Choreographing the site of impermanence: Performing body with Buddhist philosophy and meditation in movement-based performance
Tanatchaporn Kittikong
Dance, Movement & Spiritualities July 1, 2015 DOI: 10.1386/dmas.2.1.57_1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that Buddhist practices of mindfulness of the body, particularly when combined with movement and performance, can offer an experiential route to a 'direct experience' of being that transcends attachment to body and self. The author reflects on this from an insider perspective within Thai Buddhist culture, while noting that the tradition's core teaching of non-self resists intellectual analysis. |
Abstract
This article offers some in-depth reflections on the body in Buddhism, and particularly the concept of ‘impermanence’ and ‘mindfulness of body’. I explore here, how the body is classified and intellectualized in Buddhist culture and tradition, with a focus on definitions and practices of Buddhist Theravada, including: Satipatthana, Vipassana Meditation, Nama-Rupa and Kayagatasati. I offer further reflections on my own work as a performer and choreographer, and the experience of applying, experiencing and reflecting on the Buddhist body in performance. From these in-depth observations that are derived from my deep immersion in Buddhist culture, my work as a performer/lecturer, and my doctorate, I focus specifically on the practice of ‘mindfulness’ and movement, which offers an experiential access route to a ‘direct experience’ of being; a state beyond attachments to body and notions of self. Notably, I am an insider cultured in Thai Buddhist traditions and culture – and from this standpoint, I both reflect on, and engage in, an intellectually rich, and complex spiritual traditional that ironically holds at its core the lesson to pursue non-self, and hence resists analysis and intellectualism.
Comparable studies
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|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |