was gold on the top, silver on the bottom, and had a mane of pure turquoise. As soon as he was seen, the zombie fled into the top of a sandalwood tree, saying, âI am not the right one! I am not the right one!â But once again, being very sure of himself, he finally came down from the tree and ended up in the princeâs magic sack, which the prince tied up securely with his magic rope.
The twenty-fourth day, when the prince was once again in the process of crossing the great barren plain, Ngödrup Dorje began speaking to him in a very sweet and soothing voice:
âIn this desolate region, there are no people and you know very well 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, a living being, will tell me a story, or I, who am a dead being, will tell you one.â
The prince, sorely tried but more than ever on his guard, did not answer a word, and the zombie resumed where he had left off telling him the story of the beggar.
18
The Beggar Is Reunited with His Friends
R ID OF HIS perfidious wife, the young man set off again on his journey across the high Tibetan plateau. One day, he felt an irresistible desire to see once again the three friends he had left behind in different villages after their respective weddings.
So it was that he came first to the region where he had parted from the son of the king. From a distance he saw a flock of sheep with their shepherd, and he decided to have a chat with the man in the hope of getting some information about his friend. As he was speaking with the shepherd, he discovered with surprise that this herdsman himself was no one else but the kingâs son. His complexion had been darkened by the sun and his body, formerly so strong and resilient, had become feeble and sickly because of the bad food he was being given. He had changed so much that the young beggar had not even recognized him!
The beggar learned that at the beginning of his marriage, the kingâs son had lacked for nothing and had lived a happy life in the bosom of a good family. But as time went on, the family had shown him less and less respect, had given him terrible food, and had taken away his royal raiment, exchanging it for a herdsmanâs clothes. At last they had cast him out of the house and made him stay outdoors with his herd.
It was with great joy and indescribable happiness that the shepherd, who had had to endure so much suffering in the meantime, laid eyes on the beggar again. The beggar promised he would find a strategy to help him. He warned him, above all, not to mention anything about their meeting to anyone and not to be surprised by anything that happened.
In order to provide his starving friend with some decent nourishment, the young beggar took out his magic sack and drew out of it a feast of eighteen courses, each one more succulent than the last. The two ate their fill and fell asleep together, surrounded by the sheep. That night the shepherd had the impression that the sky was more illuminated than usual by all the stars and by the thousand buddhas who were smiling down on him from up there.
Very early the following morning, the two separated and proceeded as though their meeting had never occurred. When the beggar arrived at the village, he put on his hat, and invisible to all eyes, he entered the house of his friendâs in-laws. As he had done with his own wife, he touched his friendâs wife with the red flower, which transformed her instantly into a monkey. She was terrified and began jumping about in every direction. She broke everything in the house that she touched and injured everyone who crossed her path. The family was shocked and did not know what to do. They could find no solution but to shut her up in a cage for her own safety and the safety of everyone else.
The beggar, still invisible thanks to the magic hat, left
The twenty-fourth day, when the prince was once again in the process of crossing the great barren plain, Ngödrup Dorje began speaking to him in a very sweet and soothing voice:
âIn this desolate region, there are no people and you know very well 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, a living being, will tell me a story, or I, who am a dead being, will tell you one.â
The prince, sorely tried but more than ever on his guard, did not answer a word, and the zombie resumed where he had left off telling him the story of the beggar.
18
The Beggar Is Reunited with His Friends
R ID OF HIS perfidious wife, the young man set off again on his journey across the high Tibetan plateau. One day, he felt an irresistible desire to see once again the three friends he had left behind in different villages after their respective weddings.
So it was that he came first to the region where he had parted from the son of the king. From a distance he saw a flock of sheep with their shepherd, and he decided to have a chat with the man in the hope of getting some information about his friend. As he was speaking with the shepherd, he discovered with surprise that this herdsman himself was no one else but the kingâs son. His complexion had been darkened by the sun and his body, formerly so strong and resilient, had become feeble and sickly because of the bad food he was being given. He had changed so much that the young beggar had not even recognized him!
The beggar learned that at the beginning of his marriage, the kingâs son had lacked for nothing and had lived a happy life in the bosom of a good family. But as time went on, the family had shown him less and less respect, had given him terrible food, and had taken away his royal raiment, exchanging it for a herdsmanâs clothes. At last they had cast him out of the house and made him stay outdoors with his herd.
It was with great joy and indescribable happiness that the shepherd, who had had to endure so much suffering in the meantime, laid eyes on the beggar again. The beggar promised he would find a strategy to help him. He warned him, above all, not to mention anything about their meeting to anyone and not to be surprised by anything that happened.
In order to provide his starving friend with some decent nourishment, the young beggar took out his magic sack and drew out of it a feast of eighteen courses, each one more succulent than the last. The two ate their fill and fell asleep together, surrounded by the sheep. That night the shepherd had the impression that the sky was more illuminated than usual by all the stars and by the thousand buddhas who were smiling down on him from up there.
Very early the following morning, the two separated and proceeded as though their meeting had never occurred. When the beggar arrived at the village, he put on his hat, and invisible to all eyes, he entered the house of his friendâs in-laws. As he had done with his own wife, he touched his friendâs wife with the red flower, which transformed her instantly into a monkey. She was terrified and began jumping about in every direction. She broke everything in the house that she touched and injured everyone who crossed her path. The family was shocked and did not know what to do. They could find no solution but to shut her up in a cage for her own safety and the safety of everyone else.
The beggar, still invisible thanks to the magic hat, left
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