Class 12 Section II English Lesson 6

Summary

The story entitled ‘The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun’ 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, it records what the two characters think in a stream of consciousness technique.

The tourist is a confident woman, who claims to be an expert in knowing Nepal thoroughly, even more than the guide. She is well-versed in Nepalese history, having read many books about it.

There is an opening scene in which a tourist describes the view of a green valley in Kathmandu. Having grown up surrounded by plains, mountains, and the sea, she enjoys this place for its natural scent and tranquillity. The Buddha’s half-closed eyes of Swayambhu Temple make her feel at ease. She also mentions the East’s various contributions, such as antique tools and writings on palm leaves or copperplate inscriptions. The guide tells her how people settled in Kathmandu Valley due to Manjushri’s sword blow at Chobhar. She discusses different types of food, such as momo, and recalls a grandmother telling the story of Bhrikuti while smoking hookah.

The second part focuses on the guide’s feelings. On Chobhar Hill, he tells the story of Manjushri slashing it open to drain the water, creating Kathmandu Valley. On their way back, they stop in front of a house to show her the real life of villagers. Polio had completely paralyzed the child. His gaze is compared to the samyak gaze, showing the Eastern ability to remain silent and immobile without complaint.

The guide tells the parents that she is a doctor, which is a lie. They view her as their eldest child who has come to help their son. They are ecstatic, showing intimacy, kindness, and gratitude. The guide also shows the child’s healthy sister, who performs normal activities. The guide thinks the tourist’s eyes welcome her and hide the end of life, as beautiful as the setting sun’s reflection in Buddha’s eyes.

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 through appreciation of natural sceneries, landscape, fragrance of soil, and clay-made homes painted in red, yellow, and white. He feels the air is filled with the serenity of mountains and is fascinated by views of the valley.

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

Ans 👉 The tourist says the West is indebted to the East because of civilizations through Puranas, brass figures, ivory decorations, manuscripts of palm leaves, and copperplate inscriptions. The West is fascinated by the cultural, religious, and artistic contributions of the East.

c. How does the tourist interpret the gaze of the monks and nuns?

Ans 👉 The tourist interprets the gaze of monks and nuns as ‘the samyak gaze’, believing it to be holy, uncontaminated, and free from all impurities and discrimination.

d. Why do the tourists think Nepali people are wonderful and exceptional?

Ans 👉 The tourists think Nepali people are wonderful because of their co-existent lives, peaceful nature, and harmonious living.

e. What are the different kinds of communities in the Kathmandu valley and how do they coexist with each other?

Ans 👉 Aryans, non-Aryans, Hindus, and Buddhists are various communities in Kathmandu Valley. They coexist peacefully due to the influence of Nepali soil and cultural harmony.

f. What does the tourist feel about the temple of Adinath?

Ans 👉 When she saw the Adinath temple from Chobhar Hill, she felt it represented the living example of Nepalese tolerance, harmony, and variety of gods, religions, and philosophies.

g. Why does the guide take the tourist to the remote village?

Ans 👉 The guide takes the tourist to the remote village to show the harsh realities of life, poverty, and the sympathetic side of Nepal which is unseen in books or tourist photographs.

h. What does the innocent village couple think of the doctor?

Ans 👉 The village couple accepts her as the eldest son who has brought life-restoring treatment for their paralyzed son.

i. What are the differences between the paralyzed child and his sister?

Ans 👉 The paralyzed child cannot speak, move, chew, or respond to commands; his eyes are the only sign of life. The sister is healthy, active, and capable of age-appropriate activities.

j. Why does the guide show the instances of poverty to the tourist?

Ans 👉 The guide shows instances of poverty to make the tourist understand the real life beyond natural beauty, cultural diversity, and scenic views. It teaches her about the sympathetic side of the country.

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 👉 The author uses the ‘stream of consciousness technique’. This story differs as it presents dual perspectives: the tourist guide and the foreign tourist, showing both positive and negative aspects of Nepal unlike conventional single-perspective stories.

b. How is the author able to integrate two fragments of the narration into a unified whole?

Ans 👉 The author integrates the narratives by linking insights, experiences, and views of both characters. The story contrasts the tourist’s view of beauty with the guide’s demonstration of poverty and suffering, showing the full reality of Nepal.

c. The author brings some historical and legendary references to the story. Collect these references and show their significance in the story.

Ans 👉 The story references:

• Manjushri and his deed of creating Kathmandu Valley.

• Cultural contributions to the West: Puranas, brass figures, ivory ornaments, palm leaf manuscripts, copperplate inscriptions.

• The gaze of monks and nuns (samyak gaze).

• Historical relationship between Nepal and Tibet during the Licchavi dynasty.

• Half-closed eyes of Buddha and setting sun reflected in them, symbolizing peace, harmony, and cultural richness.

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 👉 The eyes in the story represent Nepal’s culture, religion, tradition, and diversity. The monks’ samyak gaze symbolizes purity. The paralyzed boy’s eyes show life and resilience. The villagers’ eyes show gratitude and love. The half-closed eyes of Buddha symbolize peace and harmony. Collectively, these eyes unify the story and highlight Nepal’s rich cultural heritage and human values.

Reference beyond the text

a. Write an essay on Living Proximity to Nature.

Ans 👉 Living Proximity (nearer) to Nature : An Essay

Nature is essential to our well-being in several ways. Nature includes air, water, animals, sunshine, and the moon. Nature is crucial to the growth and preservation of life on Earth. The natural environment provides food and shelter for a wide variety of creatures.

Nature provides everything from food and water to oxygen and medicine to shelter and clothing for humans. Nature has created all we see around us. The planet’s attractiveness is enhanced by its range of color. All kinds of organisms, both living and nonliving, live in nature. Trees, plants, animals, the sky, mountains, and wooded areas all fall under this umbrella term.

In order to thrive, people are intrinsically linked to nature. Life would be impossible without the help of the natural world. As an example, it offers many forms of renewable energy and organic farming.

As a global community, we must work together to reduce environmental stress and reestablish environmental balance. Reusing and recycling old components to make new ones is an obvious way to assist people decrease natural damage.

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?

Ans 👉 Many ethnic and religious groups in Nepal have coexisted peacefully for a long time, according to the story “The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun.” This is for a variety of reasons, the most significant of which are historical, cultural, political, and geographical. Individuals of different ethnic and religious origins have been able to cohabit peacefully in Nepal because they all adore the same deities. People from different origins have settled in Nepal, bringing their religious traditions and practices with them. People were receptive to embracing the gods and practices of other civilizations since the constitution also proclaimed the country to be secular, granting religious freedom to all.