Snow in August (10 page)

[
Xue Jian is silent. He retreats and exits
.

Monks:

(
Chant
.)

Excellent, excellent!

(
Sing
.)

Even His Majesty the Emperor

Wants to be a merciful Buddha!

In this world of myriad phenomena,

It’s Pure Land, Pure Land everywhere.

Why are we still fighting, you and I?

They keep soldiers and generals, tell us why.

[
Exit monks
.

Huineng turns, his back facing the audience. He walks to the depth of the stage, coughs, then exits
.

The stage turns dark. In the dark, there is a dish of charcoal burning in front of the meditation bed
.

Enter Huineng holding a staff. His other hand is holding the kasaya robe. He coughs, throws the kasaya into the fire and pokes at the fire with the staff. The fire is burning more vigorously now, and it is reflected on his face
.

Enter Shenhui, now grown up, on the side. He stops and observes silently
.

(
Huineng halts his coughing, turns
.)

Huineng:

Is it the little apprentice who has returned?

Shenhui:

Your disciple has been following the instructions of the Master and traveling all over the country. I have set foot in the forest and the groves of the north, and I also visited Master Shenxiu’s temple.

Huineng:

Why have you come back?

Shenhui:

Master Shenxiu answered the Emperor’s call and went to the capital. Now he is the Patriarch of the two capitals and Master Holiness of His Majesty. So your disciple decided to come back to serve you.

Huineng:

What kind of things did you see over there?

Shenhui:

How about Master yourself? What kind of things did you see?

Huineng:

How dare you fool around in your old master’s presence!

(
Hits him three times with his staff
.)

It hurts, doesn’t it?

Shenhui:

Now it hurts, now it doesn’t. (
Giggles
.)

Shenhui feels the hurt, but Buddha nature doesn’t.

Huineng:

Shenhui! Don’t you try to be smart with me!

Shenhui:

(
Lowers his head
.)

Please forgive me. It was my fault.

Huineng:

It is the same with me. Now I see it, now I don’t.

Shenhui:

(
Looks up
.)

Allow me to ask why.

Huineng:

If I look in front of me, I see self-nature, which is void and silent, but I don’t see anything at the sides. There is no puzzlement inside or out. Is there anything else you do not understand?

(
Shenhui makes obeisance
.)

Huineng:

Summon all the people in the temple. I have something to tell everybody.

[
Exit Shenhui. Huineng, supported by his staff, climbs on the meditation bed and sits cross-legged
.

Bell tolls. Enter Fahai and monks
.

Tolling stops. Enter Shenhui. He stands aside
.

Fahai:

What is the Master’s wish?

Huineng:

(
Stops coughing
.)

Come forward, all of you. I will leave the world in this month of August. I came to this world of humans with nothing on me, and I will leave empty-handed, not taking anything away. As long as I can remove your doubts, as long as we are peaceful and happy, then I will be content. Do you have any more doubts? Ask me while there is still time.

Fahai:

Old Master, please stop saying things like this. It saddens us all.

[
The monks either lower their heads or kneel down on their knees. Only Shenhui remains wooden and motionless
.

Huineng:

Look up, all of you. Take a look at Shenhui. He is young, but he is not affected. What kind of Zen are you people cultivating? For whom are you grieving? Are you worried about me and where I will go after this? If I don’t know where I’ll be going I certainly would not have said goodbye to you. You know why you are crying? Because you don’t know where I’ll be going. You only see life and death, but why can’t you see where there is no life and no death?

Fahai:

(
Takes one step forward
.)

Your disciple has one question, but I don’t know if I should ask the Old Master.

Huineng:

We can disregard even life and death. Nothing is pro-hibited in the temple of Zen. Let us have it.

Fahai:

After the Master is gone…(
Looks around
.) Who will inherit the robe and the Dharma?

Huineng:

What’s the use of holding on to the robe if there is no
Dharma
?

Ever since the beginning, there has never been anything. The kasaya robe, like all things, is extraneous to the self. If someone takes the robe and almsbowl and stirs up trouble, then our order will be destroyed. After I’m gone, there will be heresies that will wreak havoc everywhere. But there will also be people who will be willing to brace slanders, and willing to sacrifice their lives to promote the cause and the teachings of our order.

Fahai:

Please forgive my obtuseness. I still have one more question.

Huineng:

If the question is straight from the heart, why not?

Fahai:

When our master is alive, so is the Dharma. But when our master is gone, how can the people after you see the Buddha?

[
Silence
.

Huineng:

Let the people worry about their own affairs. You will do well to look after your own! I have already said all I wanted to say. I will say no more, except for this one last sentence. Listen well: Seek not the Buddha from outside your own nature; he who does is a big, big fool. Take care of yourselves!

(
He sits up straight, his eyes lowered
.)

[
Exit monks in silence
.

The staff by the side of the meditation bed falls. Huineng passes away quietly. Silver bells ring delicately like silk
.

Enter Fahai, tiptoeing. Scenery in the depth of the stage turns white
.

Fahai:

How very strange! Suddenly all the trees and plants on the mountain have turned white, and on such a hot day! Is this really snow in August?

[
The bells ring continuously. The stage turns dark all of a sudden
.

Neige et feu 雪與光　Gao Xingjian　54 × 52 cm　2000

Act III

In Which Pandemonium Reigns in the Hall of Worship

[
Enter Singsong Girl and Writer from both sides downstage. Sound of string music
.

Singsong Girl:

(
Sings
.)

Snow in August,

What a strange sight—

[
Writer looks up at the sky, holding up his hands as if to catch snowflakes
.

Singsong Girl:

(
Sings
)

Cao Mountain, quiet and serene,

A shadow cavorts with the clean, crisp wind.

Writer:

(
Recites
.)

A woodcutter—

Singsong Girl:

(
Sings
.)

Look at the green grassland,

Seek out your thoughts;

On snowy mountain tops,

There is meaning for us to know.

Writer:

(
Recites
.)

Teacher of a generation!

Singsong Girl:

(
Sings
.)

Even insensate stones think of moving,

And try to send us a message.

Writer:

(
Recites
.)

A lifetime of hardship,

Singsong Girl:

(
Sings
.)

The way of Heaven,

They say it’s enlightenment,

It’s only a mass of nothingness.

Writer:

(
Recites
.)

Nothing but horseplay!

Singsong Girl:

(
Plucks the strings, raises her head and sings loudly
.)

Dhya—na! (
Lowers her head to listen
.)

[
Exit Writer and Singsong Girl
.

The stage is lit up brightly; enter Zen masters one by one
.

This Master and That Master come forward
.

This Master:

How to become a Buddha?

That Master:

This one, that one.

This Master:

What do you mean “this one, that one”?

That Master:

It’s not this one, and it’s not that one.

This Master:

(
Hollers
.)

Ho!

That Master:

(
Hollers
.)

Ha!

[
One Master and Another Master come forward
.

One Master:

Where in the world is Buddha? Speak!

Another Master:

Your reverence, under your feet!

(
One Master looks at his feet
.)

Another Master:

Flying!

One Master:

Not on this side, and not on that side. Flying? What are you talking about?

(
He remains motionless, looking straight ahead
.)

[
The two masters look at each other and laugh out loud
.

Enter Quite Master and Nice Master. The latter is carrying a staff
.

Quite Master
Quick, tell me, what is Buddha?

Nice Master:

(
Strikes once with his staff. Turns and smiles
.)

Whatever gets hit is not it.

Quite Master:

(
Smiles
.)

Then why are you still hitting?

[
Nice Master is wordless. Quite Master clasps his palms
.

Right Master and Wrong Master come forward. The latter is holding a bowl in his hands
.

Right Master:

(
Laughing
.) Does a dog have Buddha nature?

Wrong Master:

Water is in the bowl, clouds are in the sky. (
Pours water on Right Master’s head
.)

Right Master:

(
Shocked
.)

Why are you doing this?

Wrong Master:

(
Giggling
.)

No reason.

[
Right Master and Wrong Master move away in silence. Enter Writer.

Old Master:

Mister, where did you come from?

Writer:

From back there.

Old Master:

Where are you going?

Writer:

(
Bends down, takes off his shoe and shows it to Old Master.
)

The sole has fallen off.

Old Master:

What do you want to do?

Writer:

Would you have a cup of tea?

Old Master:

You’ve come to the wrong place, mister!

Writer:

The place is right, but I’m not sure if I can find any Bodhisattva here.

Old Master:

(
Hits him with his staff.
)

You meathead! Don’t you know that this is a Zen temple, and we don’t worship idols here? All the Bodhisattva statues have been destroyed. Why have you still come here?

Writer:

All sentient beings are Buddha, are they not? You’re looking at one of them!

Old Master:

Ha ha! This one here must be a writer!

Writer:

Outside there are lots of sentient beings. I’m not sure if they’re all Bodhisattvas…

Old Master:

Learned audience, the house of Buddha provides deliverance for all sentient beings. Whoever wants to become a Bodhisattva, step right in!

(
Enter Singsong Girl and Laymen. The latter are carrying bricks, hauling timber or lifting tree stumps. There is a lot of hustle and bustle
.)