The Progress of Insight
The journey to Nibbana
This mural was inspired by artwork Buddhadasa Bhikkhu discovered in an ancient Thai illustrated manuscript. He created a book from the material titled Teaching Dhamma by Pictures: Explanation of a Siamese Traditional Buddhist Manuscript. He placed an image of this piece on the cover, and explained its symbolism as follows:
The journey of this sailing ship is a metaphor for the progress of insight, which is achieved by means of following the Noble Eightfold Path. The ship and its crew are fully equipped to set sail across the ocean from the shore of suffering to the shore of liberation. The flaming shore represents Samsara, or the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, while the shore with three gems on an offering tray represents Nibbana, or liberation from suffering. The seawater is filled with fierce creatures, symbolizing the dangers of the continual cycle of birth and death.
The ship itself symbolizes the physical human body. Representing the mind is the captain, who stands at the prow. To guide his way, he uses Right View, the first component of the Noble Eightfold Path, as the compass, together with wisdom, symbolized by the seabird perched on the middle mast. At the rear of the ship, the helmsman represents Right Mindfulness. Six courageous crew members, diligently performing their duties, represent Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, and Right Concentration. Traveling together, they complete the Noble Eightfold Path. Following this path enables one to sail through the turbulent waters of defilements and finally reach the shore of liberation.
“The use of pictures as a method for explaining the Dhamma (Buddhist Teachings) has been popular in Siam since the Sukhothai or early Ayuthia period… The illustrated manuscript reproduced here was, in the original, a traditional Thai manuscript called Samut Khoi which is a long roll of paper folded concertian-wise into leaves and then written on both sides. In this form, the illustration was presented first, followed by a few lines of explanation on a particular aspect of Dhamma such as Meditation and so forth. Cambodian script was used in those days for all religious work though the language is Siamese.”
