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'Shrines,
Spirits, and Pagodas and the Visual Journey'
In
April 2004 I presented a workshop at the Asian Education Foundations
International Conference Linking Latitudes in Hanoi, Vietnam.
It looked at the methods that historical information such as is
set out below could be delivered in a creative and subjective format.
As an artist and a maker of books I developed a 'visual journey'
through the history of the Shrines, Spirits and Pagodas of Vietnam.
Images of this can be seen at the conclusion of this page.
Early
last century the French writer Leopold Michael Cadiere described
the Vietnamese religious philosophy and beliefs as an impenetrable
forest: “You see gigantic tree trunks sinking their
roots into unknown depths; the impenetrable canopy of leaves
forms dark shadowy vaults; the branches bend to the ground
and put out new roots; climbing plants twine from tree to
tree-you can see no beginning no end.' The same would be true
today.
The
centre of this popular belief has always been the ancestor
cult and the animistic worship of spirits. This has been part
of the life, death, and day-to-day existence of the Vietnamese
for at least 2,000 years before recorded history began.
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Like
the constant regular change of day and night and the never-ending
cycle of work and rest, sowing and harvesting, in Vietnamese
religion human life is a constant process of renewal, which
does not stop with death. It simply means moving to another
existence and it is the duty of the younger members of the
family to show respect, as the elder’s familial responsibilities
do not end with the older persons death.
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Ancestor
worship
In
almost every house in Vietnam, and most businesses, the deceased
stare from framed portraits perched atop altars positioned
in a prime location. Bowls jabbed with dozens of singed incense
sticks surround the photographs. Fresh fruit or flowers are
cleaned and placed on a platter as a prayer offering. |
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Animism:
life in two worlds.
Animism is probably the world’s oldest belief system.
Half a million years ago in the Paleolithic era, human hunter-gatherers
wandered the forests, plains and mountains of ancient Asia. They
believed that a soul or spirit existed in every object, even if
it was inanimate. The soul or spirit existed as part of an immaterial
soul, thus making it omnipresent. They worshipped the spirits, and
made offerings to placate their anger or gain favour.
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The
belief in sprits is not confined to the county dwellers. Cultured
city dwellers live through in differing degrees of the same
dualistic world as their ancient ancestors. Like their living
souls in ancestor worship, the omnipresent genies govern the
lives of the Vietnamese day and night. Sprits, female and male,
good and evil are everywhere. “They hover through the
air and ride on the winds. They swim in the seas and glide through
the rivers; they are enthroned on mountain peaks and hide in
the depths of ravines. They live on trees and under stones,
appear in various forms, often as animals such as dragons, tigers
or whales: they rule over all parts of heaven and earth" |
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To
secure the good will of the Spirits in the centre and the south
of the country, it is an old custom to set up small shrines
outside the house to pay respect to the genies with incense
and gifts. In the north, garden gates and house door are often
decorated with mirrors to ward off harmful forces. On the trees
in the towns, on boundary rocks in the villages, tributes of
flowers and incense can be seen .Images and sculptures of the
tiger are seen outside shrines and pagodas. The tiger is feared
as much as much as admired. |
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Pagodas-
chua
Where
the word chua originated is not known but it could originate
from the Pali and Sanskrit words thupa and stupa. When the
first chua was built is also uncertain but archaeologists
believe in the early days of Buddhism in Vietnam, the followers
worshipped their new figures of worship in front of the spirit
altars, under simple straw roofs. Because of the number of
followers communities were set up and it was necessary to
build permanent structures from wood. |
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Building
involved the whole community and the advice was given on the
earth, heaven and spirits. In the building of the early Pagodas
harmony was always sought with nature.The wealth of the villages
played a part in the buildings of worship. In small villages
a simple building was the place of worship.
Some
had a simple structure, others were more elaborate with entrance
portals and gates, bell and drum towers, buildings and separate
altars for their Buddhist, Taoist and animist Gods, rooms
for offerings with gardens and surrounding walls.
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A
common architectural feature common to all chuas in North
Vietnam is the use of wooden supports. The heavy brick roofs
with elegant sweeping corner buttresses are based on a timber
frame structure, set on pillars like the pillars, which used
to support the light straw roof of the temple huts. Walls,
whether made of wood or clay are not for support they simply
provide protection from the weather.here
are no intermediate levels and no windows making the offering
ands altar room’s dark and solemn but at the same time
airy and lofty.
With
the rapid spread of chuas created many opportunities for craftsman
and artists. Woodcarving, ceramics, stonework, bronze casting
and lacquer work flourished. Though many of the works were
lost in the Chinese attacks in the fiftieth century, the larger
stonemason work survived.The
art of woodcarving flourished because of the constant need
for altar figures. Many of the roof beams and panels in the
pagodas are decorated by unknown masters. They show religious
figures, scenes from legends, fabulous beings or animals such
as dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, tortoises, symbolizing wisdom
and longevity. |
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The
statues of the Buddha’s, Bodhisattvas and deities as old
as the fifteenth century can still be found. Many were made
of a mixture of lime, sand, ground shells and paper pulp with
sugar cane juice used a binding agent. This could be modeled
into unusually smooth and soft statues. Most however were made
of wood. Working with lacquer artists, they produced extraordinary
life like multicoloured wooden sculptures.
Avalokiteshvara with a thousand arms is regarded as the most
beautiful shrine in the country. This Bodhisattva is revered
in the female form of Quan Am the goddess of mercy. In
the South artistic woodcarvings are rare; instead the inside
of the Pagoda is often decorated with large paintings, mostly
showing scenes from the life of Buddha. The main material is
stone rather than wood. The figures on the altars are mainly
Buddha’s and Bodhisattvas and like the architecture have
incorporated influences from the neighboring countries of Cambodia
and Thailand. |
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The
Community House or dinh
Surrounded
by brick walls or bamboo hedges, paths lead through the gate to
all parts of the village, the widest to the dinh, the community
house. Even the poorest villagers who could not afford a pagoda
all had their own dinh. Dedicated to a villager’s tutelary
gods the dinh was the centre for sociopolitical
activities in feudal times. The right to build a dinh was granted
by the King who confirmed the guardian spirit chosen by the villages.
The villages kept this decree or document as a special treasure.
The spirits chosen are from legends or historical figures such as
war heroes, famous scholars or respected ancestors and some cases
feared and venerated animals such as snakes or tigers.
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The
dinh exhibits a simple architectural style. It has a deep heavy
brick roof, supported by massive wooden pillars. It towers over
the village huts and dominates them imperially with its upswept
roof and carved gables .Skilful Impressive woodcarvings decorate
the entrances to the guardian spirit shrines, the altars and
the roof beams. Not bound by religious conventions some carvings
reflect the seasons of life that occurred in the village from
simple scenes of fishing to everyday life include courting couples. |
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Bibliography
Hue-Tam Ho Tai Vietnam: Essays on History Culture and Society 1985
A and W Unger Pagodas, Gods and Spirits of Vietnam
Thames and Hudson Italy 1987
Artist
Book/Journal of Presentation: Shrines, Spirits and Pagodas
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This
is a copy of the paper delivered at the Linking Latitudes
Conference in Vietnam April 2004. Please see web
policy for copyright details
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