The Prince and the Zombie (6 page)

On the twelfth day, as the prince was once again 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 more than ever on his guard, did not utter a word, and so the zombie began telling him a new story even more beautiful than the one before.

10

The Crafty Beggar

O
NCE UPON A TIME
there was a beggar. One day he ran into some children who were in the midst of quarreling over a plain old hat. Intrigued, he stopped to ask them why this was such a coveted object. He learned from them that this hat had magical powers. Whoever put it on his head at once became invisible. This aroused the beggar's own interest in this exceptional article, and he decided to find some tricky way of acquiring it.

“My dear children,” he said, “as a neutral party, I can help you find a solution to your quarrel. You are all going to take part in a big footrace. The hat will belong to the fastest one among you.”

The children liked this idea, and the beggar gave them the signal to start. But before the children could get back to where he was, he donned the hat and at once became invisible. He quickly left the region, taking with him his highly interesting bit of booty.

A few days later, he came to another region where a lot of nomads lived. Two of them were having an argument over a plain old sack. Intrigued once again, the beggar stopped to ask why this was such a coveted object. The nomads explained to him that this article had magical powers. The possessor of it could draw from inside it whatever he might want—food in plenty, drink, clothes, or anything else the heart might desire.

Being very crafty, the beggar said, “Listen here. Instead of arguing with each other like that, let me suggest that the two of you have a race. As a neutral party, I will be glad to function as the referee. The sack will belong to the one of you who gets back first to where I am standing.”

The nomads liked his advice, and the beggar gave them the signal to start the race. But before the two naive nomads caught on to the fact that they had been duped, the beggar put the magic hat on his head. He instantly became invisible and quickly left the region, taking along with him the magic sack as booty.

A little while later, the beggar saw two peasants standing in a field arguing over a plain old stick. Intrigued once again, he stopped to find out more about what was happening. The two men explained to him that this object had magical powers. Whoever possessed it could make it carry him in no time at all to any place at all, and moreover, it would allow him to defeat his enemies, no matter how numerous they were.

Of course the beggar very much wanted to possess this unique object, so he said to them, “Listen to me. As a neutral party, I will act as the referee of a footrace. The magical stick will belong to the first one of you two to get back to where I'm standing.” The peasants liked his idea, and the beggar gave them the signal to start the race. But before they could realize they had been duped, the false referee put the hat on his head. Becoming instantly invisible, he quickly left the region, taking the magical stick with him as booty.

Thus in a very short time, he had handily acquired three precious objects that could make his life more enjoyable, and he was very happy about it.

Wrapped up in this story, Prince Dechö Zangpo, in spite of all his vigilance, let his awareness lapse and, beside himself, cried out, “It's unbelievable how easily people let themselves get fooled!”

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. Once again he was left all alone in this deserted region. He experienced 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. After quite a while, Prince Dechö Zangpo 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. After forming a strong resolve to keep a firm hold on his attention and remain vigilant the next time, he went back to take “He Who Fulfills All Dreams” captive.

11

Hunting Down the Zombie Again

S
O IT WAS THAT
Prince Dechö Zangpo yet once again traveled across the whole breadth of the kingdom in order to get back to India, to the place in that country that was 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!”

At that point, as he had done several times before, he touched their heads with the cone-shaped red object given him by the guru, repeating over and over, “You are not the one. You are not the one.” This caused them to flee immediately.

Looking around him he saw a dead being with a very singular appearance. The top of this being was gold, the bottom of him was silver, and he had a mane of pure turquoise. This one fled to the top of a sandalwood tree, saying, “I am not the right one! I am not the right one!” Using his usual tricks, the prince got hold of the zombie Ngödrup Dorje—because of course it was him—and, well content, he set off on the return journey so he could place his precious burden before his guru.

On the fifteenth day, as the prince was once again 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 spot 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.”

Without waiting for an answer from the prince, the zombie began telling him of the further adventures of the beggar and his magical objects.

12

The Beggar and His Friends

W
ELL, THEN,
the beggar continued on his way toward the high plateaus of Tibet. One day he met a poor orphan who absolutely wanted to join up with him. The beggar told him, “Listen, my life is not an easy one at all. I haven't got any money and I don't have a roof over my head. I eat if somebody decides to give me something edible and I stay hungry if they don't. I always have to sleep outdoors, even when it's very cold.”

These arguments did nothing to change the orphan's mind, and so it was that the beggar took him on as a traveling companion.

Sometime later, the two friends met a handsome young man, the son of a wealthy family who had run away from home. Becoming acquainted with the beggar and the orphan and learning what a free and unconstrained life they led, he asked them if they would let him join up with them, saying how much he would enjoy their company. The beggar put forward all kinds of arguments to dissuade him, just as he had done before with the orphan. But to no avail! The son of a wealthy family absolutely wanted to join them. So the beggar took him on, and together the companions continued on their way.

In another place, the beggar and his two friends met the son of a king who had no interest whatever in wealth and power but instead was looking for freedom and adventure.

“Please, take me with you,” he insistently asked the beggar. Again, just as before, the beggar put forth all the arguments he could muster to discourage the lad from coming with them. But the young noble was determined, and in the end the beggar accepted him and took him along. Thus they continued their journey as a foursome. They were very happy to be together and they became good friends.

One fine day they came to a village where the news of the arrival of the four faithful friends spread rapidly. They were generously provided with
tsampa
to eat. The most beautiful young woman in the village fell head over heels in love with the prince. The beggar duly informed the family of the young woman that her friend was of noble family and had a very good character. The family decided to accept the young prince as a husband for their daughter. The friends were invited to remain with the family for three months, the time it would take to prepare for the wedding, which was going to last seven whole days. This turned out to be a very fine feast, celebrated with the entire village. The family seemed to be a very good one, and the young woman was beautiful. Reassured by this, the friends finally took their leave and continued on their way. The goodbyes were very hard, but everybody was happy and content with the prince's good karma.

The three remaining friends came to another village, where again, very quickly, talk spread of their great friendship and mutual loyalty. The most beautiful young woman saw the son of the wealthy family and fell head over heels in love with him. She talked this over with her mother, and the mother at once went to consult the beggar to find out more about the young man. She accepted him as her son-in-law, and a great wedding feast was celebrated with the entire village. Reassured by the knowledge that their friend was set up with a good family, the beggar and the orphan decided to carry on with their travels. The leave-taking was hard, but everyone was happy and content with the young man's good karma.

The two last remaining friends came to another village, where, there too, positive comments about their great friendship and mutual loyalty very quickly made the rounds. The most beautiful young woman in the village saw the orphan and recognized his good character. She fell head over heels in love with him. She soon told her mother, and her mother at once consulted the beggar to find out more about the young man. The mother readily consented to accept the orphan as her son-in-law and a great feast was celebrated along with the beggar and the entire village. Reassured that his last friend was now placed with a good family, the beggar decided to resume his journey. The goodbyes were hard, but everyone was happy and content with the orphan's good karma. Only the beggar felt a certain loneliness deep in his heart.

“It's true that it is not always easy to face being alone!” imprudently remarked Prince Dechö Zangpo, being full of sympathy for the beggar. He bit his tongue, but it was too late. The sack on the prince's back was already opening up and releasing its prisoner, the zombie Ngödrup Dorje. With great pleasure, the zombie declared, “Here's the blow you deserve for talking back!” and he disappeared in a puff of wind.