The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun Summary and Short Question Answers

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The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun Summary and Short Question Answers



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, the story records what the two characters think in a stream of consciousness technique. The two major characters of this story are a western tourist and a Nepali tourist guide.

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 Swoyabhu Temple make her feel at ease. She also states the East's various contributions, such as antique tools and writings written on palm leaves or on copperplate inscriptions from antiquity. Then, the guide tells her how people were able to settle in Kathmandu Valley as a result of Manjushri's sword blow at Chobhar. As well, she discusses different types of food, such as momo. She recalls a grandmother telling her grandson the story of Brikuti while smoking hookah.

The second part of the story is about the guide's feelings. On Chobhar Hill, Manjushri slashed it open with his sword to let the water out, he tells the story of Chobhar Hill's history.

On their way back, they stop in front of a house to show her what life is really like. She'd never seen anything like it, and he wanted to show it to her. Polio had completely paralyzed the body of that child. No physical activity is possible for him. The child's gaze is compared to the samyak gaze. According to him, it's a trait only found in Easterners: the ability to remain silent and immobile for long periods of time without complaining.

The guide tells the child's parents that she is a doctor, which is a lie. As a result, they view her as their eldest child who has come to seek the brother's help. As a result, they become ecstatic. Their eyes are filled with intimacy, kindness, and gratitude. In addition, he demonstrates the child's healthy sister. She could do all of her Age-appropriate activities.

They can see the sparkle in the child's eyes as his mother chastises his sister. He certainly wishes he could say that dirty acts are pleasant, but he cannot. The guide thinks that the tourist's eyes welcome her and hide the end of life. They are every bit as beautiful as the setting sun's reflection in the Buddha's eyes.



Short Question Answer


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

    2. - The tourist describes his initial impression of the Kathmandu Valley by describing the natural sceneries and views of the valley which is decorated with rectangular landscapes and clay-made homes painted in red, yellow, and white. He adds that the air is filled with the scent of old-fashioned smell of soil and serenity of mountains.


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

    3. - West is indebted to the East because West has provided various Puranas, brass figures and ivory decorations, palm-leaf manuscripts and copperplate inscriptions, and most importantly, the holy civilization to the west.


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

    4. - The tourist interprets the gaze of the monks and nuns as to have a holy sight that is able to view everything as it really is, which is free of any impurities, or discriminations.


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

    5. - The tourists believe Nepali people are wonderful and exceptional because of their welcoming smiles, peaceful and co-existent lives, their skillful arts of ornamentations and styles in the wooden pictures, their belief in deities, traditional and unique musics and ornaments etc.


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

    6. - The different kinds of communities in the Kathmandu Valley range from Aryans to the non-Aryans to the Hindus to the Buddhists to all non - hindus. Everyone from all of these races were able to coexist because of the holy land, and their feeling of brotherhood.


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

    7. -The tourist feels the temple of Adinath as the bridge stone of religious tolerance and coexistence of two different traditions. Shiva shrine is a hindu temple, but there are numerous Buddha statues and several prayer wheels with ‘Om mani padme hum’ written on them on the premise of the main temple as well. Childrens from different cultural backgrounds and origins were playing there happily. They are unconcerned with their gods, faiths, and ideologies.


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

    8. - The guide took the tourist to the remote village because he wanted to show him the eyes of a paralyzed child from a poor family to teach him what life is really like. Tourists only knew the bright and pleasing side of the country but the guide was trying to show him the compassionate side of this beautiful country.


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

    9. - The innocent village couple believes the tourist to be their oldest son, who has come to give the brother a life-restoring medicine from the seven seas. The guide lied to them about the tourist being a doctor, but the tourist was not a doctor.


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

    10. - The biggest difference between the paralyzed child and his sister is mobility. There is just one organ that the paralysed kid can move: the eyes but his sister's body works perfectly. She is able to see, walk, talk, crawl, and take care of herself on her own.


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

    11. - The guide shows the instances of poverty to the tourist because he wanted the tourist to realize the hardships, struggles, obligations and miserable condition of common and poor families in Nepal. Tourist claimed himself to know a lot of Nepal, in fact he did, but he had never felt or known the compassionate side of this beautiful country.


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