Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 1
DORISEA WORKING PAPER
ISSUE 15, 2015, ISSN: 2196-6893 JUStIN thOmAS mCDANIEl
NFFF SPECTACLE ATTRACTIONS AND BUDDHISM IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 15
DORISEA Working Paper, ISSUE 15, 2015, ISSN: 2196-6893 DORISEA WORkINg PAPER SERIES
EDITORS Peter J. Bräunlein Michael Dickhardt Andrea Lauser
BmBF Competence Network “Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia” (DORISEA)
The research network “Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia” (DORISEA) is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) and coordinated by the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the Georg-August-University of Göttingen. Scholars from the Universities of Göttingen, Hamburg, Münster, Heidelberg and Berlin (Humboldt University) are involved in several projects that investigate the relationship between religion and modernity in Southeast Asia.
How to cite this paper: Justin Thomas McDaniel (2015): Spectacle Attractions and Buddhism in Southeast Asia. In: DORISEA Working Paper Series, No. 15.
Research Network DORISEA Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia
Project Ofice georg-August-University göttingen Institut für Ethnologie Berliner Str. 28 FUNDED BY D - 37073 göttingen germany +49 (0)551 39 20153 [email protected] www.dorisea.net Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 3
JUStIN thOmAS mCDANIEl SPECTACLE ATTRACTIONS AND BUDDHISM IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
ABSTRACT Misemono is a Japanese term meaning “spectacle attraction” or delightful distraction – a wonderful place for purposeless delight. Misemono were historically designed for Buddhist temple and local festivals. They also brought social and religious capital to the designers,
architecture in Laos, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam which could be seen as misemono and andoffers for new some, ways the of hopeunderstanding of profits. architecture, This paper looksleisure, at entertainment, several examples and ofreligion modern in Buddhistthe region.
One of the oldest public sculpture gardens in South- when he fell in a hole as a child and was instructed
Laos in 1958 by Bunleua Sulilat (1932–1996), a rel- ativelyeast Asia poor was man started who on had the no outskirts formal training of Vientiane, in art. by snake spirits. When Bunleua died, his body was mummified. Some of his followers believe that part of him continues to live on as a snake. Like Sabato Rodia s Watts Towers in Los Angeles, effortWhen to either) first visitedpresent Sala history Keaoku or local in , culture before in )saiah Zagar s Magic Garden in Philadelphia, Chan- anyBunleua s systematic passing, way. ) wasNor dumbstruck.is there any effortThere towas rep- no soo Park s Moga Buddhist Museum near Seoul, or licate Buddhist, local religious, or Indic literature asideMartin from Sanchez s time, concrete sprawling and found sculpture objects. garden in in sculpted form. Thirty-foot statues of the Buddha RiversideBunleua in California,was born acrossBunleua the had river little from resources Vien- - tiane in Nong Khai, Thailand and even though he stand next to fifty-foot long statues of giant, protec- tivema. One snakes. of the There larger are statues statues is a of giant foreign ogre soldiers, with a Hewas started not a constructing monk, he isthe sometimes massive statues referred on his to as mermaids, and (indu gods such as Śiva and Brah Luang Phu, a title typically reserved for monks. The collection of sculptures was (and still is) high- hermit (Lao: pha leuxi gaping mouth, which one can climb into like a cave. park after apparently meeting Keaoku,Phaya a powerful Nak). throughout the region. It is essentially the mind who could take on the form ofly idiosyncratic,Bunleua on display. drawing And on yet iconic Bunleua images left known little withof a the magical spread giant of the snake-spirit war in Vietnam Lao: into Laos, the Soon his garden had dozens of statues. (owever,- sculptures. There appears to be no message, and no ernment in 1975, Bunleua was forced to stop his behind to explain why he dedicated his life to- his communist forces Pathet Lao formed a new gov seum – it is a spectacle. agenda. The park is neither a monastery nor a mu supportiveproject. For of the religion first intwo any or form. three Leaving years hisafter stat- they In the recent history of Buddhism, sites of Buddhist uestook in power,Laos, Bunleua the communist escaped to government Thailand, where were he not other place. The giant Buddha images (daibutsu), spectaclesuch as the have ones flourished in the Todaiji more in in Nara Japan or thanthe thir- any astarted young another man, Bunleua park in had . supposedly (e named trained this park as a shamanafter his inmagical Vietnam. mentor, He would Sala pavilion later tell many Keaoku. of hisAs iconic sites in Japan, just as the giant Buddhas of teenth-century Kamakura Daibutsu have long been- His talents had apparently been granted to him followers that he was actually half-man, half-snake. Bamiyan were to Afghanistan, or the walking Bud DORISEA Working Paper, ISSUE 15, 2015, ISSN: 2196-6893 Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 4 dha are to Thailand.1 In Japan, the late-nineteenth 5 Buddhist sites might be most prevalent in modern daibutsu - Daibutsuera in Japan, of Ushiku Buddhist built feet . environments While large outside public andniques twentieth and a rise century of a new saw wealthy a flurry laity of not building formal- of of traditional monastic compounds have increas- ly connected, thanks to particular to new monasteries concrete building or to noble tech ingly popped up throughout Southeast Asia. Among bloodlines.2 other factors, increasing economic resources have a twenty-foot tall statue of Amida Buddha, called made these investments possible.6 The examples are numerous. )n ,- the Yobiko Daibutsu, was erected in Saga Prefec )n the Western academy, the history of the term- ture. )n , the taller Ōfuna Kannon was built to spectacle in the social science has been linked to- the south of Tokyo. Originally built as a temporary the intellectuals of the s Situationalist )nterna structure for an amusement park, Kōun Takamura s- tionalmodern and capitalist Guy Debord societies in particular, commodities as well are as valued Marx design was based on the Edo Period Ueno Daibutsu. notist critiques for their ofactual commodities. use-function, Debord but forargued their that social in )n , the Beppu Daibutsu, which no longer sur vives, was built near the city of Usuki by a wealthy builtbusinessman around the who statue. would A largelater temporarybecome a Jōdodaibutsu priest value. Modern capitalism, the rise of the advertising- wasnamed even Eizzaburō built in San Okamoto. Francisco A in tourist 1915 resortby a Jap- was tiqueindustry goes, and from the “being” push tointo create “having”. new Accumulation markets has oftransformed commodities the came markers to be ofseen a good over the life , 20th the cen- cri The Society of the anese group for the Panama-Pacific )nternational Spectacle forExposition. Japanese )t products was modeled displayed on at the the earlier fair.”3 Nōfuku tury as an end it itself. Debord s Daibutsuthese sites in typically Kobe and feature functioned giant Buddha as a showplace images, out to be awas very a ground-breakingaccurate predictor study of the that power harshly of there has been a more recent trend of building While gi- celebrityderided the culture superficiality and international of spectacle, corporate and powerturned ant, non-religious statues. These include the Tetsu- - jin 28-go robot built in Kobe, and a mechanical ro- tion of spectacle, but rather to the Japanese notion - of . misemono ) am not,. Misemono however, is referringspectacle to as Debord s purposeless no - bot called Gundam in front of Diver City Plaza shop ulative way, not in a sense of being distracted from mechaping complex (or meka and, short amusement for mechanical) park in genre Tokyo. of ani-Both delight.political, Distraction, economic, labor,but not and distraction ethical concerns, in a manip but me/statues manga are overcharacters fifty-foot popular tall, and with are children based on and the spectacle in terms of celebrating the teaching of the Both were built as temporary Buddha (and often the importance of the person installments to promote the commercial and enter- who designed and funded the site) without direct adults alike in Japan. purpose. Misemono, “spectacle things” or perhaps “spectacle attractions”, were historically designed tainment complexes. )ndeed, many of the world s for temple and local festivals. Though misemono tallest statues are in Japan, including the Dai Big were not designed primarily to sell commodities, Kannon Avalokiteśvara statue in Sendai feet tall , the Awaji Daikannon feet , and the 5 The Spring Temple Vairocana Buddha Statue in Leshan, 1 6 Although I am not necessarily suggesting a direct relation- 2 There is even a -feet-tall Buddha image at a Sri Lankan China, the tallest statue in the world, is feet. Buddhistthe danka monastery seido (system) near Princeton,or the jidan New seido Jersey. which connect- ed The each official Japanese yet family not completely to a particular successful Buddhist abolishing temple and of ship, the early th century also saw the rise of public parks, ability for Buddhist priests to marry, have secular careers, amusement parks, and government promotion of health,- exercise, leisure, sports, and family time in Japan. The first amusement park was built in Osaka in directly in- and raise families in Japan in the Meiji period contributed to spiredernment by study Coney in )sland 1923 indrew New connections York . A government between leisurereport this. These changes have been extensively researched. See emphasized the importance of public parks in and gov particularly3 Tanabe and Reader , Jaffe , and Tourist hotels also started to open in great numbers and new Rowe among others. time and health and even proposed reducing workers hours. in SeeJapan. Patricia Graham s , – description in her wonderful Not to be ground-breaking outdone, recently survey in Nantes, of modern northwest Buddhist France, art intourist 1912. magazines The Japanese were government launched between went on in the and post-war Les Machines de L’lle a large shipyard has been made by a periodand the to Japanese help fund Tourist leisure Board spaces Nihon in Indonesia Kōtsu Kōsha and Thailand opened group of engineers and artists into an area with huge me- - ephant, and a carousel revolving with deep sea creatures. among other places. Related to this, government restrictions chanical animals including flying herons, a giant metal el carnivalson Buddhist and temples annual family income fun anddays theat temples reduction in order of their to theater company “famous for such creations as the 15-meter increaseland holdings temple in funds. the Meiji These period carnivals led were many connected abbots to to start ka- spiderThe collective that crawled creators through of theLiverpool, site is in La Britain, Machine, as part a of street ichō - certain precious statues and relics) which attracted crowds. For a the detailed opening study of temple of this sanctuaries rise in leisure and the culture, exposure public of the city s Capital of Culture celebrations in . Giant me events, and sport in Japan in the 19th and 20th century, see chanical animals stalk French theme park , CNN, / / ; Leheny (2003). see http://edition.cnn.com/ / / /travel/machine- theme-park-france/index.html?hpt=hp_c DORISEA Working Paper, ISSUE 15, 2015, ISSN: 2196-6893 Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 5 this was certainly an advantage. They were, after - all, a form of advertisement. There was no hiding ically considered “attraction”, and are rarely sepa- rated)n intotourist a special guidebooks, category. religious In the spaces academic are typdis- functionor pretending in terms that of theseassisting sites the had poor, explicit inspiring ritual an or army,ethical controlling value. They a population,served no explicitlysupporting stated a partic- social cipline of Religious Studies, beautiful places like ular politician, or educating the youth. They were the National Cathedral and the Lincoln Memorial in sites designed to be spectacular, to be impressive, thoughWashington an average DC, or tourist the Bolshoi may well and visit Saint both Basil s on the in - Moscow, are rarely the subject of comparison even dha. They also brought social and religious capital photo album of a tourist, they do not appear in to- sites to mark the honoring of a Bodhisattva or Bud same day. While they may well end up in the same They were however neither commodities nor part Studies, we often compare a religious site to anoth- ofto athe concerted designers, mass and media for some, effort the manipulated hope of profits. by ergether religious in the site, pages considering of a scholarly “religion” study. )nto Religious be the “natural” category they both share. But if we were - to compare beautiful site to beautiful site, misemo- theulacra state depriving or a single some and imagined centralized “original” authority, of sa- nor no to misemono, or meisho to meisho, what new pos- werecredness. they They Marxist-criticized were all privately mass-produced owned and few sim if 7
misemono spectaclesibilities can attractions emerge? in Southeast Asia. The places disasters,any ever madeoften afailing profit, to oreven even recoup a regular the costs income. of I describe)n this article,are visually ) offer stunning a few examples and each of Buddhistindividu- Many were and are spectacular financial al statue, plaque, painting, or architectural feature economies on earth, the Japanese are no strangers shares space with numerous other objects. The construction. With one of the most hyper-capitalist architects and visionaries that designed them did misemono not just create functional spaces for ritual, religious to the arts of advertising or marketing. Yet these- instruction, ecclesiastical meetings, or meditation, are strikingly inefficient advertising givetools. rather Rather, than they to accumulateare reflections and earn.of a private per with objects not necessarily directly connected to son sSimilar ability to tothe celebrate term misemono and waste,, meisho to spend are “fa- and ethical,but also pedagogical, highly stylized or ritualatmospheres concerns. that These are ob-filled mous places”. They are often connected to sites jects are ornamental. The creators and their teams mentioned in classical Japanese poetry and drama. ensem- meisho, as are Buddhist monas- bliers than architects. These ensembliers or deco- ofrators artisans or couturiers could be were more often fittingly masters termed of the su- MountShinto (jinja Fuji is a tic buildings such as the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto,enjoyment. 8 - shrines like the Kasuga Shrine in Nara,- berperfluous, of assembled creating natural spaces and that constructed sanction luxury sensual and picturesqueal palaces. In lakes this andway, waterfalls religious andlike Takachihonon-religious in )ndeed, the sites overwhelming num Miyazaki, and important government or imperi does not mean that the objects are simply a deca- - objects work to inhibit systematic learning. But this sites are similar in kind. They are famous for their objects are important for the simple fact that they beauty,are a combination historical of or all literary of these significance, things. or Bud aredent not jumble. isolated, As that Daniel they Miller are not seen individually. notes, some dhist,Sites Shinto, similar or )mperialto meisho sacrality. can also Most be often,found theyin
awareRather, of they them, are the important more powerfully exactly because they can we deter- do Thailand. ) have been on weekend trips with manynot see them Miller , . The less we are- of my Thai co-workers and colleagues, where wesuring normative behavior, without being open to Onpiled these into trips, large we tourvisited buses a combination replete with of mon- karaokemine our expectations by setting the scene and en asteries,machines, waterfalls, DVD/VCD historic players, sites, and shopping even disco malls, balls. new museums, and ancient palaces. Buddhist mon- challenge. They determine what takes place to the 7 asteries are as much tourist sites to Thai Buddhists This has been a larger problem in the “affective turn” in philosophy, intellectual history, and cultural studies. How
Buddhist will participate in some ritual activity at Are the traditional distinctions between high art and low theseas they monasteries are to foreign on their non-Buddhists. tours, they areWhile also a tour- Thai art,do scholarsmonumental limit architecture the fields ofand their vernacular study inarchitecture, visual culture? ists, enjoying group meals, listening to music, and introductionetc. still useful? to Martinthe volume Jay discusses she edited this with issue Jean at the Halley heart of do not just visit these sites for religious or ritual (2002).visual studies , . See also Patricia Ticineto Clough s reasons,joking around. but also Like as leisure foreign activities tourists, and local for fami- people 8 ensemblier ly vacations. As local school groups are one of the - main visitor groups to famous Buddhist temples in Witold Rybczynski notes that the notion of the - as separate from the architect began to emerge at the Expo sition )nternationale des Arts Décoratifs et )ndustriels Mod by hundreds of uniformed children. 1986,ernes 180).in Paris in . ) thank him for his advice personal Asia, foreigners often find themselves surrounded communication, Fall, . See also his work Rybczynski DORISEA Working Paper, ISSUE 15, 2015, ISSN: 2196-6893 Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 6
played in, worshipped in, becomes normal and un- do so” (ibid.). They help form a festive atmosphere whereextent thatone canwe arebe anonymousunconscious and of their absorb capacity sensory to are we able to reconstruct a drawing of it, even the noticed. We often neither notice architecture, nor delight. There is no test of merit or knowledge, no most iconic of places. Can you draw, for example, Taussigtime spent (1991) debating asserted with that nuns when or monks,an object and be- no Sydney s Opera (ouse from memory, or Ryoan-ji s designated time to enter or leave. Similarly, Michael famous Zen rock garden even fifteen minutes after non-contemplative practical memory. It becomes meditating in front of it ? Can you accurately draw- comes expected and ordinary, it creates a space for the house you grew up in? Can you accurately draw mode”. The object is no longer studied individually, the objects on your dresser at home without look distraction . Distraction is a type of apperceptive anding atby them? the objects )ndividual arranged parts in yes, the but spaces, how consti-they fit together? (abitual knowledge acquired over time, init ismany only Buddhist noticed spectaclewhen it is attraction absent. With spaces, so amany vis- - itorstatues, is not murals, encouraged flowers, to and focus burning on an objective,incense sticks but tutes a great part of the experience of growing up get lost among a menagerie of distractions and di- Buddhist. (owever, it is a knowledge and an experi versions. ence that happens along the way ; reconstructing These distractions are an important but neglect- how it happened is difficult for most people. Put- ed aspect in the study of Buddhist architecture. “As succinctly,ed. These heavilylearning ornamented takes place spectacles, apperceptively. be it the for architecture”, Taussig continues, “it is especially Many of the sites ) discuss are heavily ornament instructive because it has served as the prototype over millennia not for perception by the contem- elaborately decorated water park at the Suối Tiên plative individual but instead by the distracted inAmusement total possess Park an in affective Saigon orpotential. the ghoulish These statues plac- esat areWat designed Muang s tohell delight. park, Aswork Jonathan on the Hay visitor, argues, and perceived by “touch, or better still, we might want visual effects or “pleasurable things”, create this af- tocollectivity say, by proprioception, Taussig , and this toArchitecture the degree is - 9 E.H. peoplefective potential.laugh (Hay They 2010, can, 8). non-didactically,I would add that evoke they that this tactility, constituting habit, exerts a deci alsofeelings allow of a happiness,person to suspend prosperity, temporality and even and make es- siveof the impact 20th century,on optical whimsically reception describes ibid., .a simi- cape from the world of obligation. Buddhists often larGombrich, idea in onethe wayof the everyday most innovative objects are art perceived historians enter spaces of discipline and obligation in the form of monasteries, but they also enter these spaces his 90th birthday, he wrote a two paragraph article which are both Buddhist and create feelings of plea- and how difficult it is to see them individually. On in which he discusses the fact that most people, re- gardlesscalled A ofNote their Further mental to capacity the Drawing cannot of accurately Bicycles , studysure and “of personalaccumulative freedom. beside-ness As Gregory” (2010, Seigworth 2) It is andthe studyMelissa of Greggaccumulation wrote, the of studyencounters of affect - a is “sup- the draw“We everyday can all recogniseobjects like a bicycle,bicycles. and (e wewrites: can rec- 2). The senses accumulate images, feelings, scents, ognise it without difficulty … after all, it has all andple incrementalism sounds constantly. Seighworth This accumulation and Gregg is at once , the elements we remember: two wheels of equal “intimate and impersonal” (ibid.). It is the slow ac- size, one behind the other, handlebars in front, and pedals between the wheels linked to a chain. impressions, rather than the systematic learning Where the attempt [in a specific test case he is re- ofcretion facts, of dates,knowledge titles, in terms, the form narrative of non-discursive sequenc- ferring to, but which he is using to make a general es, ethical standards, and logical progressions, argument] went wrong was only in recalling the way the elements are fitted together – much as a (ibid.). The Buddhist images, decorative items, vi- child who can tell the features of face and body but the body s capacity to affect and be affected usually fails to join them correctly. It takes many hours in the lifeclass to learn to do this, though we andsually music, complex repetitious walls or affective lush gardens encounters. at these They sites, generally can notice any mistakes or distortions” dowhether not teach beautiful through or narrative,grotesque, but become, by immediacy. like ritual (Gombrich 1999, 801). They hold a person in the moment of aesthetic en- joyment. They are “presentational rather than rep- Architecture (and the objects arranged in its
resentational; they operate in the here and now well-designed rooms that is experienced, lived in, (ay , . ) am particularly influenced by 9 Eve Sedgwick s phenomenological approach. She - “isargues to enter that aattending conceptual to texturerealm that touch is not and shaped affect This entire essay is a reflection and response to Walter- Benjamin s oft-cited The Work of Art in the Age of Mechan feeling in our approach to everyday experience ical Reproduction . Some might say the same thing of Taus sig s career! DORISEA Working Paper, ISSUE 15,by 2015, lack ISSN: nor 2196-6893 by commonsensical dualities of subject Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 7
2003, 21). The designers of the sites discussed in thisversus article object below or of were means not versus particularly ends Sedgwickcontrolled by one political, intellectual, or overarching aes- affectivethetic conceptual encounters framework. that were createdEven whenby the theyspac- did eshave they explicit initiated. objectives, I assert thatthey the could affective not encoun-control the ters at Buddhist spectacle places are fundamental to the ways Buddhists learn to be Buddhists. They are more accessible and common than ethical argu- ments, philosophical treatises, and doctrinal formu- that I hope will illustrate these larger points. lations. ) would like now to turn to a few examples
A SINO-BURMESE HELL IN SINGAPORE
- dhist brothers from Burma who had amassed a for- tune)n , inventing Aw Boon and (aw selling and “Tiger Aw Boon Balm” Par,10 two, opened Bud - up their own amusement park. They called it Ti mountains,ger Balm Gardens . and inviting Although fountains. it did It wasnot ahave popular rides, placeit had for sculpture families. There gardens, were large regularly dioramas, scheduled fake performances of Chinese operas, moralist dramas, concerts, and circus-like acts. While it was not a Buddhist. Figure 1: Statue at Haw Par Villa in Singapore Buddhist park exactly, many of the displays were
The government of Singapore took over the park mostin Singaporeans, and renamed and it (awis a wonderfulPar Villa. While place notto re- as popular as it used to be, it is still a site known to about the lives of the brothers on mounted posters andlax and plaques, delight learn the aboutsenses. their At the travels park, from one canBurma, read birthday parties for their children, tourists can pose forand photographs, even sit in theircouples old can car. strollParents hand-in-hand, can arrange and business people can eat their bagged lunch on shady benches. Since the Singapore Tourist Board dropped the entrance fee, one can simply stroll in and rest among thousands of colorful statues and reliefs.
Many of the displays focus on Chinese epic tales Therelike the are Legend also dioramas of the thatWhite display Snake, how the abusing Journey to alcohol,the West, frequenting and the Romance prostitutes, of thehanging Three outKingdoms. at displaynightclubs, in which and humansignoring turn one s into parents rats because can oflead to theira life licentiousness. of suffering and crime. ) particularly liked the
Figure 2: Statue at Haw Par Villa in Singapore
10 for muscle pain, headaches, and heat that is still popular in Southeast Tiger Balm Asia is today. a soothing and cooling camphor-like balm
DORISEA Working Paper, ISSUE 15, 2015, ISSN: 2196-6893 Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 8
cream, fruit, beer, and snacks. Neither a nun nor a monk is in residence.
THE ELEPHANT WHO ATE A BUDDHIST TEMPLE
- As fun, garish, and spectacular as (aw Par Villa is, it is dwarfed in comparison by the work of Lek Wir iyaphan. Lek passed away from kidney failure in Figure 3: Statue at Haw Par Villa in Singapore , after making his mark as one of the twentieth Buddhistcentury s aesthetics.great eccentrics and arguably the greatest builder of Buddhist theme parks and promoter of
Figure 4: Statues at Haw Par Villa in Singapore
Alongside these literary and moralist displays, - there are also statues of the Buddha, Maitreya, -Av mortals.alokiteśvara Statues Kuan of sea Yin , and andland thecreatures Daoist abound, celestial somemasters mythological like the Jade and Emperorsome natural, and and the there Eight is )m even a miniature Statue of Liberty and memorials of the two brothers and members of their family. - est displays – the cave of the Buddhist hells.11 This Figure 5: The Erawan Elephant, exterior is trulyNear a the garish entrance site. Originally, to the park it iswas one a ofman-made the larg cave inside a large dragon. Today, the cave remains, Especially later in his career, he was more fo- cused on universal themes than building cultural - throughbut the outerthe long shell cave looks properly. like a Eachfake mountain.of the levels The of ed the so-called Sanctuary of Truth and the Ancient helllighting is depicted is low and in ratherit is very gruesome hot, air detail.does not Statues flow parks with Buddhist aesthetic features. (e found - claims to be the largest wooden structure in the ing tortured, while saws slice off limbs, stones crush world,City in and Central is covered Thailand. with The carvings Sanctuary of Hindu of Truth dei- depict bloody corpses, naked women and men be- ma was copied by Buddhist temples in Thailand and skulls, bodies float in pits of lava. This style of diora repleteties, planets, with giant stars, monuments Buddhas, animals,and temples, and asflowers. well The Ancient City is a -acre replica of Thailand,- forSri Lankaentertainment. later in the12 There twentieth are vendors century, selling but what ice- - is interesting here is that this is a park designed as man-made miniature rivers, lakes, and moun describetains. (owever, the scale Lek s of this greatest museum. endeavor was build
11 ing the world s largest metal animal. )t is hard to of AJapan year nearbefore Hiroshima. the Tiger BalmIt was cave also of built hell asopened, an underground a hell park was built in on the island of )kuchijima in the )nland Sea 12 Lovelorn passage;Ghost see Graham . - low. For information on these hell parks see my , chapter three. See also information on Wat Muang be DORISEA Working Paper, ISSUE 15, 2015, ISSN: 2196-6893 Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 9
the cosmos. The Erawan Elephant, aside from being
hotelextremely is planned. large and The a construction wonder of engineering, has largely beenalso has a shopping complex, museum and gardens. A- The architectural drawings the responsibility of Lek s oldest son, Pakpian Wiri yaphan Khun Daeng . were completed by Charun Mathanom. Originally, whoLek claims stated he that got he the should idea for build the aErawan giant apple Elephant in a from an unnamed foreign visitor to his Ancient City, that the apple was not universal because apples Figure 6: The Erawan Elephant, interior dohomage not grow to worldlynaturally wisdom. in Thailand, (owever, and that Lek the stated el-
ephant is universally known in zoos and natural Europeanprograms, artifactsat least, )with suppose . a particularly Underneath large the collec- giant elephant is a museum of Chinese, Thai, )ndian, and
tion of Ming dynasty Chinese bowls.
Figure 8: The Erawan Elephant, interior
The massive iron support columns underneath - - the elephant s belly are covered in not only Bud Figure 7: The Erawan Elephant, interior dhist primarily Chinese , Daoist, and (indu bas-re- liefs, but also scenes from the Christian Bible Jesus- The three–headed iron elephant statue stands Christther represents on the Crucifix, the four Moses Buddhist holding virtues the ofTen metta Com 130 feet tall, is 120 feet long and weighs 250 tons. (compassion),mandments, and karuṇā the like . (love), Each upekkhā of the columns(equanimi- fur ty), and mudita people to its belly, in which a huge Buddhist ser- believed the elephant protects Thailand since it was mon)nside hall the and elephant s an altar where leg an visitors elevator can which prostrate, takes rejoicing with others success . Lek offer gifts, meditate, and regard a ceiling covered bythe sculptures mount of the of aking cow, of lion, the godsbuffalo, and horse, therefore dragon, the center of the universe. The planets are symbolized with stars and mermaid-like creatures. There is a - park below with elaborate fountains and gardens. tiger, deer, the god Vişņu riding the mythological Trained neither as a monk nor a scholar of 13religion, Garuda, and another elephant. The god Śiva pro Lek s creative improvisations drew on an individual- repertoire of cultural and religious influences. Pakpian was the president of the Thonburi Auto Assembly When Lek turned , his army of workers be Company and a senator. The ceiling of the central temple in the belly of the Erawan Elephant were done by German artist gan building the giant elephant. While the elephant named Jacob Schwarzkopt and the copper on the skin was was finally finished in , Lek was still able to bycompleted Samruai underAmoot, the who direction had previously of Ratchat only Srichanjandone sculptures with see most of the exterior finished before he passed. copper imported from Japan. The ceramic work was done Lek s elephant promoted a new Buddhist vision of 13 at Buddhist monasteries and was excited by the challenge to- Architects of Bud- create something entirely new. Lek s son merely asked him to dhist ) describe Leisure the life and work of Braphai Lek s wife and Lek createand Thongmit something (2006). that incorporated Khmer, Ayutthayan, Chi Wiriyaphan extensively in my forthcoming nese, and Western designs; see Tantiwittayapitak, Thongpan, (onolulu: University of DORISEA(awaii Press,Working . Paper, ISSUE 15, 2015, ISSN: 2196-6893 Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 10 tects the entrance to the museum and the base of ent from royal and monastic oversight, and the de- cline of the monastic vocation in many places, lay Buddhists have become empowered to create their the elevatorcomplex. to Kuan the BuddhistYin is the temple. main Thesculpture temple in it- the own Buddhist sites free from the supervision and selfinterior, contains before Buddha ascending images the from staircase many different or taking control of monastic elites. In the pre-modern pe- countries. The entire ceiling is a stained glass rep- riod, the construction of large spectacle sites not
- as an affront to the local abbot, emperor, queen, eration,resentation with of thethe Westernglass chandeliers zodiac. The and construction ceramics built for a specific monastery would have been seen- methods also took green technology into consid or king. Furthermore, with the decline of monar believedmade from that recycledglobal spiritual material renewal including is needed fish for sauce chies, the rise of public institutions like museums,- thebottles, salvation as well of humanity,as (eineken and andthat renewalSingha bottles. should Lekparks,ers, and monuments, librarians/curators, and the wealthy limited lay pervasiveness Buddhists begin in his elephant, placed at the center of the of monks and nuns as educators, scientists, heal world. - have gained significant social capital and an ability not go for ritual activity at the temple in its belly, but to express themselvesensembliers religiously (although without untrained) the exto useMany the site visitors as a picnicwho visit spot thefor Erawantheir families Elephant and do plicitcreate guidance largely ecumenical, of monastics. non-sectarian, Nevertheless, non-ped- Lek was oneagogical of the (formally), first non-ecclesiastical, non-ritual, not enter the museums or buildings. However, this and non-monastic spaces on this scale. These spec- free space to let their children run around. Many do - of his projects, but he died a wealthy man, leaving dhism or Buddha/ Bodhisattva. There are a number seems to be what Lek wanted. (e lost money on all tacles do not promote one specific school of Bud his independently successful family well-taken care- fromof new whimsical spaces in creationsThailand likeof individual this that arearchitects worth tain,of. Neither inspire, profit, and create historical beauty. authenticity, These motives nor ritualmay andlooking artists at to to put didactic Lek s centerswork in that context. attempt They to range build efficacy were his goals. Rather, he wanted to enter- awareness of social, economic, and political issues. dhist values or social ethics, but they are common - notto many be what modern the reader Buddhist thinks ensembliers of as promoting, both inside Bud While creators like Lek and Bunleua never be- came monks, some Buddhist spectacle attractions and outside of monastic contexts. have been started by monks but are not monas teries. The monk Luang Pho Ariyawanso Bhikkhu PSEUDO-MONASTIC ECUMENICAL SPECTACLE lay name: Dr. Suchat Kosonkitiwong, also spelled- ATTRACTIONS IN THAILAND Suchart Kosolkitiwong – founded the- Kuan Yin )nter-religious Park near the Thai-Bur The building of large statues, stupas, and monastic meselate 1970s. in rural15 Petchaburi Province in . This fol lowed a failed attempt to open a similar park in the - receive much Luang formal Pho monastic Ariyawanso training had only himself, been or a turycomplexes Buddhas has at beenBamiyan part destroyed of Buddhist by the culture Taliban for monk since the age of fifty, and did not train monks, incenturies, 2001, or as the evinced 230-foot-tall, by the -foot-tall, eighth century, sixth seated cen 15 Thai: Uthayan Sasana Phra Photisat Guan Im - ter-religious is not in the Thai title, but only on the English - ; note: in- Leshan Buddha in China. Nevertheless, although va Kuan Yin” in Thai. In small print in Thai there is another, brochure, it is The Park for the Religion of the Bodhisatt there is little evidence to suggest Lek s work direct rather strange, name Uthayan haeng khwam garunabhrani jak fakfa sukhawadi su daen thai ly influenced the creation of other sites, his sites sprungare extreme up throughout examples Asiaof a newover typethe pastof ecumenical 25 years. or The Park [that projects] Inreligious fact, the amusement last 150 years park havewhich seen have an increasingly increasing Love and Mercy from the [edge of] (eaven to [the border of] Thailand . Brochure printed at the park without a date. number of large Buddha and Bodhisattva images supportA short biographyof “many ofcountry Dr. Suchat leaders, is posted religious online leaders, in English. and build throughout Asia which are not connected to (ere he claims that his first park was a failure, despite the to modern building techniques, global capital, and leaders of religious and peace organization[s] because the specific monasteries. These changes are in part due- international Communist Party and ill-wishers to Thailand paid million baht to overthrow the project…the World ese, and Thai economies. Further, with the accumu- Peace Envoy conceded to be collapsed for Thailand not to be thelation rise of ofgreat the wealth,Japanese, the Chinese, rise of publicKorean, education Vietnam Communists and the world war likely to happen to postpone for both women and men, the rise of architecture to nowadays to more than years. [sic] For more on- the as an academic discipline and the opening of inter- cesshistorical and his background connections of to theSuchart, Thai militarysee Stengs on pp. . 195–203. Stengs - gives a particularly insightful analysis of Suchart s early suc Peter Jackson s The (upphasawan Movement: Millenarian tonational provide and capital domestic for buildingarchitectural projects firms independ- in Bang theBuddhism 1970s and among 80s. the Thai Political Elite provided kok, the ability of banking and loan corporations the first comprehensive study of Suchat s first movement in DORISEA Working Paper, ISSUE 15, 2015, ISSN: 2196-6893 Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 11
who had obtained a very important informa- tion emerging from his meditation, told me that orreside Erawan at a Elephant,monastery but for it aboasts long period.many objects The park on the world is experiencing severe disasters dur- he founded is much smaller than the Ancient City- ing these coming three years. You certainly have ed to create a space that was open to people of all expert scientists who can prove that an asteroid religions.its small compound.He claims that Luang he hadPho spentAriyawanso years in want the or meteor is moving towards our globe and will thammathut or Bud- hit the earth on the 14th February 2005. H.E. the dhist “emissary” for the Thai government in their World Peace Envoy prayed for help from the en- attempts s and to s weed-out working communists as a in Northeast lightened souls in the universe, as well as the al- iens, to deviate the direction of the asteroid from our globe. However, in spite of the deviation, the Thailand, especially in the city of Nakhon Phanom, globe might shake tremendously and could en- near Laos. (aving finished this career, he saw the tail great natural disasters such as earthquakes, value of religion in general to fight communism,- and tidal waves (tsunami), eruption of volcanoes, ex- helic, and started Hindu ecumenical communities interfaith of Thailand, meetings, and began spoke plosion of stockpiled nuclear weapons capable withcollecting representatives and commissioning of the objectsSikh, Christian, from these Catho of completely destroying the world. The universe might burst into parts because the astral circuits - could lose their balance. Moreover, as a revenge differentpaign urging traditions. world leaders (e launched to commit the themselves Office of to the for the eight Venusians dead in the UFO shot down Worldthe peaceful Peace resolution Envoy which of their had domestic a letter and writing inter- cam by the U.S.A., the World Peace Envoy told me that national problems, offered awards (in abstentia) to the Venusians and the Martians are preparing to wage war against our world. With his firm resolu- tion, the Most Venerable Ariyawanso Bhikkhu, Dr. international leaders who worked for peace such as- Suchart Kosolkitiwong, the World Peace Envoy, Yitzhak Rabin, Yasushi Akashi and Jesse Jackson. (e who dedicated himself to the World of Souls to invited the Dalai Lama and other prominent Bud work towards protecting 5,000 year era of Bud- Imams,dhist leaders and others. to visit However, his park, it seems and held few meetingsinvitees dhism, and to save the world and the universe, that included Catholic priests, Brahmins, Rabbis, has decided to abandon his body (no long alive) prayer sessions and ceremonies to honor the dead on the 7th January 2005, bringing away his mind visited the park. (e even conducted ecumenical and soul through the Fourth Level of Meditation the Thai monarch, and to prevent future disasters. Attainment (Jhana). This procedure is a dedi- at Nagasaki and (iroshima, to pray for the health of cation to save mankind and the world. H.E. the most rituals. None of these events were very large, World Peace Envoy who hoped to live to negotiate butBrahmin they enabledritualists him and to Buddhist connect withmonks other conducted peace with aliens when they invade the world, has decid- and inter-faith activists around the globe. ed to discard his life after he disclosed the coming asteroid. He wanted to disclose further secret of and perhaps paranoia, of Suchat. He claimed that he heaven and earth on the doomsday of the world The park itself reflects the purported values, Satan (Mara-Devil) prevented him by destroying the impending environmental and military disas- his body and the functioning of his life. Therefore, started the park because he was concerned about- on behalf of H.E. the World Peace Envoy, I wish to tion he predicted for 1999 did not come to pass, he forward this information to you and other peace madeters to a furtherface the prediction planet. When of disaster the massivein 2007. Afterdestruc leaders of the world, pleading for your help to unite people’s power to pray to God so He protects - you and the people, as meditation power will halt pangernSuchat passed posted away, a disturbing Secretary letter General on the of front the Office page military power. I should be most grateful to re- of the World Peace Envoy Dr.16 ThongmoahThe letter contains Cham ceive your message of condolence which will be entered in the book published in memory of H.E. of the organization s website. the World Peace Envoy Dr. Suchart Kosolkitiwong vaguea mixture references of Buddhist to traditional cultural andand systematicreligious beliefs jhā- (the Most Ven. Ariyawanso Bhikkhu). I am sincere- naabout meditation the role ofthroughout the evil figure South of andMara, Southeast as well as ly looking forward with high hope and respect Asia. Apparently, he was also concerned with aliens that you will join hand with other world leaders and wanted to build images protecting the Earth to protect the world to eternal safety. With best from what he believed were imminent asteroids. wishes for humanity and may humans live togeth- er in peace.”[sic]17 these claims. The letter reads: No one at the park wanted to speak with me about - “H.E. the World Peace Envoy, the Most Venerable Ariyawanso Bhikkhu, Dr. Suchart Kosolkitiwong Although Suchat grew up in the Thai-Pali Bud- dhist tradition and ordained as a monk in the Thai Sangha, the focal point of the park, as the name sug 16 http://www.worldpeaceenvoy.org 17 Accessed online on October 3, 2012.
DORISEA Working Paper, ISSUE 15, 2015, ISSN: 2196-6893 Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 12
- ICE CASTLES AND BUDDHIST WATERPARKS IN VIETNAM gests, is Kuan Yin Sanskrit: Avalokiteśvara, Japa- nese: Kannon, Thai: Guan )m . The statue – which I had the most enjoyable research trip of my career inSuchat Shanghai. claimed It has was 1,000 the world s arms that largest are supposedwooden im to - reachage of Kuanout to Yin support - is a Chinese humanity. design18 Although and was carvedthis is to one of these sites. My ten-year-old son, (en There are, in fact, statues honoring what he called ry, and ) made a trip to the Suối Tiên Amusement- the central image of the park, it is not the only focus.tivelyPark in manageable the suburbs for of moderna middle-class Saigon urban (o Chi family Minh inCity Saigon, in South with Vietnam. foreigners The paying entrance a slightly fees are more. rela the twelve great world religions Witnessed by me on site . There are images of Śiva, Brahma, Maitreya,- as well as goddesses and spirits like Nang Torani. andSuối picnic Tiên Fairyareas are Stream surrounded is not byofficially large statues a Buddhist of A section of the park called The Land of Mahāya amusement park, but many of its rides, stage shows,- na-Tao Thai: Daen Mahayan-Tao features statues dha, or the historical Buddha. Other statues, includ- supposedof the Jade to honor Emperor many and religions, other Daoist including immortals those Kuan Yin Vietnamese: Quan Âm , Maitreya Bud notand based painted in Asia, images but there of the is Yin-Yang.little built Thein honor park of is - ing the tall man-made mountain overlooking the less respected in the brochure and on the website. mythologicalsplash pool and fairy log from flume Vietnamese ride is of one literary of Vietnam s history )slam, Christianity, or Judaism, which are neverthe former emperors. Other statues are of Âu Cơ, the - is a large palace with colorful reliefs depicting the )n my brief interviews at the site with park officials, originand Lạc of Longthe Vietnamese Quân, the dragon people. she marries. There there was little knowledge of why sections dedi cated to these religions were not built at the park.- Since Suchat s passing in , there appears to have been little park development. Despite the ap servicesparent aims are conductedof promoting in Thai, world literature peace, theis in park Thai, is mainly aimed at Thais. Most of the images are Thai, - andist traditions, most participants it is a local are site Thai. that While is more many concerned invited guestswith local adhere politics primarily and economics to the Sikh, rather (indu, than or Daopro- moting ecumenical values and world peace.
Figure 9: A mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Daoist imagery at Suối Tiên Amusement Park aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aa 18 Large Kuan Yin statues are increasingly commonplace in Thailand. Besides the places mentioned above there are also -
Awarlords bronze plaqueand forming with a shortan early history South of VietnamVietnamese de good examples of large and actively patronized images at scribes the history of Đinh Bộ Lĩnh defeating19 These shortlocal allWat of Muang these places,in Angthong these Kuan see below ,Yin images Koh areLoi partin Sri of Ratchalarger Chonburi , and on the popular tourist island Koh Samui. At fountains, and food courts. The Koh Loi (“Floating Island”) kingdom Dai Co Viet in (oa Lu . - Thai monasteries replete with festival grounds, flea markets, history lessons are scattered throughout the park. Colorful statues of animals important in Vietnam image in Sri Ratcha is connected to the mainland by a long ese folklore like unicorns, turtles, and phoenixes causeway with a huge weekend market, an outside movie 19 theatre, amusement park, astrologer s booths, boating club,- - and aquarium. Alongside Kuan Yin s pavilion are several Đinh Bộ Lĩnh was given the name Đại Thắng Minh (oàng shrines to local famous Thai monks and Thai Buddha im Đế. ) thank Amy Le for translating this history for me. An theages. various )t is the shrines central and entertainment swapped stories district about of the Sri various Ratcha. ) describesother plaque the placedearliest on history site in of March, what is called offers Vietnam a history to- activitiesthank the there many throughout people at the Koh year. Loi There who are guided also meseparate around lesson supposedly written by (o Chi Minh himself which
day. )t recounts the largely imaginary (ồng Bàng family reign Chinese-Thai monasteries that are centered around images andstarting historical with Kinhhistories Dương are Vương presented and alongsidehis son Lạc well-docu- Long Quân of Kuan Yin like the beautiful Sala Mae Guan )m built in the and his wife Âu Cơ around BCE . These mythological- s along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, and the more ence of Vietnam. This particular origin story is celebrated modern and much larger Kuan Yin Shrine in the Lad Phrao mented ones. All of them emphasize the eternal independ section of Bangkok. ) thank Susanne Kerekes for providing (2007).me with information about the latter. For more examples of Buddhistannually atschools the park chanting in a ceremonyin unison. known as Giỗ Tổ featuring Kuan Yin images, especially in Southern Thailand, see Maud historical parades, and monks and nuns from many different DORISEA Working Paper, ISSUE 15, 2015, ISSN: 2196-6893 Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 13
of fountains, and two giant dragon-shaped water a bat cave, crocodile farm, orchard, laser tag, race also abound. There are dolphin shows, a small zoo, and slid. No one waited 30 minutes after their ice arena, a roller coaster, a “dreamy castle”, and count- slides. My son and hundreds of others splashed cars for children, a skating rink, a paintball fighting carts. Local pop bands perform on a stage that is creams before swimming. At one point, exhausted, less carnival games, snack stands, and ice cream- my son stumbled over to me and said Dad,20 ) wish all temples were like this. Can we go to more places shapedfrom the like crocodile a mythological farm (with giant over frog. 2,000 A large croco- Bud like this on your work trips? ) simply nodded. dha looks over the front entrance. My son darted riding bicycles, playing soccer, and lifting weights. diles! to a show featuring macaques and baboons
Forest”We decided (Vietnamese: not to take Bí Mậtpart Rừngin the Phù fish Thủy foot) massage,which but instead explored the The Mystery of Witch mummyfeatured display.spooky Frommusic, there, animatronic we rode skeletons,a roller coast- and eran through American the )ndian mouth diorama of a Brahma-head next to an modeled Egyptian photograph beneath the 35 meter thousand-eyed andafter thousand-armed the Bayon at Angkor Kuan Yin in and Cambodia. bought a) mango took his
- icepopters, who next are to believedthe giant to rotating have led statue the ofliberation the heroic of Trung Sisters Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị . The sis atop of a giant elephant. Vietnam from the Chinese in the first century CE, sit
Figure 11: Henry McDaniel inside the sledding area
Figure 10: Entrance to the Laser War Zone I came to this place not only because I wanted to
There was an American-style Halloween display, a gold and silver mountain, a ferris wheel, swan entertain my son, but because it is the first Buddhist amusement park in Asia. )n the center of the park,- shimmering in gold next to the Snow Castle and the- boats, a laser war zone, and my favorite – the SnowularBeach liturgies of the Gods, and paying is a large, respects fully functioningto shrines to Bud the Castle. This was a large refrigerated room in which dhisthistorical temple Buddha, with nuns Kuan and Yin, monks and performingother Bodhisat- reg sleddeda snow onmachine rubber had inner created tubes -a all sledding the while hill. it wasWe put on boots and a long jacket provided by the staff andBuddhist Sangha, and there are a number of letters After emerging, we came upon the center of the tvas. Many of the images were donated by the Thai degrees outside! 20 park and home to over screaming children – the for ) theirwant assistanceto thank (anh in Vietnam. Ly Nguyen, Van Chat Nguyen, Bang Biển Tiên Đồng The Beach of the Gods . This huge Anh Tuan, Dang Thi Cam Tu, David Biggs, and Edward Miller water park features a massive DORISEA wave Working pool, dozensPaper, ISSUE 15, 2015, ISSN: 2196-6893 Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 14 of friendship in Thai (something I could refreshing- called the “King of the Vietnam Entertainment In- ly read among the signs in Vietnamese I needed a dustry”. He did not have time to meet with me, but I
I had a chance to read some of the liturgical 23 translator for! . was able to obtain a detailed profile about him and- name to be published) about the activities of the his park in a Saigon business journal. Đinh Văn temple.books and I was interview surprised a to nun learn who that shedid wasnot chant- want herVui, a longtime member of the Vietnamese Com - munist Party from the (ậu Giang area, purchased cal guide that originated in Thailand.21 It contained the land for the park which was largely abandoned- theing fromtraditional a Vietnamese seven parittas translation (protective of a Pali chants/liturgi fields outside of Saigon in . (e launched a Thai: Chet Tamnan) chanted everyday all across smallThese farm,slowly a becamepython farm,popular and in a Singapore workshop and to pro Tai- wan.duce In small 1990 Buddhist he discovered wooden that statuesthere was for a natural export.
Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand,- of the abundant water supply to start an entertain- but not well-attested in Vietnam. The book actuallymentspring swimming underneath area the forland. the (e swelling decided toSaigon make sub- use contained Pali in Roman script followed by -Viet namese translations and was promoted by Thích- (ộStream). In order to raise the capital to build this Tông,gies. She a saidVietnamese no, and showedmonk who me the had chants trained to Kuan in Thai urban population, which he named Suối Tiên Fairy land.Yin/ Quan) asked Âm hershe hadif she performed only chanted that morning, Theravada the liturgrow peppers, longans, and papaya. He also raised leisure park, he invested in expanding the farm to ofChu ten Mãn mantras Nguyện honoring Đại Bi Tâm the 10,000Đà La Ni Buddhas Fulfillment com- pigs, pythons, and eventually monkeys, local bears, Wishes Great Compassion Dharani and a collection and he even imported turkeys and ostriches. People 22 flocked to see his growing zoo. piled by the Vietnamese monks Thích Nhật Từ and ThíchBuddhist Quảng traditions Tâm Thích and she Nhật said Từ that . she wanted) asked toher honor why all she the chanted shrines fromin the books temple from equally different and
- ulemake of allevents people at thefeel temple, welcome. which (er included attitude aand wide this arrayecumenical of parades liturgy and fitted chanting perfectly events within dedicated the sched to Buddhist holidays from many different regions of Vietnam and many different schools of Buddhism, alongside rituals conducted by hundreds of nuns - portant non-religious anniversaries. It was a truly and monks for different national holidays and im The nature of this temple and the amusement one-stop cultural-religious-entertainment temple! park around it reflects the eclectic way in which it 21was built. )t was founded by Đinh Văn Vui, who is
The introduction of this particular book locally published- at the (uyền Không (uế Temple in was compiled by Thích Siêu Minh and contains instructions on how to per thatform these Theravada are the rituals, oldest explains liturgical the chants chanting in the of history the triple of gems Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha and a statement claiming
Buddhism. Thích Pháp Trí did the translation based on Thích (ộ Tông and Thích Minh Châu s original work. Thích Viên Minh of the (uyền Không (uế Temple published the guide of insteadchants, whichof paritta they call dhāraṇī using the Sanskrit name- of protective chants in the Vajrayāna and Mahāyāna traditions Figure 12: Nun chantin a mixture of Pali and Vietnamese Protec- . (owever, Edward Miller and ) are under- tive Buddhist Liturgical Texts in the Buddhist Temple at Suối Tiên taking a study of it and the origins of the Pali library at the Amusement Park Xá Lợi Temple in Saigon and the large number of Thai Bud borderdha images region appearing of South atVietnam, Vietnamese there temples.is a large While Theravada there are not many Theravada temples outside of the Cambodian 22 - Perhaps inspired by the crocodile and tiger temple in (ue Central Vietnam . farms in Thailand at this time, he expanded his own and This guides book to is Vietnamese part of a ceremonialseries by Thích chanting. Nhật He Từ also which pro- in 23 cludes over works on Vietnamese Buddhism doctrine- ) sincerely thank Amy Le for translating this profile for me duces CDs and VCDs of Vietnamese Buddhist music and tra and for her help in making sense of several liturgical books ditional Vietnamese folk songs. DORISEA Working Paper, ISSUE 15,from 2015, the ISSN: park; 2196-6893 see Lưu Vinh and (uyền Chi . Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 15 crocodile farm. He claims that he wanted the people - promote local culture and so is made from herbs ly Vietnamese to honor local history and foster eth- est Wine . This wine, like the park, is supposed to nicvisiting pride. his His zoo dedicationand farm to tohave Buddhism something also unique made him want to promote that aspect of Vietnamese and fruits that gather the sun between and am culture. It was a gamble, he says, and he had many which Witnessed are open by meto the on public site -from before the release. local forests. )t sleepless nights worrying about this massive proj- is aged months in the wine vaults in the park - - tural displays and rides authentic and educational. “This(uỳnh special Đồng Tuấnand legendary claims that product line is very Heect. traveled(e studied to severalhistory placesand local including art to make Hanoi his and cul effective, very good for your health, and used to serve valued customers and higher-ups, reserved for worldly guests to use in important banquets communistQuảng Ninh party to gather who wanted information. him to (ecelebrate also gained the that will have effects as soon as you drink it. Drink the support of the (o Chi Minh City council and the it before bed or during meals to strengthen your received over four million visitors a year. He claims health… [it] is good for circulation, good for kid- independent heritage of Vietnam. By , the park neys, virility, strengthen joints, muscles, helps smooth skin, healthy skin, helps in food digestion, the park is worth , billion dong million prevents backaches, ear tingles, makes your beard USD today. and hair black, feel younger, increase in energy, detoxifies, increases longevity…Drink this cup and it takes you to the heavens.”25
combinationAlthough )of cannot Buddhist claim ritual, that teaching, it took me and to play the afterskies, visiting ) certainly the “Fairy had a Stream” new appreciation Buddhist temple, for the
the Beach of the Gods , and the Underworld Palace of Wine.
Figure 13: One of the many statues of the Buddha at the park
The crowning glory was the 2003 launch of the -
Beach of the Gods salt water park, which he want ed to be like a blue ocean in the middle of the city Witnessed by me on site . (e also stated that the motto of the park was culture, people, modernity, andalways religion. innovating! One of ibid. .his most (e recent was therefore endeavors always was eager to expand the park and support local culture to start a wine producing and bottling plant at the Figure 14: The entrance to the temple at the amusement park - ple, wine is produced under the direction of the park. Less than meters from the Buddhist tem deputy general manager (uỳnh Đồng Tuấn, - the 2013,The there park was is still a large not sectionfinished, under with construction, more rides and Suối Tiên Đệ Nhất Tửu Suoi Tien Finest Wine andgames planned. When we were there in November the Suối Tiên Đệ Nhất Tửu Underworld Palace Fin but even unfinished there are plenty of rides and 25 More information can be found by writing to the Suối Tiên wine. )ncorporated Suối Tiên Cultural Tourism Company Again, ) thank Amy Le for translating this description of the Nguyễn Duy Dương, Phường , Quận .DORISEA TP.(CM. Working Paper, ISSUE 15, 2015, ISSN: 2196-6893 Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 16
The individual objects and architectural features achievement and part of a wave of new amusement of the sites are not “seen”. They do not teach in the sites to fill many days of fun. The park is a fantastic form of a systematic lesson. They overwhelm. Other associations created by these sites are parks being built throughout Asia. (owever, as far- mise- as ) know it is the first place to feature a Buddha mono throughout the Buddhist world are charac- image next to a roller coaster. The Suối Tiên Amuse- not just delightful, but horrifying. Much of the ment Park might seem excessively irreverent to an article, I have described hell gardens, bloodthirsty typeAmerican of blending like me, of who leisure grew and up Buddhism with a strict is not separa new beasts,terized demons,by the assembling and torture of chambersthe grotesque. depicted )n this ortion particularly between church strange and in theamusement region.26 park, but this in Buddhist installation art, murals, and sculpture -
Buddhistgardens. (owever,spaces, they like are serene promoted ponds, as flowerplaces for gar dens, fine art museums, and sumptuous palace-like Buddhist learning.27 Buddhist adults and children familiesat these horrifying to visit as sites sites do not of relaxationshudder in andfear, but casual laugh, tease, and pose for photographs. This may
video-games and the nightly news, but as an im- portantnot be part a sign of carnival of desensitizing culture and caused religious by violentart.
Baudelaire, Bahktin, Victor (ugo, Thomas Wright, literatureKarl Friedrich between Fögel, the Wolfganghorrifying, Kayser,the absurd, and and many theothers comedic. have 28 seen As the the famous link nineteenth in art, architecture, century ar- and
“grotesque is, in almost all cases, composed of two chitectural historian, John Ruskin, pointed out, the 2009, 38). He saw the grotesque as further divided intoelements, the “sportive one ludicrous, grotesque” the other and the fearful “terrible Rusking gro- tesque”. He saw Venetian churches, the main area of his research, as combining the horrifying ridic- ulous and the slightly fearful, as can be clearly seen Figure : Biển Tiên Đồng [The Beach of the Gods] Water Park is as appropriate a response as shuddering when CONCLUSION visitingin the figures these churchesof the gargoyle and viewing or the their troll. grotesque Laughter ornament. There is much Buddhist ornamentation, whether it be in illuminated manuscripts, architec- religious buildings, tourist site, and spectacle (mise- tural features, stone reliefs, or statuary, which com- Manymono ).of They the sites produce mentioned certain above types areof associations. a mixture of bine the ludicrous and the fearful, as well as forms a - large aesthetics of spectacle.29
Some of these associations, experienced as diver matter of taste), the aesthetic aspects of Buddhism sions and distractions, are complex, even confusing. Whether it be pleasant or horrifying which is a 26 27 A much broader study of the various ways to interpret slides, There but is less now particularly another amusement Buddhist and/or park Vietnamese near Suối Tiên his- the importance of the grotesque in Buddhist cultures is Li toricalcalled Damthemed Sen statues, Water Park.displays, )t has or rides.larger Forpools an andinteresting longer importance of comedy, leisure, and horror in religious aes- - thetics. . See especially pages – where she discusses the American Christian comparison see Creation Museum in 28 - Petersberg Kentucky. )t was founded by a Christian Evan ature, see Foster (2008). gelical group led by Ken (am called the Answers in Genesis 29 For comparative examples from Japanese history and liter- which promotes what they see as a Biblical explanation for existence and wants to provide an alternative to the Darwin s Ruskin cited in Li , . See also Eubanks ; Fos- Seetheory http://creationmuseum.org/. of evolution. )t has Biblical See displays,also a critical films, assess- games, ter Stallybrass, ; Ruskin for conversations , ; Kayseron this issue. ; See Baudelaire his (with and rides, and even zip-lines. )t is a highly politicized site. ; (ugoThe . Politics ) also and want Poetics to ofthank Transgression my colleague, (1986). Pe ment of the park and its finances by Mark Joseph Stern,- Allon White / / ; http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_ not(e and necessarily Michelle aOsterfeld way of challenging Li note that theunlike sanctity the approach and order of science/science/ / /ark_encounter_finances_oba Bahktin, the grotesque in literature, architecture, and art is macare_sank_ken_ham_s_creationist_theme_park.html. See which made ugliness and buffoonery - which were often as- also the sprawling Tierra Santa Christian Theme Park in sociatedof the elite with classes. not only Rather, immorality, it is a type but alsoof displaced the lower abjection classes http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tierra-santaBuenos Aires, Argentina. )t has life size dioramas detailing - an openly ridiculed aspect of daily life. Biblical Stories like the Last Supper, Crucifixion, and the like; DORISEA Working Paper, ISSUE 15, 2015, ISSN: 2196-6893 Competence Network DORISEA – Dynamics of Religion in Southeast Asia 17 are routinely reduced to functionalist analyses. The uments, meeting places (churches, mosques, tem- ples), and media machines over the past century. importance of spectacle for spectacle s sake is too sites outside of their social, political, and psycholog- asquickly a spectacle discounted and a as distraction, somehow as not a subject religious that or icalPaying functions attention seems to overdue.the aesthetic qualities of these shouldnot necessary be included for human under meaning-making. the study of aesthetics, Religion as much as it is included under the study of ethics, is the rise of the surveillance state, the psychology and JUSTIN THOMAS MCDANIEL, is professor of Religious psychotropicalive and well industries, at Buddhist and amusement an increasingly parks. perva- With Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. His re- sive mass media, the functional need for religions to search foci include Lao, Thai, Pali, and Sanskrit liter- enhance social cohesion, be a tool of state control ature, art and architecture, and manuscript studies. His first book, Gathering Leaves and Lifting Words, (narrative, ritual, symbolic) coping mechanisms won the Harry Benda Prize. His second book, The seemsor financial more and exploitation, more arbitrary. or provide However, psychological religious Lovelorn Ghost and the Magic Monk, won the Kahin spectacle attractions and massive investment in Prize. In 2012 he was named a Guggenheim Fellow religious entertainment and spectacle attractions and in 2014 a fellow of Kyoto University´s Center for (both sectarian and non-sectarian) continue to Southeast Asian Studies. grow. Indeed, in many parts of the world, there has been a rise in investment in massive religious mon- CONTACT [email protected]
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Translated by Charun Gaini. Bangkok: Viriyah Business Company.
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