The Sakhya Prince

8/13/2019 The Sakhya Prince

1/46

THE SAKHYA PRINCE

A PLAY FOR CHILDREN

In three acts

by

HELENA JOSHEE

Copyright Helena Joshee

1


2/46

FOR LAMA PEMA WANGDAK

2


3/46

CAS

In order of Appearance

FIRST IRDSECOND IRDELDER IRDFIRST STA!E ATTENDANTSECOND STA!E ATTENDANTTHE S"TRADHARPRINCE SIDDHARTHA#"EEN $AYA%IN! S"DDHODHANATHE SA!E ASITA andHIS DISCIPLE

DE&ADATTATHE ACARYATHE 'ANDERER

ELDER IRD( the S"TRADHAR( %IN! S"DDHODHANA( THE ACARYAAll played by one actor with small shifts of costume.

FIRST and SECOND IRD( PRINCE SIDDHARTHA and DE&ADATTATtwo boys in the lower teens.

STA!E ATTENDANTS also play SA!E ASITA )*thhis DISCIPLE(And, THE 'ANDERER+

#"EEN $AYA is a young woman. She slides through her role swiftly,gently, soundlessly, as if in a dream.

The actual number of actors in the play is six.

3


4/46

All the actors in the play move in dance time. Without exoticisms, but no sweaty, everydaymovements either. In the minds of the actors, both the space and rhythm of the drama should beheld as extraordinary.

PREL!DE

THE IRDS

Sta,e bare( se-*.dar/ness+ Spot0*,ht on FIRST IRD andSECOND IRD+ They are feed*n,+ P*,eon.,rey c0oa/s to ,*1ethe *-press*on of b*rd for-+ Scar1es ro2nd the nec/ )*th an

*r*descence( p2rp0e and ,reen+ $as/s on the eyes offer thes2,,est*on of b*rd eyes+ S/200 caps for b*rd heads+ Actors sho20d th*n/ b*rd+

Three screens *n a se-*.c*rc0e enc0ose the b*rds+Each screen has three pane0s of coarse b0ac/c0oth stretched t*,ht to con1ey a non.so0*d opa32eness+

The IRDS on the*r /nees p*c/ at *-a,*nary seed 0y*n, on the,ro2nd+

Ra*se*nd*1*d2a0 heads fro- t*-e to t*-e( b*rd.-*-e( for seedsto sett0e *n crops+ Pec/*n, -eas2red *n -o-ents+ $o1e-ents -2s*ca0+

F*rst *rd4Butts the other lightly5

STOP6 aven!t you eaten enough already"

4


5/46

Second *rd4#ating stolidly5

Why don!t YO" stop"

F*rst *rd4Stops eating to watch the other5

There will be nothing left if you don!t stop.

Second *rd4$onchalantly cutting arcs with his head as if scatteringin space seed from the ground5

So what%

F*rst *rdThis food is mine. I saw it. I want it. I found it. &ou go away somewhere.

4F*rst *rd rushes Second *rd. Bird'fight.5

(ine, all this is mine alone. I want you to stop now. )ly away now.

4e rises, struts around the feeding patch, puffing himself as he does so,

swirling his cloa*. Then he *neels again by the side of Second *rd.They resume pec*ing seed together5

Second *rd+ooooo% +oo% $ice" Wonderful% We are happy here together. This seed expeditiously discovered.+ooh% oogedeeegoo% We luc*y" Ain!t it fun%

4oth *rds lift their heads5

F*rst *rdI saw it first. It belongs to me.

4Second *rd rushes to bury his-bea*- in F*rst *rd7s chest, who shrie*s '''''5

It!s the truth%

Second *rdThe Truth% What truth%

5


6/46

4F*rst *rd struts '''' as a bird can '''' with ruffled feathers. e stops face on before Second *rd5

F*rst *rdThe seed you eat belongs to me. Stop% on!t touch% et away. /eep off% Beware%

Second *rdI shall eat up every seed in the world when I choose.

4Slow drumming begins on cue with F*rst *rd7s speech,barely discernible with the first word but pic*ing up in volume li*e a heart beatingharder right until E0der *rd is heard0

F*rst *rd(y seeds% (y seeds. (y seeds. Stop, you ''''' or else%

Second *rd4Stops eating, flutters feathers and struts ominouslyaround and around himself in alternating circles, cloc*wise, anti'cloc*wise,wor*ing up a bird tantrum and hissing the following li*e a litany5

Who do you thin* you are%Telling me what to do%I shall do what pleases me%&es, right. I!m right% I!m always ''''''' I *now it.

F*rst *rd

1As if cooing, blending in with the last sentence of Second *rdso that they both stop at the same time and the Dr2-beatwith them0

All seeds are mine 2..#verything is mine 2. All seeds and everything2.

4oth *rds raise their heads to loo* offstage, *eeping the posethroughout E0der *rd7s vocal and actual entry5

E0der *rd13ffstage. It is a recording. The words should 4uietly resonate5

armonious, slow, distinct, not loud. The spacing between the words

composed as if to suggest birdcall0

SHANTI6 SHANTI6 SHANTI6

4E0der *rd( a grey'cloa*ed figure, costume identical with the other two,comes into view from stage right, drifting into focus, raising and falling of cloa* folds as he moves,to suggest slow flight.

6


7/46

F*rst *rd and Second *rd resume eating.E0der *rd drops into position with them, pec*s for a second or two.Then rises and spea*s, addressing theA2d*ence as well as the T)o *rds5

ELDER IRDAlthough happiness is what you wish, you turn into its enemy and destroy it.

4A small pause to let his words settle5

3n a dar* and cloudy night, moonless, a flash of lightning can ma*e it li*e day, very briefly.#verything is seen clearly in the flash. This story I shall tell you can cut into dar*ness li*e alightning flash.

4ELDER IRD loo*s at the T)o *rds loo*ing up at him.e loo*s at the audience. rave and dignified, his glance ta*es in stage and audience0

This story, wise ancient ones tell their pupils, and they in their turn tell it to their pupils, as now I tellit to you. )irst, a proper space for our story is needed. There must be proper time as well. 6roperfor what is to be remembered to shine, to reveal the ground upon which the seeds you 4uarrel overare strewn. +ome, children, to a 4uiet and 7oyful place%

4Three *rds rise slowly, ma*e a wide sweep of the stage,their cloa*s rise and fall as if the beating of wings,finding their harmony and moving in a slow graceful line,E0der *rdat the head, towards the wings.

As they rise to begin their 8flight-, chanting offstage from the wings.The She 87a $a Prayer in Tibetan0

She 87a Tha- che+ 9* Pe*+ Chen yan, pa:Dro /2n !e 0e, Dr2b pe* Rh2, 8e chen:Sa- ye Thr*n 0e D;e pe* Tob N,a )a:


8/46

F*rst *rd43ffstage, distinctly0

3h loo*, there% Beautiful par*. (any, many lovely flowers% So many colours. +an we stop there,please"

4#nter F*rst andSecond Sta,e Attendantsdressed in loose shirts withbillowing full'length sleeves. The shirts are worn inside loose, straight'legged trousers.The costume should be of cotton, the palest yellow, colour of corn'sil*,cummerbund at the waist in yellow a shade dar*er.

They enter slowly, softly, carrying a screen onstage from left. It has low hills in the bac*ground.+lear s*y. )lowering trees coming in from the edges of the screen, profusion of flowers, only a

sprin*ling of leaves.

In the foreground, beds of flowers of deeper hues, lupins and irises, purples and yellow risingvertically, as well as low'growing round white flowers.A gold band drawn around the picture on the screen to heightenthe gorgeousness, the ornateness of the scene.

The blac* tri'panels are removed one by one as the scenery moves in.There are in effect two concentric circles. The scenery forming the wider onebehind the blac* screens, the latter gradually moved out to disclose the forming picture.

The light begins a transition to golden brightness as the setting is installedin three stages.

The movements of Sta,e Attendants should be 7oyful and slow, a sort of dance pic*ing up therhythms of the birds we have 7ust seen5

Second *rd43ffstage, distinctly5

$o% $o% I thin* we should sit on those trees over there. 9oo* at that% )ruit shining li*e 7ewels in the

branches. 6erfect fruit, ripe too. 9et us sit in the shade of those trees. +alm trees, cool shade.

4A second screen carried in from the right placed sothat when the third screen is put in the centre the whole will form a wide arc.The screens separated by space.

8


9/46


10/46

AC ONE

SCENE ONE

$"SIC OFFSTA!E= The s0o) ch*-e of a -on/7s cy-ba0s+

Enter S"TRADHAR )ho *s the /eeper of the thread of story+He )ears an an/0e.0en,th /*0t of -aroon.red( 0oose0y p0eatedat the s*de( hea1y cotton -ater*a0+ The t2n*c *s 0on,.s0ee1ed(th*,h.0en,th( 0oose( a0so -aroon.red and th*c/+ Th*s bas*ccost2-e )*00 be )orn thro2,ho2t the p0ay( )*th accessor*es oradaptat*ons for the d*fferent ro0es+

The S"TRADHAR )ears 2nobtr2s*1e foot)ear+ A narro) sha)0 fo0ded0en,th)*se reach*n, h*s /nee on the 0eft sho20der+ T2n*c *s

dra)n *n )*th a tasse00ed be0t at the )a*st+

S"TRADHAR steps 0e*s2re0y onsta,e and stops at centre *n front of the -a*nscreen )*th 0ot2ses+ He t2rns ro2nd to face the a2d*ence( ta/es a fe) stepsto)ards the-+

The cy-ba0s stop+

S"TRADHARBeautiful day% As if washed clean by recent rain and now the sun shining.

1 # opens his arms to the A"DIENCE(steps forward0

(y friends, you will see me stand before you this day as several different persons.

#lder Bird you saw a moment ago bringing to the younger 4uarreling pair a hori:on wider than thepec*ing'ground they stood on.

10


11/46

&ou shall see me as /ing, as )ather, as Teacher.

But now as Sutradhar I stand before you, showing the thread of a play in which you will see and

hear extraordinary gentleness enter; gentle *indness coming onstage as an actor to present itselfto you .

Sweetness is in the form of the story which li*e a flower is opening, blossom lifting its face witheach word towards you waiting to listen, and the story, too, waiting for the play to begin to ma*evisible what you cannot yet see.

There is a light in this story which, li*e the light in this day, brings up the scenery where we are,flowers, water, s*y upon the far shore. What you see is seeing you by the light that supports theearth which shines from this story.

The lightning flash, brilliant and brief, can suddenly brea* dar*ness to show a world. This play too,li*e a lightning flash, brings a world up from the dar*ness, reveals what was there long ago in a faroff place and is here now, as we attend and listen. Shining with its own power, it is holy. +an brea*into dar*ness where species dying out become extinct, the thic*ening dar* that is growing on usall.

The story is needed by the events which are waiting, invisible, unseen to appear on stage. Wordswill create scenes for you. +olour, movement and sound ma*e it visible.

To tell you a secret '''' that which is in the play wishes this staging, wills the play and the stage,ordains the actors and you the audience.

I as* for blessings, goodwill to be present in what will shortly begin. This custom is ancient.

1The chime of the cymbalsis heard again, underscoring silence which accompanies the blessing0

$ay ALL e*n,s attract Happ*ness( and the Ca2se of Happ*ness$ay ALL e*n,s shed S2ffer*n, and the Ca2se of S2ffer*n,$ay ALL e*n,s ne1er part fro- the Happ*ness of No.S2ffer*n,

$ay ALL e*n,s be open.hearted( free of the des*re to ta/e and /eep$ore than *s needed(No )astef20ness then or pr*de(Free of the fee0*n, )h*ch -a/es one )*sh to destroy )hat another has( or *s+

1 SIDDHARTHA comes onstage from the right. e is a slender, beautiful boy.

11


12/46

e wears white 7odhpurs, soft material. A white long'sleeved collar'less tunic that comes down tohis *nees. Broad red scarf has a simple design woven in gold thread. It sits neatly folded on his leftshoulder, falls in a graceful curve to 7ust above the waist,carried under the right arm continuing thecurve round the bac* to meet the other end on the left shoulder

.A broad, richly'ornamented golden girdle holds the tunic at the waist.A simple nec*lace of pearls.Soft, laceless, flat shoes.

race and gentleness are SIDDHARTHA+ He wal*s slowly across stage to pause directlybehind the S"TRADHAR+ is head is turned away from the audience, loo*ing at some pointdistant into the bac*drop, the side of the la*e..The invocation ends. +ymbalsstop.At the instant, S"TRADHARturns his head, notes SIDDHARTHA *s on onstage.

e calls out 4uietly5 0

Siddhartha%

SIDDHARTHA&es, Sir.

1 SIDDHARTHA turns round politely, but immediately shifts his ga:e to the la*e again0

Two birds sitting there, 4uite still. I saw them from afar loo*ing this way, engrossed, as if watching

a play.

1SIDDHARTHAwal*s up to the S"TRADHARwho turns to face him, bows,and says to audience5

S"TRADHARThis is Siddhartha, 6rince of the Sa*hyas.

SIDDHARTHAAre you going to tell them about


13/46

1SIDDHARTHAwal*s to the front'left of stage.#nter attendantfrom left with small carpet he places on the floorfor SIDDHARTHA. #xit attendantafter bowing to the 6rince.

Simultaneously, as the S"TRADHAR moves forward and right,nearer the audience to begin his narration, stage attendantsbring onstage a large screen of fine white mesh, or semi'opa4ue white fabric with a slight gloss..They place it on the stage in front of and a small distance from the natural scenes.

Attendantsexit and return with a Second Screen placed behind the first5A city seen from a distance. +ity of the imagination withhints of the famous 6otala in the soaring outlines that raise the ga:e upwards.ashes and glints of gold on roof and rampart.

The net or sil* screen will give the city a shimmering misty effect.

SCENE T'O

S"TRADHAR1(oving a little forward and to the right

while glancing at the scene that is ta*ing shape behind him0

The world never forgets this city which awaited the extraordinary, a marvellous event ''''' and itcame% +ities respond to the thoughts in their dwellings, 7ust as the reat, ood and Beautifulrespond to yearnings in each one of us..

The city, /apilavastu, is the largest in a *ingdom not very distant from the tallest heights in theworld '''' a range of mountains named imalaya. ere the Sa*hyas lived.a long, long time until itcame time for Suddhodhana to be *ing. e is not harsh or greedy, so the people are willing andprosperous around him. A lovely girl, (aya, is his 4ueen.

1 As the narration continues, stage attendants carry in a low divan,place it at centre not far from the opa4ue white screen,

13


14/46

cover it with a rich cloth, put a bolster pillow at the head, then exit0

When auspiciousness is on the hori:on, all life conspires to announce and re7oice in that which isdestined to bring gladness and change.

$ormal, everyday bree:es become soft and fragrant; flowers bloom more brightly, profusely,without effort. reatness is arising from the depths of being% The sun is gentler; rivers and streamsare heard to sing. )ruits, perfect and luscious, appear on trees, out of season. 9ions are seen tobefriend lambs, serpents glistening and beautiful do not raise their heads to stri*e and bite. =enom,offensiveness, sic*ness and suffering in abeyance. This is how it seems.

And dreams too become extraordinary.


15/46

Shortly before the birth of the child,


16/46

flowers, and become, as it were, a woven garland, sweet'smelling and brilliant, li*e those dec*edon an altar

The child that was born in the garden was Siddhartha.The mother did not cry out, she felt no pain as the child left her body, it is said, from her side.

1 Soft blue light fills the stage.

A shaft of white light pic*s up SIDDHARTHA on stage, slowly rising.

The drone on a tanpuraoffstage provides a bac*drop of calm, steady sound. #ach cycle of notesbegins with a line that is spo*en by theS"TRADHAR0

It is said,That the child, li*e a sun, gleamed radiantBut that those who loo*ed on him felt the soothing coolness of the moon.$o ordinary child.The way moonbeams do, water to bathe the newborn came down from the s*ies mildly, in silveryshafts.

1SIDDHARTHA begins the first of seven steps inward to centre stage.The steps are choreographed

6hrasing the following 0

All the beauty of the world bowed to himIn the form of a procession of ex4uisite beings,a::ling golden lotuses in their cupped hands.

6in* and white lotuses drift down, some yellow and blue.Soft rain of colours playing in the s*y.And the bree:e had the scent of sandalwood

Springs of water, crystal'pure, bro*e out in barren, roc*y places, unexpectedlyBringing freshness.

=iolence restrained,+reatures cruel by nature refrained from harming othersWhen the 6rince, though newborn, too* seven steps.

#ach step had a name. The first, 6eace. The last, 6atience.

16


17/46

1SIDDHARTHA has completed his seventh step.

)eet close together, hands 7oined in salutation,e bows to #"EEN $AYA, leaves the stage from left.

Tanpurafadeout. Spotlight shifts to #"EEN $AYAAs THE S"TRADHAR continues50

er heart soft with feeling, a mother,


18/46

A festival% A festival% The people call for feast and sensation. I, Suddhodhana, shall provide it. I am*ing and an heir is given to me.

1 S"TRADHAR is slowly transformed into %IN!.

A large ring is proffered for his finger. Stage attendantscome in singly, hold out an item and leavebefore the next one enters.The shawl is respectfully ta*en from his shoulder.A rich waistcoat is held forward and he is helped into it.olden armbands to puff the long sleeves of the tunic that he is already wearing.A pearl nec*lace to encircle the nec*. A second pearl strand that is pendant.A footstool is put for his use before the couch0

%IN! S"DDHODHANAAn heir for the Sa*hyas% A beautiful child. All is right. e is perfect. ?oy came as escort with the

child into our *ingdom. Townsfol* say flower'scented bree:es came with the child and havestayed.

&et, they loo* over their shoulders uneasily in the middle of a smile. And the tears in my eyes areof fear and of 7oy.

I am frightened. The earth is reeling. $ot 7ust my head, not 7ust this room.

Strange things, astonishing things are coming to notice. oly men, ascetics, have left mountainsand valleys to cross our borders. They throng the forests. (orning orisons re4uire flowers forofferings and they receive these from trees which as if 7ust for them have exceptional abundance or

carry blooms out of season. As if the extraordinary had become real. I am afraid of its presence.

$o record of wonders li*e these in the past of our *ingdom when great warriors, poets, teacherswere born to the Sa*hyas.

An infant affecting the world merely by entering it% What does it mean"

A whisper going round the city travels with the bree:e through the great gates to the countryside. Itsays, gods are here among us, moving alongside. $obody has seen one but people believe thatgreatness, goodness, happiness, the gifts and the gods, are here, strolling in streets and s4uares,wal*ing in and out of doors, because Siddhartha is born, because Siddhartha is here. $obody has

see them but people believe now that gods beyond number are in our city to stay a while.

1 S"DDHODHANA settles himself. )eet rest on the floor.is hands press down on the edge of the couch0

6andits and diviners as* to see the baby. They loo* into con7unctions of what is in the heavens andwhat on earth and foresee the remar*able. They predict a long lifetime of greatness. But they alsospea* of a condition wherein *nots shall loosen of themselves, mists rise from the deepest

18


19/46

fastness to reveal the precipice, a deadly drop. e will plunge, and others after him. Then they sayno more.

And now a rishi, seer, inaccessible usually, is here suddenly and as*s to see the child.

1#nter stage attendants in single file.

Wrapped in long, broad, cotton shawls that cover their chests and shoulders for their roles asASITA andDISCIPLE+ Both barefoot0

DISCIPLE1Stepping forward0

Asita is here%

S"DDHODHANA1rising0

I offer homage and respect.

1e folds his hands and bows his head in respectful greeting.Steps aside and offers his couch to ASITA5+

All the comforts of my palace are for you.

ASITA3h, no. $o. &ou must *eep them. Thrones and luxury are used by *ings. ermits sit on anythingthat happens to be where they are. There '''''

1e points to the rug which SIDDHARTHA has used in the previous scene0

I shall sit%

1DISCIPLE fetches it and places it at a little distance fromand to the side of the couch.

ASITA settles, bac* and head erect, on the floor.DISCIPLE a little to the rear.

ASITA4To %IN! 0

6lease, now you be comfortable%

19


20/46

S"DDHODHANAWe are grateful for your presence. as this place met with your satisfaction"

ASITAAll is well.

S"DDHODHANA(y son we have named Siddhartha. 6lease bless him.

ASITAThe mar* of greatness is on his person.

S"DDHODHANAIs there more" We ordinary men cannot see clearly. Is there more in the child than meets the eye"

ASITASometimes the earth falls to crying when humans ravening for gain turn a dead loss by forcingproduction on each other, mountains and rivers, trees, other beings, not to mention the mind,becoming commodity, which must be fre4uently changed for something else to *eep themomentum on and on without measure until nature ravening consumes itself, and a s*eletonremains.

#arth li*e a tree with leaves, red and green, thic*ened with dust from roads rudely travelled; leavesred and green, unobserved, so ta*en for granted.

The child in your palace is a mighty beneficence. harma. 3peness, empty, alone as no other.Silent, eternal, arising in an unforeseen way.

Wild geese in flight have no traces in the s*y, they do not move on rails, yet from moment tomoment they do not lose their way. +ric*et chirping in the crac* under the steps at the front dooris vital and living. In this play is the way. The debacle can shift to loving *indness as, after arainstorm, the s*y, cleansed, the sun mild.

All this is in the infant you have named Siddhartha.

Stay in peace.

S"DDHODHANAI feel as if the earth were leaving. A gap beneath where I stand. What does it mean"

ASITA9isten again about Siddhartha5 If he desires a *ingdom of the earth, he will rise sovereign over theentire earth. That he can.

20


21/46

S"DDHODHANA1Slowly and softly letting the word spill from his mouth0

A cha*ravartin" Sovereign over all the cardinal directions and in'between"

ASITAWorld'#mperor whose life and reign, deeds and achievements, a singularity that the humanspecies will recall with awe as long as the world survives.

%IN!&et, uneasy, shivering, a sorrow stealthily creeping into the great 7oy that is in my heart for this son.

ASITAA great monarch, this child who is born to you. The world shall wonder ......

1ASITA bows his head slightly, %IN! S"DDHODHANA loo*s on startled0

3r, he shall choose to live in lonely places, forests, wastelands, wearing hermit!s weeds. 9eaveyou and the finery here on the stro*e of midnight

is action shall fascinate the world, reach out in time and space.

is thought enter minds in drum'rhythm, irresistible and persistent. +ompassion the word he willrelentlessly proclaim, meaning each and all is intimate with each and everything everywhere all thetime.

1ASITA swiftly rises from the carpet and leaves the stage with DISCIPLE+

%IN! S"DDHODHANA4@ising slowly leaves the stage in the opposite direction.

aunting sounds from SARAN!I in bac*ground.6erhaps accompanying a singer creating mood,that of the %IN!who is slowly wal*ing out,as well as allowing time for stage attendants to remove from the stage, couch

and large carpet used by #"EEN $AYA+

SIDDHARTHA andDE&ADATTA dart across the stage engaged in a game.In from the right, out from the left.

DE&ADATTA in appearance only differs from his cousin SIDDHARTHAin that he wears ornate gold'embroidered shoes,

21


22/46

a 7ac*et or royal blue that matches the shoes in gold'trimming0

DE&ADATTASiddhartha%

SIDDHARTHAevadatta%

AC WO

SCENE ONE

Enter S"TRADHAR dressed for h*s ro0e( -*n2s 8e)e0sand tr*--*n,s+

S"TRADHAR

Time passed without giving /ing Suddhodhana relief from the fear that his son would revolt. 9eavepalace and comfort seeing the helplessness of the world without choice sliding into the groove ofbirth to death with disease, suffering, old age accompanying, universal with no exceptions

&et everything seems to be going well. Siddhartha has passed from infant to boy en7oying theyears with companions and *in.

ush% +an you hear them"

22


23/46

1e puts a finger to his lips for silence and loo*s overhead, letting his ga:e moveslowly from a point high and to the left in a wide arc to the space above the audience(following the flying path of a floc* of birds0

The velvety rustle" Swans are flying home to the mountains% They are in the s*y then on the la*ein the s*y. It is the same with us when the long winter is over, all in the mirror without divide li*e theswans on the la*e that are in the s*y.

The world here is happy, da::led, dreaming.

The *ing has richesthat withstand depletion.

6roud, stately elephants that no one could have tamed have come down from the mountains to thestables of the *ing of their own accord.

And, never has the *ingdom seen such horses with golden caparisons and sil*y manes as our *inghas bought, or won, or had presented to him by friendly *ings.

is enemies are turned mild. Those who are mild are the *ing!s friends. Those who are his friendsare devoted to him.

The seasons have *ept their measure, as also rivers and mountains.The earth has not rumbled or crac*ed, or roc* turned molten.The winds have been *indly, as also the sun and rain.usbands and wives nowadays do nothing antagonistic, one to the other.

$o one hides wealth for the mere sight of it, or brea*s the rules to obtain it.$o violence in the name of religion or need.

Well'behaved, healthy and bright, even the creatures in stable, barn and coop..

All this since the day Siddhartha was born. And Siddhartha is growing handsome, strong.e is a better rider, better archer, paces ahead of everyone else with the stamina to win,overcome, accomplish what he sets his hand to.

&et, occasionally, a cloud passes over the *ing!s face when he watches Siddhartha.is son is different from other boys, from his cousin, evadatta, for instance.

SIDDHARTHA1#nters from left, after calling from offstage0

evadatta%

DE&ADATTA1#nters from the same direction as SIDDHARTHA. e carries a bow and arrow0

23


24/46

&es, +ousin.

SIDDHARTHA

6romise not to shoot at the three grey birds sitting by the shore of the la*e.

DE&ADATTAWhy" What if I should"

SIDDHARTHAAs if the bigger one is telling the smaller two something, a story, perhaps, they sit silently listening.Then the three flutter together and coo before they settle down again for the bigger bird to startonce more.

DE&ADATTA

They are only birds.

SIDDHARTHAWhat are birds"

DE&ADATTAThings with feathers, they fly.

4DE&ADATTAmoves forward to face audience. Behind him gently ''''0

SIDDHARTHA

evadatta, birds fly. They have wings. They have eyes. They see. They engage% Sing% @ace%They play% 9ove% They drin*. They eat. They grieve too, cousin.

1 SIDDHARTHA moves forward to stand beside his cousin.

Behind the two S"TRADHAR is preparing for his role as ACARYA .

e removes the shawl from his shoulder, folds it and lays it on the ground.

e steps out of his shoes and places them by the shawl.

Stage attendantsbr*n,in a low dais, place it at centre'stage,front of the lotus pool. ACARYA sits on it as teacher, legs folded beneath him, reserved andcorrect.

A slim teacher!s rule is handed to him.

All this simultaneous with the dialogue between the cousins0

24


25/46

DE&ADATTA1With heat, spinning round on SIDDHARTHA 0

&ou!re soft. $ever *now where you!re at. When I thin* you will win a race, I whip my horse harder,

harder to go faster, faster, foam pouring out from the mouth, eyes starting out from the head, as Ibegin to en7oy myself, the taste of winning on my tongue, whip the beast to the winning strea* ''''do or die '''' you slow down.

&ou 4uite easily might have won. &our way has no fun.

SIDDHARTHA1


26/46

DE&ADATTAames are played that way. The whole reason for races. The way things are done. #verythingcompeting, one way or another. Will you deny it" This mountain that tree your beloved birds allgetting one on. And we boys shall be men, it doesn!t pay to be wea*, does it"

SIDDHARTHAAnother way, evadatta. 9eave the birds, no absolute need for your presence in that picture todestroy it. If it is a will to power that must be fed, turn it creative. #ffect is inevitable, don!t dumblyhammer on the thing. +reation has more in it than a rat race. Try it, brother, it!s cool. And drop thethought of genius from your mind for with it is the will to push through, as you did with the horses,catching up and overta*ing, which also leads to pushing aside and what will not give becomesenemy. 9et be, what transpires may startle and even awa*en you and me.

DE&ADATTAThree birds saved% Thousands and millions of birds in the world. 3ne here or there may somehow

shoot here or there. 3r the birds will become too many and ta*e over. What shall you do" +ousin,dear, what can you do" Birds there are as well as shooters.

1DE&ADATTAspins round on his feet, on his heels, one, two circles until he is face to face withSIDDHARTHA, pushing against him with a 7eer0

SIDDHARTHA1(oving closer to audience,spea*ing very 4uietlly0

6erhaps, it is li*e this5 If the surface of the earth is 7agged, sharp as glass splinters, hardly possiblethen to cover the entire earth with leather. Where should one find all the leather to do it" Wearing a

pair of shoes, it!s as if the earth is made smooth ''''' don!t be too 4uic* to say that leather comesfrom *illing% &ou may miss the point, if you do%

o not *ill the birds by the la*es. evadatta. do not be wanton.+ontagious, violence li*e a fatal disease spreads, *ills remorselesslyeverything that it touches '''' even the *iller

Suffering is present, haven!t you noticed" Why add to it" ive it bite". A little bit of happiness atthe cost of a bird"

ro* the suffering of the bird. &ou are not outside the action you generate.

26


27/46

SCENE T'O

ACARYA1 Aloud, brea*ing through the tension of the previous0

SIA@TA% #=AATTA%

1Both boys turn around smartly together0

SIDDHARTHA AND DE&ADATTAAcarya%

1 Both turn towards him, remove their shoes, place them neatly aside,/neel, bow, their heads touching the earth.

#nter stage attendantswith bowls of fruit.The boys rise, ta*e the bowls to offer them to the ACARYA,who receives the offerings with ceremony and with both hands.

Stage attendantsplace carpet used by Sage Asita,left onstage, to the left of the ACARYA+

DE&ADATTA ta*es his seat to the right, SIDDHARTHA on the carpet to the left.The boys are seen by audience in profile.

Stage attendantsretire.

6acing for the series of moves is very swift0

ACARYA AND THE T'O ST"DENTS1@ecite together distinctly and with hands clasped at chest level0

We bow, we respect the teacher.(ay we be protected.

27


28/46

(ay we be open.(ay our energy be great to listen.(ay our study have vitality.9et there be peace in us, peace here where we are

And in all the forces that surround us.

ACARYA1As if in continuation of the last line of the invocation above0

9et us not mista*e the world for ob7ects placed in se4uence for our convenience.

The Teacher you honour is everywhere% #verything is spea*ing. #verywhere the gateway of thingsto be. The trees soughing in the bree:e '''''' can you hear" It is teaching%

+hildren, be taught% 9ife is *een in its vibrating and pulsing

The la*e ''''''

1# half turns towards it, and the boys respond with attention.This speech must be acted as if the things spo*en of were actually there0

''''''do you hear the ripples" +an you see them form" +ircles spreading circles, teaching you"6ay close attention.

Birds, lotus flowers, fruit ripening in the trees, ant in the grass beside you '''''' 933/% #verything

that moves is teaching you. All that you thin* is speechless is teaching you. #nemy is the thoughtof a human divide, therefore and thereby versus non'human.

The mountains which you *now are in the distance, do you feel their presence" The pebble on thepath, the roc* besides which wildflowers are growing, loving the damp, the shade and protection,being shy and small '''' the world is alive% The universe is *eenest% Teacher and teaching. 9isten%

Alive, vibrating, pulsing, a chord of sound passing through without cessation, mostly unheard. $oone *nows how it comes and from where. &ou cannot stop it, but you may cut yourself down fromits flow

et rid of the divide, dangerous delusion. $ot only in it, we are nature, everyone and everythingthat is here, that we may or may not see ''' limitless beings you may never *now if what you see iswhat you get is final for you. Wind, water and sound include you in their company, the mirror andthe reflection too, actual as well as subtle. And the mirror may reflect 4uite unexpectedly what younever suspected at all, a form undreamed standing there, it may be you or it may not.

Siddhartha% evadatta% A teacher wherever you turn, 7ust as much as I, sitting here before youwith speech that you recognise for you *now the words and can write and read and form

28


29/46

sentences of your own with words assigned to each thing that you see. But also remembereverything you see is seeing you on this earth, incomparable teacher, holder of traditions, the howand why of things as they seem that is always changing, holding intimations of things as they are,instructing how things are in you, insidious, maybe, or not. Bless it, you can, this earth.

evadatta, something is missing here. As* the attendants to recall my instructions and fetch it"

DE&ADATTA1@ising0

I will.

1#xit from right0

ACARYA

19oo*ing straight at audience0

We teach all the conventions of time and place.

The mind must be cultivated with what other minds have discovered and recorded as worthwhile,as being true, or leading in some way to it.

Stylus, slate, compass. 6oetry, art, grammar, numbers, the e4uipment, the preparations of childrengetting ready to come of age to see*, find, love, and embody truth.

Better still than unholy.

Better peace than war.Better 7oy than cruelty.Better the subtle then lurid, bra:en aggrandising+hildren have to be shown the barriers before they can be torn down. That the abyss is there andthe lip that overhangs it, before they can ma*e bold to plunge.

1# pauses and softens his tone. SIDDHARTHA bows his head0There are flowers on the human tree so perfect and rare. They fill the air with fragrance and set thetree itself to trembling with delight. )lowers that bloom once in a long, long while.

1# pauses again. SIDDHARTHA lifts his head. ACARYAcontinues while loo*ing at him0

In later times, sages and poets will tell the world that when the teacher to test the young prince!sgrasp of language dictated a sentence extolling the glory radiance of the Sun, Siddhartha, pic*ingup his writing stic* ''''''

1SIDDHARTHA bends forward as if to trace letters in the ground at his feet0

29


30/46

'''' in the language I had taught him, wrote the words correctly. But 2..

1Sound of an Andean fluterippling through a stream of notes

behind ACARYA7S voice, who says softly0

2. he did not stop . e wrote the sentence of the sun in every language by which men have everthought in the dar*ness of caves, in the day on rolling plains, riding the waves, on the edge oflooming mountains, in deserts of snow and deserts of sand, and in 7ungles teeming with sound.

In every script. 6ictures, glyphs, arrangements of *nots by colour; arrangements of lines, straightand wavy, variations, combinations, rounded and slanting; vertical ''''' li*e structures that upholdcivilisation ''''' or, hori:ontal, li*e the base which underlies.

All the scripts of existence, all its language, he, Siddhartha, traced with his finger on the sand,

spontaneously, without effort.

So, I said5

1 ACARYA raises his voice0

6rince Siddhartha% 6rince of the Sa*hyas '''' for he was still but a child as far as the eye could see,and I his teacher''''

1SIDDHARTHA loo*s up in response5

''''''$ow let us to numbers% +ount for me up to ten. Then by tens to hundred. And so on tohundred thousand.

1 )lute in the bac*ground fades out0

SIDDHARTHA&es.

ACARYAWe counted up to ten on the fingers. We went through the abacus stringing beads for decades. Wecounted centuries. We reached up to a hundred thousand in thousands. But then% '''''' 9et

Siddhartha spea*, his words are clearest and best.

SIDDHARTHA1 )lute in the bac*ground again0

Tens, hundreds, millions, but, @evered Teacher, it is not all. There is the *oti, nahut, ninnahut,*hamba, vis*hamba, arabh, attata. $odes of Infinity.

30


31/46


32/46

o you hear" The velvety rustle" The birds are coming home% I can hear the swans% 9isten%

o you hear them too" The swans are going home to the mountains. 9isten, do you hear"

1SIDDHARTHAturns his head to scan the s*y0

umming, throbbing, 4uivering, life is tal*ing to itself, do you hear it moving"

1SIDDHARTHA rises and points to the s*y, the hori:on in front of him.e lets his arm fall bac* as ACARYA and he watch the graceful passage of the birds0

Is beauty of line the perfection of the heart, Acarya, sir"

Is beauty in those swans I see streaming across the s*y, or is it in me"

+an it be taught" @apture of bird and s*y, colours and light" 9eaves dancing lightly on the tree,ripples on the la*e, with the bree:es of the day" +an it be learned" +an it be told"Swans, I bow to you. Accept my greeting.

1SIDDHARTHA7oins his hands and salutes the birds with bowed head0

Swans in your flight of grace and confidenceWho would 4uestion your right of passage"Who would wonder if you *new the road"Swans, who would dare to brea* the rhythm that ta*es you across the world

evadatta"

1DE&ADATTA is seen at the left edge of the stage. e has pulled his bow tautand released an arrow as SIDDHARTHA calls his name.e carries $3 bow and arrow. Action is mimed.

Simultaneously, sound of a pianorunning through the scale.Beginning again, stopping in the middle on one note.@eiterated stri*ing , the volume of sound rising with each stro*e.

SI$"LTANEO"SLY lights go swiftly from Blue to reen to =iolet to Indigo to @ed.

Sounds and lights cease at the same moment.

The Stage is dar*. #xit SIDDHARTHA AND DE&ADATTA0

32


33/46

SCENE THREE

'hen the 0*,ht ret2rns( ACARYA *s on h*s seat a0one+

ACARYA6rofound men, the far' seeing ones, predict that seeing suffering intertwined with death, disease,indigence, intertwined li*e the strands of a rope, the unending struggle of big to become biggerpushing a hangman!s noose on the small, the prince would wal* away from throne, lands, 7ewelsinto the ordinary world, there to confront, with no other weapon than his mighty feeling, the painthat nothing and no one can escape.

3ccasionally and briefly a flash of lightning brea*s upon the dar* storm. Wisdom and compassionpierce the stormy dar*ness as the mind begins to awa*en

e sees it coming and the /ing is determined to forestall this turn. istress and its vectors areprohibited to the boy. At the /ing!s command, the palace has set eyes and hands to *eepinganguish out of bounds.

Somewhere the swan is bleeding. The /ing has forbidden that Siddhartha shouldsee it. Siddhartha insists that the bird be found.

1ACARYA rises, leaves stage.

#nter stage attendant carrying a swan.A ?apanese origami creation.e holds the bird carefully as if it were wounded and loo*s round for the prince.e calls out to the left and the right.0

33


34/46

STA!E ATTENDANT6rince Siddhartha, &our ighness, The bird, blood lost but still living. 6rince Siddhartha, I have thebird with me.

1 SIDDHARTHA enters swiftly+ e ta*es the bird from the attendant and dismisses him0

SIDDHARTHAThan* you.

1SIDDHARTHA distinctly, but musing to himself0

Suffering here 2.. the cause of suffering should be here as well2.

1#nter %IN! S"DDHODHANA( bris*ly, attended by one stage attendant0

S"DDHODHANASiddhartha% Siddhartha, here alonef" What a lovely day has come up, freshness, the fragrance, letus en7oy it. (usicians will come here soon to play for us a melody proper for this time, note, pitch,timbre to correspond with the season which surrounds us. @efreshments too on their way. Are youthirsty, son"

SIDDHARTHAThe bird growing limp in my arms, a little while ago, father, it was the colour of snow drifting abovetree'tops, elegant in the s*y.

S"DDHODHANA1To attendant0

Ta*e it away. Swans will always be there, Siddhartha, in the s*y. Swans will not cease to flybecause one is down.

SIDDHARTHAI care for it. Stro*e nec* with finger, touch soft down, a feeling of vigour returning to the bird intowhich my strength flows. The bleeding slower, perhaps, shall live. This swan along with the others.

1#nter DE&ADATTA 0

DE&ADATTA(ine%

1@ushes SIDDHARTHA for the swan0

Who shot it down" I did. ive it here. I hit it, good aim.

34


35/46

SIDDHARTHAAnd that so wonderful ''''' to stop its flight" To stay its course" Ta*e down those who 7ourney thepath of freedom" A thrill to *ill , bring down, when not really necessary" &ou could have protectedit in your thin*ing. The desire of a bird not to suffer is as intense as yours were someone to raise a

weapon to you. &ou are not outside the action you undertoo*. The suffering of this bird is in us thatwatch.

DE&ADATTAI am not the first to shoot at a bird. I won!t be the last. Stop the preach.

SIDDHARTHAIs it so good for all life that this one bird should not live" I shall tend it to health and release it.#verything matters. #ffects are not for you and me to calculate, we can!t see and *now but thereare effects.

DE&ADATTAI shot it down.

S"DDHODHANAThere are rules of the hunt, Siddhartha. e who ta*es the target, *eeps the game.

SIDDHARTHAWe were not hunting.

DE&ADATTA6rinces ta*e aim. A fair chance for a bird. A moving target% I had a fair chance. The bird fell to me.

SIDDHARTHAWhat shall you do with it"

DE&ADATTASomething.

SIDDHARTHAIt is reviving%

1SIDDHARTHA touches his head to the swan0

+alm now, I shall draw out the arrow.

1SIDDHARTHA stro*es the bird and goes down on the bare floor,placing the S'AN across his lap, stro*ing it with his left hand0

&our heart is racing, I shall not harm you,

35


36/46

1With a pull of his right hand, SIDDHARTHA draws out the arrowfrom the wing of the bird, then gives a sharp cry of pain0

+ruel plaything%

S"DDHODHANAave you hurt yourself" SIA@TA%

1# rushes to SIDDHARTHA 0

SIDDHARTHAThe barbs of the arrow catch in the flesh of my fingers as they did on this bird, father, bringing it

down.

1 e puts the arrowaside0

An arrow in my flesh, I feel it, )ather.

1 SIDDHARTHA bends his body to the swan0

In my flesh the pain of this bird, in my mind its sudden fright at the arrow bringing it down.

DE&ADATTAand it here.

1 DE&ADATTA reaches out his hand but

SIDDHARTHA stro*es the swan0

SIDDHARTHAIt lives, evadatta. &ou are the slayer, but you have not slain. &ou destroyed the speed, the grace,the 7oy of this swan. &ou separated the swan from from its setting, the pattern does not cease, thefloc* has passed, and this one here has lost the rhythm of passage.

Brother prince, ride against an instinct to destroy%

DE&ADATTAp in the s*y, the swan is free. Belongs to no one. 3n the earth it belongs to me, I brought it down

by my s*ill.

SIDDHARTHAThe flash feeling that bid you put arrow to bow, your aim, that!s all yours, cousin, not the bird, thisswan. Is the blood spilled yours" A place in the graceful procession across the s*y, that yours"+ousin"

36


37/46

S"DDHODHANA(usicians are here, children. 9et us compose ourselves to listen.

DE&ADATTA

We are men is who we are, princes. We hunt, we *ill, ta*e as we can as also what we want.

1 Secondstage attendantenters and addresses S"DDHODHANA0

SECOND STA!E ATTENDANT&our ighness, the cooling drin*s you ordered"

1S"DDHODANAwaves away the attendant while loo*ing atSIDDHARTHA. Attendant exits0

SIDDHARTHA

1To the departing attendant5

6lease '''''' come bac*%

1The attendantturns to the PRINCE 0

Bring fresh lotus leaves from the la*e. @oll them in a damp cloth to *eep the freshness. Bring adoctor from the palace and an ointment. A poultice of cool leaves will soothe this bird as well ashelp the wound to heal.

1Attendant bows and retires0

S"DDHODHANA4Trying to relieve the tension0

A swan has purity, grace, and, an ancients belief, the reat iscernment, symbol so *een it standsfor the will to get to the essence, the swan can separate water from mil* when drin*ing, so said%oes not get consumed by the overall viscosity itself that submerges us all.

DE&ADATTA3ld stories% +artoons. Some say, birds '''' even swans ''''' are sna*es which have learned to fly.6eople will say anything to pass time in the universal boredom% That a swan forgot to rise up with

the floc* who flew away to winter in the south, left behind the straggler, and when the swan in thela*e did raise its wings, snap% 9a*e fro:e% 9egs held in ice. +ouldn!t fly, the swan lingering in thela*e. But why would a bird not rise up with the floc* to go where they did, as if birds have brainsand could thin*.

SIDDHARTHAAre sna*es so disreputable" Why do you scoff" $o respect for what is seen, easy then to crush itunder the heel. #asy to *ill then and the matter does not end there, it spreads li*e the ripples

37


38/46

formed if a pebble were to be flung into that la*e '''' and it may be wise, li*e the swan lingering inthe bliss of a season, to contemplate the necessity of going with the floc*.

1SIDDHARTHApoints at the bac*drop0

''''' the circles grow wider and wider, when you fling a pebble and it hits the water in that la*e Thecircle of an action growing ultimately consumes the doer for better or worse. evadatta, it is li*estic*ing a finger in your own eye, each time you *ill. Balance between prey and predator means aworld. A balance between food and eater.

DE&ADATTAWords. Sentences. eclamations. (orals, yeah, *arma. Thou Shall not!s. Teachers teaching% Whocares% ive the bird, I shot it down for myself. on!t care to be a swan fro:en in the la*e. Sei:e theday and get it up while I can.

SIDDHARTHA$o. $ot 7ust words, not 7ust morals. There is nothing to say and no way to say it, one is obliged tosay it. Born to die, turning male fide to *ill the earth.

DE&ADATTAo you thin* it is possible to go even a single step without *illing '''' an ant, for instance, even asyou step aside to avoid s4uashing a worm "

SIDDHARTHASupposing the mind were to be so composed it loo*s upon life with affection. $ot 7ust this and that''''' but 9ife. Thin* high, our tradition says that it can protect from, even prevent, disaster.

DE&ADATTA3h, give the bird. I shall shoot or not, in self'defense or for pleasure. I have the freedom to decide.(y gut turns away from philosophy.

SIDDHARTHA1@ising0

The Swan is me, as my hand is, or my heart. To *now it, feel it. There will be countless othersattracted as moth to flame..

What do you say"

1SIDDHARTHA turns his 4uestion to those gathered on the stage,and then to the audience0

Be gentle. To yourself and to all else. I did not shoot it down, this swan ''''''

1# lifts theS'AN forward gently0

38


39/46

oes it belong to me"

1Star* silence into which THE 'ANDERER enters ''''' second stage attendant,

chest bare, wrapped in a white loin cloth, wal*ing unhurriedly, head slightly bowed.e turns to loo* at all gathered onstage, at the audience0

THE 'ANDERER9ife lin*ing you and me, all that we see as also all that we do not see, a tenuous connection thatmay brea* down so that he who helps life, raising a bent flower, creates possibilities un*nown toone who see*s to slay"

A *iller spoils and wastes life in which his own is intertwined..

Swan intertwined with Siddhartha.

$o one can *now what the moment holds for anything on earth, but the possibility is sovereign thatto respect life is to serve the earth.

1DE&ADATTA swings sharply on his heels and exits from 9eft0

SIDDHARTHA1Spea*s out softly as DE&ADATTAstrides out0

ro*, Brother 6rince. o it. As exciting as shooting the bird, or more, may be what happens, the

probables that arise, on lowering your arm when raised to stri*e.

S"DDHODHANABut my heart is uneasy.

1e drops his voice0

It is as if I lose Siddhartha to the bird.

1%IN! exits slowly, followed by attendant5

SIDDHARTHA)ree again, ta*e to the vast s*y if you will, Swan..

1 SIDDHARTHA exits from 9eft0

THE 'ANDERER4When all have left, bows to the audience,a na"aste)

39


40/46

I have no proper name, a wanderer. $o fixed plan, no deliberate route or speed, so that,sometimes, there I am, where the words come for which the time is right. And I spea* them.

4Speech structured and slow. 9ight gradually shifting to silver, 4uivering, then flic*ering as thesound of running water enters the scene.5

oing against the stream, uncertain, because the time is uncertain, but too much by now theburden of the accumulating habit which demands possession of whatever catches the eye. +anone ma*e it, live, turning against the flow, li*e a fish in midstream turning bac* on the force rushingtowards a massive gorge ''''' li*e the swan that is slow in 7oining the floc* unable to go along withthe customary, uncertain, the flow rushing to push over the edge, if you are the fish, because youare not doing 7ust the usual as usual. The swan feels the grip of the wave fro:en around it. Wintergot it, snap% $ec* twisted to loo* up at the s*y but it can no longer fly with swans as swan for thegreat wings are caught in the fro:en sheet that is now the la*e. The free:e sudden. &ou turn

around and loo* at the force that is carrying you on its surface, in its grip. The force that is behindwhat you are about to do, reaching for your bow, pointing arrow at the bird in the s*y '''

Stop% Before the moment is gone and moment gone. Why do you *ill" +ould you not simply leavethe bird its setting, leave the procession its landscape. Why must you interfere and alter"

A lightning flash, tenderness flooding mind in the face of the imminent, as in the swan on la*e,when suddenly it surrounds, become you, the love and admiring that ever was given entering theform, as the la*e into the swan, transforming it, immensely different, unable any longer to 7oin thefloc*, long beautiful nec* raised to itself ,seeing in the s*y turning to night the setting as well asthe form of itself. A set of stars, swan in the night s*y, constellation reflecting the swan in the la*e.

)ish against force bearing down, pushing to the lip of a terrifying fall, turns bac*. @ipped, everyscale torn from the form by the reverse flow. $ot the same now, the past ripped off. $o more a fishfor the mar*et place, or salted for the sun to dry out till shriveled and altered but a mighty power, adragon, celestial, breathing dew and rain to refresh what is alive, or grow what is about to riseabove the earth.

All beings dread suffering as much as the bird that Siddhartha 7ust now too* off stage. The mindaffects the world, even effects it, creating and sustaining it. +hange moment to moment, a massiveshifting within all we see and the world we are all in. It is wisdom not to be wanton, or organised inta*ing life out of others, while oneself not afraid to die when the call becomes imperative to renew..

Whatever you can thin* of is a bac*drop li*e the s*y for earth, never the whole. +lear the mind,harma says so. 9et go, let be, what is ''' no words can say it.

Birth, death, pain fear, growing unsatisfactoriness, the fish saw, the flux the swan that stayed onwatched from the la*e. A presence standing behind any identity, unseen, turning to it is to beenlightened.

40


41/46

Some harm is certain for all that exists. The time comes for letting go of the personal identity givingor receiving the damage..

4 The sta,e *s e-pty )here the stran,er stood5+

AC HREE

SCENE ONE

The 0*,ht chan,es to pa0e b02e+

The so2nd of ,ent0e chant*n, .....

OM MAN# PADME H!M .....

R*s*n, *n 1o02-e to stop the -o-ent SIDDHARTHA appears(stepp*n, *nto the c*rc0e of a spot0*,ht()h*ch *s a)a*t*n, h*- on the Sta,e+

Enter SIDDHARTHA+

SIDDHARTHA1 e faces the painted la*e onstage0

ealed. .)ly% )ly% Swan no more captive%

41


42/46


43/46

6ass on compassion.9eave palace, throne, companions, presently '''9isten to the earth, listen to its suffering.I shall help.

Individuals create nightmares for themselves and others by their thoughts and acts.Teach *indness, earth desires it.ive pause before an action that causes pain willfully to another.Something is destroyed each moment, inevitably, indifferently,$othing seen or heard will be spared the relapse.ive strength to the existence and passage of life as much as anyone can,That may be brave.

Strength in wanting each to live in peace in its own way.

What is not living" (ountains, seas, mud, a forest, river, a leaf, flint, each has manner.#verything alive above the earth, on it, under and around it.?oy in motes dancing in the sunbeam, ?oy in me as elsewhere.

1 SIDDHARTHA bows formally to audience0

933/% There, do you see"

1# points above the audience0

The swan has its wings%

And THERE! THERE! THERE!

Three birds who sat by a la*e as if they were listening to a story"

They are in the air now, flying away%

1SIDDHARTHA exits.The lighting reverts to the brightness of the beginning of theplay in a slow shift0

43


44/46

SCENE T'O

The Sta,e *s bare+ Enter S"TRADHAR+

S"TRADHARThe drama is ended. We pray that you found it good. The story of Siddhartha.

It happened in /apilavastu a long time ago.

There is a saying in these parts that a frog lives on its mother!s voice until it becomes 7ust that,inevitably, leaving off every other contingency..

This story left /apilavastu a long, long time ago and it is 7ust ahead, always right round the bend,the next turning, /apilavastu in the story and Siddhartha in the hearts of those who listen to it and,delighted, loo* ahead 7ust in time to see it ma*e a turn and *now that it will be met again and theBuddha will be there..

Siddhartha is true prince; real aristocrat, transcendening, enlightened, Buddha, that whicheverything perceived always is, as much as the perceiver, you and I.

1 TheS"TRADHAR extends his hands to audience,inviting them to 7oin him in the blessing0

$o% to all the po%ers an& presen'es#n o(r (ni)erse* an& the (ni)erse itsel+,

$o% to the highest o(t'o"e*o those %ho )ent(re-

$o% to parents-

$o% to tea'hers-$o% to a stranger-$o% to li)es s(rro(n&ing-

$o% to Si&&hartha-

$o% to Nat(re %hi'h &oes not i"prison or e.'l(&e-

44


45/46

$o% to the +lo%er open in the (nso%n +iel&-

$o% to a S%an-

$o% to /eings*ho%e)er "any* in %orl&s (nseen-

$o% to this &rea"* i+ s('h-$o% to the +a"iliar* an& i+ it is s"iling* /o% again-

$o% to that %hi'h li)es-What is not li)ing0What is not li)ing0

E)en the "ighty ro'1- Or its i"age-

1 THES"TRADHAR raises his arm to ac*nowledge the cast,who enter singly, slowly, gracefully arrange themselves onstage,leaving space in the centre for SIDDHARTHA and the b*rd(who enter last of all.

THE S"TRADHAR spea*s the last lines as the castta*es a bow0

And, we bow to you all%

SAR2AMANGALAM ,

1 3ffstage a melody played on AJA$AICAN STEEL DR"$5

#"EEN $AYA steps for)ard+She does not spea/ 2nt*0 *n f200 s*0ence+

#"EEN $AYAAnimals have wandered into this play. 6igeons at the beginning. White #lephant entered my

dream. White Swan. )ish swimming against the current into the destiny of celestial dragon. Smallfrog listening for a mother!s voice.

Bac*stage together I heard them whispering that wilderness is torn up, nearly destroyed.What is next"Wilderness gone is all gone"

Where will Siddhartha wal* then"

45


46/46

ow will he find the tree to give shelter and shade" $o more Bodhi Tree"

Stop *illing elephants, please, for any reason.

(atter may reciprocate,relent from ma*ing a grey sludge out of us all.And bees not shrin* smaller until out of the picture.And birds not suffocate in sixpac* hangman noosesAnd oceans get well again,)ish spared the terror of ravenous maw.$o beasts ''' that word '''' no butchery.Time and space, much that is un*nown flow from each action.

6lease, let us not be dire.#arth not a slaughterhouse, each and all anywhere Buddhas.

C"RTAIN

New York City

46

The Sakhya Prince

Documents

Transcript of The Sakhya Prince