SACRED IMAGES: Visible Representations of Divine Principles
A number of years ago I was in a little town, Darjeeling, on the northern boundary of India where it met Tibet. There were several visitors from various countries and the hotel management decided it would be appropriate to give a little entertainment in the Tibetan spirit. About half a dozen Tibetan dancers with their masks and regalia were brought in to entertain, among them a boy about eight years old, a cute, chubby little rascal whom everyone liked immediately. When the time for the dance came he put on one of the most grotesque masks you would ever want to see. He really looked like a nightmare. Everyone knew it was the little boy, but during the dance he moved over very rapidly toward the audience as though he were getting ready to attack them, and you should have seen the audience scatter. They all knew it was the little boy, but with the mask something happened—a real spirit, ancient and primordial, moved in on these people. Subconsciously they were terrified. In the Japanese Noh drama many of the themes are highly sacred. In the various performances the actors are nearly always concealed behind wood-carved masks that are well painted and decorated. They have no expression except that of the original carving, but under a careful han• 47 •