El Buda y la Ballena / The Buddha and the Whale

Como despedida, por el momento, al Japón, vayan algunas de las páginas que con otro de los buenos guionistas con los que suelo colaborar, Gustavo Schimpp, hicimos sobre leyendas y relatos tradicionales japoneses. Éstas están basadas en una de las mejores historias que jamás he oído, y que Juliet Piggott recoge en su "Japanese Mythology" (Hamlyn, 1975). Una ballena había escuchado de la boca de un tiburón que no había cosa más grande en el mundo que la gigantesca imagen del Buda en Kamakura. Curiosa ( y celosa) la ballena se calzó unas sandalias mágicas para poder caminar por la tierra e ir a ver, con sus propios ojos, si así era. Ante la conmoción que la presencia del cetáceo causó en Kamakura, la imagen del Buda cobró vida y salió del templo para ver qué pasaba. Cuando la ballena le dijo que queía saber quién de los dos era el más alto, el Buda le pidió a un monje que los midiera con la ayuda de su rosario. Resultó que la ballena era dos pulgadas más alta y ancha que la imagen, y se volvió al océano muy oronda.

Gustavo le dio a la historia una vuelta de tuerca que considero magistral: hacer que el Buda se "tirara a menos" y disimuladamente redujera su propio tamaño para que la ballena fuera la triunfadora

Before taking our leave of Japan and its traditions, at least for the time being, here are some pages from a story based on an ancient legend. It belongs to a cycle of Japanese folktales Gustavo Schimpp, a very good writer with whom I´ve often collaborated, and I did. This tale is among the best I´ve ever heard.

In her "Japanese Mythology" (Hamlyn, 1975), Juliet Piggott writes: "... News of (the Kamakura Daibutsu´s) vastness reached a whale living in the sea in the north. It was disbelieving: nothing could be larger than itself... (It) put on magic boots in order to see the statue itself: doubtless its intentions wre malicious. With these magical aids,,, it was able to walk to the building in which the Buddha was then housed, but owing to its great size it could not squeeze inside and see the statue for itself. However, a priest came out, and with less surprise than would normally be expected, asked the whale its business. The whale demanded to know the height of the statue. Then the Daibutsu came down from the pedestal and was as surprised as the whale to meet, face to face, a being of similar size and girth. The statue agreed that its measurements should be taken by the priest, who used his rosary for the purpose. The Daibutsu was found to be two inches shorter and thinner than the whale. The whale´s pride was satisfied, the image had acted peaceably, and the priest must have been satisfied, if shatered, by the whole experience..."

Gustavo´s masterly touch was to make the Buddha secretly shrink his size a bit so as to let the whale be the winner of the contest.

Todas las imágenes son copyright de Enrique Alcatena