Mind-Seal Transmission

Dreambound・Soul Ablaze・Compassion・Face-Shift

Wisdom・Lucid Awareness・Mind Seal

An Artistic Meditative Theater in Communion with the Modern Soul — A Journey Toward Inner Illumination

Chuang Hui-Chiu

A thousand years ago, in the early eleventh century, upon the flowing banks of the sacred Ganges, the great yogi Tilopa sat in silent transmission with his disciple Naropa. Through “ear-to-ear, heart-to-heart,” the lineage of Mahāmudrā—the Great Seal of the Ganges—was awakened and passed on.

Now, a millennium later, this timeless journey of wisdom, forged through trials and inner fire, is reimagined in an artistic meditative theater. Director Su-chun Wu brings together a constellation of cross-disciplinary artists, weaving together Chinese chant, calligraphy, painting, dance, acrobatics, sitar, Indian drums, flute, and multimedia projection. Through a refined and poetic aesthetic, she crafts a space of humanistic depth and spiritual resonance.

“In the beginning, realization rushes like a waterfall; In the middle, it flows gently like the Ganges; In the end, all streams converge like mother and child.” With Mei-Yun Tang’s serene and flowing chant, joined by Hsi-Yeh-Tse’s sitar and Hsi Sung’s calligraphic invocations, the ancient journey of the heart begins anew.

As the storyteller Hsi Sung enters with quiet steps, he leads us from the Buddha’s path of the Four Noble Truths, realized two thousand five hundred years ago, through Naropa’s arduous quest for a realized master a thousand years past, to the present moment—where we, in the twenty-first century, listen to the Dharma with awe and joy. This transmission, undiminished by time, reveals humanity’s ceaseless longing to understand the meaning of life, and the sacred continuum of heart imprints across generations.

Yet the Dharma is a teaching of the heart, and the heart’s ultimate nature cannot be seen, touched, or spoken—it is formless, ineffable.

To express Naropa’s confusion and inner struggle on the path of seeking, director Su-chun Wu turns to the language of dance.

Born of noble lineage and blessed with beauty, Naropa was precocious in wisdom. In youth, he renounced worldly marriage and romance, devoting himself wholly to Buddhist study. He rose to become a revered scholar and professor. But at that time, his pride clouded his insight—he clung to intellectual understanding, dissecting Dharma with reason, like one who shouts earnestly in a dream, unaware it is a dream.

In the scene titled Dreambound, dancers evoke this entrapment in life’s illusory dreamscape—chaotic movement and restless yearning reflect a soul caught in the web of delusion and existential futility.

Then, an old and unsightly woman appears—she points Naropa toward a true master.

This encounter ignites a flame within. Naropa casts off his comforts and titles, leaving the halls of recognition to become an unknown wanderer in search of Tilopa, his destined guru.

In the scene Soul Ablaze, Mei-Yun Tang chants the Noble Truth of Suffering. For it is through pain that the spiritual path opens. When the soul is seared in anguish and the world reveals itself as a burning house, the yearning for liberation deepens. Only the fire of wisdom can guide one through this blaze, toward release and true awakening.

The journey to seek the master is an arduous path—a peeling away of false selves, a complete shedding and rebirth, undertaken in the hope of true transformation.

In the scene Face-Shift, the backdrop reveals a fine line illustration: Tilopa and Naropa, master and disciple, gazing into each other across time and realization.

At the fore, two dancers ascend and twirl high above the stage, entangled in long cascading fabric, chasing and confronting one another like souls suspended in the winds of awakening.

Within the still gaze of painted Naropa, there lies a silent compassion—as if bearing witness to the living Naropa’s trial through fear, humiliation, ignorance, pain, despair, and sacrifice.

This is the crucible of the heart, where illusions must burn, and the flame of unwavering resolve glows faintly in the darkness.

Naropa, through immense endurance, survives twenty-four harrowing trials. From the exhaustion of spiritual coma, he slowly reawakens—not with pride, but with a heart softened, purified, and sincere.

Only then can he receive the master’s transmission of compassion and wisdom.

Only then is the Mind Seal truly possible.

At this moment, Rinpoche Anjing sits in still composure at the center of the stage. His voice, steady and serene, opens a Dharma discourse on the path of wisdom and compassion.

Like Tilopa seated by the sacred Ganges, gently guiding Naropa, his words seem to drift gently into the hearts of the audience. When the heart opens, truth enters—not by force, but through the grace of the teacher’s presence.

Naropa’s journey nears its end. In the scene Lucid Awareness, two dancers revolve ceaselessly within a vajra wheel, their circular motion symbolizing the transmission of wisdom—how practice refines and deepens when passed from teacher to disciple.

Then, the stage descends into total darkness and stillness. A single beam of light pierces through, illuminating Chi-Chih Hu and the crystal sphere in his hand.

All eyes are drawn to the orb—so radiant, so clear, smooth, flawless, and full.

Bare-chested and shaved-headed, Hu moves with ethereal grace. The sphere dances along his fingertips, palm, arm, shoulder, and crown, never falling, never leaving—like light bound to breath, like spirit married to form.

The crystal sphere is no mere object—it is a symbol of the luminous light within each of us. A pure, sacred metaphor: weightless yet grounded, quiet yet resplendent.

In this final poetic gesture, the performance offers its silent blessing:

May you behold the light—

And become it.

In this final moment, Mei-Yun Tang returns. As the gentle flow of strings and drums fills the space, lines of calligraphy gradually emerge upon the stage backdrop.

Her voice rises once more, chanting six verses—dohas drawn from the Mahāmudrā of the Ganges, songs of the path, echoes of awakening.

The story dissolves into stillness.

Naropa, no longer entangled in form or fear, now rests in clarity.

The trials, the insight, the softening of the heart—all are distilled into these six luminous verses, gently concluding the sacred journey that unfolded before us.

A journey of shedding, of emptiness realized, of inner light radiating through the soul.

It is not the end, but an opening.

The audience is invited to walk their own path beyond the curtain’s fall.

At last, Rinpoche Anjing once again takes his seat upon the stage. His voice, calm and grounded, gently introduces the meditative path of Mahāmudrā—the Great Seal. With few words, he guides the audience into a brief moment of stillness, inviting all to dwell in the present, resting in breath, returning to the center of being.

In this final act, the audience is no longer merely watching—they become part of the experience.

Together with Naropa on stage, they enter into stillness, discovering peace and spaciousness within.

Meditation, here, is not a striving, but a returning.

A quiet meeting of self and truth.

Though fleeting, the experience is real.

From passive witness to embodied participant,

This sacred theater dissolves gently—into the heart of each soul present.

Through “Mind Seal: Naropa’s Theater,” director Su-Chun Wu does more than retell the ancient journey of the great Buddhist master Naropa in his search for inner light and wisdom.

She transforms the stage itself into a mandala of the heart—a sanctuary of luminous spirit—by weaving together diverse artistic languages.

In this heart-temple, the Dharma is not distant scripture but living presence—expressed through dance, chant, calligraphy, visual media, and more.

It is a theater of mind-to-mind transmission, offering solace to the restless modern soul, inviting each person to rediscover clarity, calm, and awakening within.

This is not an ending, but a quiet threshold.

An initiation—wordless, radiant—through the gateway of art.

By Chuang Hui-Chiu

M.A. in Psychology, National Chengchi University.

Former Creative Director at PsyGarden Publishing.

Rinpoche Anjing

Rinpoche Anjing is recognized as an emanation of one of the heart sons of the 1st Jamgön Rinpoche Lodrö Thayé.

From a young age, the Third Rinpoche exhibited uncommon signs and virtues. At sixteen, driven by profound aspiration and sincere supplication, he entered a traditional three-year and three-month retreat at Milu Bokar Monastery under the guidance of Bokar Rinpoche, the foremost meditation master of the Karma Kagyu lineage.

During retreat, he relinquished all privileges that might come with his tulku status, living humbly among ordinary monks, sharing duties and responsibilities equally. Under Bokar Rinpoche’s personal guidance, he trained rigorously in meditation and received full recognition of his realization. He received the complete transmission of sacred oral instructions and empowerments from both Bokar Rinpoche and Khenpo Dorje Rinpoche, practicing them with unwavering faith and discipline.

Rinpoche’s devotion to his root teacher mirrors that of Milarepa’s devotion to Marpa—the bond between master and disciple unshakable. He is undoubtedly the heart son of the Vajra Holder, Bokar Rinpoche.

A rare and radiant presence among young meditation masters, Rinpoche embodies humility, realization, and compassion. To receive teachings or practice under his guidance is to touch the field of extraordinary blessings and profound inner awakening.

BokarAsia ‧ Taiwan

BokarAsia • Taiwan is a Tibetan Buddhist organization devoted to the transmission of contemplative wisdom through meditation, mindfulness, and the art of inner observation. Rooted in authentic Dharma practice, the group actively engages in creating spaces where spiritual discipline meets artistic expression.

Since 2008, the organization has produced ten large-scale theatrical presentations, culminating in the 2016 performance of “Mind Seal: Naropa’s Theater.” Each performance serves not only as artistic offering but also as meditative field—a mandala where art becomes a vehicle for inner transformation and shared awakening.

Renowned choreographer and artist Wu Su-Chun, moved by the shared vision, has served as Artistic Director and lead Theater Director for Asia Bokar • Taiwan since 2016. Master of handmade garment design, Zheng Hui-Chung, has long supported the productions, designing and providing all costumes with deep dedication.

Collaborating artists and groups over the years include: Tang Mei-Yun, Xi Song, Chang Hsiao-Hsiung, Wang Hsin-Hsin, Ho Kang-Kuo, Yang Hsiao-Hsuan, Cheng Hsin-Yi, Wu Chien-Wei, Chang Yi-Chun, Hu Chi-Chih, Hsi-Yeh-Tse, U-Theatre, Evergreen Symphony Orchestra, and world-renowned Tibetan musician Nawang Khechog.

These sacred art performances seek to reveal the path of inner stillness and clarity through beauty—inviting all to enter, to listen, and to awaken.

Tel：04-23582662e-mail：bokarasia@gmail.com