Dirty thoughts

I haven't blogged in so long but I'm excited to have time to finally sit down and do so!  I have had a lot happen in my life over these past three weeks and strangely enough a lot of it ties in to what we have learned in class as well.

Last week we were told the story of the Ramayana.  I really enjoyed the story.  I think the reason why I loved it so much is because there are so many lessons that are being told throughout the story.  I think that the main moral of the story was on the topic of dharma, the way, and doing what is right.  I think that people could learn a lot from listening to this story and how sometimes you have to sacrifice or take the hard road in order to do what is right.  Rama was supposed to be king and after being banished into exile by the king's third wife he does not put up a fight.  He goes into the forrest because it is his duty and in order to keep peace among the kingdom and the people.  Not only that, but his wife and brother go along with him, because it is their duty to stay with him.  I can honestly say that I do believe in doing what is right, and following through with your moral duties.  I think that it is an extremely hard thing to do but if it is the right thing to do then it must be done.  People nowadays I think lose sight in that.  There is sometimes that take all attitude or only looking out for oneself.  I think that here in America we could learn so much from the way people live in India and how the treat one another.

Another element that I found interesting from the story was that of being stuck with some sort of stigma. In this case, Sita is the one who loses her stature or who she is, after she is stolen by Ravana.  Rama goes to rescue her but she is seen as being tainted.  Rama makes her walk through fire to see if she is still pure and although she passes with the fury and determination in her eyes whens they return to the kingdom the people cannot let go of her past.  The idea is that once a dirty thought has been dropped into someone's mind, then it sits there.  The question that I have is once you have this dirty thought about someone in your head are you able to get it out?  You have feelings about a person after first meeting them (first impressions) and then those feelings can change or stay the same as you get to know them better, if you ever get the chance to.  In this case the people of Rama's kingdom may have never got to know that Sita was still pure and good, even though she had been kidnapped by Ravana.  But they were not willing to see past the fact.  They only judged her on what they knew took place, and then made assumptions from that one fact.  Is that what people do today?  Do we get dirty thoughts about people in our minds and then refuse not to get them out?  My main question how do people change the perceptions that people have about them?  In the Ramayana it seems as though you cannot chance though perceptions, as see when Sita decides to just be devoured by the Earth and disappear.  She knew that people would never accept her so she left.  But could there have been a way for Sita to win the people back?  Can you change people's perceptions of you?  Can you get dirty thoughts out of people's minds?

Four Goals in the Mahabharata

On the surface, The Mahabharata seems to be a story about the struggle for political power and land rights between two opposing families. Yet, this Sanskrit epic holds much deeper philosophical and devotional material. Through telling this story, the epic presents the Indian way of perceiving the world and man’s place in it.

The Mahabharata discusses the four “goals of life” throughout. These goals consist of dharma (right action), artha (material purpose/prosperity), kama (pleasure), and moksha (liberation). These goals become self-evident throughout the story as we see members of each family make decisions following, or not following these goals. During one dice game between Shakuni (a member of the Kaurava family) and Yudhishtira (a member of the Pandava family), we see Yudhishtira continually bet all of his most prized possessions away. He loses all of his wealth, his kingdom, brothers, wife, and finally himself. In betting away everything he has come to possess, he clearly disregards the need to respect and follow artha. Artha is the Sankrit term for purpose, cause, motive, or meaning. All of these things he has so easily given away are the core substances that create meaning to his life. They have come to define who he is. Before the game, Yudhishtira had accomplished the goal of artha in life, but in throwing it all away, he loses everything. At one point, he tries to justify his actions by saying, “Even when you have lost everything, you still have the right to yourself and to your freedom.” Yet, personally, I disagree with this philosophical statement. For one, he gave himself up to the Kaurava family so his physical being is no longer under his control. Two, he has given everything up that have come to define him, so in essence, without these things, would he really be himself and would life be worth living? It’s doubtable.

Even from personal experience I know that when you’ve lost everything (artha), you don’t necessarily have the right to yourself and your freedom. There was a time in my life where I went from having everything I had ever wanted to absolutely nothing. I had no rights, no freedom, and nothing familiar that I had defined myself through to help guide me. In this environment, I became someone else and had lost myself. The years I had spent building up and defining myself were in the past. It was one of the most agonizing periods of my life. From this experience, I personally know that Yudhishtira could not have the right to himself and to his freedom because everything that defined him was already gone. He was in a state of peril and wasn’t about to admit it.

The Mahabharata reminded me to hold what I value close and to fight for what I believe in. It also reminds me to be appreciative of all that I have because it could be taken away in an instance, a realization that is too pertinent to today’s times. In holding what I care about closest to me, and not giving in, I will be able to follow the path of dharma that Yudhishtira wasn’t so successfully able to follow.

Life Lessons in the Ramayana

In class a couple of weeks ago, we heard the Sanskrit epic, The Ramayana, through oral tradition. The seven book series tells the story of the perfect man. The story begins with the marriage of Rama and Sita and follows them throughout twelve years of marriage. Rama and Sita are then exiled into the wilderness where Sita is kidnapped by King Ravana. The epic then follows the journey of Rama to retrieve his wife from the King. After a long war and much strife, Rama finally is reunited with Sita until she calls upon the Earth, her mother, and walks into the Earth as the grounds open and is never seen again. At the end of the epic, I cannot help but to reflect on the life of the perfect man and his demonstration of dharma and the righteous path.

The epic forces you to think about what sits, and what we let sit in our minds. As seen by Rama, his reunion with Sita was not a joyous one because of the doubt that took over his mind. Sita has to prove her loyalty to Rama by walking through fire unscathed. Even though she does this successfully, it shows the doubt and negative beliefs that ruminate throughout Rama's head. I can't help but wonder if these drastic measures would have to ensue if Rama didn't allow such doubt and negativity to define his relationship with Sita. In the end, is this instability within the relationship a driving factor in Sita's self-induced removal from the world? To some degree, it must have had some influence. While listening to the epic I related it back to my own life and what I have been going through lately. I have of recent allowed negative thoughts to come into my mind and continue to stay there. Just like Rama, I have invited doubt and negativity to consume my life. It has begun to affect my perspectives, daily life, and my relationships, just as it did with Rama. It was not until today in class that I realized I have the power to change what is in my mind. I have the power to decide what is let into my consciousness. Therefore, I slowly started to take back all of those doubts and insecurities and filled their places with positive and more productive emotions. I can already feel the difference in the way I think and perceive things.

This lesson the Ramayana teaches us was extremely pertinent and applicable to my given situation. For weeks I had not understood why I was feeling so upset and apathetic for most of the day. After hearing about Rama's determination, strength of mind, and will-power, I was finally able to understand that these qualities were everything that I was missing. Through embracing this lesson, I am fully ready to control what goes on in my own mind, making sure it is all positive.

Dharma, and the Mahabharata

While I watched the Mahabharata, I noticed that one of the underlying philosophies in the epic was Dharma and the importance of following it. One of the earliest examples of dharma is Pandu’s slaughter of a hiding couple. Cursed to die if he were to ever lie with his wife, he determines that he is unfit to rule the throne, and to repent for his cruel act, Pandu becomes a hermit. Although this initially allows him to staves off death for years, the curse eventually ‘catches’ up with him, and he repents for it with his life.

Dharma is also used in the Mahabharata to reinforce the importance of the caste system – especially in the case of Karna. Because he is brought up by a charioteer, Karna is ranked on a lower caste. This, therefore, prevents him from fighting Arjuna in a tournament – as only a person of stature could challenge the prince to a battle. However, Duryodhana behaves adharmically, breaking the caste system and offering Karna the kingdom of Anga – an act performed to exact revenge on his Pandava brother Arjuna.

Dharma, in the Mahabharata, is also seen as a god. Yudhisthira, the son of Dharma, is seen as a strict follower of Dharma, and seems to innately follow ‘the truth’. When he is challenged by Duryodhana to a game of dice, he accepts his defeat without any protest. There is no dispute or struggle – when Draupadi is won over, Yudhisthira willingly gives her to the Kauravas.

Although I have only watched a small portion of the Mahabharata, I can surmise that much of the epic, and its conclusion is based on this idea of Dharma. Although (up to the point we watched in the video) the Kaurava brothers  attained power and wealth by acting adharmically, these acts will eventually catch up with them, as karma, or the natural laws of causation will eventually catch up to them as they did Pandu.

My Experience with the Theatre

I like to look at my theatre experience as an expanding experience rather than one of evolution. I am constantly gaining new facets of theatre and I find each one fascinating and engaging to a different part of my creative self. With Asian theatre I have only had the barest beginnings of what it consisted of and how it could be portrayed. I find that with Asian theatre not much emphasis is put on the actual speaking acting but rather on the movement and the gestures. Seeing as this was one thing that I struggled with greatly when it came to western theatre, putting a focus on this has greatly improved my skills in this aspect.

Before I came to college my exposure to theatre was very limited. I found myself faced with the same types of plays/musicals that had repetitive dance moves and exhausting dialogue that brought about a highly listening based atmosphere. It was stagnant and unmoving, rehearsed and and sometimes disjointed. None of the emotions of the characters ever truly made their way into the show and it was all rather dull. Coming here I've seen shows that breathe life into the characters, explore new themes and ideas that I would have never thought could even be brought onto a stage and received with applause and have been treated to some of the most interesting styles of theatre that I would love to dabble in throughout the rest of my life.

To me, theatre should be an expression of yourself through another character. They always say become the character but I feel that if you leave yourself completely behind than all of the life that could be put behind your work is lost. Even though I am no where near the classification of an actor I find this to be true. Most of my talent lies and the productions of the shows, the artistic aspect of it, mainly painting. I have always been able to take what I want in my mind and put it on a canvas. The theatre provides and excellent opportunity for this. I think with Asian theatre the same could be said. Vibrant colors appear in the costume, the set, and the lights, even if most of the sets are very minimalist. I hope that with what we will learn in our second unit of Classical Asian Theatres will still reflect this amazing aspect of the genre.

The Means of Learning About Other Cultures

As I was watching Peter Brook’s Mahabharata, I began to think about the interpretations people may draw.  What would western culture think and what would those in India or users of Sanskrit think?  Upon watching videos of Koodiyarum and Kathakli in the next class, I again began to think of purpose and perception.  When such customs are so foreign to other cultures, it seems that they often must be explained using elements of a familiar culture in order for different cultures to be effectively communicated.  But when is the difference in portrayal no longer innocently trying to communicate another culture? When do the familiar elements start to affect the actual custom and manifest it as a stereotype?

The movie sought to explain the epic Mahabharata to western culture, but as foreigners to the epic, it would be difficult for westerners to distinguish how authentic the retelling actually is.  Furthermore, there is no true way to reach full authenticity without learning Sanskrit and reading the 100,000 slokas yourself- a gigantic undertaking.  Because of this, movies like Brook’s arguably provide the quickest, most efficient way to learn about other cultures.  In contrast, clips of Koodiyarum and Kathakli are authentic in their portrayal of Indian culture; however, the story, meaning and customs are not very clearly communicated.  So in order to learn about Indian culture, or any foreign culture for that matter, which way is best?

I believe, pairing the two together enhances the effectiveness of each.  As compliments, the pupil can extract more information and form a more holistic picture of the culture.  Experiencing a westernized version first works as a translation to a primary source or authentic piece.   With the clear communication of a custom, a foundation and structure of the custom is created to be filled and emblazoned with information from a complimentary authentic piece.  When the intentions of the article are to educate a population on another, changing as little as possible surrounding the custom, stereotypes do not seem to arise.  When the purpose is intended to educate through entertainment, the public extracts stereotypes and interprets them to be truth.  These stereotypes then spread through populations and create the falsities around unknown cultures that allow for concepts like orientalism to survive.

Interdependent versus Collectivistic

    Last week we concluded of our two hour-active class with a discussion about the class’ initial thoughts on Asian culture. Professor Tanglao-Aguas instructed the group to share whatever came to mind: a stereotype, a personal experience, or even something learned in academics. My first thought was based on the difference that Western cultures’ place on the individual with the emphasis Asian cultures put on their community. From one of my international business course, I recalled that we studied this as the comparison of interdependent versus collectivistic cultures. This basic difference is present in any of the areas we have studied in our Asian Theaters course: daily life, religious traditions, and even in theater. I thought it would be interesting to reflect on the differences I have noticed in the purpose of theater between Western and Asian culture, as it pertains to this the interdependent and collectivistic cultures.
    From my experiences of Western theater, the event is a opportunity for people to dress up, gather with friends and family, and enjoy a night of entertainment. This entertainment can come from the music, choreography of movement, exposure to a new art form, or simply being in a social setting with good company. That said, all these factors are focused on benefiting the individual and their immediate environment. Furthermore, if one looks at the a common reason for individuals to participate in the performance, many choose to participate because it is a way for them to express themselves and their emotions. Again, this motive is focused on the benefit and mission of the individual, rather than the community.
    Through our studies in this class, theater seems to have a different purpose for Asian societies; it is a manner in which to benefit the community. For example, participating and watching a performances of the Ramayana can teach younger members appropriate behaviors within their community. In many instances Rama chooses to act for the good of his people, even if it means sacrificing important parts of his life. Specifically we see this when he chooses to release his wife, Sita because the kingdom does not trust her and could thus lose respect for Rama. This is not to say that in western cultures one cannot certainly appreciate or learn from these lessons; however, many Asian cultures use these stories and plays to communicate what is expected of their society and how they can be good community members.
    Living in a interdependent culture is all I have ever experienced; however, as I study cultures that function on a collective basis, there appears to be a lack in many of the aspects of my culture. It may be that America’s existence is only a fraction of Asian countries’ existence, or that it relates to when and on what account the country was founded. Regardless, there is a distinct value in living a collectivistic lifestyle. It seems to provide a more concrete opportunity to inner-peace and harmony; aspects I believe essential to living a meaningful and joyous life.