of Kings, and from thy mother, mistress of the East, and from thy brother, our next in rank, unto thee, our son in Egypt, greeting. Awake and rise up out of thy sleep, and perceive the words of our letter. Remember that thou art a king's son: behold whom thou hast served in bondage. Be mindful of the Pearl, for whose sake thou hast departed into Egypt. Remember thy robe of glory, recall thy splendid mantle, that thou mayest put them on and deck thyself with them and thy name be read in the book of the heroes and thou become with thy brother, our deputy, heir in our kingdom."

Like a messenger was the letter that the King had sealed with his right hand against the evil ones, the children of Babel and the rebellious demons of Sarbûg. It rose up in the form of an eagle, the king of all winged fowl, and flew until it alighted beside me and become wholly speech. At its voice and sound I awoke and arose from my sleep, took it up, kissed it, broke its seal, and read. Just as was written on my heart were the words of my letter to read. I remembered that I was a son of kings, and that my freeborn soul desired its own kind. I remembered the Pearl for which I had been sent down to Egypt, and I began to enchant the terrible and snorting serpent. I charmed it to sleep by naming over it my Father's name, the name of our next in rank, and that of my mother, the queen of the East. I seized the Pearl, and turned to repair home to my Father. Their filthy and impure garment I put off, and left it behind in their land, and directed my way that I might come to the light of our homeland, the East.

My letter which had awakened me I found before me on my way; and as it had awakened me with its voice, so it guided me with its light that shone before me, and with its voice it encouraged my fear, and with its love it drew me on. I went forth......My robe of glory which I had put off and my mantle which went over it, my parents...sent to meet me by their treasurers who were entrusted therewith. Its splendor I had forgotten, having left it as a child in my Father's house. As I now beheld the robe, it seemed to me suddenly to become a mirror-image of myself: myself entire I saw in it, and it entire I saw in myself, that we were two in separateness, and yet again one in the sameness of our forms....And the image of the King of kings was depicted all over it......I saw also quiver all over it the movements of the gnosis. I saw that it was about to speak, and perceived the sound of its songs which it murmured on its way down: "I am that acted in the acts of him for whom I was brought up in my Father's house, and I perceived in myself how my stature grew in accordancw with his labors." And with its regal movements it pours itself wholly out to me, and from the hands of its bringers hastens that I may take it; and me too my love urged on to run towards it and to receive it. And I stretched towards it and took it and decked myself with the beauty of its colors. And I cast the royal mantle about my entire self. Clothed therein, I ascended to the gate of salutation and adoration. I bowed my head and adored the splendor of my Father who had sent it to me, whose commands I had fulfilled as he too had done what he promised. ... He received me joyfully, and I was with him in his kingdom, and all his servants praised him with organ voice, that he had promised that I should journey to the court of the King of kings and having brought the Pearl should appear together with him.

[from Hans Jonas, THE GNOSTIC RELIGION]

 

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