Despite
the art on the surface being considered
mostly as an entertainment medium,
their use as a tool in the act
of workship is uppermost in the
mind of the Balinese artist who
recognises the importance of taksu.
This is party because arts performances
are always preceded by an act
of f offering and prayer. In These
modern times a sense of ngayah
still drives Balinese artist,
wherether it is for the sake of
God, or for other mortals, especially
amongst those artists who acknowledge
the passing of skills and characteristics
from one generation to next .
It is a major tenet of Hindu philosopy
that helping other humans out
of the kindness of one's heart
is actually the same as praising
God, and so the enthusiasm with
which people in Bali ngayah( and
there by praise God never fades.
it's a principle wich is perhaps
not so easy to undertand for those
unfamiliar with theologiy,or the
particulary Hindu concept of God.
How ever, for those who already
follow Hindu teachings it's all
a matter of course. Because in
mankingd, as in any living thing,
there is a spiritual force which
is at one with God. In this way
there is a strength of belief
and certainy that helping and
worshipping others is no different
to worshipping God.
Looking
againts at this unshakeable belief
philosophically, it si difficult
to distinguish what aspects of
dance are sacred, and which
profane. Why ?Because every performance
contains elements of both pure
entertainment as well as religious
devotion. Before performing, dancers
and musicians go though the motion
of applying ritual process by
presenting offerings to God. Even
the instruments of the gamelan
are blessed with offerings before
the music begins.
Since
time immemorial in fact, there
hasbeen recourse to a number of
ceremonial rituals designed to
become good dancers and musicians.
First it is importand to choose
an autspicious day on which to
begin training.Then there is mlaspa-purification
ceremony in the debut performance-
a form of ritual prior to which
a number of smaller ceremonies
are carried out to spiritually
cleanse the notive artistes. These
include the mlukat,mawinten ceremonies
(other names are sometimes used).
Similarly
the accessories used by the dancers
must go though their own ceremony.
This same ceremony must then
be repeated at least every 210
days, or one cycle of the Balinese
Hindu calender, on the Saturday
of Wuku Wayang (one of the 3 Balinese
calender weeks), otherwise khow
as Tumpek Wayak, or Tumpek Ringgit.
On this day all equitment is cleansed,
including wayang kulit puppets,
gender wayang instruments, and
other gamelan instruments. Dancers,
musicians and puppeteers carry
out these ceremonies most avidly.
The same rituals exist in other
artistic fields. In Order to be
become an xpert carver or builder
for example, knowledge must first
of all be sought concerning the
philosophy of Balinese building
including composition, propostion,
as well as how to choose the appropriate
auspicious days on which work
will begin. |
Such
knowledge itself is considered
sacred and is documented on holy
lontar manuscipt. In order to
access this information, the budding
house and bade(tower for the dead
in cremation ceremony) builder
called undagi or sangging must
first of all undergo a process
of individual purification. Once
purified and with pious intent,
his words and deeds will likewise
be unsullied. In the process of
purification, he surrenders himself
to God, and in turn offer to God
the very products of his labours.
Only in this manner can there
be allowed to quired to build
and to make beatiful constructions
which are full of taksu.
Let's
not forget that at every level
of the building process, prayers
and offerings are presented to
God, and in this way the craftsmen
are confident that they will receive
taksu enough to work, and to behave
well before God and their peers.
Again, clearly this taksu is a
combination of skills already
present a person, supplemented
eith that something extra which
enters by divine intervention-the
manifest and unmanifest working
as one. And without personal skills,
a thousand request for taksu from
above will be no help in creating
a skilled artist. On the other
hand we often see incredible displays
of skill. but there's something
lacking because the person has
not yet been given this taksu.
Let's
not forget that at every level
of the building process, prayers
and offerings are presented to
God, and in this way the craftsmen
are confident that they will recive
taksu enough to work, and
to behave well before God and
their peers.
Again, clearly this taksu is a
combination of skills already
present a person, supplemented
with something extra which enter
by divine intervention - the manifest
and unmanifest working as one.
And without personal skill, a
thousand request for taksi from
above will be no help in creating
a skilled artist. On the other
hand we often see incredible displays
of skill but there's something
lacking because the person has
not yet been given this taksu.
A
good artist performs without thought
of material reward, or of how
much they will need to invest
in training and so on, or set
targets for how mucg income they
will enjoy from their art. All
of this must be allowed to take
its own pace according to a more
important programme of lodged
deep in the hear of the devotee.
Inevitably this in itself requieres
for its effective enactment, on
taksu.
Source
material: Cultural Affairs Office
Bali Provice |
