Salusuah

Salusuah is a monologue performed by Gani Karim and directed by Jeremiah Choy. They are the playwrights for this play.

Richard brought me to watch this play last night.

It touched me.

I am not familiar with the delicate dance performances that Gani had done but I really appreciate and could feel that Gani observed every little movements that he made. This left me with the impression that Gani had put in a lot of hardwork and effort in training his body movements.

I like how Gani used different methods of putting on the traditional Malay sarong to show different characters during his dance.

To me, Gani seems to tell a story that how he survive and live on through hidden, dark and confused emotions. Gani seems to be someone who isn't himself, or at least he feels so.

His religious belief became the pillar for his will to press on. He always remember what his Mak had told him:-

"rely on God and not on men"

Although Gani didn't say "I have faith in God" explicitly, from how he moved his body into the prostration pose; his recitation of his holy scripture; even to how the lightings were done, make a stronger statement that his faith for his God is unwavering.

That faith hold him on.

Religion in this play is so beautifully integrated, I couldn't help but feel the deepest respect that Gani have for his belief.

I also like how he played with the different sarong by folding them and making them symbolising his own birth; his grandmother's death and eventually the burial of his father.

The last scene, seeing how the sarong eventually submerged into the water, representing the caving in grave was simply the moment (Richard! Sorry I use your word! =X).

Very nice performance.

Bondage 《上身不由己》

I went to watch Bondage 《上身不由己》presented by Drama Box, under its Blanc Space (白色空間) programme on National Day. The play is a story about Goddess of Mercy, a sadomasochist policeman, a teenage girl and two hooligans. On the outset, it seemed like a pretty interesting combination for play.

Before I go on, I would like to highlight the fact that the name Goddess of Mercy is one way of addressing Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. The name has been affectionately used, both Guanyin and Guanyinma, in the play (I will use Guanyin in my writing for consistency).

9th August 2009 is our Singapore's 44th National Day and it happened to be the 19th day of the 6th lunar month, the day that Buddhists around the world commemorate the Enlightenment of Guanyin. So I thought it will be interesting and probably even meaningful to see Guanyin makes His way to the local theatre scene.

Unfortunately, after watching the play, I found it ugly, vulgar and blasphemous.

Before the show started, there was already an OS done by Danny Yeo, a celebrity DJ and the director for this play. The OS was draggy and irrelevant. The only theme from the OS was to ask the audience to turn off their cellphones. I find that to be overly pompous and not necessary for the play.

The show started with the actors reciting the Heart Sutra (般若波羅蜜多心經) on the stage. Qiang, the protagonist, went on putting clothes on Ming and Sen while the recitation was still ongoing. Qiang then had a little monologue using certain lines from the Heart Sutra to twist and turn and put it into his own logic and syntax game. It moved into a role-playing scene where Qiang busted Ming and Sen who were supposed to be sniffing drugs. Ming and Sen went on hurling hokkien profanities in abundance. Qiang and Ming tied Sen up and eventually moved into the room to prepare having their threesome sex orgy. Qiang saw Ming having this jade Guanyin pendant hanging on the neck. Qiang reprimanded Ming telling him he should not have that pendant hanging with him while they are doing things. Amongst the lines that Qiang had mentioned in regards to the pendant, there was a line where he said "色既是空, 空既是色" (form is emptiness and emptiness is form) and another "觀音很慈悲, 他不會生氣的" (Guanyin is compassionate, He will not get angry).

This opening scene ran fast and smooth. The tempo of it was so seamless that I couldn't help but feel disturbed as a buddhist to find the Heart Sutra, one of the most reowned and well written Mahayana buddhist scripture became the prelude of a BDSM threesome orgy scene. I am not saying that sex is derogatory, but by putting sacred religious text as part of the foreplay, I don't think it is appropriate.

The little monologue that Qiang did go along the line of "Barbie 既是 Ken, Ken 既是Barbie; 我既是 Barbie; Barbie 既是我", the line carried on until Qiang said that he is Guanyin. I am not very comfortable with the idea using quotes buddhist scriptures and replacing the characters to play such logic game. It seems to me that there is a lack of respect towards the buddhist scripture.

When Qiang said "色既是空, 空既是色" just before having sex with Ming, the tone that he had put it was so suggestive.

The same Chinese character 色 can mean lust. However, in the buddhist's context, 色 refers to form, anything that takes shape and have a physical body.

I have met people who misunderstood the 色 in "色既是空, 空既是色" as lust. So to these misunderstood lot, they would have taken that lust (a form of desire) does not exist and hence one should not be too attached to lust. There were also people who believed otherwise that since lust 'is empty' hence one should not be ashamed of lust and it is alright to lead a wanton life.

"觀音很慈悲, 他不會生氣的". A Bodhisattva would of course not getting angry over what we do wrong. A Bodhisattva would feel sympathetic for us instead. I hope playwright Boon Seng get it right that at the end of the day, our karma is not decided by any Buddha or Bodhisattva. Our karma is created by our intentions, actions and speeches. Of course, Guanyin will not get angry. If you do wrong, Guanyin tries to help you to overcome it. But if a person insist in doing it wrong, it's his personal call. Whether Guanyin will get angry or not (which I already explained that He won't) shouldn't matter.

There were certain fundamental errors in regards to Guanyin and tangki (spirit mediumship)that were protrayed in this play.

Qiang said that his mom believed Qiang to be the reincarnation of Guanyin because Qiang's birthday falls on the 29th day of the 2nd lunar month which happened to be the day that marks the birth of Guanyin. This led Qiang to be a tangki of Guanyin.

Buddhists who venerate and observe the special occasions on Guanyin know that it is on the 19th (and not 29th) day of the 2nd lunar month that we dedicate this day to be the birthday of Guanyin.

Qiang told Ming in one of the latter sex scene that Guanyin used to be an Indian prince and in order to save mankind in different parts of the world, He had to adapt different forms. In this same scene, the jade Guanyin pendant was scene in the room again where Qiang and Ming were about to have sex.

I think the playwright probably got some of his facts mixed up.

Firstly, the Indian prince part sounds more likely to be Gautama Buddha (more commonly known as Sakyamuni Buddha) and not Guanyin.

Secondly, the female form of Guanyin has her own story of origin [link] and in short, the female Guanyin was a princess and not a prince. This is one of the commonly spread chinese folklore stories. Of course from the buddhists' perspective, we would usually rely on the buddhist scriptures to know and understand more on Guanyin.

Thirdly, a spirit medium trances any spiritual being(s) that he has connection with. He need not necessary be the reincarnation of that deity to be a spirit medium. Morever, spirit mediumship is not supported in the buddhist scriptures and hence not a buddhist practice. The trancing of Guanyin belongs to the Chinese forklore belief.

From the previous line that what Qiang had said to Ming, Ming replied saying "原來觀音是 cross-dresser!" (lit. "Guanyin is a cross-dresser!")

I watched in anger when I heard that.

The first thought that came to my mind was how could this line even made pass the MDA?

The second thought that followed was that playwright Boon Seng probably does not understand Guanyin and His manifestations well enough.

Boon Seng had already show how ignorant he is by making a few fundamental errors in both Buddhism and tangki belief in the play so far.

If "原來觀音是 cross-dresser!" is meant to be a punchline, yes, Boon Seng got the effect. I really felt like a punch in my face literally. Once again, I couldn't help but feel that Buddhism was victimized.

Guanyin is a buddhist icon for centuries.

Both male and female forms of Guanyin is well received and respected around the world. Guanyin, a sacred religious icon, to be used in such a flippant way, really makes me sad!

Speaking of MDA and seeing how this line can get pass MDA, it makes me think of the 10 challenges that Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong had said recently. [link][link]

"10 Religious harmony: For four decades, Singapore has enjoyed racial and religious harmony. How do the people of Singapore ensure that Singaporeans of different faiths will continue to mix with one another and respect one another’s faith?"

Just two months back, a couple was charged because they handed out materials with contents that hurt the feelings of some people who have a different religious belief.

To my knowledge, MDA is responsible for checking the contents of the script before it can be played in public. So how this got through?

Or is it under the guise of art, one can no longer be responsible, sensitive and respect other people's faith?

If someone is to say that I get over-reacted because I do not know how to appreciate art, then this is how I will response:-

Then don't sell your tickets to the public! Only sell it to people who supposed to know art lah!

So to watch such an ugly, vulgar and blasphemy play on a National Day; and on a day that commemorates the Enlightenment of Guanyin tells me that Singapore (and Singapore's art scene of course) still has a long long way to go and learn what is call 'respect one another's faith'.

A new initiative!

I have been procastinating about writing reviews for movies and plays that I have watched. This is mainly due to my lack of confidence in English writing. I guess I have to start somewhere so I have to overcome my concerns.

Remember, I am giving my opinion from a layman's, a mainstream audience's point of view.