The Half-Closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun

About the writer

Shankar Lamichhane (1928-1975) was born in Kathmandu but lived in Banaras with his uncle at a young age. After receiving a college education at Tri-Chandra College in Kathmandu, he took his first job at the age of twenty-two and worked for several governmental and cultural institutions in the capital. In his later years, he became the manager of a handicrafts store. Lamichhane was an admirer of modern American fiction and frequently mixed with foreign visitors to Nepal. His stories are heavy with symbolism, often lacking a conventional plot and more closely resembling essays, but his prose is rich and poetic. This story is taken from Himalayan Voices: An Introduction to Nepali Literature translated and edited by Michael Hutt. The story deals with the monologues of two characters a tourist guide in Kathmandu valley and a foreign tourist. The story is different from conventional stories and, instead of showing actions and events, the story records what the two characters think in a stream of consciousness technique.

Characters: 

1. The tourist: A Westerner or a Guest who holds aesthetic vision regarding Nepal based on his study in history, culture and religion.

2. The Guide: A Nepalese person and a tourist guide having good knowledge about the Nepalese art, culture, geography and religion but has a feeling of inferiority in comparison to the westerners.

 3. The farmer’s family: The simple farmer’s family living in a remote village having high faith, intimacy, kindliness, and gratitude in themselves.

4. A paralyzed child: A boy who suffers from Polio disorder and he can't speak properly, nor he can move his body parts except his eyes indicating purity.

 

Summary:

The story "The Half-Closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun" by Shankar Lamichhane is a short story being told through a discussion between two characters: a foreign tourist and a Nepali tourist guide. It had been taken from the anthology Himalayan Voices: An Introduction to Modern Nepali Literature, which was released in 1991 and it was translated by Michael Hutt. The story is set in and around Kathmandu, Nepal's capital city. In the story, both of the characters, the tourist and the guide act as narrators. 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 guide then tells the stories of Manjushri and how he stroked with his sword at Chobhar, allowing people to settle in Kathmandu Valley later. He talks about "the samyak gaze" of the shaven-headed monks and nuns who were receiving alms and spreading Buddhist preaching near the Kasthamandap, which represented purity.

The tourist discusses about the passion for wooden images, Nepalese folk music, various cultures such as Aryans, non-Aryans, Hindus, and Buddhists, While drinking wine, he also expresses gratitude to the guide for supplying him with Nepali and Newari food (cuisine). Then, they examine the lives and histories of Princess Bhrikuti and King Amshuvarma. He says how the King kept his relationships with his neighbouring countries.

Enjoying with the food and drinks, the tourist says that he is overjoyed by the welcoming smiles he receives wherever he goes. He compares himself as the farmer's son returning home from hard work. He is much happy to find 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 the tourist 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 who was polio-affected. His 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. There are the eyes that look at the tourist but see nothing. This is the gaze that is incapable of self-manifestation. This is the beauty that is complete and has no other expression. 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. There are the eyes that welcome the tourist and the end of life is hidden in these eyes.

 They are as beautiful as the setting sun's reflection in the eyes of Buddha.

 

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. How does the tourist describe his initial impression of the Kathmandu valley?

 Ans:- 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?

Ans:- 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?

Ans:- 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?

Ans:- 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?

Ans:- 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?

Ans:- 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?

Ans:- 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?

Ans:- 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?

Ans:- The differences between the paralyzed child and his sister are 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?

Ans:- 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?

Ans:- 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?

Ans:- The author of the story "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 surreal 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.

Ans:- 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.

Ans:- 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 in 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 Lord Buddha. Even if all of the world's history books were destroyed today, but 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.