The Half-Closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun by Shankar Lamichhane
Shankar Lamichhane quotes “My appetite for eyes is still not satiated. I
want to see the pleasant lift of sunset reflected in the eyes of the Buddha.
Show me beautiful, full eyes, eyes without equal, eyes whose memory will
make this journey of mine unforgettable.”
Writer’s Bio:
After receiving a basic education at Trichandra College in the nation's
capital, Shankar Lamichhane, who was born in Kathmandu in 1928 but lived
with an uncle in Banaras until he was eleven, started his first job at the
age of 22 and worked for several governmental and cultural institutions in
Kathmandu. He passed away in 1975. He eventually rose to the position of
manager of a business selling handmade goods. Lamichhane frequently
socialized with international tourists to Nepal and loved contemporary
American fiction. Although his writings frequently lack a traditional
storyline and more closely resemble essays than stories, they are dense with
symbolism, and his prose is elegant, fluid, and sophisticated.
Half-closed eyes of the Buddha convey a calm atmosphere, and its reflection
in the setting sun represents the natural beauty of Nepal that the visitor
hopes to experience. The story is distinct from typical stories in that it
captures what the two characters think using a stream-of-consciousness
technique rather than displaying actions and events. The two protagonists in
the story are a foreign visitor and a tourist guide in the Kathmandu
Valley.
The Plot of the Story
Exposition:
Tourists' comments on the kindness of Nepalis and the country's
attractiveness.
Rising Action:
As the tourist talks about Bhrikuti and Buddha
Climax:
when the guide takes the tourist to see the house to show the pulse of their
reality.
Falling Action:
When the guide and the tourist visit a paralyzed boy who is attacked by
Polio and can only move his eyes.
Resolution:
The guide thinks that the boy’s eyes are as lovely as the setting Sun’s
reflection in the eyes of the Buddha.
Characters: Foreign visitor: The main narrator of the story is a foreign visitor to Nepal who has an aesthetic vision regarding the beautiful country Nepal based on his study of history, culture, and religion. The tourist has a romantic picture of Nepal based on his study of its history, culture, and religion.
Nepali Tour Guide: Another prominent narrator is a Nepalese who works as a tour guide and is
well-versed in the art, culture, geography, and religion of Nepal.
A numb child:
A young kid with polio whose entire body is paralyzed, is unable to speak,
move his hands, chew his food, or even spit whose eyes are the merely
remaining living organs in his body.
Family of a farmer:
They are a poor, down-to-earth family of farmers who live in a remote
village and face many difficulties. They have a lot of faith in themselves
and are close-knit, gracious, and optimistic about the doctor.
Theme:
Cultural and natural beauty, History, Religion, Poverty, Sympathy and
empathy, Tolerance.
Tour Guide narrates that this is the glance that is unable to show itself,
my guest; these are the eyes that look at you but see nothing. This is total
beauty that cannot be expressed in any other way. And the end of existence
is concealed in these eyes. They are equally stunning as the Buddha's
reflection of the setting sun, as you can see!
Setting: Kathmandu valley and its different places.
Main Plot: The tourist appears to be in a good mood at the beginning of the story, and he describes his first thoughts about the Kathmandu valley as being joyful. He also talks about the aesthetic beauty of the green valley with its geometric fields, various house colors, and the scent of soil and mountains in the air. He detects a tranquility that has been there for ages in the Kathmandu Valley. He comments on how much he appreciates the peaceful surroundings before adding that the East has given the West a lot, including the Purans, brass and ivory images and ornaments, palm leaf texts, and copperplate inscriptions.
Monologue: The main characters in the story have shown their monologue and the boy who is paralyzed is talking inwardly with the help of his eyes.
Irony: It is the Western guest, not the Nepali guide, who sees himself as the
expert of this knowledge as he claims, “You are a guide who will lead me
down the streets and alleyways of the present, but I could take you along
your ancient ways.” Next is “would you like some filtered water from the
thermos flex?”
Hyperbolic: It’s an aggregation of something like in the text “You live in the house
like a temple…..”
Symbolism: Buddha’s Half closed eyes, the Sinking Sun, a hill in the middle of the
village, the temple of Adinath.
Oxymoron:
(a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in
conjunction like old news, the only choice, pretty ugly, awfully good). In
this story “Sweet sorrow”
Imagery: Carved lattice windows, eyes painted in the door panels, eyes in the
stupas.
The Noble Eightfold Path:
The Noble Eightfold Path enables us to transcend our "I," experience more
harmony with the environment, and ultimately get rid of the pain we
frequently feel. The Wheel, a representation of the Dharma, is shown on this
road with eight rays that represent the subsequent eight principles:
-
Right View
-
Right Thought
-
Right Speech
-
Right Action
-
Right Livelihood
-
Right Effort
-
Right Mindfulness
-
Right Concentration
Samyaksambuddha: A samyaksambuddha is a person who has gained enlightenment (or a state of
being fully enlightened) in Buddhism and has made the decision to instruct
others on how to do the same. The word is derived from the Sanskrit words
samyak, which means "exactly" or "completely," sam, which means "fully," and
Buddha, which means "awakened one." Without the aid of a teacher, a
samyaksambuddha achieves enlightenment, also known as nirvana in Buddhism.
The Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama, was regarded as a
samyaksambuddha.
About the Story
Nepalese author Shankar Lamichhane has written a short story titled "The
Half-Closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun." This anecdote,
which comes from Himalayan Voices: An Introduction to Nepali Literature, was
first published in 1991. Michael Hutt, a professor from Nepal, has
translated and modified it. The narrative-style story is all about the
lovely nation of Nepal and its different facets relating to its history,
culture, religion, people, and survival. It has been told straightforwardly,
showing a conversation between two characters: a foreign tourist and a
Nepali tour guide. The narrative differs significantly from stories in the
traditional sense. The two main characters in this story are a Nepali tour
guide and a foreign tourist. The story is centered on the constant dialogue
between these two characters as they discuss various aspects of the
beautiful country of Nepal. The narrative also makes references to figures
from Hindu and Buddhist mythology and theology. The setting of the Kathmandu
valley and its numerous sites are described using a stream-of-consciousness
writing style, ironically, it is the Western visitor, not the Nepali guide,
who believes he is an authority on this subject and promises to teach you
your ancient customs.
Stream of Consciousness
William James invented the literary device known as "stream of
consciousness" when he wrote The Principles of Psychology in 1890. Dorthy
Richardson, Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and other
authors then used it. A continuous flow of ideas and pictures that might not
always seem to have a clear pattern or cohesion is what is known as a stream
of consciousness. The plot may jump around in time and space, taking the
reader through a character's lifetime or farther along a timeline to include
characters from earlier periods of history and their lives and ideas.
Features of Stream of Consciousness:
a.
Use of informal, colloquial language.
b.
Focalization of inner thoughts and feelings.
c.
No first-person but figural narrative mode.
d.
The flow of thoughts is represented using long-winding, interconnected
sentences.
e.
The breaking of Grammatical rules.
f.
Punctuation is neglected.
g.
Another stylized way of thinking out loud.
The difference between the Stream of Consciousness and Interior
Monologue:
Some people interchangeably use the terms "stream of consciousness" and
"internal monologue," but this word more properly refers to a first-person
narrative that imitates the jumble of ideas, feelings, and memories that go
through a character's mind. It's not required to write an interior monologue
in the first person. An interior monologue is more structured than a stream
of thoughts. Thoughts fly pretty haphazardly from one object to another
because consciousness has no origin and no end. A stylized form of speaking
one's thoughts aloud is an interior monologue. Technically speaking, it is
"on the page" thinking. An interior monologue can be incorporated into a
third-person narrative, as opposed to stream-of-consciousness. The author's
description incorporates the character's point of view and uses their
terminology. This is the main distinction between an inward monologue and a
straightforward narrative. In the narrative, the narrator assumes a role and
impersonates the author while speaking. However, in interior monologue, the
character is speaking/thinking and utilizing words that are unique to that
character by making assumptions, erroneous judgments, etc. You won't even be
aware of the interior monologue if it's done effectively.
Elements included in Magical Realism
The irony regarding the author's perspective, an unusual order of events
and viewpoint (fragmented time sequences, flashbacks, stream of
consciousness, frequently switching points of view, the supernatural and
natural), and the writer's ironic distance from the magical worldview—all of
which threaten the realism. The supernatural is not presented as
questionable in magical realism, realistic settings and conflicts frequently
highlight or criticize social or political issues, elements borrowed from
fairytales, tall tales, mythology, the mystic/spiritual, folklore, and a
connection to the customs or beliefs of a community, events presented as
unquestionably real but with dreamlike or fairytale-like qualities.
Well-known magical realist works
Ø Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude
Ø Laura Esquivel, Like Water
for Chocolate
Ø Ben Okri, The Famished Road
Ø Toni Morrison, Beloved
Ø WP Kinsella, Shoeless Joe (made into the film, Field of Dreams)
Ø Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children
These novels defy conventional notions of what constitutes serious or
frivolous, awful or ridiculous, tragic or comic literature by making radical
experiments with the subject matter, structure, style, and chronological
sequence. They also combine the mundane with the extraordinary, mythical,
and horrific.
Social and Cultural Context of Lamechhane's Story:
The cultural and social context describes the geographical location of the
story as well as the cultural facets of the characters. Half-closed eyes
depict a state of meditation: looking inward into the self as well as
outward, it is perception, pure and without contamination; a sight that
perceives everything in its true form. It also includes how specific
geographic backgrounds limit or expand the cultural setting of the story.
Connection to the Story:
“You have never had to suffer the feeling of insignificance that is caused
by a vast distance. Perhaps that is why this, your enclosure, appeals to
us!”
Statement of a Tourist Regarding His Understanding:
The tourist, who appears well-versed in Nepalese history, informs his guide
that he has spent many years reading books about the country and its
history. According to him, the guide will lead him in the present situations
but he will take the guide in the ancient ways. A short while later, he
begins telling him the story of Manjushree and Chobhar's history. The
traveler describes to the guide how monks and nuns distribute the law and
collect alms in the hidden corners of the Kasthamandap. He even talks about
how shaven-headed monks have what he calls the "samyak gaze," which is a
perception that is unadulterated and pure. The tourist tells his guide that
he finds Nepalese people to be wonderful and exceptional. He talks about
wooden images, artists, music, and the various cultures of Nepal. He thinks
that Nepalese people are quite creative through their creative abilities. He
notices various wooden images, ornamentation, and lovely images of deities.
Even the lovely music played on classical instruments is audible to him.
He even discovers that many cultures and communities in Kathmandu, including Aryans, non-Aryans, Hindus, and Buddhists of various communities coexist with one another for centuries in peace and harmony. The tourist thanks the guide for providing him with Nepali and Newari food, expresses his appreciation for momos, and begins to describe a scene to the guide in which an elderly man in the house recounts the story of Princess Bhrikuti and Ki. The grandfather chuckles to find his grandfather's muddled words, the old woman smoking hookah is making momo, the old man burns his tongue while swallowing a piece of hot momo, and the tourist acknowledges that these events can't be read in one sitting. Then, the traveler expresses his happiness by thinking about the various smiles he encounters everywhere he goes. In different relationships, he poses as the oldest son of a farmer, a landowner, a husband, and a friend of his sister's husband. He is overjoyed to encounter smiles everywhere in Nepal because, in his opinion, they are from the soul and are filled with wisdom. As a result, he adds another drink in honor of a Nepalese sweet smile. The conversation then shifts to a new topic: eyes. They discuss various types of eyes, including those in carved lattice windows, door panels, stupas, people, the Himalayas, and the Lord Buddha's half-closed eyes. A tourist refers to Nepal as the "land of eyes," as it is protected by the Buddha's half-closed eyes, and expresses a desire to visit remote locations to see the stucco.
To show him some eyes, the guide drives the tourist to Chobhar. The guide
explains the temple of Adinath, which is situated in the middle of the
village and points out the cleft created by Manjushree and the outflow of
the Bagmati River. According to the guide, in the temple country yard, there
are several Buddha Images, many prayer wheels, and a shrine to Lord Shiva.
The visitor considers the Adinath temple to be a tangible representation of
Nepalese tolerance and coexistence. The guide then takes the visitor to a
far-off village to expose him to the harsh realities of poverty, arduous
labor, miserable living conditions, and the world as seen through the eyes
of the underprivileged. The small boy is affected by polio and is unable to
speak, move his hands, chew his food, or even spit. His eyes are the only
living parts of his body. He takes the tourist to a poor farmer's house
where he shows him a boy from the farmer's family who is in a miserable
state. Here, the tourist discovers the pulse of reality. The tour guide also
introduces the tourist to the boy's sister, a pretty young girl with a
normal body and speech. He admits to lying to the tourist, and when he
introduces the tourist to the boy's parents as a doctor, they become
overjoyed, have tremendous faith in him, and show intimacy, kindness, and
thankfulness in their expressions. Finally, the guide delineates various
kinds of eyes and explains their values and significance, as well as the
hidden meanings of various types of looks. According to the guide, the
natural beauty of the land, people's lives, their long-lasting harmonious
relationships, their hardships and sorrows, religions, the end of life,
etc., all have their own significance.
In conclusion, Buddha's one closed eye can also serve as a reminder to us that to solve any problem calmly, we must have a peaceful mind, much like we experience during meditation.