new sakhya

8/13/2019 New Sakhya

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THE SAKHYA PRINCE

A PLAY FOR CHILDREN

BY

HELENA JOSHEE

Copyright Helena Joshee

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FOR LAMA PEMA WANGDAK

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CAS

In order of Appearance

FIRST BIRDSECOND BIRDELDER BIRDFIRST STAGE ATTENDANTSECOND STAGE ATTENDANTTHE SUTRADHARPRINCE SIDDHARTHAQUEEN MAYAING SUDDHODHANATHE SAGE ASITA and

HIS DISCIPLEDE!ADATTATHE ACARYATHE STRANGER

ELDER BIRD" the SUTRADHAR" ING SUDDHODHANA" THE ACARYAAll played by one actor with small shifts of costume.

FIRST and SECOND BIRD" PRINCE SIDDHARTHA and DE!ADATTAPlayed by two boys in the lower teens.

The two STAGE ATTENDANTS also play SAGE ASITA and his DISCIPLE"And, THE STRANGER#

QUEEN MAYA is a young woman. She should slide through her role swiftly,gently, soundlessly, as if in a dream.

The actual number of actors in the play is six.

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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 BIRDS

S$a%e &are" 'e()*dar+ne''# Spo$,)%-$ on FIRST BIRD andSECOND BIRD# T-e. are feed)n%# P)%eon*%re. c,oa+' $o %)/e$-e )(pre'')on of &)rd for(# Scar/e' ro0nd $-e nec+ 1)$- an)r)de'cence" p0rp,e and %reen# Ma'+' on $-e e.e' offer $-e

'0%%e'$)on of &)rd e.e'# S+0,, cap' for &)rd -ead'# Ac$or' '-o0,d $-)n+ &)rd#

T-ree 'creen' )n a 'e()*c)rc,e enc,o'e $-e &)rd'#Eac- 'creen -a' $-ree pane,' of coar'e &,ac+c,o$- '$re$c-ed $)%-$ $o con/e. a non*'o,)d opa20ene''#

T-e BIRDS are on $-e)r +nee'" p)c+ a$ )(a%)nar. 'eed ,.)n% on $-e%ro0nd#

Ra)'e)nd)/)d0a, -ead' fro( $)(e $o $)(e" ,)+e &)rd'" $o %)/e $-e 'eed'$)(e $o 'e$$,e )n $-e crop# Pec+)n% co0n$ed )n (o(en$'# Mo/e(en$ '-o0,d &e(0')ca,#

F)r'$ B)rd !utts the other lightly"

STOP3 #aven$t you eaten enough%

Second B)rd &ontinuing to eat stolidly"

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Why don$t YOU stop%

F)r'$ B)rd Stops eating and watches the other"

There will be nothing left unless you stop.

Second B)rd 'onchalantly cutting arcs with his head as if scatteringin the air the seeds from the ground"

So what(

F)r'$ B)rd

This food is mine. I found it. I want it. )ou go away somewhere.

4F)r'$ B)rd rushes Second B)rd. !ird*fight, head pushing head"

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

#e rises, struts around the feeding patch, puffing himself as he does so,swirling his cloa-. Then he -neels again by the side of Second B)rd.They resume pec-ing at the seed together"

Second B)rd

&ooooo( &oo( Isn$t that nice% Isn$t it wonderful( Aren$t we happy here, together. All this seedexpeditiously discovered. &ooh( oogedeeegoo( Aren$t we luc-y% Ain$t it fun(

Bo$- B)rd' lift their heads".

F)r'$ B)rdI saw it first. It belongs to me.

Second B)rd rushes to bury his/bea-/ in F)r'$ B)rd5' chest, who shrie-s *****"

It$s the truth(

Second B)rdThe Truth( What$s the truth(

F)r'$ B)rd struts **** as a bird will **** with ruffled feathers. #e stops face on before Second B)rd6

F)r'$ B)rdThe seeds you are eating belong to me. Stop( 0on$t touch( et away. 1eep off(

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Second B)rdI shall eat up every seed in the world if I choose.

A S,o1Dr0(&ea$ begins to sound exactly on cue with F)r'$ B)rd5' speech,barely discernible with the first word but pic-ing up in volume li-e a heart beatingharder right until E,der B)rd is heard"

F)r'$ B)rd+y seeds( +y seeds. +y seeds. Stop, you ***** or else(

Second B)rd Stops eating, flutters his 2feathers/ and begins to strut 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 litany"

Who do you thin- you are(Telling me what to do(I shall do what pleases me()es, I$m in the right. I$m right( I$m always *******

F)r'$ B)rd As if cooing, blending in with the last sentence of Second B)rdso that they both stop at the same time and the Dr0(&ea$with them"

All seeds are mine 3..4verything is mine 3. All seeds and everything3.

Bo$- B)rd' raise their heads to loo- 5ffstage, -eeping the posethroughout E,der B)rd5' vocal and actual entry"

E,der B)rd 5ffstage. It is a recording. The words should 6uietly resonate7#armonious, slow, distinct, not loud. The spacing between the wordscomposed as if to suggest birdcall"

SHANTI3 SHANTI3 SHANTI3

4E,der B)rd" a grey*cloa-ed figure, costume identical with the other two,comes into view from Stage 8ight, drifting into focus, raising and falling of cloa- folds as he

moves, to suggest slow flight.

F)r'$ B)rd and Second B)rd resume eating.E,der B)rd drops into position with them and eats for a second or two.Then he rises and spea-s, addressing T-e A0d)ence as well as the T1o B)rd'"

Although wishing for happiness, you turn into its enemy and destroy it.

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A small pause to let his words settle"

5n a dar- and cloudy night, moonless, when there is a flash of lightning it is li-e day, very briefly.4verything is seen clearly in the flash. This story I tell you now can lift up the dar-ness of the night

li-e a lightning flash.

ELDER BIRD loo-s at the T1o B)rd' loo-ing up at him.#e loo-s at T-eA0d)ence. rave and dignified, his glance ta-es in stage and audience"

ELDER BIRD contd..This story the wise ancient ones tell their pupils, and they in turn tell it to their pupils, as now I tell itto you. irst, let us find a proper space for our story. There must be a proper time as well. Properfor what is to be remembered to shine, to reveal the ground upon which the seeds you 6uarrel overare strewn. &ome, children, to a 6uiet and 9oyful place(

The T-ree B)rd' rise slowly, ma-e a wide sweep of the stage,letting their cloa-s rise and fall as if the beating of wings,finding their harmony and moving in a slow graceful line,E,der B)rdat the head, towards the wings.

As they rise to begin their 2flight/, chanting offstage from the wings.The S-e 75a Ma Pra.er in Tibetan"

S-e 75a T-a( c-e# 8) Pe)# C-en .an% pa9Dro +0n Ge ,e% Dr0& pe) R-0% 7e c-en9Sa( .e T-r)n ,e D:e pe) To& N%a 1a9

;Ja( ;%on La (e) 8-a& ,a G50 c-5a% $'5a,

A descant in 4nglish "

I +nee, )n re'pec$" I &o1 $o .o0" %rea$ pro$ec$or and $eac-er3Yo0r 1)de e.e' 'ee a,, $-)n%' ,o/)n%,.#

Man70'-r)" Yo0 &r)n% -app)ne'' )n$o 1-a$ .o0r e.e' 'ee#Yo0 are near eac- one )n 'ecre$ and eac- fee,' .o0r %en$,ene''#T-)' )' .o0r 'acred po1er" and )$ )' rea,#

F)r'$ B)rd 5ffstage, distinctly"

5h, loo-( 0o you see a beautiful par-% +any, many lovely flowers( So many colours. Shall westop here% Please, may we stop here(

4nter F)r'$ and Second S$a%e A$$endan$'#They are dressed in loose shirts withbillowing full*length sleeves. The shirts are worn inside loose, straight*legged trousers.

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The costume should be of cotton in the palest yellow, the colour of corn*sil-:cummerbund at the waist in yellow a shade dar-er.

They enter slowly, softly, carrying a Screenonstage from the ;eft. It has low hills in the

bac-ground. &lear s-y. lowering trees coming in from the edges of the screen, profusion offlowers and 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 the S$a%e A$$endan$' should be 9oyful and slow, a sort of dance pic-ing up therhythms of the birds we have 9ust seen"

Second B)rd 5ffstage, distinctly"

'o( 'o( I thin- we should sit on those trees over there. ;oo- at that( ruit shining li-e 9ewels in thebranches. Perfect fruit, ripe to eat. 0o let us sit in the shade of those trees. &alm trees. &ool

shade.

The Second Screen is carried in from the 8ight and placed sothat when the T-)rd Screen is put in the centre, the whole will form a wide arc.The screens separated by space.

T-e Second Screen has on it tall trees laden with glistening fruit. 'o attempt to ma-e the treesrealistic. Tall leafy green forms of the imagination with 9ewel colours for fruit. Again, a gold borderframing the whole.

The corresponding tri*panel is removed. ;ights continue to gain in a slow, golden glow"

E,der B)rd 5ffstage, distinctly"

'ow, here we are( Shall we stop in this place for a while% The la-e, calm and blue. ;otus flowersopen ***** blue, white and yellow. !ees drifting over the open flowers. The shore, fresh withgrowth, fragrant. It is fresh and fragrant. Shall we stop here for a while% The grass feels cool andsoft..

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T-e M)dd,e Pane, is carried in. It should be the largest. A surface with open lotus flowers. A goldborder round the picture. The last blac- section is carried out"

IT IS A CALM" GOLDEN DAY ONSTAGE#

AC ONE

SCENE ONE

MUSIC OFFSTAGE< T-e ',o1 c-)(e of a (on+5' c.(&a,'#

En$er SUTRADHAR 1-o )' $-e +eeper of $-e $-read of '$or.#He 1ear' an an+,e*,en%$- +),$ of (aroon*red" ,oo'e,. p,ea$ed

a$ $-e ')de" )n -ea/. co$$on (a$er)a,# T-e $0n)c )' ,on%*',ee/ed"$-)%-*,en%$-" ,oo'e" a,'o (aroon*red and $-)c+# T-)' &a')cco'$0(e 1),, &e 1orn $-ro0%-o0$ $-e p,a." 1)$- acce''or)e' oradap$a$)on' for $-e d)fferen$ ro,e'#

T-e SUTRADHAR 1ear' 0no&$r0')/e foo$1ear# A '-a1, fo,ded ,en%$-1)'ereac-)n% -)' +nee on $-e ,ef$ '-o0,der# T0n)c )'dra1n )n 1)$- a $a''e,,ed &e,$ a$ $-e 1a)'$#

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SUTRADHAR '$ep' ,e)'0re,. on'$a%e and '$op' a$ cen$re )n fron$ of $-e (a)n'creen 1)$- ,o$0'e'# He $0rn' ro0nd $o face $-e a0d)ence" $a+e' a fe1 '$ep'$o1ard' $-e(#

T-e CYMBALS '$op#

SUTRADHAR!eautiful day( As if it were washed clean by recent rain and now the sun is shining.

#4 opens his arms as if to THEAUDIENCE and steps forward"

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

4lder !ird you saw a moment ago bringing to the younger 6uarreling pair a hori


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The chime of the CYMBALS is heard again, underscoring SILENCEwhich accompanies the

!lessing"

Ma. ALL Be)n%' a$$rac$ Happ)ne''" and $-e Ca0'e of Happ)ne''Ma. ALL Be)n%' '-ed S0ffer)n% and $-e Ca0'e of S0ffer)n%Ma. ALL Be)n%' ne/er par$ fro( $-e Happ)ne'' of No*S0ffer)n%Ma. ALL Be)n%' &e open*-ear$ed" free of $-e de')re $o $a+e and +eep (ore$-an )' needed" no 1a'$ef0,ne'' $-en or pr)de"Free of $-e fee,)n% $-a$ (a+e' one 1)'- $o de'$ro. 1-a$ ano$-er -a'#

SIDDHARTHA comes 5nstage from the 8ight. #e is a slender, beautiful boy.

#e wears white, fitting 9odhpurs of a soft material. A white long*sleeved collar*less tunic that comes down to his -nees. A broad red scarf with a simple design woven in goldthread sits neatly folded on his left shoulder, falls in a graceful curve to 9ust above the waist,carried under the right arm continuing the curve round the bac- to meetthe other end on the leftshoulder.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 mar- SIDDHARTHA as he wal-s slowly across stage to pause directlybehind the SUTRADHAR# #is head is turned away from the audience, loo-ing at some point

a little distance into the bac-drop, the side of the la-e"

SUTRADHAR contd. The invocation has ended. The cymbalsstop.At the instant, he turns his head and notices SIDDHARTHAonstage. #e calls out 6uietly"

Siddhartha(

SIDDHARTHA

)es, Sir.

SIDDHARTHA turns round politely, but immediately shifts his ga


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and says to THEAUDIENCE6

SUTRADHARThis is Siddhartha, Prince of the Sa-hyas.

SIDDHARTHAAre you going to tell them about =ueen +aya, my mother%

SUTRADHAR)es.

SIDDHARTHA+ay I stay% I should li-e to hear the story again.

SUTRADHAR

)es, Siddhartha, my prince. In this play you can listen and watch .

SIDDHARTHAwal-s to the ront*;eft of Stage.4nter ATTENDANT from ;eft with a small carpet which he places on the floorfor SIDDHARTHA to sit on. 4xit ATTENDANT after bowing to the Prince.

Simultaneously, as the SUTRADHAR moves orward and 8ight,nearer the audience to begin his narration, STAGE ATTENDANTScarry onstage a large screen of fine white netting, or semi*opa6ue white fabric with a slight gloss..They place it on the stage in front of and a small distance from the natural scenes.

ATTENDANTS exit and return with a Second Screen placed behind the first7it contains a depiction of a city seen from a distance. A city of the imagination withhints of the famous Potala in the soaring outlines that raise the ga


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SUTRADHAR +oving a little forward and to the 8ightwhile glancing at the scene that is ta-ing shape behind him"

The world never forgets this lovely city which awaited the extraordinary, a marvellous event *****

And it came( &ities respond to the thoughts in their dwellings, 9ust as the reat, ood and !eautifulresponds to yearnings in each one of us..

The city, 1apilavastu, 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. and they had beenthere a long, long time. Suddhodhana, the -ing, is not harsh or greedy, so the people are willingand prosperous around him. A lovely girl, +aya, is his 6ueen.

As the narration continues, the STAGE ATTENDANTS carry in a low divan.They place it at &entre and not far from the opa6ue white screen,cover it with a rich cloth, put a bolster pillow at the head, and then exit"

When auspiciousness is on the hori


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=ueen +aya had a dream that she remembered, and that the world too now remembers and isfascinated.

She saw a white elephant, a creature of beauty, glide into her being. It happened as simply as the

moon going into a cloud. She was not frightened.

QUEEN MAYA smiles and stirs on the couch"

0reams have language and this one spo-e of her as a mother to one who would affect the world,bring loving -indness into it, and even, perhaps, direct its course.

When the city she lived in had crumbled to dust and disappeared, li-e her form and line, they wouldlive in a story -ept alive by the deeds of this son which this earth would remember, love andrevere.

5ne day, shortly before the birth of the child, a thought too- =ueen +aya into the calm of a forestpar-.

QUEEN MAYA rises slowly at the beginning of this sentence and wal-s 5ffstage.

STAGE ATTENDANTS remove the 'etting?gau


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The SUTRADHAR spea-s the next lines softly"

Whenever !uddha is born, mercy is immaculate again, so in each hell fires dim and extinguish

themselves as men spontaneously begin to spea- with -indness. 0in and clamour ta-e a stepbac-wards, softness is present, horses neigh and elephants too trumpet gently, softly. Prisonersga


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

iving up violence,creatures cruel by nature refrained from harming othersas the Prince, although newborn, too- seven steps

4ach step had a name. The first, Peace. And the last, Patience.

#ere SIDDHARTHA has completed his Seventh Step.

eet close together, hands 9oined in a formal salute,he bows to QUEEN MAYA, and leaves the stage from the ;eft.

The TANPURA fades out. The spotlight shifts to QUEEN MAYAAs THE SUTRADHAR continues7"

#er heart soft with feeling, a mother, =ueen +aya smiled.A hermit in his lonely dwelling had foreseen that she would pass from the world not long after thisevent, smiling.Smiling in her sleep.

QUEEN MAYA rises from the carpet.

She bows graciously to THE AUDIENCEwith folded hands and leaves the Stage.

The spotlight dims without following her.

The blue ha


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T-)' )' done 1-),e $-e SUTRADHAR )' 'pea+)n%#

SUTRADHAR 9 ING SUDDHODHANAA festival( A festival( The people call for feast and sensation. I, 1ing Suddhodhana, shall provide it.A child in our family.

SUTRADHAR is slowly transformed intoa ING.

A large ring is proffered for his finger. The STAGE ATTENDANTS come in one at atime, hold out an item, and leave to bring in the next one.The shawl is respectfully ta-en from his shoulder.A rich waistcoat is brought in 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 that encircles the nec-. A second pearl strand that is pendant.A footstool that is placed for his use before the couch"

ING SUDDHODHANAAn heir to the Sa-hyas( A beautiful child. All is right. #e is perfect. @oy came as escort with thechild into our our -indom. Townsfol- aware of flower*scented bree


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s6uares, wal-ing in and out of doors, because Siddhartha is born, because Siddhartha is here. 'oone has see them but people believe now that gods beyond number are in our city to stay a while.

THE ING sits on the edge of the couch. #is feet rest on the floor.

#is hands press down on the edge of the couch"

Pandits and diviners as- to see the baby.They loo- into con9unctions of what is in the heavens andwhat on earth and foresee the remar-able, They predict a long lifetime of beauty and greatness, awisdom by which -nots will loosen of themselves and mists rise from the deepest fastness toreveal the precipice, a deadly drop, he will plunge, and others after him. Then they say no more.

And now a rishi, seer, far*renowned, inaccessible for affairs of the world, he is suddenly here,as-s to see the child.

4nter STAGE ATTENDANTS, wal-ing one behind the other.

They have wrapped long, broad, cotton shawls around their chests and shoulders for their roles asASITA AND HIS DISCIPLE# !oth barefoot"

THE DISCIPLE Stepping forward"

Asita is here(

ING rises"

+ahatma, accept my homage and respect.

#4 folds his hands and bows his head in respectful greeting.THE ING steps aside and offers his couch to ASITA6#

All the comforts of my palace are for you.

ASITA

5h, no. 'o. )ou -eep them. Thrones and luxury are used by -ings. #ermits sit on anything thathappens to be where they are. There *****

#4 points to the rug on which SIDDHARTHA had been sitting inthe previous scene"

I shall sit(

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

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

ASITA to ING


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INGI feel as if the earth were leaving. A gap beneath where I stand. What does it mean%

ASITA;isten again about Siddhartha7 If he desires a -ingdom of the earth, he will con6uer the entireearth. That he can.

ING Slowly and softly letting the word spill from his mouth"&ha-ravartin( 8uling the earth from corner to corner, all cardinal directions and in*between

ASITAWorld*4mperor whose life and reign, deeds and achievements, of such singularity that the humanrace will recall his name with awe as long as the world survives.

ING)et, uneasy, shivering, a sorrow stealthily creeping into the great 9oy in my heart for this son.

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

ASITA bows his head slightly, ING SUDDHODHANA loo-s on startled"

#e shall choose to live in lonely places, forests, wastelands, wearing hermit$s weeds. ;eave youand 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. &5+PASSI5' the word hewill relentlessly proclaim, meaning each and all is intimate with each and everything everywhere allthe time.

ASITA swiftly rises from the carpet and leaves the stage with DISCIPLE#

ING SUDDHODHANA rising slowly leaves the Stage in the opposite direction.

The haunting sound of a SARANGI being played in the bac-ground.perhaps accompanying a singer creatinga mood,that of the INGwho is slowly wal-ing out,and allowing time for the STAGE ATTENDANTS return to remove the couch,as well as the large carpet used by QUEEN MAYA" from the Stage.

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SIDDHARTHA AND DE!ADATTA rush across the Stage engaged in a game.

In from the 8ight, out from the ;eft.

DE!ADATTA differs from his cousin SIDDHARTHAonly in that he wears ornate gold*embroidered shoes,and a 9ac-et or royal blue that matches the shoes in gold*trimming"

DE!ADATTASiddhartha(

SIDDHARTHA0evadatta(

AC WO

SCENE ONE

En$er SUTRADHAR dre''ed for -)' ro,e" ()n0' 7e1e,'and $r)(()n%'#

SUTRADHAR

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Time passed without giving 1ing Suddhodhana relief from the fear that his son would revolt. ;eavepalace and comfort seeing the helplessness of the world sliding into the the groove without choicefrom birth to death with disease, suffering, old age in between, the same universal with noexceptions

)et everything seems to be going well. Siddhartha has passed from infant to boy en9oying theyears with companions and -in.

#ush( &an you hear them%

#e puts a finger to his lips for silence and loo-s overhead, letting his ga


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SIDDHARTHA 4nters from ;eft, after calling from 5ffstage"

0evadatta(

DE!ADATTA 4nters from the same direction as SIDDHARTHA. #e carries a bow and arrow"

)es, &ousin.

SIDDHARTHAPromise me you will not shoot at those three grey birds who sit by the shore of the la-e.

DE!ADATTAWhy not% Why shouldn$t I%

SIDDHARTHAWell, it$s as if the bigger one is telling the smaller two something. A story, perhaps. They sit silentlylistening while he sings. And then the three flutter together and twitter before they settle downagain for the bigger bird to start singing once more. Perhaps, it is a charming story.

DE!ADATTA!irds don$t tell stories. They are only birds.

SIDDHARTHAWhat are birds%

DE!ADATTAThings with feathers.

#4 moves forward facing THE AUDIENCE"while behind him gently"

SIDDHARTHA0evadatta, yes, birds fly. They have wings. They have eyes. They see. They sing( They race(They play( They love( They drin-. They eat. They also grieve, cousin.

SIDDHARTHA moves forward to stand by his cousin.

!ehind them the SUTRADHAR 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.

The STAGE ATTENDANTS carry in a low dais and place it at centre*stage

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in front of the lotus pool. The ACARYA sits on it as a teacher would, his legs folded beneath him,reserved and correct.

A boo- is brought on its stand and placed in front of him.

A slim teacher$s rule is handed to him.

All this simultaneous with the dialogue between the cousins"

DE!ADATTA With heat, spinning round on SIDDHARTHA "

)ou$re 9ust soft. I never -now where you are. @ust when I thin- you will win a race, so I whip myhorse harder, harder, to go faster, faster, and the foam pouring out from its mouth, and the eyesstarting out from its head, 9ust when I am beginning to en9oy myself and the taste of winning is onmy tongue, and I whip the beast on to the winning strea- **** do or die **** you slow down.

Although, if you had -ept going you, 6uite easily, might have won. 'ot much fun your way.

SIDDHARTHA =uietly"

I feel the pain of the horse that I am riding. I feel its weariness. It is only a game. It is time to stopwhen I feel the horse begin to suffer.

DE!ADATTAThere are rules for a game, even if it is a game. )ou must win, or you lose. The horses are therefor the race.

SIDDHARTHA&ousin, I felt the horse$s need to be free. It was not a beast that I was riding. The race seemedbetter ended for me. )ou were free to race on and try your hand against the others who werecoming up behind.

DE!ADATTA Turns upon SIDDHARTHA"

That$s not the way things are. Playing at dice, or chess, one will not worry about the loser. It is notthe way things are supposed to be.

SIDDHARTHA

To see the spontaneous come forth, but if there is pain in the eyes of the one that is losing anddoesn$t want to, I stop.

DE!ADATTA)ou were winning the round. Winning is winning is winning the round. )ou were winning the round.That is why we play( To win( Say no%

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SIDDHARTHAI cannot bear the eyes of someone who wants to win and is losing to me. If it were you who werewinning, you might do as you please.

DE!ADATTAames are played that way. The whole reason for races. The way things are done. 4verythingcompeting, 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, 0evadatta. ;eave the birds, no absolute need for your presence to destroy in thatpicture. If it is a will to power that must be fed, turn it to the creative. ive thought to the effect,don$t dumbly hammer on the thing. &reativity has more in it than a rat race. Try it, brother, it$s cool.And drop the thought of genius from your mind for with it is the will to overcome the, as you did withthe horses, catching up and overta-ing, which also leads to pushing aside and what will not give

becomes enemy. ;et be, what transpires may startle and even awa-en you and me.

DE!ADATTAThree birds saved( Thousands and millions of birds in the world. 5ne here or there may somehowshoot here or there. 5r the birds will become too many and ta-e over. What shall you do% &ousin,dear, what can you do%

#4 spins round on his feet, on his heels, one, two circles until he is face to face withSIDDHARTHA, pushing against him with a 9eer"

SIDDHARTHA +oving closer to THE AUDIENCE spea-ing very 6uietlly"

Perhaps, it is li-e this7 If the surface of the earth is 9agged and sharp as glass splinters, it is hardlypossible 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 6uic- to say thatleather comes from -illing( )ou may miss the point, if you do(

0o not -ill the birds by the la-es. 0evadatta. do not be wanton.&ontagious, violence li-e a fatal disease spreads, -ills remorselesslyeverything that it touches **** even the -iller.

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SCENE T=O

ACARYA Aloud, brea-ing through the tension of the previous"

SI00#A8T#A( 04>A0ATTA(

!oth boys turn around smartly together"

SIDDHARTHA AND DE!ADATTA Together"

Acarya(

!oth towards him, remove their shoes, place them neatly aside,1neel, bow, their heads touching the earth.

4nter STAGE ATTENDANTS with small bowls of fruit.The boys rise, ta-e the bowls to offer them to the ACARYA,who receives them with ceremony and with both hands.

STAGE ATTENDANTS place the carpet used by the Sage Asita,still onstage, to the ;eft of the ACARYA#

DE!ADATTA ta-es his seat to the right, SIDDHARTHA on the carpet to the left.The boys are slightly turned to the audience, in profile, as it were.

STAGE ATTENDANTS retire.

Pacing for all these moves is very swift"

ACARYA AND THE T=O STUDENTS8ecite together, distinctly, and with hands clasped at chest level"

We bow, we respect the teacher+ay we be protected, may we be open.+ay our energy be great to listen.+ay our study have vigor.;et there be Peace and Peace and Peace here where we areAnd in all the forces which surround us.

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ACARYA As if in continuation of the last line of the invocation above"

0o not mista-e the world for ob9ects placed in se6uence *** happy, or not **** for your convenience.

The Teacher you see is everywhere( 4verything is spea-ing. 4verywhere the gateway of things tobe. The trees soughing in the bree


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DE!ADATTA 8ising"

I will.

4xit from the 8ight"

ACARYA ;oo-ing straight at AUDIENCE"

5f course, 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.

Styluses, slates, compasses. Poetry, arts, grammar, numbers are the e6uipment, the preparations

of children getting ready to come of age to see-, find, love, and embody Truth.

!etter calm than unholy.!etter peace than war.!etter 9oy than cruelty.!etter the subtle then lurid, bra


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3. he did not stop. #e wrote the sentence of the sun in every language that 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 9ungles teeming with sound.

In every script. Pictures, glyphs, arrangements of -nots by colour: arrangements of lines, straightand wavy, variations, combinations, rounded and slanting: vertical ***** li-e structures that upholdcivilisation ***** or, hori


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you count the sands of a mighty river that flows to the ocean, and the antah*-alpas is the unit usedfor the sands of a hundred, hundred thousand such rivers. 'odes of Infinity.

If the scale becomes vaster, another unit exists called the asan-ya, which delineates, enumerates

and sums up the story of all the drops that in ten thousand years would fall on all the worlds if itrained every single day. 'odes of Infinity. And that$s not all *****

adeout of FLUTE6

ACARYA'odes of Infinity. rom addition, multiplication, division, we went into measurements of distancesuch as all children are taught7 inches, metres, miles. Prince Siddhartha then went on to measuressuch as ******

SIDDHARTHA

the soft FLUTE"

'odes of infinity. Paramanus ten a parasu-shma ma-e. Ten of these build the trasarene, andseven trasarenes the length of a mote, such as you see drifting on a sunbeam when it enters aroom that has dar-ness.

Seven of these motes ma-e the whis-er*point of a mouse. Ten of those whis-er*points ma-e ali-hya. Ten li-hyas a yu-a. Ten yu-as a heart of barley. 'odes of Infinity.

Seven hearts of barley ma-e the slender waist of a wasp. The finger*9oint is ten times the waist of awasp.

Twelve 9oints ma-e a span, and from these are derived the cubit, staff, bow*length, lance*length.Twenty lance lengths ma-e a 2breath/, which is, the space a full*grown man may stride with lungsonce filled. orty breaths ma-e a gow. our gows ma-e a yogana.

And, 8espected Teacher, I would tell you how many sun*motes lie from end to end within ayogana, but, I hear a sound( ******

SIDDHARTHA holds up his hand for silence. The FLUTE stops"

0o you hear it% The velvety rustle% The birds are coming home( I can hear the swans( ;isten(

0o you hear them too% The swans are going home to the mountains. 0o you hear them%

#4 turns his head to scan the s-y"

#umming, throbbing, 6uivering, life is tal-ing to itself, do you hear it moving%

SIDDHARTHA rises and points to the s-y, the hori


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#e lets his arm fall bac- as the ACARYA and he watch the graceful passage of the birds"

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% 8apture of bird and s-y, colours and light% ;eaves dancing lightly on the tree,ripples on the la-e, with the bree


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SCENE THREE

=-en $-e ,)%-$ re$0rn'" ACARYA )' on -)' 'ea$ a,one#

ACARYAProfound men, the far seeing ones, predicted that seeing suffering intertwined with death,disease,indigence,with the unending struggle of big to become bigger swallowing the small, theprince would wal- away from throne, lands, 9ewels into the world to confront with no otherweapon than his mighty feeling the pain that nothing and no one can escape.

The 1ing was determined to forestall this turn. 0istress and its vectors are prohibited to the boy.

The palace, at the 1ing$s command, has set eyes and hands to -eep anguish out of bounds.

Somewhere the swan is bleeding to death. The 1ing has forbidden that Siddhartha shouldsee it. !ut Siddhartha insists that the bird be found.

ACARYA rises and leaves the Stage.

4nter STAGE ATTENDANT carrying a SWAN .It is a @apanese 5rigami 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."

STAGE ATTENDANTPrince Siddhartha, )our #ighness, I found it. 5 Prince, I have it, the bird, blood lost it still is living.Prince Siddhartha, here I have the bird.

4nter SIDDHARTHA# #e ta-es the bird into his arms with care,dismisses the ATTENDANT"

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SIDDHARTHA)ou may leave.

SIDDHARTHA spea-s distinctly, but musing to himself"

Suffering here 3.. the cause of Suffering is here as well3.

4nter ING SUDDHODHANA bris-ly, attended by one STAGE ATTENDANT"

INGSiddhartha( Siddhartha, all alone% Such a beautiful day, lovely day, feel the freshness, thefragrance of the day. I have as-ed for musicians to come out here in the open. They shall play forus the melody proper for this time, using note, pitch, timbre proper for the season that surroundsus. 8efreshments are on their way here. What do you thin-, shall we listen to the music and have

the sherbet after% 5r, are you thirsty now, son%

SIDDHARTHAThe bird is growing limp in my arms. A little while ago, father, it was the colour of snow driftingabove tree*tops, swift in the s-y.

ING To ATTENDANT"

Ta-e it away. A bird, Siddhartha. There will be more. Swans in the s-y again, tomorrow and theday after, and the day after that. Swans shall not cease to fly, my son.

SIDDHARTHA'o, let this one be with me. I stro-e nec- with my finger, I touch soft down, a feeling that vigour isreturning to the bird into which, perhaps, my strength flows. !leeding has ceased. Perhaps, it shalllive. This swan, and all others.

4nter DE!ADATTA "

DE!ADATTA+ine(

8ushes SIDDHARTHA for the swan"

Who shot it down% +e. +ine. ive it here. I brought it down.

SIDDHARTHAAnd was that so wonderful ***** to stop its flight% To stay its course% Ta-e down those who 9ourneyto freedom beyond what eyes and ears hear. It gave you a thrill to -ill the bird, some sort of instinct

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not really necessary, to bring it down. The desire of this bird not to suffer as intense as yours ifsomeone were to raise a weapon to you to bring you down.

DE!ADATTA

I am not the first to shoot at a bird. I won$t be the last.

SIDDHARTHAIs it so good for life that this one bird should not live. I shall tend it to health and then release it.4verything matters. 4ffects are not for you and me to calculate because we can$t see and -now butthere are effects.

DE!ADATTAI shot it down. I should get it%

INGThose are the rules of the hunt, Siddhartha. #e who hits the target, -eeps the game.

SIDDHARTHA!ut we were not hunting.

DE!ADATTA0o I have to declare a hunt to aim at a bird% Princes pride themselves on aim. The bird had a fairchance. A moving target( I had a fair chance. I won. The bird$ mine.

SIDDHARTHA

What shall you do with it%

DE!ADATTAI$ll thin- of something.

SIDDHARTHAIt is reviving(

SIDDHARTHA touches his head to the S=AN"

&alm now, Swan. !e calm. Stay calm, I shall draw out the arrow.

SIDDHARTHA stro-es the bird and sits down crosslegged,placing the S=AN across his lap, stro-ing it with his left hand"

)our heart is racing, I shall not hurt you, I mean to heal.

With a sharp pull of his right hand, SIDDHARTHA draws out the arrowfrom the wing of the bird, and then gives a sharp cry of pain"

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&ruel plaything(

ING

#ave you hurt yourself% SI00#A8T#A(

#4 rushes to SIDDHARTHA "

SIDDHARTHAather. I feel the barbs of the arrow catch in the flesh of my fingers as they did on this bird,bringing it down.

#e puts the arrowaside"

The pain of an arrow in my flesh, I feel it, ather.

SIDDHARTHA draws his body to the S=AN "

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

DE!ADATTA#and it over to me.

DE!ADATTA reac-e' o0$ -)' -and &0$SIDDHARTHA stro-es the swan"

SIDDHARTHAIt lives, 0evadatta. )ou are the slayer, but you have not slain. )ou destroyed the speed, the grace,the 9oy of this swan. )ou separated the swan from from it setting, the pattern does not cease, thefloc- has passed, and this one here has lost the rhythm of passage.et wise, brother prince( 8ide against the -iller instinct.

DE!ADATTAp in the s-y, the swan is free. It belongs to no one. 5n the earth it belongs to me, I brought itdown with my resourcesl.

SIDDHARTHA

The instinct that bid you put arrow to bow, your aim, all thats yours, cousin, not the bird, this swan.Is the blood spilled yours% A place in the lively procession across the s-y, that yours% &ousin%

ING+usicians are here, Siddhartha. ;et them play to calm us all. +usic can refresh us.

DE!ADATTA!ird mine. We are men. We are princes. We hunt. We -ill. Ta-e as we can as also what we want.

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The secondSTAGE ATTENDANT enters and addresses SUDDHODHANA"

SECOND STAGE ATTENDANT

)our #ighness, may we serve what you ordered%

SUDDHODANAwaves the ATTENDANT away while loo-ing atSIDDHARTHA. The SECOND STAGE ATTENDANT exits"

SIDDHARTHA To the departing ATTENDANT6

Please ******

THE ATTENDANT turns to heed THEPRINCE "

have some clean lotus leaves pic-ed from the la-e. #ave them rolled in a damp cloth to -eep theirfreshness. As- a doctor in the palace to have an ointment ready. A poultice of cool leaves cansoothe this bird as well as help the wound to heal.

SECOND STAGE ATTENDANT bows and retires to carry out this instruction"

ING As if to bring down the tension between the two boys"

The Swan, our ancients say, purity, grace, and the great discernment, a symbol so -een it standsfor the will to get to the essence of the matter7 the swan separates water from the mil- when

drin-ing it, so it is said(

DE!ADATTA5ld stories( &artoons. It is said that birds **** even swans ***** are sna-es that have learned to fly.People will say all sorts of things( That a swan forgot to rise up with the rest, who flew away, left itbehind, and when the swan in the sna-e lifted its wings to rise , sudden snap( ;egs held in thewater. &ouldn$t fly,the swan lingering in the la-e

SIDDHARTHAAnd are sna-es so disreputable% Why do you scoff% When no respect for what you see, easy thento crush it under the heel. 4asy to -ill then and the matter does not end there. ;i-e the ripples

formed by a pebble flung into that la-e **** and it may be wise, li-e the swan lingering in the blissof the fading season, to contemplate the necessity of going with the floc-.

#4 points at the BACDROP"

***** the circles will grow wider and wider, if you pic- a pebble to throw in that la-e The circle of adeed in growing wider for better or worse ultimately swallows the doer himself. 5h, 0evadatta, it isli-e stic-ing a finger in your own eye, each time you -ill.

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DE!ADATTAWords. Sentences. 0eclamations. Thou Shall not$s. Who cares( ive me the bird, I shot it down formyself. 0on$t care to be a swan fro


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A -iller spoils and wastes, ta-ing life in which his own is intertwined..

The Swan intertwined with Siddhartha. We can never -now what the moment holds for anything onearth. !ut the possibility is sovereign that to respect life is to serve the earth.

DE!ADATTA listens, swings sharply on his heels and exits from ;eft"

SIDDHARTHA Spea-s out softly as DE!ADATTAstrides out"

ro-, !rother Prince. 0o it. As exciting as shooting the bird, or more, may be what happens, thepossibilities that arise, on lowering your arm when raised to stri-e.

ING

!ut my heart is uneasy.

#e drops his voice"

It is as if I lose Siddhartha to the bird.

ING exits slowly, followed by ATTENDANT6

SIDDHARTHAree again, Swan( Ta-e to the vast s-y if you will.

SIDDHARTHA E>ITSfrom ;eft.

THE STRANGERafter all have left, bows to THE AUDIENCE,a na"aste,"

I have no name. I am 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.

4 Speech structured and slow. ;ight gradually shifting to silver, 6uivering, then flic-ering as thesound of running water enters the scene.6

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 forcerushing towards a massive fall ***** li-e the swan that is slow in 9oining the floc- ******* unable to goalong with the customary, uncertain of survival, the flow rushing to push down, if you are the fish,because you are not 9ust doing the usual as usual. The swan feels the grip of the wave fro


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as swan for the great wings are caught in the fro


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AC HREE

SCENE ONE

T-e ,)%-$ c-an%e' $o pa,e &,0e#

T-e 'o0nd of %en$,e c-an$)n% *****

OM MAN# PADME H!M *****

r)')n%" $o '$op $-e (o(en$ SIDDHARTHA appear'"'$epp)n% )n$o $-e c)rc,e of a SPOTLIGHT"1-)c- )' a1a)$)n% -)( on $-e S$a%e#

En$er SIDDHARTHA#

SIDDHARTHA

#e faces the painted la-e onstage"

#ealed. Well.ly( ly( Swan, you are no more captive(

#4 raises his arms as if to release a bird held there.

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4nter STAGE ATTENDANT"

STAGE ATTENDANT

Prince Siddhartha, the stranger who came here *** did he tell you his name, where he came from,was he with you%

The 1ing wishes to ma-e him a gift for resolving the tension over the swan.'one of us -now him. #ow he got in and where he is now, we don$t -now. We have searched andcalled out for him to appear in vain.

+essengers are in the city to see- news of him.

0id you spea- to that stranger, Prince Siddhartha%

SIDDHARTHA'o.

SIDDHARTHA loo-s straight ahead at THE AUDIENCE"

Someone saw a hooded serpent, white and beautiful, coiled on the spot where the Stranger hadstood and said god wears disguises when in the world of people. A serpent, or swan, or someother. And often the animal is white.

SIDDHARTHA turns to STAGE ATTENDANT"

'o, not after I left with the swan that was wounded and wea-.

4xit STAGE ATTENDANT"bowing to THE PRINCE"

orests, la-es, mountains.Peaceful fields swaying green in the rain.'o one can own the world.;ove, not 9ust a part of it but every spec-7The dusty roadside, a pebble, grass that is slowly going to seed.

Words are arriving for the feeling long struggling in my heart.

Teach those willing to listen.&onvey compassion.;eave palace, throne, companions, presently ***;isten to the earth, listen to its suffering.

I shall help.

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Individuals create nightmares for themselves and others by their thoughts and acts.Teach loving -indness, earth desires it.&onsidering if an action causes pain willfully to another.

Something is destroyed each moment, inevitably, indifferently, in the course of life.'othing seen or heard will be spared the relapse.So to give strength to the existence and passage of life as much as anyone can,That is bravery. That is strength. Wanting 9oy and happiness for each to live in peace in its ownway.

What is not living% +ountains, seas, mud, a forest, river, a leaf, flint, each has its manner.4verything alive above the earth, on it, under, or around it.@oy in motes dancing in the sunbeam, In me and elsewhere.

SIDDHARTHA bows formally to AUDIENCE"

;551(

#4 points above the AUDIENCE"

The swan has its wings(

And THERE! THERE! THERE!

Three birds who sat by the la-e here as if they were listening to a story%

They are in the air now, flying away(

SIDDHARTHA exits.

The lighting reverts to the brightness of the beginning of theplay in a slow shift"

SCENE T=O

T-e S$a%e )' &are# En$er SUTRADHAR#

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SUTRADHARThe drama is ended. We pray that you found it a good. The story of Siddhartha.

It happened in 1apilavastu a long time ago.

There is a saying in these parts that the frog lives on its mother$s voice until it becomes 9ust that.This story left 1apilavastu a long, long time ago and it is 9ust ahead, always right round the bend,the next turning, 1apilavastu in the story and Siddhartha in the hearts of those who listen to it and,delighted, loo- ahead 9ust in time to see it ma-e a turn and -now that it will be met again and the!uddha will be there..

Siddhartha is what all might become7 A True Prince: A 8eal Aristocrat. Transcendent. 4nlightened.!uddha, that which everything perceived always is, as much as the perceivers, you and I.

THE SUTRADHAR extends his hands to AUDIENCEinviting them to 9oin him in the !lessing"

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

$o% to the highest i&eal* to its o(t'o"e*

o those %ho )ent(re to it-

$o% to parents-$o% to tea'hers-$o% to ea'h other-$o% to all that li)es-

$o% to Si&&hartha-

$o% to Nat(re %hi'h &oes not lea)e o(t anyone-

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

$o% to the S%an-

$o% to all .eings in ho%e)er "any %orl&s there .e-

$o% to this &rea" i+ it is s('h-

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$o% to %hat li)es-What is not li)ing/What is not li)ing/

THESUTRADHAR raises his arm to ac-nowledge THE CAST,who enter singly, slowly, gracefully, and arrange themselves 5nstage,leaving space in the centre for SIDDHARTHA AND THE BIRD"who enter last of all.

THE SUTRADHAR spea-s the last lines as THE CAST ta-es a bow"

And, we bow to you all(

SAR0AMANGALAM ,

5ffstage a melody played on AJAMAICAN STEEL DRUM6

QUEEN MAYA '$ep' for1ard#S-e doe' no$ 'pea+ 0n$), $-ere )' f0,, '),ence#

QUEEN MAYA+any animals wandered into this play. Pigeons at the beginning. White 4lephant entered mydream. White Swan. ish letting go, swimming into a destiny of celestial dragon. A tiny frog listingto its mother$s voice. And I fear I heard them say when we were bac-stage together that wildernessis going, destroyed bit by bit.. And wilderness gone is all gone. Please, let us not destroy. 'omore wilderness means no space for Siddhartha to lose and let go to find himself a !uddha.'o place for surrender. 'o place to put down the awesomely heavy yo-e of progress and discoverwith relief that one is perfect, the perfection at the root of thigs, even wilderness itself.

CURTAIN

New York City

44

new sakhya

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