Kunala is now blind as Her Majesty wished.

Well done! To reward your dedication and the feat of arms you’ve accomplished, I’ll report to His Majesty to confer you as Imperial Guards Supervisor.

I’m grateful, Prime Minister! My gratefulness, Your Majesty the Queen!

Kunala! You’re back! Ramat!

Ramat!

Who are you? How do you know the name Ramat?

That should be my question.

I’m Princess Madhavi.

Madhavi! I don’t find you any better than me. Why is it that Kunala always talks about you?

Do you know where His Highness is? Lead me to him; I’ll reward you.

His Highness’ horse! That’s right. Why is he lying so quietly?

Who killed him?

Ramat! Why did you leave me? O Ramat!

Your Highness!

Your Highness, only gods could have led you here.

I’m sorry; I wasn’t informed in advance. Today is my first time meeting Your Highness. I’m Masoud, and this is Devi, my younger sister.

Where is the Crown Prince? I want to see him.

Your Highness, the Crown Prince...

He’s still as fine as he has always been.

He’s not like your Crown Prince anymore.

What happened to him?

Devi! Please come with me, Your Highness. The rest, please stay here to bury Ramat. After you, Your Highness. You must brace yourself, if what you see isn’t as you thought.

No matter what happened to His Highness, he’s still my Kunala. Rest assured, Masoud.

This way, please!

Is it you, Madhavi?

Yes, it’s me. But why are you staying here? O! Your eyes! Why is it so? How did you become like this?

It was just an accident.

How come you endure alone and don’t let me know? We’ve spent the happiest time together. How could I be indifferent to your pain?

Don’t cry, Madhavi. That’s the fate I must undergo; there’s nothing to lament about. Things are fresh and green, then wither. The seasons alternate – sunshine then rain. That is the natural law of change. Happiness is followed by suffering, misfortune then prosperity – the usual ups and downs of a human life. Embrace it all, like the Ganges accepts everything tossed into it by sentient beings.

I heard the Crown Prince is about to return to the capital, is that right?

I plan to follow him, but he doesn’t let me for fear of being discovered.

That’d be very dangerous. He hasn’t set out on the road yet; let’s go back first to check things out.

Good idea!

May you be safe on your trip, Your Highness. But let me say this: if any unfavorable thing happens to you, we’ll resume our fight.

Have faith in me, Masoud. I’ll bring justice and love to all. I’m taking leave now.

How can you deal with the Samarat’s camp? Let me go with you. I’ll give you a hand.

Thank you, Devi. Masoud needs you more than I do.

That’s right, Devi. You shouldn’t bother His Highness. He has Princess Madhavi to care for him already. Farewell, Your Highness. Farewell, Princess.

Adieu, Masoud! Adieu, Devi!

Madhavi, are you all right? Let’s find a place to rest and continue later.

This is a wild desert, without a single tree. I’m fine. I’m only worried for you. Let’s try to go a little farther, all right?

Madhavi! Madhavi!

Water! I’m thirsty!

If my life is to end now, please let me rest peacefully here with my beloved wife. But if I still have to undergo trials to share Truth teachings, please let me live like anyone else.

‘ What’s the matter, dear?

It’s going to rain. Madhavi, Heaven has responded to our sincere prayer.

Kunala!

Madhavi! Madhavi!

Who are you?

I’m the lord of this forest. Don’t talk too much. Where’s the money?

We’re commoners; where do we find money to offer you?

No money? Then this beautiful lady is good enough.

You dare?

Why not?

Let me go!

Let her go! Madhavi! Let her go!

Stop it!

Thank you very much, Devi.

I already told you. You couldn’t make it without me.

It must be our affinity then. All right, let’s travel together.

Very good! But we can’t go like this.

Attention, everyone! On His Majesty’s birthday celebration, he allows anyone with fun entertainment or exotic displays to perform in the palace. Whoever pleases His Majesty will be greatly rewarded. Hear ye… Hear ye…

In the deep-green prairie, sparkling sun shines on lovers. A young man gazes at his sweetheart, mesmerized. A morning dewdrop glistens on a verdant leaf, tender like a lover calling out: “Let us love each other; don’t ever be separated!”

Songs of romance send words of affection in the wind: Never shall I part with my beloved. In love, I silently pine through the long, lonely night.

O young lady with deep blue eyes, you’ve given me many beautiful dreams. Since you come into my heart, you’ve brought poetry to life.

Why are you evading me, leaving my heart forlorn? Know you not longing will wither both hearts?

Beautiful!

Anything better?

This is the best dance troupe in the kingdom.

Your Majesty, I just made a tour outside and saw many new and fascinating entertainments.

Bring them in for me.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Stay away!

What’s going on?

You folks performed very well. I’ll take you to the palace for a golden opportunity.

But whom will we perform for?

For His Majesty, of course! Listen, if you get a huge reward, don’t forget me!

If that’s true, I’ll offer you all that I’ll be given.

Hurry up!

Long live Your Majesty!

Be at ease! Begin to perform for me.

Our gratefulness, Your Majesty.

You may start.

Yes, Your Majesty. On Your Majesty’s birthday celebration, and upon learning that you are a kind father, I’d like to dedicate to you a song I composed myself.

In childhood, life wasn’t as I dreamt. Separated from Mother, I felt empty and lonely. Then I remember her sweet lullaby and her warm caress in my innocent days. How I long for gentle Mother ever since I was in the cradle! When I lost her, sweetness turned into bitterness. Now living in darkness, I weep in longing for my parents. Love is priceless; how can one repay deep kindness? Blinded now, I cannot find you, Father. Mother’s deceased; Father’s distant away. My heart is torn from missing you; tears of grief stream the night-long.

In tears, I gaze at the horizon, longing for my homeland. Thinking of my parents, my heart pines for them. Suddenly, I understand that life is ephemeral. Alas! I blame no one. All yearning now is just a dream. Suddenly, I understand that life is ephemeral. Alas! I blame no one.

‘ Who are you? How come you can sing like Kunala, my son?

Royal Father, it’s me, Kunala.

You lowly commoner! Do you know what you just said is blasphemy? Guards! (Hold it!) Arrest him!

That voice is indeed Kunala’s, but my son isn’t blind and emaciated like this.

Royal Father, if you can’t recognize Kunala as his looks were destroyed by corrupt officials, you can still recognize me, Madhavi.

What?

Insolent! Troublemakers! Soldiers!

Stay put! No one is allowed to touch them.

Royal Father!

You’re indeed Madhavi! But... how did you end up like this? Don’t cry, Madhavi! And who is that singer?

It’s the Crown Prince.

What? Kunala?

Royal Father!

Kunala, my son! Who harmed you? Tell me who it is. I’ll have him beheaded immediately. Was it the rebels in Taxila?

Royal Father!

We’d never do such a thing. Samarat and Rai colluded to harm His Highness and even Your Majesty. It’s Your Majesty who issued the order to sentence Crown Prince.

Be quiet! Impudent! Soldiers! (Yes.)

Royal Father, that is the truth. Your seal was on the royal decree.

I... Second Queen! I remember now. Did you do it?

No... I...

Who else could it be? Who could steal my imperial seal?

Son!

Royal Father, I did it.

Alan!

No, I don’t believe what just you said, my brother. You’ve been very kind to me. You have a pure heart.

Alan, I didn’t expect you to be so terrible. I now strip you of the title and merits that I have bestowed upon you. Soldiers! (Yes.)

Your Majesty, if you want to punish, then punish me. Alan is completely innocent.

You?

I did that out of love for my son.

I can’t believe you are so wicked. Kunala, one reaps what one sows. State the heaviest penalty they deserve for the crimes they committed.

Second Queen, Prime Minister, and Guards Supervisor Rai, I spare you the death sentence.

Kunala, why did you forgive them?

Because it’s just my own bad karma. In previous lives, I sinned against others. Now I must reap the consequences of what I sowed.

Is that true, Crown Prince?

How about your eyes? You can’t see this world anymore.

That’s also a bad karma that I must pay for what I did. In a previous life, I was a hunter. One day, I went hunting with a friend and came upon a flock of goats.

Why bother to cage them! Just kill them all and bring home; isn’t that more convenient?

That’s easy, but to keep their meat fresh long enough to sell and eat gradually is difficult.

You’re right.

I have an idea. (What?) I’ll poke each of them blind.

One of those goats might have been Tishyaraksha, Samarat or Rai. Now, I feel light-hearted as I’ve paid them that debt.

‘ How can I believe what you said?

May the Buddhas attest to my words and restore my eyesight.

His Highness’ eyesight is back!

My Prince!

O God! Kunala, my son! Your eyesight is restored? O son!

Congratulations, Your Highness!

The law of cause and effect is inevitable. Realizing that, King Asoka passed his throne to Crown Prince Kunala. Kunala ruled with virtue and brought peace and contentment to his people. After stabilizing the empire, Kunala entrusted the throne upon Prince Alan, his half brother. He and his wife Madhavi then left the palace in search of the Truth. That was one of Shakyamuni Buddha’s past lives.

Today’s Enlightening Entertainment will be presented in Aulacese (Vietnamese), with subtitles in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Thai.

Filmmaking was introduced to Âu Lạc (Vietnam) at the end of 1890s. It began to thrive in 1923 with the first movie co-produced by the French and the Aulacese based on the masterpiece “The Tale of Kiều” by literary great Nguyễn Du. Embracing the modern technology of our world's civilization and combining it with a diverse artistic foundation inherent in the country's traditions, Aulacese filmmaking nowadays continues to develop to enhance the nation's cultural landscape.

On Enlightening Entertainment, Supreme Master Television is pleased to introduce different forms of arts from Âu Lạc as well as from other countries in the world, in order to share the beauty and cultures of the peoples on our planet.

The film “The Eyes of Prince Kunala” recounts one of the previous lives of Shakyamuni Buddha during the reign of King Asoka. Prince Kunala was a loving and forgiving soul who wholly submitted to Heaven's will. Those virtues were the shining marks of an enlightened saint that touched the hearts of and garnered the praises and respect of Heaven and humans alike.

In previous weeks, we learned of Crown Prince Kunala; in his youth he had the auspicious affinity to meet a sage who helped him overcome the grief of losing his mother. Growing up in the love of his royal father, Kunala was a benevolent and virtuous prince. During that time, a group of farmers was uprising against the Prime Minister’s oppression. Meanwhile, the Second Queen plotted to harm Kunala in order to seize the throne for her son, Prince Alan. To spare calamities for innocent citizens, Prince Kunala requested to meet the farmers' leader Masoud to negotiate, unaware that perilous traps await him on the path.’

We now invite you to enjoy the conclusion of the film “The Eyes of Prince Kunala,” screenplay written by Kim Thoa, directed by Xuân Cường, and produced by Diệu Giác Temple,

with performances by Công Hậu as Crown Prince Kunala, Diễm Hương as Princess Consort Madhavi, Thái San as Prince Alan, Hồng Diễm as Princess Sabana, Nam Anh as King Asoka, Y Phụng as Second Queen Tishyaraksha, Nguyễn Đình Thơ as Prime Minister, Thạch Ngà as Bodyguard Rai, Công Thế as Kamathi, Huỳnh Phú as Vedas, Thương Tín as Masoud, Minh Thư as Devi, Quốc Thịnh as Deputy General, Hồ Kiểng as Royal Physician, Trung Nhân as Governor, Đức Hiền as Eunuch, Uyên Trinh as Attendant, Ngọc Đặng as Yogi, Minh Ngọc as Physician, and other artists.

At the royal place, the King met with an accident, leaving him paralyzed. The Queen invited a gifted physician who was able to heal the King. To reward her, His Majesty granted the Queen the privilege of ruling the nation for one day, according to her request. Seizing this opportunity, the Queen planned to use her power to execute Prince Kunala as he was on his way back to the palace. Prince Alan refused to ascend the throne if his mother were to harm his half brother.

Eventually, the Queen acquiesced with the Prime Minister’s scheme. She decreed that Prince Kunala’s eyes be taken out. In the face of this misfortune, Prince Kunala was taken care of by the leader Masoud and his younger sister Devi at their camp base.

Supreme Master Ching Hai warmly sent gifts to the artists and professionals in the film “The Eyes of Crown Prince Kunala,” broadcast on Supreme Master Television. They expressed their appreciation toward Master’s loving care.

Director Xuân Cường:

Respected Supreme Master Ching Hai, I am director Xuân Cường and I have received Master’s gift. Thank you, Master. December 25, 2009 Xuân Cường

Actor Công Hậu, in the role of Crown Prince Kunala:

Respected Supreme Master Ching Hai, I’m actor Công Hậu. I participated in the film “Legend of Shakyamuni Buddha” and another film about a previous life of Shakyamuni Buddha, “The Eyes of Crown Prince Kunala.” Today, it’s a great joy for me to learn about this program. I think I can do many things for it. I hope very much to meet Master some day, to be able to speak to Master and understand more about the program. That would be a great honor for me. As the lunar New Year is approaching, I, as well as many other people, respectfully wish Master much good luck, good health and may Master accomplish all that Master wishes in sharing the Truth. To me, Master’s wishes are my wishes too.

Công Hậu is a movie star well-loved by audiences. He has appeared in over 100 films and more than 50 made-for-television dramas. Currently, he is moving toward directing. He shared his thoughts about vegetarianism, love for animals, and environmental protection.

To me, preserving and protecting the environment is necessary. I think being vegetarian is very good. When I participated in “Legend of Shakyamuni Buddha,” in the role of Buddha, and “The Eyes of Crown Prince Kunala” about a previous life of Buddha, during the time I was filming both of these films, I was vegetarian. No one made me do that, but I wanted to purify myself. While eating vegetarian, I really felt many things have changed in me.

For example, the most trivial change I could see was temper. Sometimes something can make you very angry, but when you are vegetarian, you can let it go. And a number of illnesses too. Near my house, there is an older gentleman who eats vegetarian and he lives very long. He doesn’t have any illness, to be exact. Therefore, I think being vegetarian is very necessary, because it will benefit people and does no harm whatsoever. I love animals very much, especially dogs, cats, those who are closer to us and live with us. I love them very much.

As I understand, sometimes in a previous life, those animals could be humans, and the people living now may become animals later. I realize that and feel much love for the animals. We may have a pet as a dog, a cat, a chicken, especially the dog, the cat, the pig. I don’t know what you think, but I myself find that many times when we talk to them, they can understand and can listen to us. That means they could have been human previously; they understand everything.

Since my youth, I already avoid killing to the best of my ability. If we humans in this life understand that, we’d love the animals more, because they are very close to us. For example, there are pigs or cows that when people are about to butcher them, sometimes I see them cry. When we see that, we feel pity for them. So through this program, I hope that you will love animals more.

Actor Công Thế, in the role of Kamathi:

Greetings, Supreme Master Ching Hai. Today, I’m honored to learn about Master. Although I haven’t met Master, I admire Master very much. I’m very grateful to Master for your gifts to the actors/actresses. On the occasion of the lunar New Year, I’d like to wish Master good health for your mission concerning the spiritual and earthly aspects of sentient beings.

Actress Minh Thư, in the role of Devi:

Greetings, Master. First, I’d like to wish Master good health always. Today, I received Master’s gifts. I am very touched and grateful that Master thinks of me as well as all the brothers and sisters contributing to the film “The Eyes of Crown Prince Kunala.” On this occasion and also on the lunar New Year, I wish Master abounding health and a happy, prosperous new year. I think every person should take the responsibility of protecting the environment because each citizen lives in the environment. I wish very much that our environment becomes better, cleaner and more beautiful.

Actress Uyên Trinh, in the role of the Attendant:

Respected Supreme Master Ching Hai, I’m actress Uyên Trinh who participated in the film “The Eyes of Crown Prince Kunala.” I have received Master’s gifts. I’m very grateful and sincerely touched because Master has thought about those in the film made over ten years ago. Please accept my deep gratitude and respect. Uyên Trinh ‘

Assistant producer Long Hải:

I would like to thank Supreme Master Ching Hai for remembering those contributing to the film “Crown Prince Kunala,” a precious Buddhist tale. I’d also like to wish Supreme Master Ching Hai great health. At the moment, environment is the essential issue of the world today. Let us, together with Supreme Master Ching Hai, help to preserve the environment in order to keep our world clean and peaceful. Thank you Supreme Master Ching Hai.

Costume specialist Kim Phụng:

Greetings, Supreme Master Ching Hai. We’re the crew for the film “Crown Prince Kunala” about 20 years ago. Now, there’s someone remembering our efforts, we are very happy. We also wish Master good health and longevity in order to help everyone to move toward goodness and beauty.

Cameraman Phạm Đức Dũng: Respected Supreme Master Ching Hai, I am cameraman Phạm Đức Dũng. I have received Master’s gifts. I would like to thank Master very much. December 25, 2009 Phạm Đức Dũng

I’m film actor Công Hậu. You are watching Supreme Master Television.

I’m film actor Công Thế. You are watching Supreme Master Television. Please Be Veg, Go Green, Save the Planet.

I’m actor Long Hải. You are watching Supreme Master Television. Please Be Veg, Go Green, Save the Planet. I wish you good health.

I’m costume specialist Kim Phụng. You are watching Supreme Master Television. Be Veg, Go Green, Save the Planet!

We sincerely thank all the actors, actresses, artists and professionals who have contributed to the film “The Eyes of Crown Prince Kunala,” a good reminder for all about the noble spiritual values and goodness. May Buddha and Heaven bless you and your families with contented lives in wisdom and love.

Thank you for your company on today’s Enlightening Entertainment. Coming up is Words of Wisdom. Please tune in on Supreme Master Television next Thursday for the Aulacese chèo traditional opera “The Golden Areca,” by playwright Trần Đình Ngôn. Farewell for now.