The prince, unable to grasp what was happening, believing himself to be in the middle of a beautiful dream, could not utter a single word, but he soon found himself following the group into the palace, accompanied by his two faithful friends. Inside, they saw other people still more beautifully and richly dressed and adorned than the group that had come to meet them.
At last, in a great, splendidly decorated hall, they set eyes upon a young woman of unreal beauty, surpassing in splendor and richness all others in the hall. At this moment, this almost magical apparition addressed the musician in a very sweet voice:
“I am the princess of the naga people, protectors of nature. I have the custom of transforming myself into a white serpent when I rove through the countryside. In a moment of inattention, I was captured and almost killed by the herdsman of a flock of goats. Filled with compassion, you saved my life. Therefore I am inviting you to have a seat at my table with your friends and share a meal with me.”
Still thinking he was dreaming, Dranyen Tsikshipa took his seat at the table and did full justice to the sumptuous array of dishes he found there. The dog, who was a gregarious type with a ready palate, did not need to be asked twice and ate until he almost fell asleep on one of the tables. The cat, who had a more timid temperament, looked at all the good things set out on the immense and groaning board, and felt a little embarrassed to be seen taking too many helpings. But all three of them ate their fill and enjoyed the most wonderful moments of their lives.
At the end of this lavish meal, the princess announced: “And now I would very much like to fulfill the most dearly held wish of my rescuer. What would you like?”
The musician, surprised by this offer and not knowing what to say, did not even dare to look at the princess, so he lowered his eyes. In so doing, his gaze fell upon a beautiful jewel on the finger of his benefactress. So he said, “Nothing more than that simple ring on your finger would be the joy of my life.”
Suddenly very ill at ease, the princess replied, “You can have any of the riches of the world, but not this ring. It is the very source of my life force.”
But the artist stubbornly stuck to his idea, and in the end the princess yielded, telling herself that, after all, he had saved her life and she could refuse him nothing. But she set this condition: “I beg of you, this ring should not be worn by anyone beside yourself, and you must at no time let it fall into anyone else’s hands.”
The guitar player, whose heart was pure, gave her his solemn promise. The princess added that in case of difficulty, her people and she herself would come to his aid if only he scratched the ring a little.
Thus it was that the three friends took leave of this marvelous company and set forth once more on their journey.
After having gone a certain distance, the artist and his friends turned around to have a last look at the palace, but to their great astonishment, it had disappeared and the vast plain appeared as deserted as before. The three friends almost thought that they had dreamed the whole adventure, but Dranyen Tsikshipa felt the princess’s ring on his finger—the precious proof of what he had just experienced.
Carried away by the sly spirit’s magnificent tale, Prince Dechö Zangpo’s vigilance lapsed and he let the following words escape his lips: “Oh, how I would love, once in my life, to lay eyes on this beautiful naga princess!”
Instantly the sack on the prince’s back opened all by itself and released its prisoner, Ngödrup Dorje. Gloating hugely, the zombie declared, “Here is the blow you deserve for talking back!” and he disappeared in a puff of wind.
Too late, the prince realized his fatal error. He was left all alone in this desolate region with an immense feeling of remorse and failure. “Nga kugpa! What an idiot I am!” he cried, full of anger toward himself. But neither his anger nor the tears that followed changed the situation in the least. Finally the prince regained his composure, took a firm hold on his courage, and decided to continue with the mission he had been given by the guru Gömpo Ludrup. The next time, he firmly resolved, he would be more vigilant.
5
Hunting Down the Zombie Again
SO IT WAS that Prince Dechö Zangpo once again traveled across the whole breadth of the kingdom in order to return to India to the place described by the spiritual master, the dwelling place of the dead. He had hardly arrived there when he was surrounded by large numbers of dead beings elbowing each other and all calling out at the same time: “Halala!” and “Hululu!” “I am the one you are looking for. Take me! Take me!”
Again, following the teacher’s instructions, he touched the heads of the dead beings with the cone-shaped red object, repeating over and over, “You are not the one. You are not the one.” This caused them to flee immediately.
Looking around, he saw a dead being who had a very singular appearance. The top of him was gold, the bottom of him was silver, and he had a mane of pure turquoise. As the guru had predicted, this one fled to the top of a sandalwood tree, saying, “I am not the right one! I am not the right one!” Having successfully located the zombie Ngödrup Dorje, “He Who Fulfills All Dreams,” the prince took up the second object the guru had given him, the ax, with which he lightly touched the sandalwood tree. This simple action alone made the top of the tree tremble, and the prince began to speak to Ngödrup Dorje: “Come down to the ground. If you don’t, I will cut down this sandalwood tree.”
Very cunning and sure of being invincible, the spirit replied, “Poor prince, you will tire yourself out. Therefore I will be the one to make the effort, and I’ll come down to where you are.”
The prince grabbed him and put him in the sack, which immediately adjusted to the size of its captive. Then at once the prince tied the sack up with the magic rope. Because the prince was still carrying the red cone in his hand, the other dead beings did not approach again. Well content, the prince started out on the return journey with the intention of placing his precious burden before the guru as quickly as possible.
On the sixth day, when the prince again was crossing the great barren plain, Ngödrup Dorje began speaking to him in a very sweet and soothing voice: “In this desolate region, there are no people and you will not find a place to rest, not even a place the size of a prairie-dog dropping. So to make this long journey a little more pleasant, I propose two solutions. Either you, who are a living being, tell me a story, or I, who am a dead being, will tell you one.”
The prince, who was very much on his guard, did not utter a word, and so the zombie picked up where he had left off telling the adventures of the guitar player and his friends.
6
The Guitar Player and the Quality of Vigilance
AS THEY WENT ALONG their way, the three friends met a merchant who pretended to enjoy the music of the guitar player very much and invited them to come to his house for tea. On the high Tibetan plateau, also called the Roof of the World, it is important to drink tea with salted butter regularly, from morning till night. This national drink is more than just ordinary tea—it is a rich brew based on black tea that is very comforting and provides lots of physical force.
Not hesitating, the friends blithely accepted this invitation. After the meal, the musician allowed himself to be drawn into a game of sho, a dice game that is traditional in Tibet and is played for hours at a time with two, three, or four players. The merchant had gotten around a great deal in his life; he had certainly spotted the special ring on the musician’s finger, and he intended to get it away from the young man by any means. Deviously, he cheated at the game of dice. Little by little, the musician lost all the money and gold pieces he had earned through his music. Then, without regret, because he was not very attached to wealth, he prepared to leave with his two friends, who were bored stiff. However, exercising his considerable powers of persuasion, his cunning host succeeded in getting the musician to stay for a final game of sho, in which the merchant declared he would stake all the money and gold pieces he had won against the musician’s ring. The warnings of his tw
o four-footed friends were of no avail, for the guitar player had drunk not only tea but also a few bowls of chang, a beer made with barley very much appreciated by many Tibetans. Under the influence of the alcohol, he had become quite reckless and readily consented to a final game. But the merchant cheated, and the unfortunate young man lost yet again. This time it was the precious gift of the naga princess that changed hands. The worst had occurred. All of a sudden, the musician realized what had taken place—that he had stupidly allowed his dishonest host to get him drunk and rob him. But it was too late! As friendly and hospitable as the merchant had been at the beginning, that is how hard and malevolent he became the moment that his ends had been achieved. With the help of his hired henchmen and his formidable guard dog, a mastiff bred by Tibetan nomads, he threw all three of the friends out onto the street.
Sad and at the same time furious with himself, the musician departed along with his friends. The three of them together gave the impression of a funeral procession as they walked in silence one behind the other, heads down and with a downcast air. The cat, unable to bear seeing his friend in such a state of despair, began thinking how he might be able to remedy the situation. Then he remembered a very old and good friend of his, a mouse with a lively mind who had the ability to deal with any circumstances. Without mentioning it to anyone, the cat got in touch with his old friend, told him what had happened, and asked him what they might be able to do to recover the ring taken by the dishonest merchant. The mouse had an excellent idea. It snuck into the thief’s house—right under the nose of the guard dog, who saw nothing but a brief flicker—and found the bedroom where the merchant was snoring away. The whole room smelled from chang. Apparently, the culprit had celebrated his victory with plenty of drink. His heavy slumber facilitated the little mouse’s job. It was easily able to take back the ring, which the merchant had left on his night table. Fortunately for the naga princess, the ring had been too small for his finger, and he had set it to the side, hoping to get a tidy sum for it.
Thanks to his speed and skill, the little mouse recovered the precious object, and now he quickly made good his escape and set off to give it back to the cat. Happy and proud, the musician’s four-footed friends were able to return the ring to the young man as soon as he woke up. His surprise was so great he thought he was dreaming. As a way of thanking his cat friend and the mouse as well, the guitar player played his most beautiful songs. He surpassed himself and played so well that his music not only filled his friends with wonder but also did the same for everyone they met as they continued their journey through the high plateaus of Tibet. Through his talent, the musician quickly earned back as much money and as many gold pieces as he had had before, and he and his three friends were able to lead a good life. One day, the mouse decided to part from the company and go back to his numerous family. The goodbyes were long and sad, but they all promised each other that they would stay in touch.
At this moment, still beside himself with the thought of the musician’s lapse in awareness, the prince let his own vigilance slip and let the following words escape his lips: “What luck to have gotten the precious ring back with the help of his faithful friends!”
Immediately, the sack on the prince’s back opened up all by itself and released its prisoner, the zombie Ngödrup Dorje. Gloating hugely, the zombie declared, “Here’s the blow you deserve for talking back!” and he disappeared in a puff of wind.
Too late, the prince realized his fatal error. He was left all alone with an immense feeling of remorse and failure. “Nga kugpa! What an idiot I am!” he cried, full of anger toward himself. But neither his anger nor the tears that followed changed the situation in the least. Finally the prince regained his composure, took a firm hold on his courage, and decided to continue with the mission he had been given by the guru Gömpo Ludrup. With the firm resolve to remain more vigilant the next time, the prince went back to India.
7
Hunting Down the Zombie Again
SO IT WAS that Prince Dechö Zangpo once again traveled across the whole breadth of the kingdom and at last arrived again at Silwaytsal. He had hardly arrived there when he was surrounded by large numbers of dead beings elbowing each other and all calling out at the same time: “Halala!” and “Hululu!” “I am the one you are looking for. Take me! Take me!”
Again, following the teacher’s instructions, he touched the heads of the dead beings with the cone-shaped red object, repeating over and over, “You are not the one. You are not the one.” This caused them to flee immediately.
Looking around, he saw a dead being who had a very singular appearance. The top of him was gold, the bottom of him was silver, and he had a mane of pure turquoise. As the guru had predicted, this one fled to the top of a sandalwood tree, saying, “I am not the right one! I am not the right one!” Having found the zombie Ngödrup Dorje, “He Who Fulfills All Dreams,” the prince took up the second object the guru had given him, the ax, with which he lightly touched the sandalwood tree. This simple action made the top of the tree tremble, and the prince began to speak to Ngödrup Dorje: “Come down to the ground. If you don’t, I will cut down this sandalwood tree.”
Very cunning and sure of being invincible, the spirit replied, “Poor prince, you will tire yourself out. Therefore I will be the one to make the effort, and I’ll come down to you.”
The prince grabbed him and put him in the sack, which immediately adjusted to the size of its captive. Then at once the prince tied the sack up with the magic rope. Because the prince was still carrying the red cone in his hand, the other dead beings did not approach again. Well content, the prince started out on the return journey with the intention of placing his precious burden before the guru as quickly as possible.
On the ninth day, when the prince was again in the midst of crossing the great barren plain, Ngödrup Dorje began speaking to him in a very sweet and soothing voice:
“In this desolate region, there are no people and you will not find a place to rest, not even a place the size of a prairie-dog dropping. So to make this long journey a little more pleasant, I propose two solutions. Either you, who are a living being, tell me a story, or I, who am a dead being, will tell you one.”
The prince, who was very much on his guard, did not utter a word, and so the zombie picked up where he had left off telling the adventures of the guitar player and his friends.
8
The Traveling Guitar Player and the Power of Friendship
AFTER HOURS OF WALKING, the guitar player, the cat, and the dog stopped on the bank of a broad and deep river that they would have to cross somehow in order to reach the next village. The dog, who was the only one who knew how to swim, proposed swimming across the river with the cat on his back and pulling the musician behind, holding fast to his tail. Being the one good swimmer among them, the dog also proposed to keep the precious ring, the gift of the naga princess, in safe keeping during the crossing. The musician, relieved, consented to this, and to his surprise, the dog quite simply stuck the ring in his mouth.
Proceeding according to plan, the three friends were doing fine until they got to the middle of the river. That is when the cat saw that the dog had a little bit of dried yak meat stuck to his muzzle. Suddenly experiencing a big empty feeling in its stomach, the cat could not resist licking its friend’s muzzle to get that little bit of leftover meat. “Ah ah ah choo!” went the dog, sneezing hard. At once the precious ring shot out of its mouth and fell into the deepest waters of the river. Hardly believing what had happened, the three friends tried their best to catch a glimpse of it, but to no avail.
The cat and the prince were unable to swim and the dog was getting weaker and weaker; it had to keep swimming if it were to get to the far shore. Once the dangerous crossing was over, the prince got angry at his two friends.
“It’s your fault that we’ve lost the princess’s precious gift. Oh, how awful! Poor me, poor me!”
Still completely out of breath, the dog tried to console i
ts friend.
“Woof, woof! The lucky part is that the life of the princess is not in danger because the river is part of the realm of the nagas. So the ring will soon end up back on the princess’s finger.”
But the cat, who was filled with remorse for what it had done, said in a very small voice, “Meow, meow. Dear friends, I am terribly sorry. My hunger pushed me to give in to temptation. I never thought it could have such consequences. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”
Seeing the cat’s sadness and his big tears, the guitar player forgave it.
“Since the ring has surely returned to its owner, the princess of the nagas, her life is not in danger. Let’s forget what has happened and continue on our way.”
Very happy that the musician had forgiven them, his two four-footed friends nevertheless expressed their wish to return to their respective families. The goodbyes were long and sad, but the three promised to stay in touch.
Moved by this touching friendship, Prince Dechö Zangpo once again let his attention lapse, and the following words escaped his lips: “What a strong friendship!”
Instantly, the sack on the prince’s back opened up all by itself and released its prisoner, Ngödrup Dorje. Gloating hugely, the zombie declared, “Here’s the blow you deserve for talking back!” and he disappeared in a puff of wind.
Too late, the prince realized his fatal error. For the third time, he was left all alone in that desolate place with an immense feeling of remorse and failure. “Nga kugpa! What an idiot I am!” he cried, full of anger toward himself. But neither his anger nor the tears that followed changed the situation in the least. Finally the prince regained his composure, took a firm hold on his courage, and decided to continue with the mission he had been given by the guru Gömpo Ludrup. He firmly resolved to be more vigilant the next time.
The Prince and the Zombie Page 3
