Dance troupe transforms poem into motion

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

"Rwaneka dhatu winuwus wara buddha wiswam bhineki rakwa ring apan kena parwanosen, mangkang jinatma kalawan siwatma tunggal, bhinneka tunggal ika tan hana dharma mangrwa." (It is said that Buddha and Siwa are of different substances; they are different indeed, but how can they possibly be separated? The essence of Buddha and of Siwa is the same; they are different while being one, the truth cannot become two -- translated by Jean Couteau, The Archipelago)

These words were written some 700 years ago, during the reign of the famous Javanese king Hayam Wuruk, by Buddhist priest Mpu Tantular in his famous poem Kakawin Sutasoma, describing the philosophy behind the peaceful religious climate of the time.

The late president Sukarno took a portion of the original paragraph, bhinneka tunggal ika (unity in diversity), to describe his newly proclaimed country, Indonesia. How sad he would be to see the sectarian clashes that threaten to tear apart the country he so tirelessly fought for.

With this in mind, the Sutasoma Dance Company of Bali will next month stage In Search of the Light Within, a contemporary dance performance based on the 14th century poem, at Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) arts center in Central Jakarta.

"We chose the theme of Sutasoma because we see the inter- religious tension in the country," Fajar Satriadi, the dance company's choreographer, said during a recent media conference. He explained that instead of being a bond that unites people and brings peace and harmony, religious differences have become a source of conflict.

Fajar said that as the poem teaches people to live together peacefully despite their differences, turning Kakawin Sutasoma into a dance would remind people of the importance of following this ancient teaching today.

The show at TIM will be the second performance of the dance, choreographed by Fajar and Jane Chen. The initial performance took place at the Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) in Bali last April.

And instead of dance routines adapted to represent a complete story line, the creation will focus more on the spirituality of Sutasoma, a prince who is supposedly the incarnation of Lord Buddha, Fajar said.

"The performance will explore Sutasoma's intuition, his search for truth, instead of being in the format of a tale," he said.

According to a study of Mpu Tantular's poem by Angela Hobart in the April 1990 edition of Cornell University's publication Indonesia, Sutasoma is the son of King Mahaketu, of Kuru descent -- Kuru being the line of the Pandawa and Kurawa in the Indian epic Mahabharata, who rules over Hastina.

To his parents' dismay, the prince quietly leaves the palace one night to meditate on Mount Meru, and on the way he stops at a cemetery to worship the goddess Durga, who teaches him a mantra enabling him to dispel all harmful forces in the world.

Then Sutasoma meets the Siwaite priest Kesawa and the Buddhist priest Sumitra, who join him on his journey. On traveling deeper into the woods, they encounter an elephant-headed giant, a serpent and a tigress, who all become Sutasoma's faithful pupils.

The prince shows them the path that leads to absolute purity and inconceivable emptiness (acintyasunya). He explains that goodwill should be extended to all beings, even if this involves death.

Sutasoma also indicates that the Buddhist practice, the yoga of non-duality (adwayayoga), is superior to the Siwaite yoga, but it is essential to know both paths as both lead to liberation. He then tells each of his pupils to go off to meditate alone. He does likewise.

Later, fierce fighting breaks out between Sutasoma's cousin Dasabahu and his allies, and the demon-king Purusada ("man- eater") who has vowed to sacrifice 100 kings.

Finally through his compassion and wisdom, Sutasoma pacifies Purusada and Kala, the destructive manifestation of Siwa. It is of interest that the gods at this stage descend to help appease Kala, who is about to destroy the world, by pointing out to him that "Buddha and Siwa are one in their deepest essence". Siwa then ascends to heaven where he rules again as Pasupati, lord of all creatures.

The poem is essentially Buddhist, and according to Hobart clearly a distinct product of an East Javanese period that is marked by the growing syncretism of the Buddhist and Siwaite cults, tinged with Tantric elements.

"However, we will not dwell on the Buddhist concept, rather on the cultural process of being human," choreographer Jane Chen said.

The dance performance will be greatly influenced by Jane's 14 years of experimenting with the local martial arts Bangau Putih (white stork). "High-level martial arts is not unlike the intricate Javanese dance bedhaya," Jane commented.

The performance will forge elements of martial arts with that of movement, dervish dances, the Javanese dances srimpi and bedhaya, and combine them with Tibetan music and Javanese chants.

"I am fascinated with Tibetan sounds, the monotonic sounds produced are hypnotizing and thick in spirituality," Fajar said.

In Search of the Light Within will be performed on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. at Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM), Jl. Cikini Raya No. 73, Central Jakarta. Telp. 021-334740, 3154087.