Page 61 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE Vol 3

Angkor Thom features Bodhisattva stone faces modelled on and repre- senting the face of King Jayavarman VII himself. Numbering over 200, the faces on the stupas all look alike.The faces shine with mercy and compassion. I was convinced that this type of charisma is the real mentality of this nation’s people, if not of every generation or of the majority then of the Buddhist devotees they once were and still are.Some of you might think my assumption is invalid. You may think because I’m a Buddhist, I must be biased towards my religion...But in all honesty I’m not religious at all. I dare say I’m rather wicked. However I understand one principle of Buddhism to a certain extent, which is to focus on inner peace and stay unattached to material possessions. When there is no sense of possession, it allows one to focus on independent existence. When there is no desire, no one wants to hoard or to exploit others, and thus they will feel self-sufficient and content. And of course that contentment will be reflected in their faces.I’m strongly convinced the head statue of King Jayavarman VII at the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh shows a human face with deep peace of mind.Still...According to history, Hinduism and Buddhism coexisted in the Khmer kingdom from the day it first took shape. And of course there were clashes between devotees of the two religions. There were times when the Hindus were in power and the Buddhists were oppressed.A few stone Buddha statues at Ta Prohm were headless. I was told Hindu extremists were responsible for the act. Thinking of their value to art, I couldn’t help but feel dejected.But in terms of ideology, I believethe existence of the headless statues speaks to the core of Buddhism: ignore illusory needs and worldly material belongings, stay focused on your thoughts and inner self.During my tour of ancient Ta Prohm, I saw a man sweeping the courtyard diligently. I asked him his name. Uncle Niam was 76 years old.The old man had been sweeping the temple courtyard since 1979. His task had paid him no compensation at first. He started to get paid by the government only a few years ago.“What brought you to sweep the courtyard?” I asked him through a translator. I was aware the Khmer Rouge were in power in 1979 and such an act of caretaking would certainly not have been approved of.“The courtyard was dirty.” Giving me this really short answer, he offered that deeply content Bayon smile.We left Ta Prohm, had lunch in Siem Reap and flew back to Phnom Penh. As it was late, we spent another night in the capital and flew back to Bangkok the next morning.During the night, I was over- whelmed with thoughts...Thinking big, thinking of ideals that brought the world Angkor Wat and Tuol Sleng, the former majestic, the latter seeped in pain. With idealism, we never know where we will end up. Maybe thinking practically, simply and crudely, in the way of Uncle Niam, is better.I was obsessed with such thoughts.By the time we left Phnom Penh, I was drawn to a conclusion: Uncle Niam’s ideology was probably the best world view.Before taking off, I bought a copy of The Phnom Penh Post for February 21-March 6, 1997. One headline referred to the biggest ever seizure of Angkor sculptures. The passage reported that the sculptures weighed10 tonnes altogether. They had been cut into smaller pieces for transport and would be reassembled at the destination, an antiques market at a hotel in Bangkok.Reading the news, I wasn’t sure any more if thinking crudely and practically was a righteous worldview...Certainly not in my country, Thailand, where crude actions can mean exploitation.About the AuthorSeksan Prasertkul was born in 1949 in the eastern part of Thailand. He received a PhD in political science from Cornell University, USA, and apart from writing, he has served as a lecturer at Thammasat University, Bangkok, during the past 20 years. Seksan rose to prominence in Thailand as both a writer and public figure, and his literary works are considered unique because of their consistency, original style and inspiring thoughts drawn from his direct experiences.Seksan Prasertkul was honoured as Thai National Artist in the field of literature for the year 2009.Elite+ 59