The Ark

In the 14th Century, Lama Thangtong Gyalpo conceived the idea of using Lhamo, Tibetan opera, as a means of telling moral tales from the Buddhist tradition.

Transcript

9th July, 2006
Rachael Kohn: Great costumes, dramatic tales, thrilling voices, and a moral message! What more could you want from opera?

Hello, I'm Rachael Kohn, and this is The Ark on ABC Radio National.

You're probably thinking of Don Giovanni or La Boheme, but there's another tradition of opera, from Tibet, and it's called Lhamo.

It combines the secular dances of the Tibetan royal dynasty, with the Buddhist stories central to Tibetan culture. With so many Tibetans in exile since the Communist takeover in 1949, the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, or TIPA, ensures that they can still witness the spectacle of Lhamo, explained here by TIPA representatives Marcea Klein and Lama Rigzin.

Lama Rigzin: It is like opera in the sense that it is telling stories. And that has a spiritual connotation to it. It's like beautiful voices and performances, it's like a nice medium to get to the general public who do not have access to spirituality as often as ordained monks and nuns do.

Rachael Kohn: How far back does Lhamo go?

Lama Rigzin: There are many ways of looking it, but to the general and popular understanding it goes back to the 14th century I think. There's this famous Buddhist master, this very famous master, and he apparently had a dream, and he had visions of goddesses and so on, and then it became a channel of communicating sort of the essence of teaching, often in the way it is performed. It begins with about five or seven goddesses coming in front, and they would have the image of Buddha as their crown, and it's sort of very, very Buddhist thing.

Rachael Kohn: It's very Buddhist. Lhamo actually means?

Lama Rigzin: Goddess. Lhamo means Goddess.

Rachael Kohn: Has it developed over the years from the 14th century?

Lama Rigzin: I think it has developed in the sense that so often the history of Tibet is spiritual history, so the medium of telling the stories sort of remains the same, but then there are other stories that come out.

Rachael Kohn: So the current travails of Tibet, when China moved in and appropriated it, is that story also incorporated into Lhamo?

Lama Rigzin: I have not seen or heard those kind of stories. like when the Chinese came in in the beginning of 1940 and '59 onwards. Those kind of stories at the moment, I don't know if they are being told, but most of the stories, they are stories like of Padmasambhava who is considered to be the reincarnation or manifestation of a famous Buddhist master from India who ran there. And then there is a particular story about Timeken, it's like a king again, but I don't know about the event of Tibet being raided, being told.

Rachael Kohn: What sort of a story would be performed on stage?

Lama Rigzin: The stories are often I think based on the Buddhist teaching, the principle of the law, of cause and effect. People talking about good karma and bad karma. Often the story sees a person who has lots of difficulty, but with principle and discipline and courage, going to hardship, and finally attaining the desired objective for common goodness. So in the beginning of them there's lots of obstacles for the person, and then they go through it with discipline and courage and also with patience.

Rachael Kohn: So it's a moral tale?

Lama Rigzin: It is.

Rachael Kohn: I'm trying to visualise what it looks like, the costumes, what is worn. Are they traditional or do they change?

Lama Rigzin: I think they're very traditional things, I think. The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts are coming here. They are like the institutions supported by Tibetan government in exile, and they teach it there, and apparently their very senior teacher, he's aged a bit, and then they were told in other parts of India also by some people. I think the costumes, clothes, when I saw something, I heard about it, they are in traditional sort of costumes that represents certain qualities of spirituality. So it's not like as we have here sometimes, you know the costumes sort of change.

Rachael Kohn: These are traditional costumes.

Lama Rigzin: Traditional, and try to keep it as best as they can.

Rachael Kohn: Marcea, tell me about TIPA, because I understand it's more of a secular organisation isn't it?

Marcea Klein: TIPA was the premier exile institute entrusted with the responsibility of preserving and promoting Tibet's unique tradition, and performing arts. And when the Communist Chinese occupation of Tibet happened in 1959, it forced His Holiness, the Dalai Lama and of course some 80,000 Tibetans to leave and flee to India.

Pretty soon after his arrival in India he started the Tibetan Institute for Performing Arts, and I believe it was in August of 1959, and he felt that he had to take immediate steps to preserve the tradition of the performing arts before it actually got lost forever. So TIPA was established and it's a vibrant and creative institute. It's based in Dharamsala. It has about 112 people and they're artists and they're instructors and there's an administration staff and there's also craftsmen and so they all live and work on the premises. And of course the main aim is to preserve the ancient culture.

Rachael Kohn: Is it invariably the case that the performances that TIPA produces have strong religious elements?

Marcea Klein: Oh, definitely. Because everything that they do is steeped in their Buddhist tradition, whether it be song, whether it be dance, whether they're drinking beer, whether they're ploughing the fields, whatever they may be doing, there is always some song or some dance that accompanies that, and that is always about the Buddhist tradition and the Buddhist philosophy.

Rachael Kohn: Rigzin, dance is very much a part of this performance. Can you tell me about some of the dances? I've read about the masked spiritual dance, the Shanak. What is that?

Lama Rigzin: Yes, this is a very popular. In the sense, Shanak basically means a black hat, so the performer wears a black hat, and also traditional garment, very, very nice looking, and it is often performed on special occasions when say at the end of the year usually. We have a big ceremony in most of the monasteries, and the locals would come and participate in it. And they often there are like maybe five persons performing that traditional dance.

It is to chase away obstacles, and Shanak, wearing a black hat and looks a bit fearful in the performances, and it's to chase away obstacles in the sense that Tibetan Buddhism very strongly asserted that the obstacle that we face is mainly the obstacle is in us, it's our own delusions that we are unable to see things properly and our views about the reality exaggerate the obstacles out there.

So the Shanak performances often are to convey the meaning that one needs to get rid of the obstacles that one has inside through meditation and through practices of kindness. And after that only one will be able to chase away the obstacles that are external. So these are very traditional performances.

Before we actually do something which is a ritual for like 11 days and it concludes on the final day, and all that day the performance of Shanak is performed and it's believed that all of the obstacles are chased away and the prayer has been said for the peace and happiness all over the world. So it's sort of an indication and a reminder that the obstacles need to be chased away. It's a very, very visual but yet very spiritual.

Rachael Kohn: I imagine that it affects the audience quite a lot. I mean what sort of responses have you had?

Lama Rigzin: I think if people understand the objective of the performances, it has a very powerful effect on the people, and even if people do not understand very much of it, but still it is very powerful in the sense that the dancers themselves are very, very powerful. And it's a very beautiful tradition upheld by many, many masters, including His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, and all the masters in the Tibetan school. These are a very big part, so the fact that it belongs to such a very powerful tradition and often maintained, I think it would have strong effect on people.

Rachael Kohn: How prevalent is the training of people in these dances? Where does it occur? How can someone learn to do these dances?

Lama Rigzin: These are traditionally taught in the monasteries, especially as part of the festivals that happen, and if people are keen to learn these things, certainly things could be organised.

Rachael Kohn: Marcea?

Marcea Klein: My understanding is also that at TIPA they conduct two-year trainings, and they actually teach teachers and then the teachers go out to the schools in exile and teach. And they also have children at TIPA where they see who is best or most interested in performing song and dance, and they actually take children and teach them to do either dancing, singing. They also have crafts where they make the instruments, make the costumes and they also include academics in that as well. So actually children can have a full range of teaching there, and work, and study.

Rachael Kohn: Gosh, so the instruments also are traditional?

Both: Oh yes.

Rachael Kohn: Rigzin, have you trained to be part of this?

Lama Rigzin: I have. I have not in an institution like TIPA, but in the monastery. I have actually done this ritual that involves the Shanak to participate. That's why I have an understanding of the essence of the practice of Shanak.

Rachael Kohn: Can you tell me a little about any other of the dances, there's one I know called Tashi Sholpa.

Lama Rigzin: Yes, Tashi Sholpa is very popular whenever we have something, a big day like His Holiness the Dalai Lama's birthday, which we are going to celebrate in Sydney on 8th May in Marrickville Town Hall. That also will begin with performances of Tashi Sholpa. Tashi Sholpa. Tashi basically means auspiciousness, and goodness. So Sholpa is someone from the area of Shol in Tibet. So this actually came from a particular area. So performance coming from there which is invoking auspiciousness.

Rachael Kohn: Rigzin, what monastery are you from?

Lama Rigzin: I am from monastery in Dehra Dun, that's in North India. It's a Sakya monastery, I come from Sakya.

Rachael Kohn: Well 2006 is the Year of Tibet. How did that come about and what are you hoping to achieve in this year?

Lama Rigzin: I think the Year of Tibet 2006 was declared by the representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Australia and New Zealand and it is aimed at the crisis or the issue of Tibet and China, which seems to be slowly taking a form, hopefully to desirable outcome. So Year of Tibet is declared in support of this middle-way approach by His Holiness, Dalai Lama and followed by Tibetan people.

We are hoping this Year of Tibet and the performances go to make it easier. His Holiness Dalai Lama's representatives are being sent to negotiate and talk with the Chinese people in Tibet and a few times it has been looking like the Chinese are sort of maybe starting to take some interest in talking.

Rachael Kohn: About some form of independence? Or at least some autonomy.

Lama Rigzin: Yes. The Tibetan people in Tibet mainly. Really lots of Tibetan people still in Tibet are having a really difficult time. And also to maintain a Tibetan culture, Tibetan tradition and so on. It becomes very important that we do something about it.

Rachael Kohn: Lama Rigzin and Marcea Klein talking about Dances from the Roof of the World which starts in Sydney July 13th. For further details of their Australian tour, check our website.

Next week, the turbulent life of Muhammad, the desert prophet. That's The Ark, with me, Rachael Kohn.

Guests

Lama Rigzin
was born in India and went to a monastery at the age of eight where he studied Buddhist Philosophy until the age of 30. Rigzin is currently the General Secretary for the Tibetan Community of NSW. He also works as an interpreter as well as teaching Buddhism and holding retreats.

Marcea Klein
is part of Sakya Trinley Ling, a Tibetan Buddhist Cultural Activities Centre in the Blue Mountains of NSW.

Further Information

Dances from the Roof of the World
The Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) is coming to Australia. Sydney July 13 & 14, Blue Mts July 15, Canberra July 16, Melbourne July 20 & 22. There will also be a Tibetan Dance Workshop - A Community Project for Young and Old on July 15, 2.00 pm at the Springwood Civic Centre followed by a concert at 7 pm. For Enquiries ph: 02 4782 9550.

Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts
Promotes the practice and preservation of traditional Tibetan dance, music, and theatre.

Australia Tibet Council