God Minus: Buddha - the Light of Asia

By Parvin D. Syal and Harshi Syal Gill

GOD MINUS: BUDDHA - THE LIGHT OF ASIA is a four-act play centered on Buddhas life and teachings, dramatized through segments of his own early life, search for truth and ultimate enlightenment and attainment of Nirvana, and the lives of several characters whose lives he impacted deeply. These include Emperor Ashoka, the court dancer Amrapali and the ill-fated Angulimala, all of whom renounced their chosen paths through the realization of possible enlightenment by following the eightfold path of Buddhas teachings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 19, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496916518

Parvin D. Syal

HARSHI SYAL GILL HARSHI SYAL GILL was born and educated in Nairobi, Kenya, after which she has lived and worked in Canada, England and, for the last thirty years, in the U.S. Following her graduate and post-graduate studies in literature, she was a regular guest as a literary critic for the Voice of Kenya radio station and has since worked in multiple professions including teaching, technical writing, systems analyses and medical administration. Her creative efforts have found expression in various genres. In addition to contributions to several anthologies and literary magazines, she has published a poetry collection, “Reflections,” and has co-written several Indian serial scripts in L.A. and India. Her play, “Alka Alka,” among other short sketches, was staged in L.A., and she has performed as an actor in film and on stage. Harshi is also co-author, with her brother Parvin D. Syal, of a collection of stories, “African Quilt – Stories of the Asian Indian Experience in Kenya.” Harshi now resides in Granada Hills, California. PARVIN D. SYAL Born and educated in Nairobi, Kenya, Parvin D. Syal has made Los Angeles his home since the mid 1970s. A practicing physician, Syal has forayed into different fields; as a community activist he promoted the interests of people of Indian origin, as a journalist he wrote political and literary columns for the ethnic press, as a broadcaster he hosted a health program on radio, as an actor he performed in film and on stage for which he wrote as well. He is co-author, with Harshi Syal Gill, of an anthology of stories of the Asian Indian experience in Kenya, “African Quilt.” Following up on contributions to literary magazines, Syal also published his collection of poetry, “Streams of Consciousness.” His adaptation, in Hindi, of the Neil Simon play, “Barefoot in the Park,” was staged by “The Wandering Players” in L.A. Syal’s one act play, “Through a Handcuff,” won a prize in a competition organized by the University of Nairobi, where he was a medical student. “God Minus” is his second collaboration with his sister, Harshi Syal Gill.

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© 2014 HARSHI SYAL GILL AND PARVIN D. SYAL. All rights reserved.

Cover Design By Devika Syal and Mala Syal

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the authors.

Published by AuthorHouse 06/17/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-1650-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-1651-8 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

GOD MINUS:

BUDDHA—THE LIGHT OF ASIA

PREFACE TO ENLIGHTENMENT

INTRODUCTION

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ

ACT ONE ASHOKA

SCENE ONE

SCENE TWO

SCENE THREE

SCENE FOUR

SCENE FIVE

SCENE SIX

ACT TWO AMRAPALI

SCENE ONE

SCENE TWO

SCENE THREE

SCENE FOUR

SCENE FIVE

SCENE SIX

SCENE SEVEN

ACT THREE ANGULIMALA

SCENE ONE

SCENE TWO

SCENE THREE

SCENE FOUR

SCENE FIVE

SCENE SIX

ACT FOUR ANAND

SCENE ONE

SCENE TWO

SCENE THREE

SCENE FOUR

GLOSSARY

Dedicated to:

Ram Swaroop Sharda

&

Allaudin Qureshi

PREFACE TO ENLIGHTENMENT

The authors of this dramatized version of Dhammapada wished me to dedicate a few experiences to their re-creation, i.e. GOD MINUS: BUDDHA - THE LIGHT OF ASIA, and I have unparalleled pleasure in narrating a few which enabled and inspired me to hug and redress their beautiful, spiritual and literary off-spring.

The year was 1983…

From Amritsar, the Golden Temple, the holy land of Sikh Gurus, accompanied by my visionary, earthly partner, I took a special train to Pakistan to walk a step or two on the godly footmarks of my beloved Guru Nanak in Nankana Sahib, his birth place, which is now in Pakistan. My shrunken soles still retain the impression. I felt further blessed that I was able to take a few more humble steps on my spiritual safari to Taxila, the old, historic seat of learning for students and scholars of Buddhism from Tibet, China, Kashmir and Afghanistan. I became a born-again student of Mokhsha.

Early 1991…

I landed at the sacred airport of Tel Aviv, Israel – scared, as only a week before there had been a bomb blast on the runway, which had shaken the much acclaimed holy land. That did not deter me, as I was drenched with the spirit of being on a unique honeymoon in Jerusalem, the historic meeting point of three faiths, i.e. Judaism (the Wailing Wall), Christianity (the Way of the Cross) and Islam (Al-aqsa Mosque.) Led by a brave Palestinian professional guide, I knelt and communed at all three prime shrines. I prayed for inter-faith harmony.

Meanwhile, this baby (script) had already reached Kenya and I was well ahead in my contact with the personal secretary of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. This culminated in the visit of a senior scholar/translator of his speeches, Dr. Alex Burzen of Harvard University, to Kenya. I had the pleasure of hosting his stay and organizing discourses at institutes of higher learning, including the American International University. He critically read through the script and I was thrilled to hear from him that these Indo-African writers could express the spirit of Buddhism so remarkably and so skillfully.

I was equally thrilled after a fulfilling three-day heart-to-heart audience, sittings and teachings with my master, His Holiness Dalai Lama, in his Himalayan monastery, Dharamshala, in India. It was here that I had the greatest joy when His Holiness gave me a special teaching on the essence of Buddhism and signed this play, nobly and literarily recreated by these two loving souls, Ms. Harshi Syal Gill and Dr. Parvin Syal, both born and brought up in Kenya before migrating to the U.S.A. Both are seekers of Nirvana and practitioners of performing arts at Nairobi University and Kenya National Theater level. I shared in their grooming. Both of them made the best investment in this beautiful anthology of theatrical art, literature and Buddhist philosophy. This necklace of gems (four-act play) explores the pilgrimage of Prince Siddharth to Buddhahood, to becoming the Enlightened One.

In editing their drafts in content and technique and linguistics, my study of the legendary William Shakespeare at Makerere University and of Sir Arnold Edwin became my zeal. More than here and there in the script, students and artistes will taste a strong flavor of the two lighthouses in literature.

To seek earthly and eternal blessings for this work of spiritual art, we three desired to stage the play in East and Southern Africa before a European and North American tour. With this in my heart and soul, like a new and fresh mother, I carried the script to Bodhgaya (India,) the site of Buddha’s Enlightenment, and placed it affectionately on the laps of the Maha Bodhi tree (the historic Peepul Tree.)

The dream still remains a dream of the three parents, i.e. the writers (Syal and Syal Gill) of U.S.A., myself of Kenya and His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet. The two authors delivered a baby, I nursed it until this age and His Holiness baptized and blessed it as GOD MINUS: BUDDHA – THE LIGHT OF ASIA. It has seasoned in age and matured in spirit, as have the above three.

Dear Scholars and Performers, the World-Stage is more ready now than ever for this soothing incarnation, the need of the sobbing and bleeding Mother Earth. Meditate on it spiritually, handle it gracefully and present it nobly – this Highway to Enlightenment and Peace!

Buddham Sharnam Gachchami

Dhamman Sharnam Gachchami

Sangham Sharnam Gachchami

Namo Buddha!

Ram Sharda

Senior Ambassador for Peace/Inter-faith Coordinator, Universal Peace Federation

(Interreligious and International Federation of World Peace)

Kenya

002_a_reigun.jpg

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, with His name. Presented to Mr. Ram Swaroop Sharda, with a note that says:

Monlam dang. Shak cha ‘gelong’ bikshu Dalai Lama.

04/12/1992

Tashi Delek

Translated as:

With prayers. In the Buddha’s family name with prayers and appreciation.

04/12/1992

All auspiciousness, happiness, well-being and peace.

Signed by His Holiness

INTRODUCTION

On December 12th, 1988, Kenya, the country of our birth, would be celebrating twenty five years of independence from British colonialism. Multi-cultural events had been planned for that day, and, as preparations were underway, we were contacted by Mr. Ram Swaroop Sharda enquiring about a play on the life of Buddha. No such works existed at that time and in jest he mentioned that we should create such a play ourselves. We had had a long association with Mr. Sharda, who had been instrumental in our budding interest in the stage - firstly at the University of Nairobi and then as part of the Orient Art Circle and Afro-Orient Players, performing at the Kenya National Theatre.

Obviously, a play on Buddha’s life was not part of the Kenya silver jubilee celebrations, but the suggestion, made in jest, stayed with