THIRD SCENE.
[Darkness covers the scene. Distant thunder and lightning. Gradually it grows light again and the scene of Yasodhara's bedroom becomes visible. All luxury has been removed; she sleeps on a mat on the floor, Rahula in bed.]
R. Mother! Mother!
Y. Sleep my boy, it is almost midnight.
R. Take me up, Mother.
Yasodhara picks Rahula up.
R. Why do you sleep on the floor, Mother?
Y. Because father does so. Let me lay you down on your couch, you must sleep.
R. Tell me more of father.
Y. I will to-morrow.
R. Tell me now. Is father a king?
Y. No, my son. But he is going to found a kingdom.
R. Will he be king of it?
Y. I do not know, my boy, but his kingdom will not be like other kingdoms. It will be the kingdom of truth—a spiritual kingdom, a kingdom of righteousness.
R. Is father rich?
Y. He scorns riches.
R. Why does he?
Y. He seeks other riches, the riches of religion, of the mind, of spirit.
R. Did he find them?
Y. I believe he did.
R. He sends you news through Kala Udayin.
Y. No, Rahula, I send Kala Udayin out to watch him and when Kala comes back he tells me what he saw and heard. Kala does not speak to father.
R. Why does Kala not speak to father?
Y. Grandfather forbade him. When we sent out Devadatta and Ananda, they became attached to the life of a hermit. They joined father and did not come back; but Kala will not turn monk.
R. But this time he will speak to father.
Y. How do you know?
R. I heard grandfather bid him to.
Y. What did he bid him?
R. He bade Kala that he should tell father to visit us.
She can scarcely conceal her joy.
Y. You heard grandfather say so?
R. I did, mother; grandfather said that he became old, and before he died he wanted to see his son again.
Y. Why! did he really say so?
R. He did.
Y. Oh you darling son, then you will see him, too.
R. People say that he will be a Buddha.
Y. Yes, my son, some say he will be a Buddha and others doubt it.
R. Mother, what is a Buddha?
Y. A Buddha is a man who has found the truth.
R. How does a man find the truth?
Y. By enlightenment. He must find out the cause of evil.
R. Why must he find out the cause of evil?
Y. He teaches the people how to avoid evil.
R. Has father found the cause of evil?
Y. Kala Udayin says he has.
R. What is the cause of evil?
Y. Father says that selfishness is the cause of evil and selfishness comes from the belief in self.
R. Self?
Y. Yes, self! Man, as a rule, believes that he is a self.
R. What? A self?
Y. Yes, a being by himself, who lives only for himself, and the thought of self makes him selfish; and selfishness begets all evils.
R. [with a childlike serious conviction] I believe it, mother.
Y. Father says there is no self, that self is an illusion.
R. What does that mean?
Y. It means that we are not separate beings. I think a thought and speak it out and you hear it. I believe in that thought and so do you. Whose is it then, yours or mine?
R. It belongs to both.
Y. But where does the thought come from? If it is true it belongs to the truth, and it was true before I thought it.
R. Yes, mother.
Y. And if it was wrong, it is evil, and it was evil before we thought it.
R. Yes, mother.
Y. And so are all our thoughts, but almost everybody assumes that his self thinks these thoughts and invents them; and that is an illusion.
R. I see.
Y. [to herself] His eyes close. He is tired. [to Rahula] Now go to sleep again, Rahula, and dream of your father. I will sing you one of father's songs.
Yasodhara lays Rahula down in the high bed and sings:
By ourselves is evil done,
By ourselves we pain endure.
By ourselves we cease from wrong,
By ourselves become we pure.
No one saves us but ourselves,
No one can and no one may.
We ourselves must walk the path,
Buddhas merely teach the way.
The boy sleeps. Then Yasodhara herself lies down on the mat on the floor. Above her appears the vision of her dream. Under the Bodhi tree in a forest landscape Siddhattha sits. He is surrounded by a halo of light. Mara approaches to tempt him.
M. Thou art ahungered, worthy Sakyamuni,
Ahungered art thou from continued fasts,
And thou wilt starve unless thou take and eat.
I bring delicious food, take, eat and live.
B. I shall not eat until my quest be done.
Much better 'tis to die in glorious battle
Than flee and lead a coward's life, defeated.
I shall not eat, O Mara, take thee hence.
M. Wilt thou not listen to my good advice?
B. The tempter always calls his councils good,
But pleasures which he promises are evil.
M. I will not suffer thee to stay, Siddhattha,
And shall disturb thy daring quest of truth.
I'll split the Bodhi tree by lightning
And frighten thee away with rumbling thunder.
All is wrapped in darkness, except Siddhattha and the Bohdi tree. Thunder and lightning. After a while the noise abates. It grows light again. Mara's daughters appear.
M. Go forth my daughters, tempt the holy man,
And lure him from the seat of Buddahood.
Three graceful women, Mara's daughters, sing in a low enticing voice.
[Melody: The Mermaids' Song from Weber's Oberon.]
Sweetest on earth 'tis in pleasure to live,
Love thou must ask for, and love thou must give.
Pain we can soothe and assuage every smart,
Yea, we will grant thee the wish of thy heart.
Power bestow we, enjoyment and mirth,
Health and wealth also, and all that has worth.
Lo, of life's happiness naught shalt thou miss,
Satisfied longings are greatest of bliss.
While they sing they circle around the Bodhi tree and pose in graceful attitudes.
[Siddhattha does not mind Mara's daughters. They withdraw, and grotesque monsters appear in threatening attitudes, exhibiting a savage war dance, always approaching the tree and turning their weapons against the Sakyamuni, but as soon as they approach the halo they droop, unable to hurt him. Lotus flowers rain down. Sakyamuni raises his right hand. A flash of lightning and a sudden clap of thunder. The spook vanishes in darkness while the Buddha under the Bodhi tree alone remains visible in a halo of light. The forest landscape reappears in full light as before.]
B. The wheel of life turns round through birth and death,
Its twelve-linked chain of causes takes its start
In ignorance and ends in suffering.
The truth is found, the fourfold noble truth;
All life is sorrow, sorrow's cause is lust,
But from our sorrow we can escape
If we abandon lust and thought of self.
The eightfold noble path of righteousness
Delivers from all evil: it will bring
Sweet peace of mind and leadeth to Nirvana.
[With music accompaniment]
Through many births I sought in vain
The builder of this house of pain.
Now, builder, thee I plainly see!
This is the last abode for me.
Thy gable's yoke, thy rafters broke,
My heart has peace; all lust will cease.
[The following words fit exactly the music of Haydn's Chorus with Soli No. 13[B] in The Creation, and the spirit of the composition is very appropriate for this scene]
[B] Peters' Edition, pp 44-55 "Die Himmel erzahlen, etc." In a few places where the fugas set in, the words "The wicked Mara's host" should read "The wicked one's,—the wicked Mara's host," etc.
Chorus of Angels.
Behold the great muni,
His heart unmoved by hatred,
The wicked Mara's host
'Gainst him did not prevail.
Trio of Brahma Vishnu Shiva.
Victorious Buddha
Thou art wise and pure,
The darkness is gone
And enlightenment gained.
Chorus of Angels as above.
Proclaim the truth
To all the world.
Truth will bring salvation.
Glory to the truth!
Chorus of Angels as above.
[Lotus flowers rain down thicker and thicker, clouds cover the scene, but the Buddha under the Bodhi tree remains still dimly but sufficiently visible.]
Yasodhara wakes up. She rises and lights a candle from a rush lamp. She kneels with clasped hands before the vision of the Buddha.
Y. Oh Siddhattha, my Lord and Husband, no longer my Husband, but the Buddha. In thee I take my refuge. In thee and thy word, I believe. Thy doctrine shall guide me. Accept me as thy faithful disciple, a disciple of the Buddha, my Lord, the Tathagata, the great thinker, the Saviour of mankind.
[Curtain.]
SECOND INTERLUDE.
Living pictures accompanied by appropriate music to introduce the Third Act.
1. The Foundation of the Kingdom of Righteousness.
Buddha preaches to his five disciples the way of salvation, which speech, preserved in a special book, is frequently compared to Christ's Sermon on the Mount.
Buddha stands with raised hand, while five monks stand or sit or squat around him in devout attitude.
2. Entering the Capital.
When Buddha came to Rajagaha, the people met him on the way and accompanied him into the city in triumphal procession which is analogous to Christ's entry into Jerusalem.
The Buddha with bowl in one hand and staff in the other is followed by yellow-robed monks. The people strew flowers, carry palm branches and wave kerchiefs.
3. The Courtesan.
Ambapali, the Buddhist Mary Magdalen, came to Buddha, worshiping him and invited him to take his meal at her home. To the astonishment of several moralists, he accepted and honored the penitent sinner.
A beautifully dressed woman with clasped hands kneels before Buddha, a maid in attendance behind her. Some well dressed people of high caste watch the scene with an expression of indignation.
4. The Philanthropist.
The wealthiest man of Savatthi invites the Buddha to his home and offers to build a resthouse for the Buddha and his brotherhood.
Anatha Pindika kneels before the Buddha, holding in one hand the picture and plan of a building. Buddha indicates by his lowered hand acceptance of the gift. Buddha attended by two monks, Anatha Pindika accompanied by the architect.
5. Prince Jeta.
It is told that the most beautiful spot in Savatthi was the royal park of Prince Jeta, which Anatha Pindika wanted to buy for the brotherhood of Buddha. The owner was unwilling to sell and made the exorbitant demand to have the whole ground covered with gold as its price. But Anatha Pindika had the gold carried to the garden and paid the price.
The scene is laid in the garden. Anatha Pindika with bags of gold stands in commanding attitude. His servants spread the coins while Prince Jeta throws up his hands in astonishment.
(Anatha Pindika is not the real name of the founder of the Jetavana. The name means, "[He who gives to] the indigent, alms.")
ACT III.
FIRST SCENE
[A Brahman temple with a statue of Durga; before the idol an altar. In the background a landscape with farms and a sheep-fold.]
Enter from the right General Siha (GS.) with a Captain (C) and some soldiers.
GS. Pitch the tents on the slope of yonder hill where that farmhouse stands.
C. It shall be done, my general.
GS. What crowd is gathered there with flags and flowers?
C. It is the farmer's family led by the village priest, and neighbors flock around to swell their number.
GS. The priest handles a big knife that flashes in the sun. I see his hands are stained with gore. They seem to celebrate a feast in honor of a god.
C. The villagers inform me that the occasion of it is sad. One of the farmer's children died of late, and others being sick the father invokes the goddess Kali to preserve the rest of his family. They are arrayed for a procession and having offered a young sheep at the altar of the homestead they have started out. See how the crowd are wending their way hither to the temple.
General Siha looks around and contemplates the scenery, then turns to the Captain.
GS. Now pitch the tents before the sun goes down.
In the meantime, the Buddha enters with two disciples. They sit down under a tree. The Captain bows to them reverently and leaves the stage.
GS. Greetings to you, holy monks.
B. Peace be with thee, and may thy sword ne'er reek with blood.
GS. I draw the sword for my king, for my country and for the restoration of order where enemies or rebels have disturbed it.
B. Thou lookst courageous and thy very words
Possess a ring of simple honesty.
GS. I serve a mighty king who means to do the right. He prefers to establish his rule by treaty and spares an enemy who sues for peace.
B. Thou speakst of Bimbisara, King of Magadha?
GS. Indeed I speak of the great Bimbisara, and he is born to sway the world. My sympathy and my allegiance go with him. I am Siha, his general.
B. Thy name is known throughout the Indian lands.
GS. When I chose my profession I prayed to the gods that they would never let it be my lot to fight for any unjust cause.
B. Let this thy prayer be a sacred vow
Which thou wilt keep inviolate. Our fate,
Or say the gods, create conditions; but thou
Thyself must act. Thou art responsible,
Thou shapest thine own life, and not the gods.
GS. Thy words please me! What is thy doctrine, venerable monk?
B. I teach the middle way between extremes.
Neither mortifications of the body
Nor self-indulgence should be practised.
We must make up our minds and walk
On the eightfold noble path of righteousness.
GS. Who art thou, wondrous monk? Thy doctrine is so plain, and so convincing that I grant thou speakest truth. The people ought to know thee and accept thy creed. Who art thou?
B. Born of the Sakya race, they call me Sakyamuni.
GS. Blessed be this day on which I meet the greatest man of our age. I heard of thee from the Nirgranthas, thine own enemies, the rival sect of thy new order, and they say that thou deniest the soul, thou teachest extinction, thou leadest man to non-existence, and that Nirvana is with thee an empty naught—annihilation.—Is that true?
B. I teach extinction, noble general,
Of hatred, greed, and lust, but I insist
On doing what is right and just and good;
On doing resolutely what we do,
On searching for the truth, on setting up
Its lamp and following its holy light.
Nirvana is attained when passions are
Extinct and when the heart is blessed with peace.
GS. Thou art more than a mortal, holy man. Auspicious is this day on which I've met thee. The people call thee Buddha, perhaps rightly so! A feeling of deep reverence comes over me and the truth dawns on me. Truly thou art the teacher of the world. If thy doctrine impressed the people a new era would begin, an era in which mankind would be wiser and nobler, happier and better.
[Barbaric music is heard behind the stage, the drum being prominent.]
Voices behind the stage: Maha Kali! Kali Ma!
GS. Behold how wretched are these people in their ignorance.
B. They must be taught and they will learn the truth.
[The procession enters. A small band of musicians comes with primitive instruments, among them drums. They are followed first by dancers, then by a priest (Pr.) flourishing in his bloody hand a large knife. By his side walks a shepherd carrying a lamb. Behind them the farmer's (F.) family and other people]
GS. What horrible sounds! And the crowd behave like madmen.
Pr. Maha Kali!
Crowd. Kali Ma!
Pr. Goddess of the black countenance! Great Black Mother!
Crowd. Maha Kali! Kali Ma!
Maha Kali! Kali Ma!
Maha Kali! Kali Ma!
[The priest steps to the altar; the crowd kneels in a large circle. At the priest's signal the farmer approaches the altar and kneels. His behavior betrays superstitious timidity and great awkwardness. The shepherd exhibits the lamb first to the priest and then to the dancers who in fantastic dancing step advance and retreat while the music plays. Finally the lamb is placed on the altar.]
Pr. Have Mercy on us! Slay the demon of disease.
Keep away Yama the horrible one, the god of Death.
Crowd. Kali Ma, have mercy on us!
Pr. Thou art Parvati, the wife of Siva. Thou hast conquered the giant Durga, the evil one, and now thyself art called the goddess Durga.
Thou art Mahishamardini, the slayer of Mahisha.
Thou art Kalaratri, Nightly Darkness, abyss of all mysteries.
Thou art Jagaddhatri, mother of the world.
Thou art Jagadgauri, renowned throughout the world.
Thou art Katyayina, refulgent with a thousand suns.
Thou art Singhavahini, seated on a lion thou wonest victory over Raktavija, leader of the giants' army.
Great Mother of Life, accept our offering, the blood of this lamb.
Crowd. Maha Kali, accept our offering!
Kali Ma, accept our offering!
Kali Durga, great Goddess, accept our offering!
The priest turns toward the lamb and raises his knife. Buddha steps to the altar and places his hand gently upon the priest's arm.
B. Hold!
Pr.Meddler!
B.Pause before thou sheddest blood.
Pr. How dar'st thou rudely interfere, strange monk,
With our most sacred sacrifice? This lamb
Is offered to the goddess. Thou disturbest
Our holy ritual.
He lifts his knife against Buddha, but Siha draws his sword and knocks the knife out of the priest's hand.
GS.Keep peace, bold priest!
Pr. The vengeance of the gods will be upon you.
B. If there be gods they must be potent, noble,
And great and holy; and if the gods are holy,
They do not need the offering of a victim,
They do not want the life of this poor trembling lamb.
Pr. The gods are kind; they take the lamb in place of this poor stricken man. We must do penance for his sins, for the sins of his wife, for the sins of his children.
Farmer. I crave forgiveness for the sins for which my dear good child has had to die.
Pr. His sins are great and nothing can wash them away but blood.
B. Herein thou errest, priest. Blood does not cleanse.
It washes not away the stain of sin;
The slaughter of a victim heaps but guilt
On guilt, and does not right a wrong. Rise,
Rise, my good friend. Take comfort!
The farmer rises.
Be a man.
The others rise gradually.
F. What shall I do, good master?
B. Right all the wrongs thou didst and sin no more.
Pr. This lamb was given to the goddess. It is mine.
GS. Are you the steward of the goddess' property?
Siha steps close to the priest who retires step by step and finally hurries off the stage.
Come, shepherd, take the frightened lambkin up
And bear it to its mother in the fold.
[The shepherd takes up the lamb and stands ready to carry it away. The musicians slink away. The lambbearers and the people walk off in procession, followed by the Buddha with his disciples. General Siha remains alone on the stage. A trumpet call at a short distance and another one close by.]
GS. What does that signal mean?
An officer accompanied by a trumpeter enters. A third trumpet call on the stage. The officer delivers a letter.
Officer. A dispatch from his majesty Bimbisara to his faithful and most noble general, Siha.
GS. Breaks the seal and reads to himself.
"The Sakyas are a stubborn little nation. Their institutions are free; their laws differ from those of the other surrounding states. These people are a source of discontent and revolution, and are a sore in my eye. Therefore, the Sakyas must be crushed, even if they sue for peace. Keep the army near the border and be ready for a sudden attack."
With an expression of grief.
War is unavoidable and I am to be the means by which the Sakyas will be wiped off the earth. It is my duty, for the King commands it. A soldier should not argue, he obeys.
Draws his sword and looks at it.
This sword is consecrated to the service of my king.
Never have I drawn it except in honest fight.
Lost in contemplation.
Is Sakyamuni the Buddha?—Is he truly the Buddha?
Buddhas are wise; Buddhas are omniscient; Buddhas foresee the future.—
Is Sakyamuni truly the Buddha?—I believe he is.
And if he is the Buddha, is it right to wage a war against his people?—What shall I do?
Oh, ye gods, teach me my duty!
Oh, ye gods, may it not be my lot to fight for an unrighteous cause!
Cursed be the sword that sheds innocent blood.