SUMMARY

Shankar Lamichhane's "The Half-Closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun" is a straightforward tale told through dialogue between two characters: a guide and a tourist. It was part of the collection Himalayan Voice published in 1991 as An Introduction to Modern Nepali Literature. The story takes place in and around Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.

Both of the characters in the story take on the role of narrators. The first is a guide from Nepal, and the second is a tourist from overseas. The western tourist, on the other hand, tries to act knowledgeable by saying, "I could take you along your ancient ways." The Nepali tour guide responds, indicating that he is more knowledgeable about the issue at hand. "You are my tour guide for today, but I feel I can help guide you as well," he says.

The story opens with a pleasant atmosphere description of the Kathmandu valley, which is full of beautiful scenery and homes of various colors, blue hills, and so on. The guest then makes the observation that the East has contributed a great deal, including the Purans, ancient tools, ivory ornaments, manuscripts written in palm leaves, and copperplate inscriptions. The guide then discusses Manjushri's sword stroke at Chobhar, which allowed people to settle in the Kathmandu Valley later, and "the samyak gaze" of the shaven-headed monks and nuns who were receiving alms and spreading Buddhist teachings near the Kasthamandap, which symbolized purity.

They then talk about their enthusiasm for wooden figures, Nepalese society music, different societies like Aryans, no-Aryans, Hindus, and Buddhists, and drinking wine. The traveler thanks the guide for providing him with Nepali and Newari food. After that, they look at Princess Bhrikuti and King Amshuvarma's histories and lives. They also look at how the King built relationships with his neighbors, which is shown in the picture and told by an old man to his grandson. The traveler is thrilled by the inviting grins he gets any place he goes, contrasting it with the rancher's child getting back from difficult work and expecting himself and the individuals' neighborly way of behaving. For the lovely smile of the Nepalese, they have one more drink.

After that, they investigate various other kinds of eyes, including 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 Himalayas, and the half-closed eyes of the Lord Buddha, referring to the nation as a land of eyes. These eyes show a new civilization, a variety of religions, a new culture, vivid memories, and a long journey.

The aide tells about the sanctuary of Adinath, the Shiva hallowed place encompassed by a few different pictures of Buddha-a residing illustration of Nepalese resilience and concurrence however the aide takes the visitor to a house where he finds the beat of the real world. It is a farmer's family with a paralyzed child (a polio-affected boy) whose entire body is worthless. He cannot speak, move his hands, chew his food, or even spit—his eyes are just opposite those of his sister. The parents are overjoyed as the guide introduces the visitor as a doctor. There is a profound faith, connection, kindness, and gratitude in their eyes.

Finally, the guide adds that these are the eyes of the mountains, and the rows of fields on their lashes represent fields where wheat and rice mature in the winter and rain. They are just as lovely as the Buddha's reflection in the setting sun.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW.

a. How does the traveler portray his underlying feeling of the Kathmandu valley?

The tourist describes the Kathmandu valley as green, with geometric fields, earthen buildings in red, yellow, and white, and the scent of soil and mountains in the air, and the city with earthen buildings.

b. According to the tourist, why is the West indebted to the East?

The tourist believes that the pleasant atmosphere, religious and cultural sculptures, the Purans, ivory ornaments, palm leaf manuscripts, inscriptions on copperplate-dated tools, and many other things are due to the East.

c. How does the visitor interpret the monks' and nuns' gaze?

The tourist refers to the monks' and nuns' gaze as "the samyak gaze," which signifies pure perception; a vision that recognizes everything in its original state.

d. Why do tourists believe that Nepalese people are exceptional and wonderful?

The Nepali people are regarded as wonderful and exceptional by tourists due to their capacity to create exceptional wooden images, numerous ornaments and beautiful images of deities, enchanting music produced by traditional musical instruments, and hospitable behavior during a variety of cultural and religious ceremonies.

e. What are the various types of communities in the Kathmandu valley and how would they co-exist with one another?

The various types of networks found in the Kathmandu valley are Aryans, non-Aryans, Hindus, and Buddhists and they co-exist with one another because of the effect of the soil of Nepal that flourished everybody uniformly.

f. What impression does the tourist have of the Adinath temple?

The tourist believes that the Adinath temple exemplifies Nepalese tolerance and coexistence in action.

g. Why does the tourist travel to the remote village with the guide?

The guide takes the tourist to a remote village to show the tourist what it's like to live like a farmer's family, including their hard work, clean surroundings, and miserable lives.

h. How do the innocent couple in the village feel about the doctor?

The innocent couple in the village views the doctor as if he was their eldest son who has brought a life-restoring remedy across the seven seas for the paralyzed boy.

i. What distinguishes the paralyzed child from his sister?

The paralyzed child's entire body is worthless, which is the difference between him and his sister. He is unable to speak or crawl, and the only living parts of his body are his eyes; however, the sister's entire body functions normally. She can move her body freely, speak, and crawl.

j. Why does the tour guide show the tourist examples of poverty?

The tourist is shown examples of poverty by the guide to help him understand the terrible poverty of people who live in remote areas, as well as their lack of safety and modern conveniences despite their friendly demeanor.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

a. To tell the story, the author employs which narrative technique? What sets this story apart from others you've read?

The story is told in ‘the stream of consciousness’ technique where the writer does not care about the grammatical structure but rather depends on the continuous flow of thoughts unlike in other stories. Although this is a story, the writer writes in the form of an essay and uses monologues like in plays.

b. How does the author combine two narrative fragments into a single narrative?

Shankar Lamichhane takes the central symbol “eyes of Buddha” to connect two different opinions: the tourist’s and the guide’s. Initially, the tourist tries to show his superiority based on his knowledge to the guide. He talks based on secondary knowledge he got in his country or from various books. However, the guide shows him the real Nepal through personal experience as the guide believes that one should gather information by experience. Initially, the tourist only knows Nepal by its natural beauty and friendly people but the guide shows him the pain hidden behind the curtain of beauty. Here, the two narratives are merged into a single narrative by the symbol ‘eyes’ which connotes the meaning ‘perception’.

c. The story makes use of a few myths and historical figures. Gather these citations and demonstrate their significance to the narrative.

The story "The Half-Closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun" by Shankar Lamichhane includes some allusions to mythology and history. The references and their significance are as follows:

Manjushree’s contribution to making it possible for people to live in the valley is represented by the mention of her and her sword stroke at Chobhar, which caused the Bagmati River to flow.

The Puranas, portrayals of metal and ivory adornments, palm leaf compositions, and copperplate engravings all exhibit that the Nepalese people are wealthy in culture, customs, religions, and workmanship creates.

The monks and nuns with their he shaved represent "the samyak gaze," which means pure perception; a vision that sees everything in its natural state.

The mentions of Princess Bhrikuti and King Amshuvarma point to historical connections or relationships with Tibet and other neighboring nations.

The wonderful light of the dusk reflected in the Buddha's eyes shows Nepal as a nation of Buddha with a lot more expectations and tranquil opinions in individuals.

Nepalese tolerance and unity are on display in the Adinath temple.

d. The author discusses the eyes numerous times: the eyes of the shaved monks and nuns, the eyes in the door and window panels, the eyes of the Himalayas, the eyes of the paralyzed boy, the welcoming eyes of the villagers, and most importantly, the eyes of the Buddha that are half closed. Explain how the story's overall cohesiveness is enhanced by each instance of eyes.

The author of the story "The Half-Closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun" discusses the eyes in many places, including the eyes of shaven monks and nuns, which indicate "the samyak gaze," which refers to the vision that perceives everything in its true form.The painted eyes on the door panels and the eyes on the carved window panes. The eyes on the stupas, the eyes of the people, the eyes of the Himalayas, the eyes of the boy who is paralyzed, the welcoming eyes of the villagers, and most importantly, the eyes of the Buddha that are half-closed. All of these instances of eyes point to a land of eyes, a land that the Lord Buddha watches over with half-closed eyes. Even if all of the history books in the world were destroyed today, these eyes show a new culture, religion, natural beauty, and the land of Buddha.Through the eyes' memories, the journey takes on new meaning.

The author thus unites the story as a whole by connecting various instances of eyes to memories that people acquire and their unfulfilled appetites as they imagine something with their inner eyes and hearts.

REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT

a. Write an essay about “LIVING CLOSE TO NATURE”.

Originally, every human being was close to nature. There was less illness; both physical and mental. There are many merits to living close to nature including improvement in health and keeping our he calm.

Keeping close to nature is not building a house near a forest or a river, but it mean spending time listening to the birds singing, listening to the rivers roaring, visiting waterfalls and going for a hike, swimming or just sitting on the bench in a park nearby. These activities calms us down and helps to lower our stress level cause due to hectic schedules. The physical activites also helps to lower down our cholesterol and blood pressure, correct our fatty liver and aid in weight loss. It also helps to improve our mood due to which we become ready to socialize, an important responsibility of being a social animal.

Similarly, when we are close to nature, we can connect with it. We form a strong bond with the environment and helps us realize its importance for our survival. It gives us a mindset of protecting it, if we want to protect ourselves. It motivates us to carryout action individually to work in the direction of protecting nature. Being close to nature also allows to gain knowledge about different organisms, plants, herbs and animals.

In conclusion, living close to nature not only teaches us to respect the nature that is continuously giving us life, but also helps us to reflect on our own lives, cool down ourselves or heal ourselves. Nature provides a plethora of chances for individuals to enjoy life more completely by experiencing the beauty, joy, and peace of nature, whether it be a city park, rural farm, or mountain hiking route.

b. The story talks about ethnic/religious co-existence of different communities in Nepal, where the Buddhists and the Hindus and the Aryans and non-Aryans have lived in communal harmony for ages. In your view, how have the Nepali people been able to live in such harmony?

Nepal has remained a peaceful country since ages. I believe it is because the people here accept all the religions and cultural traditions of each other with open heart. I believe the credit to this must be given to our monarchs who always preached about untity in diversity. It began from King Prithivi Narayan Shah, who said that Nepal is a common garden of 4 castes and 36 ethnicities. They never restricted any religion or tradition but used those as their strength and this kept Nepalese united. In addition to that, since Buddha was born in Nepal and he was a Hindu before Buddhism was formed, all the Nepalese considered other deities except their own as their own. Furthermore, Nepal was less influenced by the outside world for a very long time and this kept the mentalities of the countrymen safe from mentality adulteration. Also, if we look at the history, communal harmony was disrupted because of the invasion of different colonial beasts such as Great Britain and Nepal as Nepal was never colonized by them, Nepal remained safe from communal hatred as they could not use “divide and rule” policy.