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Skit 1:"THE BIRTH OF THE BUDDHA" Submitted by Kapaa Hongwanji Dharma School |
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Skit2 : "WHY WE OBSERVE BODHI DAY?"-Submitted by Kapaa Hongwanji Dharma School |
Skit1: "THE BIRTH OF THE BUDDHA"
Place - Lumbini Garden
Characters - Animals - Boys (6), Flowers - Girls (6), Queen Maya, Maids - Girls (3), Guards, Boys (3), Narrator - (2) Old Sage
Narrator 1- Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen, Girls and Boys. On behalf of the Kapaa Hongwanji Dharma School, I bid you all a very warm welcome to our Birth Day of the Buddha Festival. To commemorate this most glorious of all historic events, Kapaa Hongwanji Dharma School present to you a very brief sketch on the Birth of the Buddha.
Narrator 2- This is Lumbini Garden in India, many, many years ago. It is April 8, over two thousand years ago. It is a beautiful spring morning. The sun is shining, and the flowers are in full bloom. Everywhere can be heard the beautiful singing of the birds. There is a feeling of expectation in the air.
Old Sage - (Sitting on a old tree stump) Listen, all you folks of Lumbini Garden, I had a dream last night.
All - The wise old sage had a dream last night. Will you tell us!
Old Sage - Yes, I had a strange but a beautiful dream.
All - (Impatiently) Quick, quick, hurry and tell us, old one.
Old Sage - Well, last night as I sat here on my old stump, I saw this picture. It told me that something was going to happen in this garden today. Something beautiful. People will be coming and something will happen.
Animal 1 - Oh dear, all you can say is that something is going to happen. What is going to happen?
All - Yes, yes, what is going to happen?
Old Sage - Just be patient and wait everyone. It shall not disappoint you. Whatever happens will make this garden into a paradise and a place to be remembered for years and years to come. Now no more questions, from now on, we shall just wait.
All - Yes, let us all do as he says and wait patiently. (All go into groups and whisper excitely)
Enter Maya, her maid servants and guards. Maya is very tired as it is almost time for her baby to be born. Her step falter.
Maya - I believe I am all tired out. Do you think we can rest here for a while?
Guards who are walking ahead, turn back.
Guards - Yes, this looks like a very peaceful garden. We think you can rest here a while, O Queen.
The maid put a blanket on the ground and help her to lay down. They stroke her brow and soothe her tired feet. A doll will be put inside the blanket, so that it can be revealed later.
Guards - Rest peacefully O Queen, for we shall guard over you and see that no harm comes to you.
Maids - Rest dear queen, so that we shall soon be able to travel again. They see that Maya is sleeping so they back slowly away and rest themselves.
The flowers get up and look down at Maya and smile. The animals do the same.
All - Now we know what is going to happen, for in this garden today will be born a prince, and an Enlightened One. Oh how happy we are!
The flowers do a little dance, and at the end enclose Maya. The birds and animals then also dance around in happiness. They end up around the flowers. Soft music. Then the flowers and animals back away revealing Queen Maya with the Prince in her arms.
The maids, guards, animals, and flowers, all bow and Gassho to Him.
Narrator 1- From the heavens fall sweet rain, flower petals like snow came flowing down, for on this day was born the Buddha for he repeated ?Above Heaven and below Heaven, I alone am the World Honored One.?
Narrator 2- My! Lumbini Garden was such a happy garden that day. All the birds in the branches sang of the sweetness of the Buddha?s Teachings. Flowers of many colors told the story of the beauty of His Teachings. Yes, indeed the Teachings of the Buddha has brought peace and compassion and beauty into the hearts of many, many men, women, and children. His Teachings were carried by the followers to many many lands and it is still bringing peace, joy, happiness, and strength to millions of men everywhere.
Narrator 1- As we bring this play to a close let us join our hands in Gassho. Thank you Buddha for your Teachings.
Skit2 : WHY WE OBSERVE BODHI DAY?
Kapaa Hongwanji (Kauai) played skit at Bodhi Day Service
| M.C. (1) | Good morning,
everyone. Today, Kapaa Hongwanji Dharma School show a short skit
showing how Buddha found Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree.
I. Shakyamuni Buddha was born on April 8 about 3000 years ago. Father’s name was king Suddhodana. Mother was queen Maya. He was born in the Lumbini Garden in India. I. One day, when he went to play, he met the people who were an old aged man, a sick man, and a deceased man. At that time, he though to himself, someday I also will be old, sick, and die. So he decided to seek the Enlightenment. Still the prince could not get what he sought — Enlightenment. |
Prince is sitting under the Bodhi tree with his eyes closed. *Prince *Five Companions *Bodhi Tree
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| M.C. (2) | Search for Truth was difficult. For six years, prince studied the way of the holy men. He ate a single grain of rice each day. |
*Prince *Bodhi Tree *Five Companions |
| M.C. (3) | He sat still for weeks and weeks until he became tired and weak. He thought and thought. The agonizing months became years. |
*Prince *Bodhi Tree *Five Companions |
| M.C. (4) | After six long years in the forests he gave up the practice of asceticism. He bathed in the river Neranjara and accepted a bowl of rice milk from the hand of Sujata, a maid who lived in the neighboring village. |
*Prince *Five Companions *Sujata |
| M.C. (5) |
The five companions who had lived with the prince for the six years of his ascetic practices looked on with amusement that he should receive food from the hand of a maiden. They thought the prince was weakening spiritually.
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*Prince *Sujata *Five Companions |
| M.C. (6) |
He was still feeble but at the risk of his life he firmly attempted a final meditation.
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*Prince *Bodhi Tree |
| M.C. (7) |
Saying to himself, "Blood may become exhausted, flesh may decay, bones may fall apart, but I will never leave this place until I find a way to Enlightenment."
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*Prince *Bodhi Tree |
| M.C. (8) |
It was an intense incomparable struggle! His mind was desperate, filled with confusing thoughts, dark shadows of doubts overhung his spirits, he was beset with all the lures of evil.
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*Prince *Bodhi Tree |
| M.C. (9) |
But carefully and patiently he examined them one by one and rejected them all.
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*Prince *Bodhi Tree |
| M.C. (10) | It was, indeed, a hard struggle, that made his blood run thin, his flesh creep, and his bones crack. |
*Prince *Bodhi Tree |
| M.C. (11) |
He had found the path to Enlightenment at last. It was on December 8th, at the age of 35 that prince Siddhartha became the Buddha.
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| M.C. (12) | From the day on, the Buddha spread the Truth. He showed others the way to fill their hearts with peace and happiness. |