The Boy without a Name, Part One

Cheerful New Year to all!

On Christmas Eve, Part One of a story by Chogyam Trungpa was posted to Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week. This story appears in the archives of Chogyam Trungpa's unpublished poetry. There is no date given for when it was composed, and no one seems to remember the circumstances behind the writing of this story.

Subscribers to Ocean of Dharma were invited to submit story endings. Several people submitted additions or endings to Part One. What follows is Chogyam Trungpa’s Part One, followed by the OD contributors. Tomorrow I’ll post Part Two of the story as written by Chogyam Trungpa and several of the endings written by Ocean of Dharma readers. I’ll continue to post these to the Legacy blog until they’re all posted by the end of the week.


THE BOY WITHOUT A NAME or THE BOY WHO LIVED BY HIMSELF

By Chogyam Trungpa

Part One

I am the boy who lives by himself. I don't do anything in particular, I just live that’s the way I am. I spend my life playing and I make up my own toys. I have no one to play with. The sort of things that interest me are stones and rivers and trees and clouds. Since long ago I have had no parents or brothers and sisters, so I just live alone. Sometimes I want to do like the grown-ups, but then I realize there's no point in that. I have my own world to live in, and I'm known as "the boy who lives by himself.

When I was born, no one gave me a name. Perhaps my parents did give me a name, but somehow it never entered my mind. So I remain nameless. Grown-ups like giving each other names. And they like inventing names for objects as well, without stopping to consider whether the name really fits the thing or not. They learn these names by heart and write them down.

Once a friend of mine was given a name by his father and a different name by his mother. His father's friends called him by one name and his mother's friends called him by the other, and this rather confused him. As a result he wasn't quite sure which was his real self. This bothered him for a long time, until one day I suggested to him that he should be nameless like me. At first he didn't like the idea. He said, "If I didn't have a name, how would I know who I am?" I found it difficult to explain to him in words, so I just said "Well, why don't you give it a try and see what it’s like?" So he did. But this upset is parents very much because he no longer answered to the names they had given him.

Now he was able to see what his nameless self was really like and he became like a tiger who has broken his chain....

End of Part One.

Rochelle Weithorn wrote the following ending to part one of the story:

In the summer, I enjoy sleeping under the stars along the river bank. The cool breeze washes over me and I feel refreshed. I look up at the moon and it smiles back at me. I once heard someone say there is a man that lives in the moon so I try to make out the lines of his face, a smile, a twinkling of an eye, The moon is my friend. Grass feels so soft to lie on and I love smelling the sweet green scent it exudes. Sometimes my friend the tiger comes and brings her cubs to drink the cold refreshing water the river has to offer. Then we cuddle up together and just relax. Being a boy with no name and no home means no one is waiting for me to return at a particular hour or any particular place. So I just stop where I am and rest there for the night.

There is a magical time in the wild just between dusk and nightfall when things get very still and the silence fills my heart with longing. I long to understand why my heart beats faster when I run or why hugging a tiger cub makes me so happy. My heart bursts with joy when I see wild things grow in the forest and the purity of nature around me. I feel so free and happy here with my friends who also have no names.

In the morning, my friend the sun greets me with a smile. I sit up and thank the sun for warming us here on this beautiful planet we live on. I wonder if the sun knows that's what we call her? Perhaps the sun is just like me with no name? I enjoy resting my mind in the early morning light. It feels so good to just be still. After a while I enjoy eating some berries or fruit and drink fresh water from a nearby waterfall. For a boy with no name and no place to call home, my world is always filled with discovery and laughter. If you want to see what I look like, just look up at the moon and see my reflection smiling back at you!

Kate Abato added this to part one::


and experiences for the first time the breeze of delight. . .


Beth wrote this to add to Part One:


Now he was able to see what his nameless self was really like and he became like a tiger who had broken his chain....At first he was stunned not to have that chain around his neck any longer. Although it had weighed him down and it was cold and heavy, it had become a part of him. As the chain was removed he felt as though he suddenly had the kind of power he had never felt before. It was such a strange feeling. Now nothing or no one could hold him back; no one could scare HIM any more. He paraded around his home feeling so strong and powerful that he almost scared himself. He had never before felt this way. When his mother or father looked at him he was able to look right back at them knowing that there was nothing to be afraid of any longer. Now he had the power; now he could scare them and not they him any more. -!

At the same time however he was missing that chain. That chain which had given him a sense of belonging and security, almost a feeling of Love. He knew that his parents loved him, but now, that he was this free, how could he be so sure?

Stay tuned for more of the story in days to come!