by Shankar
Lamichhane
Summary:
“The Half-Closed Eyes of the
Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun” by Shankar Lamichhane is a simple story
being told through a discussion between two characters: a tourist and a guide.
It was included in the anthology Himalayan Voice: An Introduction to Modern
Nepali Literature, which was released in 1991. The story is set in and around
Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital city.
In the story, both of the
characters act as narrators. The first is a Nepali guide, and the second is a
foreign tourist. However, the western tourist pretends to be an expert, saying,
“I could take you along your ancient ways.” “You are my tour guide for today,
but I feel I can help guide you as well,” the Nepali guide replies, indicating
that he understands more about the subject at hand.
The story begins with a pleasant
atmospheric description of the Kathmandu valley, complete with visual beauty
and various colours of homes, blue hills, and so on. The guest then remarks
that the East has contributed so many things, such as the Purans, ancient
tools, ivory ornaments, palm leaf manuscripts, and copperplate inscriptions.
The tourist then tells the stories of Manjushri and how he stroked with his
sword at Chobhar, allowing people to settle in Kathmandu Valley later on, as
well as “the samyak gaze” of the shaven-headed monks and nuns who were
receiving alms and spreading Buddhist preaching near the Kasthamandap, which
represented purity.
They then discuss their passion
for wooden figures, Nepalese folk music, various cultures such as Aryans,
no-Aryans, Hindus, and Buddhists, and drinking wine. The tourist expresses
gratitude to the guide for supplying him with Nepali and Newari cuisine.
Following that, they examine the lives and histories of Princess Bhrikuti and
King Amshuvarma, as well as how the King cultivated his relationships with his
neighbouring countries, a story projected in the picture and related by an
elderly man to his grandson. The tourist is overjoyed by the welcoming smiles
he receives wherever he goes, comparing it to the farmer’s son returning home
from hard work and assuming himself and the people’s hospitable behaviour. They
have one more drink for the Nepalese people’s beautiful smile.
Then they explore other types of
eyes, such as the eyes in the windows, the eyes on the door panels, the eyes on
the stupas, the eyes of the people, the eyes of the Himalaya, and the half-closed
eyes of the Lord Buddha, referring to the country as a land
of eyes. These eyes reveal a new culture, a diversity of religions,
civilisation, vivid memories, and a long trip.
The guide tells about the temple
of Adinath, the Shiva shrine encircled by several other pictures of Buddha- a
living example of Nepalese tolerance and coexistence- but the guide takes the
guest to a house where he discovers the pulse of reality. It’s a farmer’s
family with a paralysed youngster (polio-affected boy) whose entire body is
worthless and he can’t speak, move his hands, chew his food, or even spit,
except for his eyes, which are just opposite his sister’s. As the guide
introduces the visitor as a doctor, the parents are overjoyed. In their eyes,
there is a depth of faith, connection, kindness, and thankfulness.
At last, the guide adds that
these are mountains’ eyes, and their lashes are rows of fields where rice
ripens in the rains and wheat ripens in the winter. They are as lovely as the
setting sun’s reflection in the Buddha’s eyes.
Exercise
Understanding the text
Answer the following
questions.
a. How does the tourist
describe his initial impression of the Kathmandu valley?
Answer: The tourist
describes his initial impression of the Kathmandu valley as green, with
geometric fields, earthen buildings in red, yellow, and white, and the aroma of
soil and mountains in the air.
b. According to the tourist,
why is the West indebted to the East?
Answer: According to
the tourist, the West is indebted to the East for the pleasant atmosphere,
religious and cultural sculptures, the Purans, ivory ornaments, manuscripts of
palm leaves, inscriptions on copperplate old tools, and many other things.
c. How does the tourist
interpret the gaze of the monks and nuns?
Answer: The tourist
interprets the gaze of the monks and nuns as 'the samyak gaze,' which denotes
pure and uncontaminated perception; a sight that detects everything in its
genuine form.
d. Why do the tourists think
Nepali people are wonderful and exceptional?
Answer: The tourists
think Nepali people are wonderful and exceptional because of their ability to
create exceptional wooden images, as well as numerous ornamentations and
beautiful images of deities, enchanting music from traditional musical
instruments, and hospitable behaviour through diverse cultural and religious
ceremonies.
e. What are the different
kinds of communities in the Kathmandu valley and how do they co-exist with each
other?
Answer: The different
kinds of communities found in the Kathmandu valley are Aryans, non-Aryans,
Hindus, and Buddhists and they co-exist with each other in harmony.
f. What does the tourist feel
about the temple of Adinath?
Answer: The tourist
feels the Adinath temple is a live example of Nepalese tolerance and
coexistence.
g. Why does the guide take the
tourist to the remote village?
Answer: The guide
takes the tourist to a remote village to show the tourist the pulse of reality
through the eyes of a farmer's family, their hard labour, clean environment,
and miserable living.
h. What does the innocent
village couple think of the doctor?
Answer: The innocent
village couple thinks of the doctor as the rays of hope for life.
i. What are the differences
between the paralyzed child and his sister?
Answer: The difference
between the paralyzed child and his sister is that the paralyzed child's entire
body is worthless; he can't speak or crawl, and just his eyes are living parts
of his body, but the sister's entire body operates normally. She can speak,
crawl, and move her body freely.
j. Why does the guide show the
instances of poverty to the tourist?
Answer: The guide
shows the instances of poverty to the tourist so that he understands the really
terrible poverty of people living in remote locations, as well as their lack of
security and modern conveniences despite their hospitable behaviour.
Reference to the Context
a. Which narrative technique
is used by the author to tell the story? How is this story different from
other stories you have read?
Answer: Shankar
Lamichhane, the author, uses the stream of consciousness as a narrative
technique to narrate the story "The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the
Slowly Sinking Sun."
This story differs from others
I've read since most other stories are told in the first person, with the
narrator or persona describing the events in his own words, however, this story
is told through the monologues of two characters, a tourist guide in Kathmandu
Valley and a foreign tourist. Furthermore, unlike traditional stories, the
story uses a stream of consciousness technique to capture what the two
protagonists think rather than portraying actions and events. In this
context, stream of consciousness is a writing style or storytelling approach
that reflects the natural flow of a character's extended mental process,
frequently by including sensory experiences, recollections, unfinished thoughts,
unique syntax, and sloppy grammar. This approach of stream of consciousness, on
the other hand, is not found in any of the prior stories I've read.
b. How is the author able to
integrate two fragments of the narration into a unified whole?
Answer: The author of
the storey "The Half-Closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking
Sun" attempts to integrate two pieces of narration into a unified whole by
connecting them with instances of eyes and associating them with two separate
universes. The author is detailing events that are happening in the community
as well as the activities that people do for a living. On the other hand, he
ties it to the world of farmers, where people are uninformed of the real world
and suffer from a variety of traditional beliefs and diseases.
Thus, by connecting two separate
worlds or conceptions of the East and the West, he conveys the message that one
should picture things deeply through their deeper eyes and comprehend the true
meaning of the circumstance. He associates the guide's journey with the tourist
and watching the thing on the one hand, and the guide explaining the meaning of
the places and activities on the other through examples of eyes and his
narrative techniques of stream of consciousness on the other.
c. The author brings some
historical and legendary references in the story. Collect these references
and show their significance in the story.
Answer: In the story
“The Half-Closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun,” the author
Shankar Lamichhane brings some historical and legendary references. The
following are the references and their significance:
The mention of Manjushri and his
sword stroke at Chobhar, which caused the Bagmati River to overflow, represents
her contribution to allowing people to live in the valley.
The Puranas, depictions of brass
and ivory ornaments, palm leaf manuscripts, and copperplate inscriptions all
demonstrate that the Nepalese people are rich in culture, traditions,
religions, and art crafts.
The eyes of the shaven-headed monks
and nuns represent ‘the samyak gaze,' which implies pure and uncontaminated
perception; a sight that perceives everything in its genuine form.
The mentions of Princess Bhrikuti
and King Amshuvarma illustrate historical ties or relationships with neighbouring
countries such as Tibet.
The beautiful light of the sunset
reflected in the Buddha's eyes shows Nepal as a country of Buddha with many
more hopes and peaceful sentiments in the people.
The Adinath temple is a live
example of Nepalese tolerance and togetherness.
d. The author talks about the
eyes in many places: the eyes of the shaven monks and nuns, eyes in the
window and door panels, the eyes of the Himalayas, the eyes of the
paralyzed boy, the eyes of the welcoming villagers and above all the half-closed
eyes of the Buddha. Explain how all the instances of eyes contribute to
the overall unity of the story.
Answer: In the story
"The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun" the
author talks about the eyes in many places such as The eyes of shaven monks and
nuns indicating ‘the samyak gaze’ which means the sight that perceives
everything n its true form. The eyes of the carved lattice windows, the
eyes painted on the door panels. The eyes on the stupas, the eyes of the
people, the eyes of the Himalayas, the eyes of the paralyzed boy, the eyes of
the welcoming villagers and above all the half-closed eyes of the Buddha. These
all instances of eyes indicate that it is a land of eyes, a land guarded by the
half-closed eyes of the Lord Buddha. Even if all of the world's history books
were destroyed today, but itis these eyes which displays a new culture,
civilization, religion, natural beauty and the land of Buddha. The journey
becomes meaningful by the memories obtained by the eyes.
In this way, the author connects
various instances of eyes to memories that people acquire and people's
appetites that never come true as they imagine something with their inner eyes
and hearts, and therefore unites the story as a whole.
Reference beyond the text
a. Write an essay on Living
Proximity to Nature.
Answer: Living
Proximity to Nature - An Essay
Nature is made up of everything
we see around us, including trees, flowers, plants, animals, the sky,
mountains, and forests. Humans rely on nature for a variety of reasons, the most
important of which being survival. Nature provides us with oxygen, food, water,
shelter, medicines, and clothing. Nature's various colours are what make the
Earth appealing and appealing. Nature includes everything that surrounds us,
such as air, water, animals, the sun, and the moon. Nature is vibrantly
coloured, and it contains both living and non-living organisms. Nature provides
food and shelter to animals, fish, and insects as well. Nature is critical to
the growth and balance of life on Earth.
People are inextricably linked to
nature because it is the finest place for them to live, and it is nearly
impossible to live in the world without it. It offers various sources of
energy, organic agriculture, and so on. It goes without saying that we should assist
people in reducing natural damage, reusing items, and recycling used elements
to create fresh ones. People from all over the world should work together to
reduce the strain on the environment and restore its balance.
b. The story talks about the
ethnic/religious co-existence of different communities in Nepal, where the
Buddhists and the Hindus and the Aryans and non-Aryans have lived in
communal harmony for ages. In your view, how have the Nepali people been
able to live in such harmony?
Answer: In the story
"The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun" the
author talks about the ethnic/religious co-existence of different
communities in Nepal, where the Buddhists and the Hindus and the Aryans and
non-Aryans have lived in communal harmony for ages.
In my view, the Nepali people
have been able to live in such harmony as people from many ethnic and
religious origins worship some common deities in addition to their clan or
family deities. This is due to historical, cultural, political, and geographical
factors. Nepal's various ethnic groups arrived in the country from various
directions, bringing their religious traditions with them. However, there was
no single majority group, and no one community could entirely force the other
to abandon its spiritual system. The fact that the East's faith systems
are not dictatorial like the Abrahamic faiths made it simpler for people to
embrace the deities and customs of others.
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