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‘At his feet I pay homage, cupping my hands in reverence': The Buddha as man, animal, and god
Homage to the Bhagavan, the enlightened one, the fully awakened Buddha. For many hundreds of thousands of births, immeasurable benefit to the world has been brought about by the leader of the world: the great sage. At his feet I pay homage, cupping my hands in reverence to the teaching, and bowing down to the Sangha, the vessel of all honour! I have cut through obstacles by the great power resulting from the merit of this homage to the three jewels: For the birth stories, starting with 'The True Story Jataka,' taught long ago by the brilliant sage, act by act, births in which, for a long time, the Teacher, the guide dedicated to the salvation of the world, brought the ingredients for awakening to ripeness – for acquiring all these birth stories, long recited together under the name of 'Jataka' by the chanters and compilers of the Buddha's teaching, the Elder Atthadassina approached me and inquired, hoping to preserve this lineage story of the Buddha. Atthadassina lives apart from the world, always in the company of other monks; I was also asked in the same way by the wise and calm Buddhamitta, who was born in the lineage of mahimsasaka, and is knowledgable in method; and in the same way by Buddhadeva, also a wise monk. So, this commentary on the birth stories, which illustrates the splendour of the inconceivable actions of a great man, I will recite, in the way those who live in the Great Monastery explain it. May good people grasp fully what I am saying! And this commentary on the birth stories will be comprehensible to listeners when I have explained the far origin, the near origin, and the recent origin – so long as they have understood it from its beginning. So, I will recount it, after explaining and making clear the three origins. The division into these three origins from the beginning should be understood as follows: The course of the story of the Great Being's existence, from the time that he made a resolution to become a Buddha at the feet of Dipankara to his appearance in the Tusita heaven after falling away from his life as Vessantara, is called the far origin. The course of the story from his falling away from the Tusita to his attainment of awakening on the ground by the Bodhi Tree is called the near origin. And the recent origin is found in all the various places at which he stayed on his travels, in this place and that. Now follows the far origin. The story of Sumedha They say that a hundred thousand eons and four incalculable epochs ago, there was a city called Amaravati. In that city lived a Brahman called Sumedha. He was respected, being of irreproachable birth, completely pure descent on both mother's and father's side for seven generations: a man of a noble line, of handsome appearance, good-looking, friendly, and endowed with an excellent, lotus-like complexion. He applied himself only to his Brahmanic studies, not taking on anything else. While he was still young, his parents died. Then, a minister who was in charge of his wealth brought the accounts book and opened the rooms filled with gold, silver, jewels, pearls, and other valuables. He said: 'Young man, so much belonged to your mother, so much to your father, so much to your grandparents and great-grandparents.' Pointing out to him the wealth inherited from seven generations, he said: 'Guard this well.' The wise Sumedha reflected, 'When my parents and all the rest of my ancestors passed on to another world, they could not take even one little coin with them. Is it right for me to try to take it with me?' So, after telling the king, he had a drum beaten around the city, gave his wealth to the people at large, and went out into homelessness as an ascetic. To make this matter clear, the story of Sumedha needs to be told. Although it is given in full in the Buddhavamsa, it is not so clearly explained because it is in verse. I will tell it here, with sentences at intervals explaining the verses. Four incalculable epochs and a hundred thousand eons ago, there was a city, resounding with ten sounds, called Amaravati or Amara, about which this is said in the Buddhavamsa: A hundred thousand eons and four incalculable epochs ago, there was a city called Amara – Deathless – beautiful and delightful. It was filled with the ten sounds and was abundant in food and drink combined: The trumpeting of elephants, the neighing of horses, drums, conches, carriages, and the shouting of offers of food and drink: 'Eat! Drink!'
New York Times
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
In a New Opera, Violence Against Women Is Not Just the Stuff of Fables
A bejeweled doe hides in the forest to protect itself. One day, the doe sees a drowning man who calls out for help. At great risk, the doe saves him. He promises not to reveal the animal's whereabouts but — enticed by a bounty from the king — he betrays the doe, and a brutal fate is suggested. The story of 'The Nine Jewelled Deer,' a new opera that premiered last Sunday at the cultural center Luma Arles, in a co-production with the Aix-en-Provence Festival, is based on an ancient Jataka fable of India, exploring the Buddha's incarnations in both human and animal forms. It has had a decidedly modern rebirth. That tale piqued the interest of half a dozen luminaries in the literary, visual and performing arts, including the author Lauren Groff, the painter Julie Mehretu and the director Peter Sellars, inspiring them to join forces to produce a nonlinear, highly metaphorical adaptation. Their version explores acts of betrayal and exploitation — of the earth, and especially of women. In some cases, its creators said in interviews, it is based on their own experiences and the experiences of women they know. Sellars, known for his avant-garde and socially engaged opera and theater productions, is the sole man among the core creative team. At the heart of the production is Ganavya Doraiswamy, a New York-born musician and performer who blends improvisational jazz with Indian storytelling traditions. Sivan Eldar composed the score and serves as musical director. Groff, the three-time National Book Award finalist and best-selling author, wrote the libretto with Doraiswamy and served as a kind of amanuensis, not just to the writing but to the people involved. Co-starring onstage with Doraiswamy is Aruna Sairam, a renowned ambassador of Indian vocal tradition, particularly South Indian Carnatic music, known for its devotional qualities. Mehretu, who had worked with Sellars on several operas as well — also based on ancient Buddhist stories, she said — contributed her characteristically abstract paintings that form the foundation of the production design. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Hindu
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Western chamber opera blends Buddhist wisdom and Carnatic improvisation
Published : Jul 06, 2025 08:28 IST - 3 MINS READ 'This is perhaps the first time that Indian classical music, in its improvised, living form, is present in an opera of this scale,' began the noted Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam. She was speaking to Frontline from LUMA Arles, a contemporary arts foundation at the Parc des Ateliers in the city of Arles, France, ahead of the world premiere of the chamber opera The Nine Jewelled Deer, in which she plays the dual roles of a clairvoyant queen and a grandmother. Composed by Sivan Eldar, with visual art by Julie Mehretu and libretto contributions from the novelist Lauren Groff, this opera directed by Peter Sellars features the voices of the singer-librettist Ganavya Doraiswamy and Aruna Sairam alongside a cross-cultural ensemble of soloists on the clarinet, saxophone, violin and cello, and for the first time, the mridangam, played by the percussionist Rajna Swaminathan. The Nine Jewelled Deer was born of an unlikely jugalbandi between two women from vastly different artistic worlds. When Ganavya heard Sivan Eldar's opera-in-progress at an artists' residency in Tuscany in 2021, she told her: 'I listened to your music … and I just thought of my grandmother. And I've had this dream of creating a project that is inspired by the story of my grandmother.' By the end of that residency, Sivan Eldar was aboard Ganavya's dream project. They were joined by Ganavya's long-time collaborator and theatre director Peter Sellars from Los Angeles, and Aruna Sairam from Chennai. The conversations continued across continents and time zones over many months. Slowly, steadily, an oratorio on loss, resilience, and renewal came into being. The Nine Jewelled Deer braids together three distinct strands of story: a Jataka tale of the Ruru deer, the first chapter from the early Buddhist text Vimalakirti Sutra, and the life of the jalatarangam artist Seetha Doraiswamy (1926–2013). The parable of the eponymous deer which embodies a love so vast it embraces even betrayal is surely a parallel for the times we live in, perhaps meant to make one reflect on the long arc of both suffering and healing. Aruna Sairam spoke at length about the rehearsal process, the long weeks of immersion, improvisation, listening and learning. She said: 'As a Carnatic musician I'm improvising all the time—no two versions of my singing are the same. Whereas they [the practitioners of Western classical music and opera] are used to written scores. So we've spent weeks learning how to respond, not with certainty, but with curiosity. And over time, your listening becomes sharper, your vision clearer. It's like zen.' For Ganavya, the opera is also a personal tribute to her grandmother. Jalatarangam means 'waves in water', and Seetha Doraiswamy made waves making music using porcelain bowls filled with varying levels of water. Her kitchen was a safe space, a refuge for countless young female students within a stifling patriarchy and cultural orthodoxy. As Sivan Eldar put it memorably in an interview, for Seetha, her 'kitchen orchestra' was equal to playing in Carnegie Hall. In the same interview, Peter Sellars pointed out that hers was 'a music of refugees. A music of feeding people, both with food and with spiritual replenishment, with courage, with love.' The strands of story in The Nine Jewelled Deer seem to suggest that compassion and care, not conquest, may be the more radical act of resistance. As Sellars reminds us, 'We don't need to go find a deer. We don't have to go get a Buddha.' The Buddha is already amongst us, within us. The Nine Jewelled Deer premieres at LUMA Arles on July 6. The performances will continue at LUMA Arles on July 8 and 9, and then move to the Théâtre du Jeu de Paume in Aix-en-Provence from July 13-16.
Hindustan Times
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Myth, reality, universal concerns headline Rashmi Narzary's 'The Lost Soul of the Joukhoorei'
Guwahati, Bringing together a blend of myth and reality, award-winning author Rashmi Narzary's says her latest book – 'The Lost Soul of the Joukhoorei' – underscores universal concerns along with the 'joys of befriending and the pains of letting go'. Narzary, who hails from the Bodo community, has narrated many a story of yore of the land with creative sensibility and her recent book, too, brings to the fore myths, folklore and legends drawn from lost and forgotten tales. The only Assamese writer to be invited by the Sahitya Akademi as a house guest recently to the Rashtrapati Bhawan, Narzary, told PTI that 'The Lost Soul of the Joukhoorei' was born out of her ''crazy imagination and I dole out magic and suspense, too, along with legends of the land''. Eminent lyricist and poet Gulzar has mentioned in the book's blurb, 'If there is a Cosmos within Cosmos, a Universe within a Universe, it's in the storytelling by Rashmi Narzary. She takes you across infinite time. The book ends. The story does not.' Narzary said the story of her new book 'begins with an ancient feel about it, that would flow through realms, space and species, human, animals, birds and insects, all speaking the same language, and being bound by elements of love and compassion'. The 'Joukhoorei', the title derived from the Bodo words 'jou' meaning wine and 'khoorei' signifying bowl, is the dry shell of a gourd with its insides scooped out to hold liquid. The book tells the story of ''having and losing, of uprooting and settling, of the joys of befriending and the pains of then letting go - It is a tale of a soul not lost forever but a soul which had only lost its way", she said. It is redolent with the legends of 'our land, but is imbued with universal concerns where the lines between myth and reality blur, and every choice carries the weight of destiny', Narzary said. "A visit to the serene 'gompas' in the high altitudes of Sikkim and Bhutan refused to leave my thoughts, and I set this tale in the mountains, which are generally thought to be home to spirits, mysteries and mythical songs,'' she said. The author has woven the tale around 'Bathou' and the Buddha, but she points out that they are essentially separate and have distinct identities, though they are manifestations of the same belief. "The connect with the Buddha and the Jataka era in the book was incorporated for a feel of ancientness and mythical allure, as well as to add a bridge between the very distant, enchanted past and the present," she said. Her books may be works of fiction, but Narzary maintains that a lot of research goes into her writings as she "observes people, situations, objects, and anything around me". 'I listen to people talk and at times, I get old people in our villages to speak of days of yore, of unchronicled incidents, of lost customs which were bound with lost clans. I also read a lot of academic papers, old news archives and even consultation with former army personnel like in 'An Unfinished Search' are involved,' she said. Winner of the Sahitya Akademi Bal Puraskar, Narzary is the author of eight books, which are taught in universities and researched for doctoral thesis, and have been translated into various Indian and foreign languages.
Hans India
13-05-2025
- Hans India
Buddhavanam comes alive with culture and glamour
Nagarjunasagar: Illuminated lighting and angels like beauty electrified the atmosphere here at Buddhavanam as Miss World contestants participated in the Buddha Purnima celebrations on Monday. The celebrations held at the banks of the Krishna River in Nagarjuna Sagar were graced by the contestants amidst special arrangements made by the government to make the event attractive for the international guests. The prestigious Buddha Jayanthi celebration took place at Buddhavanam, a cultural and spiritual heritage complex built on the banks of Nagarjuna Sagar. Contestants from 22 different countries participated in the event. The contestants explored and gained insight into Buddhavanam, which features 547 Jataka tales and 42 themed segments showcasing Buddhist teachings and their visit in mind, both Vijaya Vihar Guest House and Buddhavanam were specially decorated with illuminated lights. The international beauty queens also had dinner at the venue. As part of the tour, a group of Miss World contestants embarked on a cultural trip to Nagarjuna Sagar, showcasing the region's heritage and scenic journey began from Hyderabad, with the delegates reaching the Vellanki Guest House near Chintapalli by 3:00 pm. After a short break, the group travelled to Vijaya Vihar at Nagarjuna Sagar. Later in the evening, the group visited the Mahastupa, where they were given a guided tour by heritage expert DrShivaramakrishna Reddy. At the Buddha Sasanasite, the contestants participated in a brief meditation session, followed by a ritual called Bailakupe performed by monks from Mahabodhi. An insightful lecture on Buddhavanam and its significance was delivered, after which they explored the Jātakavanam area. Nalgonda District Collector Ila Tripathi, IG Satyanarayana, SP Sharath Chandra Pawar, and others took part in the 2,000 police personnel of various ranks were deployed at strategic locations in and around Nagarjuna Sagar in view of the Miss World contestants' cultural tour. Officials breathed a sigh of relief as the visit concluded smoothly and according to plan.
