Penelope Gan | Photo Blog

9 Emperor God

ganpenelope — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:18:55 +0000

The Daoist Nine Emperor Gods Festival or Kow Ong Yah, falls on the 9th day of the 9th moon in the Chinese lunar calendar. The festival is always a wet affair but don’t let that be a reason for you to stay away!

It is a major celebration in Penang, Malacca and pockets of Kuala Lumpur with devotees observing a strict nine-day vegetarian diet to purify themselves and to fulfill their vows to the Nine Emperors of Mankind (the Emperors are the sons of Thien Hou, the Queen Mother of Heaven).

Vegetarian food stalls with yellow banners line the streets, serving up a creative list of meatless dishes. Some of the stalls are open 24 hours and are a tourist attraction in itself.

The main highlight of the festival are the mediums who go into a deep trance and perform unbelievable feats. These include the mind-boggling act of immersing themselves in hot oil, piercing themselves with sharp, long spears and walking through fire unscathed!

Popular temples for the Nine Emperor devotees are located in Gat Lebuh Macallum (on the island) and Jalan Raja Uda, Butterworth (on the mainland) as well as Ampang.

Like other Chinese festivals, float processions are a norm. On the last day, a procession starting from the temple grounds to the nearby shore will be held to “send” the deities back to heaven in a boat decorated with gold paper. Amidst the sound of clashing cymbals and thumping drums, the boat is set ablaze as devotees watch it drift into the night.

Jama Masjid + Feathered Friends

ganpenelope — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:18:29 +0000

Jama Masjid strikes me as the Trafalgar Square (pre-2008) of Delhi. Flocks of pigeons gather in the open courtyard and are fed handsome amounts of seed; possibly the only other obvious Jainism influence in Jama Masjid other than the 260 pillars carved from Jain traditions that supports the big hall in the western chamber.

Whilst the pigeons in Jama Masjid are free, a stark reality occurs just hundreds of meters away at the Jama Masjid bird market, where pigeons, ducks, roosters and munias are cooped up in cramped cages waiting for an exchange of swabs of rupees for their lives. Although their feathered cousins – the parakeets, mynas, owls and falcons – won’t face the fate of a blade slicing through their throats, they do not escape the currency of cruelty that takes place every Friday and Sunday where they are sold to the highest bidder that promises to curtail their freedom for live.

Across the street, behind the Red Fort at INA Market there is a same scene; one that is replicated at Minto Road, Noida’s Sector 18 Market and Moolchang crossing where the vendors not only flaunt the birds without fear of authority but threatens to destroy any cameras pointed in their direction.

Although Schedule IV, Section 2, of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 states that the trade of protected birds, including hill mynas, falcons, vultures, pheasants, rose-ring parakeets and cockatoos is banned, the apathy of the authorities is said to help this trade flourish.

In other instances, the law has been ‘confused’ with vendors arguing convoluted versions of the law such as: “Birds held captive before 1990 and the offspring of such birds can be traded.” Or those justifying their actions by a warped account of what is legal: “Trading of exotic foreign species is not mentioned in the Illegal Trade of Exotic Species.”

For the birds, neither does ‘generation’ nor the terms ‘legal’ and ‘illegal’ hold any significance when life itself has clipped their wings.

And in the most extreme instances, the guardians of the law are purported to be hand-in-glove with those who trade birds illegally. The lure of rupees proves too strong.

Hayya ‘ala-Salāt at Lal Qila

ganpenelope — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:18:13 +0000

The Azan (Arabic: أَذَان‎) which sums up the teachings of Islam:

there is no God but Allah; Muhammad is God’s Messenger; salvation is found through obedience to the Will of God, of which prayer is an important expression

is called out five times a day by the muezzin from the mosque or minarets, to summon Muslims for prayers – Salāt (Arabic: صلاة‎). The pronouncement is loud (usually via loudspeakers attached to minarets) with the intent to make available to everyone an easily intelligible summary of Islamic belief, intended to bring to the mind of every believer and non-believer the substance of Islamic beliefs, or its spiritual ideology.

The Sunnis opine that the Azan was neither written nor said by Prophet Muhammad, but by one of his companions, Umar. It is stated that Umar, a prominent companion of Muhammad had a revelation form God on the call for prayers. The news of this revelation by means of a dream was soon related to Muhammad who adopted the idea of a call to summon muslim for prayers and had preferred the use of a call as the means rather than the bells or horns that were used by the Christians and Jews respectively.

At the sound of the first Azan, Muslims make haste for prayer – Hayya ‘ala-Salāt. By the second call, iqama, the Muslims are line up and ready for the beginning of the prayers (as shown in the photo above where two employees of Lal Qila abandoned their post hastily at the call of the first Azan to proceed to a clean, quiet and open space in the fort’s grounds).

Taj Mahal, the Crown Palace

ganpenelope — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:18:11 +0000

The Taj Mahal (Crown Palace) is regarded as one of the eight wonders of the world. Some Western historians have noted that its architectural beauty has never been surpassed and is the most beautiful monument built by the Mughals, the Muslim rulers of India.

Built entirely of white marble, the Taj Mahal was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers by Emperor Shah Jahan (died 1666 C.E.) in the memory of his dear wife – queen Mumtaz Mahal (her real name was Arjumand Banu*) at Agra, India. Completed in 1648 C.E. at a cost of 32 Million Rupees, the Taj is an “elegy in marble” or some say an expression of a “dream.” Glowing in the light of the full moon, the Taj transforms to take on a dreamy fairy like existence – as if floating and suspended in clouds – on a foggy morning when viewed from across the Jamuna river.

The Taj serves as a Mausoleum that houses the grave of queen Mumtaz Mahal at the lower chamber. The construction documents show that its master architect was Ustad ‘Isa, the renowned Islamic architect of his time, employing specialised expert craftsmen from Delhi, Qannauj, Lahore, Multan, Baghdad, Shiraz and Bukhara.

The Taj stands on a raised, square platform (186 x 186 feet) with its four corners truncated, forming an unequal octagon. The architectural design uses the interlocking arabesque concept, in which each element stands on its own and perfectly integrates with the main structure. It uses the principles of self-replicating geometry and a symmetry of architectural elements.

Its central dome is fifty-eight feet in diameter and rises to a height of 213 feet. It is flanked by four subsidiary domed chambers. The four graceful, slender minarets are 162.5 feet each. The entire mausoleum (both internal and external chambers) is decorated with inlaid design of flowers and calligraphy using precious gems such as agate and jasper. The main archways, chiseled with passages from the Holy Qur’an and the bold scroll work of flowery pattern is captivating. The central domed chamber and four adjoining chambers include many walls and panels of Islamic decoration.

The mausoleum is a part of a vast complex comprising of a main gateway, an elaborate garden, a mosque (to the left), a guest house (to the right), and several other palatial buildings. The Taj is at the farthest end of this complex, with the river Jamuna behind it. The large garden contains four reflecting pools dividing it at the center. Each of these four sections is further subdivided into four sections and then each into yet another four sections. Like the Taj, the garden elements serve like Arabesque, standing on their own and also constituting the whole.

Shah Jahan’s grave was later added to the Taj Mahal.

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* In the tradition of the Mughals, important ladies of the royal family were given another name at their marriage or at some other significant event in their lives, and that new name was commonly used by the public. Shah Jahan’s real name was Shahab-ud-din, and he was known as Prince Khurram before ascending to the throne in 1628.

Theravada Buddhism Forest Monk

ganpenelope — Wed, 26 May 2010 00:18:30 +0000

Present throughout Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka, Theravada Buddhism is also known as the Southern School of Buddhism, whose tradition is grounded in the discourses recorded in the Pali Canon – the oldest Buddhist scripture known.

Theravada literally means the Way of the Elders, and is named so due to its strict adherence to the original teachings and rules of monastic discipline expounded by the Buddha. The Thai Forest tradition is one branch of the Theravada Buddhist tradition which upholds the original monastic rules of discipline laid down by the Buddha in its strictest form.

The Theravada Forest tradition strongly emphasizes meditative practice and the realisation of enlightenment as the focus of monastic life. As such, forest monasteries are primarily oriented around practicing the Buddha’s path of contemplative insight, including living a life of austerity and frugality with few possessions.

Despite being located in remote areas of Thailand, forest monastics continue to live in daily interaction with and dependence upon the lay community who provides material support such as alms food and cloth for robes in exchange for spiritual teachings.

Unlike laypeople, the forest monks follow an extensive 227 rules of conduct. They are required to be celibate, to eat only between dawn and noon, and not to handle money. They also commonly engage in a practice known as “tudong” in which they wander on foot through the countryside either on pilgrimage or in search of solitary retreat places in nature, where they are one with nature – eating and lying where able.

The forest tradition pre-dates Buddha, whom at the age of twenty nine, giving up his palace life in search of the way beyond birth, sickness, aging and death joined the Brahmins and other spiritual seekers in ancient India in the wilderness and mountains.

Buddha: Born in the forest . Enlightened in the forest . Taught in the forest . Died in the forest.

Theravada forest monks continues the practice, teachings and codes of monastic conduct expounded by Buddha 2,500 years ago, introduced by Ajahn Sao and Ajahn Mun; popularised by Ajahn Chah where to date there are more than 200 forest branch monasteries in Ajahn Chah’s lineage spreading throughout Thailand and the West, notably in England, France, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Italy, Canada and the United States.

Dāna – Bodhisattva and the Art of Giving

ganpenelope — Wed, 19 May 2010 00:18:27 +0000

In almost all Buddhist lists of virtues, dana (donation) is always the first one. Many literature argues that dana is one of the central practices in early Buddhism for, without it, Buddhism would not have survived and flourished in the many centuries of its development and expansion.

The Buddhist relationship between donors and renunciants is built on interdependence where householders give according to the teachings on donation called danadhamma, and renunciants returns the householders’ offerings with a gift of teaching called dhammadana.

A Buddhist would say that dana goes beyond an exchange between a monastic or spiritually-developed person and a layman, in that, the act of dana has the effect of purifying and transforming the mind of the giver where generosity arising for the act of giving leads to being reborn in happy states and the availability of material wealth. Stretching the argument further, some believe that giving without seeking anything in return leads to greater spiritual wealth and reduces sufferings.

When presented conversely – that the lack of giving leads to unhappy states and poverty – it is of no surprise that monasteries attracts thousands of devotees weekly, with trays laden with food and pockets weighing down with donations.

Larger and more popular monasteries, that are known to collect in access of USD 50,000 in hard cash donations per dana session that last 3 hours at most, have also developed varying and complex art of giving, where the ritual form of exchange dictates how to properly acquire and use wealth, how to properly give and receive individual and communal gifts, how to think about using and transferring merit, and what constitutes proper food, robes, lodging, and medicine.

Passing the complex web of rituals as teachings in themselves that is central to the “dana contract”, my personal observation tends to defer with the ‘teachings’; having performed dana and pilgrimages under the Theravada Buddhism school over the past 3 years.

With Luang Phos heavily guarded by armed body guards; escorted by politicians, the rich and the famous; driven around in X5s; blessing those with pockets that hangs the lowest; and having pre-recorded chanting and dhamma being replayed, I can’t help but wonder if modernisation, crowd-control and refinement of knowledge in finances have overtaken Shakyamuni Buddha’s ‘art of giving’ in his bodhisattva phase (before the final culmination into Nirvana) which was symbolised by the sacrifice of his own body when he has nothing else to offer an unexpected guest in the Jataka folktale where Shakyamuni Buddha is born as a rabbit, and unable to present any other food to a Brahmin, roasted himself in a fire*.

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* as illustrated by Osamu Tezuka in his graphic novel Buddha Vol 1: Kapilavastu

Visiting Luang Phor Khoon

ganpenelope — Wed, 05 May 2010 00:18:08 +0000

Look closer. This is not Sak Yant – the protective tattoos believed to not only ward off evil but have abilities to even stop bullets. Nor was this taken at Wat Bang (Buddhist Temple) Phra – the place flocked by thousands of people from Thailand and beyond to have their bodies inked with powerful designs.

This is an elaborate Harley Davidson-heavy metal-rock-coke sniffing-grunge skull tattoo on the arm of a novice monk in Wat Ban Rai…. and he’s just one of the many, many novices scattered all over Thailand spotting body art and nicotine fixes… having a second shot at life.

Having countless of such novices in Wat Ban Rai does not make it unique nor does it’s location in Nakonratchasima – some 5 hours drive from Bangkok – or the monk’s Thevarada Forest tradition of living in makeshift huts without electricity or flowing water existence juxtaposed against the grandiose temple structure makes Wat Ban Rai worth a visit let alone a mention.

Like Wat Bang Phra, Wat Ban Rai shot to fame for it’s ‘notoriety’ – a nationally prominent monk who embraces commercialism wholeheartedly. Visiting Wat Ban Rai is akin to visiting a spiritual-one-stop-for-all-cures mall; selling a variety of religious merchandise and good luck tokens such as Luang Phor (Reverend) Khoon bumper stickers, blessed amulets to fake bank notes with Luang Phor Khoon’s face in place of the Thai King’s! which resulted in a brief conflict in 1994 that was purportedly smoothed over when Luang Phor Khoon made a generous donation to Thailand’s national welfare budget in honour of the King.

Said to possess magical powers and blessed with the name “Khoon” that means “to multiply”, devotees links this grandfatherly figure monk with good luck and the ability to multiply one’s wealth and success. It is no wonder than, Luang Phor Khoon became one of the most loved and powerful monk in Thailand, in charge of a monastery which generates an estimated US$20 million (prior to Baht devaluation) per annum in sales and donations, and counts government leaders and the Thai royal family among his followers.

Unlike his many followers, I was not fortunate to meet Luang Phor Khoon during my recent trip as he had passed on 3 weeks prior to my arrival. As a consolation, I was being treated to some amusement when I sighted a car ornament dangling from the rear view mirror of my coach that read “ruay.ruay.ruay” (rich.rich.rich) beneath Luang Phor Khoon’s smiling face – definitely not one of the millions of articles blessed by him (I hope)!

Buddha’s Apprentice

ganpenelope — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:18:06 +0000

He kicked at the pebbles and chased a cat along the way, like any young boy would do, creating a brief moment of uneasiness for me. But the moment he arrived at the monastery, he suddenly turned sullen – quiet, distant and serious.

Traditionally, the eldest son of a Tibetan family would stay on with the family and the second male child will be sent to the monastery. These children generally fell into three categories: pious believers, children of poor serfs* who entered the monastery to make a living and those sent to temples to meet a quota.

Life in the monastery is difficult with many rules to follow. There is a regular pattern. Apprentices rises at 5:30 a.m. in the summer and 6 a.m. in the winter, amid the sounds of mantra chanting. Breakfast is zanba, a traditional dish made of barley flour, washed down by ghee tea. After lunch, there’s a two-hour rest period. Afternoon study starts at 3:30 p.m., when they learn politics, laws and the religion, culture and history of Tibet.

Although it might sound dull to many young men and children, these apprentices says that their life is not all that different from that of their peers. Watching TV, listening to pop music, playing games are part and parcel of their routine.

* Temples had quotas for the serfs, and those who joined for this reason were called zunzhas. Among the ranks of lamas, generally 70 percent were from impoverished families.

Suryavarman II Sacred Angkor Wat

ganpenelope — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:18:32 +0000

Built in the early 12th Century as King Suryavarman II’s temple state and capital city, Angkor Wat (which translates to “City Temple” from a combination of Sanskrit and Khmer) requires no introduction.

Neglected after the 16th century, the temple’s existence made prominence in the West only in the mid-19th century by Henri Mouhot – a French explorer – travel notes that cites:

“One of these temples – a rival to that of Solomon, and erected by some ancient Michelangelo – might take an honourable place beside our most beautiful buildings. It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome, and presents a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged.”

With renewed interest arising mainly from cynicism and disbelief that the Khmers could have constructed such a marvel, restoration begun in the 20th century – mainly the removal of accumulated earth and vegetation. Despite being abandoned for four centuries, restorers were pleasantly surprised by the minimal damage to Angkor Wat due in part to the existence of its large moat that provided it some protection from encroachment by the jungle.

Interrupted by the civil war and Khmer Rouge control of the country during the 1970s and 1980s – but again, relatively little damage was done to Angkor Wat other than theft and destruction of mostly post-Angkorian statues – the Archaeological Survey of India continued restoration work on the temple between 1986 to 1992.

Following the Archaeological Survey of India’s work, further restoration and preservation work on the temple continued to be carried out by foreign government-sponsored teams rather than by the Cambodian government despite the establishment of the Angkor World Heritage Site in 1992 that provided some funding and encouragement for the Cambodian government to protect the site.

For instance, the German Apsara Conservation Project works on protecting the devatas and other bas-reliefs decorations on the temple from damage due to natural erosion and deterioration of the stone, repairs on the collapsed sections of the structure, and prevention of further collapses in 2002. A Japanese team on the other hand contributed to the restoration of the north library of Angkor Wat’s outer enclosure in 2005, and the World Monuments Fund worked on the ‘Churning of the Sea of Milk’ Gallery in 2008.

Since it’s re-’opening’, Angkor Wat has become a major tourist destination with close to a million foreign visitors a year. The influx of tourists has purportedly caused relatively little damage, other than some graffiti where ropes and wooden steps have been introduced to protect the bas-reliefs and floors, respectively. Structures that are buttressed by scaffolding have been erected for good measure to prevent further structural collapses … despite these claims, be a responsible traveler. Keep your hands away.

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The Angkor Wat temples lies 5.5 km north of Siem Reap which is easily assessable via flights or a boat ride from Cambodia’s capital Phomn Penh.

For travel tips and more travel related information and useful travel links, please read HERE.

Raising Wind Horse

ganpenelope — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:08:51 +0000

Luang Ta. It ‘carries’ the ‘Wish Fulfilling Jewel of Enlightenment’. Hence, it is the most prevalent prayer flag flown.

Found strung along mountain ridges and peaks high in the Himalayas to bless the surroundings, prayer flags is apparently unknown in other branches of Buddhism and thus is believed to have originated with Bon, which predates Buddhism in Tibet.

Traditionally, flown to promote peace, compassion, strength and wisdom, these plain coloured plain cloth flags were also used by Shamanistic Bonpo priests in healing ceremonies with each colour corresponding to different primary element of earth, water, fire and space – the fundamental building blocks of both our physical bodies and our environment.

Coloured flags were also used to help appease the local gods and spirits of mountains, valleys, lakes, streams and sea, which when provoked were thought to cause natural disaster and disease. It was said that by balancing the outer elements and propitiating the elemental spirits with rituals and offerings, the Bonpo were able to pacify mother nature and invoke the blessings of the Gods.

Although no records are available to ascertain if the Bonpos ever wrote words on their coloured flags, as the pre-Buddhist religion was of oral traditions and writing was limited to government affairs, it is believed that the Bonpos painted sacred symbols of them; some of which are present on today’s Tibetan coloured prayer flags that has been enhanced with deeper significance of the Vajrayana Buddhist philosophy.

However, since China’s Cultural Revolution and its invasion of Tibet which saw the destruction of pretty much everything related to Tibetan religion and culture, many traditional designs, like the solid wooden woodblocks of designs that weighed many pounds were turned into firewood by the Chinese troops. Relying on designs etched in their minds of the refugees that made it across the Himalayas, most of the traditional prayer flags today are made in Nepal or India by Tibetans refugees or Nepali Buddhist who resides at the Tibetan border regions.

The centre of a prayer flag typically features a ‘Ta‘ (powerful or strong horse) bearing three flaming jewels on its back. The ‘Ta‘ is said to be a symbol of speed and transformation of bad fortune to good fortune. The three flaming jewels symbolises Buddha, the Dharma (Buddhist teachings) and the Sangha (Buddhist community), which is the three pillars of Tibetan philosophical tradition. Around the ‘Ta’ are a few hundred mantras (religious utterances), with each mantra dedicated to a particular deity. The mantras will vary and are from three great Buddhist Bodhisattvas: Avalokitesvara(the bodhisattva of compassion and the patron of the Tibetans), Padmasambhava and Manjusri.

Other than mantras, some prayer flags include prayers for long life and food fortune of the person who mounts the flag; slightly deviating from its original tradition of promoting peace, compassion, strength and wisdom for the collective whole rather than ‘carrying’ prayers to the Gods for oneself.

{shrug}

Just as life renews and reinvent itself, so too must religion with the focus of ‘continuity’… for those that continues to raise the wind horse, they renew their hopes while acknowledging their existence as part of a greater ongoing cycle.