- Wagner and Orientalism -

In the Wagnerian Weltanschauung we find a web of many ideas and influences
wowen together; there are such different phenomoens as socialism,
nationalsocialism, buddhism, symbolism and psychoanalysis, although the
main theme always is the refining power of unselfish loves apotheosis in
the death of sacrifice.

Something that strikes me is the many parallels to the indiite world of
thinking and how Wagners wiew of the inner sence of the world as 'a blind,
mechanic Will to Life (Wille zum Leben), which manifests in all forms of
existence and without goal and meaning only wants its own existance', fits
well into each other.

Wagner took interest in orientalic mythos already in Riga, where he
produced "Die Glueckliche Baerenfamilie" and "Die Sarazenin" which both are
built on Arabic tales, but it was first when he discovered Schopenhauer he
through him got a strong Oriental influence. At about the same time his
in-law Hermann Brockhaus provided him with Indiite fairytale scripts, which
fascinated him mainly through a theme which he already was obsessed with:
the sacrificial death. For example he found this in the tale about Usinara.
Through these tales, through Schopenhauers influence, Wagner took up the
concept of Buddhism. With the time Wagner collected a good knowledge of
India and its religions and litterature; he read tales, and mainly
Mahabharata and Manyana, but also books and descriptions of India and its
culture. In "Ueber den Willen in der Natur" Schopenhauer lists a long list
of recommendable books of which several Wagner might have read. The main
inspiration for Wagner was Holtzmanns work, but when he read works like
Koeppens with its scientific approach, he typically wrote in a famous
letter to Mathilde Wesendonck 05.10.1868:

"Vor einiger Zeit kuendigte mir die Graefin A. eine "kleine Figur" an, die
sich bald bei mir einfinden werde. Ich verstand's nicht, und las währenddem
Koeppens Geschichte der Religion des Buddha zu Ende. Ein unerquickliches
Buch. Statt aechter Zuege der aeltesten Legende, die ich suchte,
hauptsaechlich nur die Darstellung der Entwicklung in die Breite, die
natuerlich immer widerlicher ausfaellt, je reiner und erhabener der Kern
ist. Nachdem ich so recht angeekelt war durch die detaillirte Beschreibung
des endlich festgestellten Cultus, mit seinen Reliquien und abgeschmackten
bildlichen Darstellungen des Buddha, kommt die "kleine Figur" an, und zeigt
sich als chinesisches Exemplar solch eines heiligen Bildnisses. Mein Grauen
war gross, und ich konnte es der Dame, diedas Rechte getroffen zu haben
glaubte, nicht verheimlichen. Man hat viel Muehe, in dieser
entstellungssuechtigen Welt sich gegen derartige Eindruecke zu behaupten,
und sich das rein angeschaute Ideal unverkuemmert zu erhalten. Alles sucht
so gern das Edelste, sobald es nicht zu ihm hinan kann, sich verwandt, d.
h. als Fratze darzustellen. Den Cjakya-Sohn, den Buddha, mir rein zu
erhalten, ist mir, trotz der chinesischen Karikatur, aber doch gelungen."

As one an see, Wagner is well aware about the discrepance between his
ideals and the historic relalities, but in accordance to a true romatician
wiew, the ideals come out as more important for him than reality. However,
this letter also tells alot about Wagners deep engagement in Buddhismus
and his strive to refine the ideal and commonhumane in accordance to his
general wiew of art.

But Buddhism this and engagement that, so it reamins a fact that both
Wagner and Schopenhauer misinterpreted Buddhism simply as enough study
hasn't yet been done and the appropriate sources for information about the
religion weren't accessible in proper quantity to allow that. Western terms
like idealism, spiritualism, realism, materialism, monism etc generally
often lacks pendangs in Buddhist and other Indiite philosophical systems,
and one example on where the two wiews differ fundamentally is to be found
in the basic definitions of elements; "Dharma" in Indian means the "factors
of existance", and are the unsplitable final pieces of which everything
exist in a sort of pluralistic realism. Dharmas are not bound in time, but
are momental. Further, Dharmas appear in different forms in different forms
of in World, and most of them are conditional (samskrta), but some are not
(asamskrta). These are slightly different in different scools, but to them
belongs always Nirvana and Space (Akasa). Nirvana, towards all Buddhist
striving goes, is to its nature something undefined and unoutspoken
(unbeschreiblich!). However Nirvana is still a form of Dharma, and, as such
it is "something", and can therefore under no circumstances be labelled
"The No-Be" (Schopenhauer: "Das Nichts"). "Die Welt als Wille und
Vorstellung" is hence a dictum a Buddhist hardly should agree with.
Schopenhauers imagination of one single unsplitable, meaningsless, mechanic
world-Will, his pessimism and aggressivity against a blind order, is
actually completely indifferent to a Buddhist. On the other hand, one might
know that it is natural that Koeppen, Schopenhauer and Wagner
misinterpreted the Buddihist ideas as not everything was known about it.
For example Schopenhauer did not know the Dharma. Schopenhauer claimed that
his "Der Wille zume Leben" had correspondance in the Buddhist concept
"Upadana" in combination with the thirst for life ("Trsna"), but also that
falls on the Buddhist definition of Dharmas.

But after his first enthusiasm on Schopenhauer, Wagner calmed down and read
him
with more distance. Wagner was concerned with many, as he saw it,
"problems" with Schopenhauers take on Buddhism. One such "problem" was that
if a religion has Nirwana="Das Nicht-Sein" as highest goal, shouldn't that
logically lead to en masse suicide, or even murder? According to Cosimas
diary of the 11.05.1873 Wagner said:

"Ein Selbstmord zweier Liebenden, der mich ruehrt, veranlasst Richard zu
sagen. "Das ist eigentlich die hoechste Affirmation des Willens - sie
wollen lieber nicht sein als nicht befriedigt sein -, warum sie aber nicht
allen Hemmnissen trotzen, das zeigt, dass die Anlage zum Selbstmord etwas
Urbestimmtes ist; man koennte es hier als einen tiefen Blick bezeichnen,
ungefaehr: Was helfe uns das, die Hindernisse zu bewaeltigen? Dafür sollte
es Kloester geben, wie der Buddhismus sie hatte; vollstaendige Entsagung
bei vollstaendigem sich Angehoeren war da moeglich - aber unsere moderne
Zivilisation hat nichts."

The Schopenhauerian-Buddhist frame here accentuates the typical Wagnerian
motifs: complete self-denial, the accetuation of suicide and the
completance of love in death. But this imagination of Nirwana, which comes
from Schopenhauer, is combinated with other ideas in Wagner. Hence the
constellation Love-Night-Death-Nirwana becomes artistically very
prosperous, yet uncombinable in Buddhism. Wagner specially accentuates this
through his extatic wiew of Love; the redeeming road of love and sexuality;
a wiew that differs from Schopenhauer as well as Buddhism. During his
working on "Tristan und Isolde" he declares to Mathilde Wesendonck that no
philosopher, not even Schopenhauer, has entered this road. Wagner promotes
an active cooperation with the Weltwille, in difference to Schopenhauers
passive acceptance of it.

Wagners obsession with Buddhism came in a period in his life where his
future was very unsure, and he naturally felt very unsecure and stressed.
After Cosima had enetered his life, and he met Ludwig, he calmed down some
kilo as his life went more stabile. The Buddhist alternative living after
that didn't have the same temptation for him. He turned towards
Christianity more and more, and that is why he choosed "Parsifal" as his
final work, but he never stopped dabble with Buddhism and Indian culture,
and "Parsifal" is to great extent a mixture between Christianity and
Buddhism, and "Parsifal" is together with "Tristan und Isolde", "Die
Goetterdaemmerung" and "Die Sieger" those works were the Buddhist influence
is most appearant. But I would like to do a little exkurs on something I
found interesting, before commenting on the Musical Dramas:

In Wagners writings, estetic problems are often brought up to discussion,
and Schopenhauer just agrees with him in his concept of Music as the
"Ur-Abbild der Welt". What is interesting is that Wagner feel a strong
connection between his wiew of the spirit of music, his own composition
method, and the Indiite imaginaion of rebirth. The reincarnation means
parallell happenings in several exstiances in time and space concret
manifested in causalchains linking the past. This is similar to the musical
structures in Wagners work, with their leitmotifs and reiminicenses. At the
choice of text for "Die Sieger" Wagner wrote about this in his
autobiography ("Mein Leben" pp.541.542):

"Ausser der tiefsinnigen Schoenheit des einfachen Stoffes bestimmte mich zu
seiner Wahl alsbald ein eigentuemliches Verhaeltnis desselben zu dem in mir
seitdem ausgebildeten musikalischen Verfahren. Vor dem Geiste des Buddha
liegt naemlich das vergangene Leben in frueheren Geburten jedes ihm
begegnenden Wesens offen, wie die Gegenwart selbst, da. Die einfache
Geschichte erhielt nun ihre Bedeutung dadurch, dass dieses vergangene Leben
der leidenden Hauptfiguren als unmittelbare Gegenwart in die neue
Lebensphase hineinspielte. Wie nur der stets gegenwaertig miterklingenden
musikalischen Reminiszenz dieses Doppellebens vollkommen dem Gefuehle
vorzufuehren moeglich worden durfte, erkannte ich sogleich, und dies
bestimmte mich, die Aufgabe der Ausfuehrung dieser Dichtung mit besondrer
Liebe mir vorzubehalten."

Elaborated that is to be found in "Das Braune Buch", 05.1868, when he
wanted to uptake the work on "Die Sieger" again. It begins with a sheme of
philosophical character, but continues in metaphor to tell about the cosmic
and artistic process of creation. Wagner uses fundamental philosophic terms
in Sanskrit:

Wahrheit = Nirwana = Nacht
Musik = Brahma = Daemmerung
Dichtkunst = Sansara = Tag

The main idea of what follows seems to be a development from the undefined
absolute truth, the pure harmony, towards pluralism and activity. The
result of the deeds, The Karma, sets the painful wheel of life, Samsara, in
motion. The triads can be read horizontal or vertical. The first gives
identifications and the other hierarchial triads; one estetic, one
philosophical and one naturesymbolic, where nights peace through twilligt
turns into days stress, in a romantic vision. "Die neue Weltbildung",
metaphysical and artistic creativity, comes from the land of meditative
insight; dhyana! The poet is turned to Samsara, the objectivated will. The
musician OTOH is hold over the world like the creator Brahma, awakens
longin gand memories and leads the truth back to the primordial harmony.
Schopenhauers spirit can be felt here, yes. But the thought also look like
the Indiite idea about the Trikaya; the three visions of Buddha:

A) Dharmakaya = the absolute, undefined, unchangable Bhuddanature. The
essence of everything existant.
B) Sambhogakaya = The transcendental form. Helps the people through
miracoulous achievements.
C) Nirmanakaya = The physical form, like Siddharta Gautama. These cannot
actively help the poeple, but show the Buddhistic road to freedom.

Wagners sheme can hence be extended to this:

Dharmakaya = Wahrheit = Nirwana = Nacht = The Absolute
Sambhogakaya = Musik = Brahma = Daemmerung = The Transcendental
Nirmanakaya= Dichtkunst = Sansara = Tag = The Immanent

- - -

So, if Indiite Ideas played a role in Wagner tinking and life, it is
natural to believe that, like much else, it appeared in his musicdramas.
The Compassion, The Redemption, The Female Sacrificial Death...are
ubiquitous in Wagners works, but these come out in different texture and
many oriental influences can be seen despite these common links. "Parsifal"
is together with "Tristan und Isolde", "Die Goetterdaemmerung" and "Die
Sieger" are those works were the Buddhist influence are to be searched and
found. The field of resarch is not new. There is one Guenther Lanczkowski,
who has made an abitious study; "Die Bedeutung des Indischen Denkens fuer
Rickard Wagner und seinen Freundeskreis" (Marburg 1948), which shows
Oriental influence practically everywhere. As example of
overinterpretation, Lanczkowski as example claims Buddhist thinking in
Wotans words to Bruennhilde in the second Act to "Die Walkuere":

Wotan:
"Fahre denn hin,
herrliche Pracht,
goettlichen Prunkes
prahlende Schmach!
Zusammenbreche,
was ich gebaut!
Auf geb' ich mein Werk;
eines nur will ich noch:
das Ende --
das Ende? - "

Lanczkowski interprets these words (and much more) as a Buddhistic speech
as Wotan can generally be seen as a real incarnation of the Schopenhauerian
Will, but his speech here is so coloured of total hopelessness and
resignation so it is obviously far from anything Buddhistic. So, the
influences in the completed musicdramas except "Tristan", "Die
Goetterdaemmerugn" (the End) and "Parsifal" must besaid to be of limited
art. Still on ecan of course argue that the whole Ring is based on the idea
expressed in the end of "Goetterdaemmerung" and that there are other kind
of links; Sieglindes marrige to Hunding is slavery, and the meeting with
Siegfried means emancipation for her, and with the common leitmotifs
("Sieglinde-motif" and "Motif der Hoffnung") in the dorr scene and the
Immolation it is a forebearence of the new democratic society Wagner wanted
to create. etc.

"Tristan und Isolde" is worth mentioning as it traditionally is said to be
the most Indianinfluenced. Die Weltschmerz, Introverty and longing for
death are certainly Buddhism yet with Schopenhauers colours. Here is the
most radiant mark:

Isolde:
"[...]mild versoehnend
aus ihm toenend,
auf sich schwingt,
in mich dringt,
hold erhallend
um mich klingt?
Heller schallend,
mich umwallend,
sind es Wellen
sanfter Luefte?
Sind es Wogen
wonniger Duefte?
Wie sie schwellen,
mich umrauschen,
soll ich atmen,
soll ich lauschen?
Soll ich schluerfen,
untertauchen,
süss in Dueften
mich verhauchen?
In des Wonnemeeres
wogendem Schwall,
in der Duft-Wellen
tönendem Schall,
in des Welt-Atmen
wehendem All -
ertrinken -
versinken -
unbewusst -
hoechste Lust!!

Notice when listening to the work that the music climaxes at "in des
Welt-Atmen wehendem All". That is indeed Buddhism, though one might say
that the "Welt-Atmen" hardly can be the correspondance to "Nirwana". Rather
it would be like The "Brahma", but as I stated in the beginning, Wagner and
his time weren't clearely aware of all the Buddhist definitions. What is
pictured here is as well the individual "I" joining the "World-Spirit",
remining the Athmas relationship to the Brahma, and a sexual joining.

"Die Goetterdaemmerung" then, undertook several changes during the 20 years
Wagner worked on the Ring. Carl Dalhaus examined the end of The Ring in his
book "Ueber den Schluss der Goetterdämmerung" (Regensburg 1971). It is
illuminating just to compare the versions and let them speak for
themselves. Here is the 1852 version (Voluspa echos clearly here!):

Brunhild:
"Ihr, bluehenden Lebens
bleibend Geschlecht:
was ich nun euch melde,
merket es wohl!
Sah't ihr vom zuendenden Brand
Siegfried und Bruennhild' verzehrt;
sah't ihr des Rheines Toechter
zur Tiefe entfuehren den Ring:
Nach Norden dann
blickt durch die Nacht:
erglänzt dort am Himmel
ein heiliges Gluehen,
so wisset all'
dass ihr Walhalls Ende gewahrt!
Verging wie Hauch
der Goetter Geschlecht,
lass' ohne Walter
Welt ich zurueck:
meines heiligsten Wissens Hort
weis' ich der Welt nun zu.
Nicht Gut, nicht Gold,
Noch goettliche Pracht;
nicht Haus, nicht Hof,
noch herrischer Prunk;
richt trueber Vertraege
truegender Bund,
nicht heuchelnder Sitte
hartes Gesetz:
selig in Lust und Leid,
laesst - die Liebe nur sein."

Wagner then, that everybody knows, started on his Niebelungawork in
optimistic, hellenistic belief in future, but his experiences and reading
of Schopenhauer, and Buddhistic sources, came him to modify the inner idea
of his magnum opus therewith; his insight in the inner essence of the World
and Nature, and the final dirge becomes a sort of declaration of the world.
This passage, also Brunnhildas final dirge was a candidate to the final
version, and here the ancient nordic has been replaced by the ancient
Indiite:

Brunhild:
"Fuehr' ich nun nicht mehr
Nach Walhalls Feste,
wisst ihr, wohin ich fahre?
Aus Wunschheim zieh' ich fort,
Wahnheim flieh' ich auf immer;
des ew'gen Werdens
off'ne Tore
schliess' ich hinter mir zu:
nach dem wunsch - und wahnlos
heiligsten Wahlland,
der Welt-Wanderung Ziel,
von Wiedergeburt erloest,
zieht nun die Wissende hin.
Alles Ew'gen
sel'ges Ende,
wisst ihr, wie ich's, gewann?
Trauernder Liebe
tiefstes Leiden
schloss die Augen mir auf.
enden sah ich die Welt."

The knowledge that Brunhild has in "Siegfrieds Tod" is mainly an insight in
the betrayal and Siegfrieds death. In "Goetterdaemmerung" it is clearly
something else; a more cosmic suggestion. Brunhilda has left the world of
demands and illusions behind and therewith the wandering has come to an end
and the reinkarnation has stopped working (von Wiedergeburt erloest). In
this version the Indiite influence is even more apparent:

Brunhild:
"Trauernder Minne
tiefstes Mitleid
schloss die Tore mir auf:
Wer ueber alles
achtet das Leben,
wende sein Auge von mir!
Wer aus Mitleid
der Scheidenden nachblickt,
dem daemmert von fern
die Erloesung, die ich erlangt.
So scheid' ich
gruessend, Welt, von dir!"

In this text the word MITLEID (=Compassion) is mentioned, which stands for
the highest norm in the buddhist ethics. It is the Compassion and not Love
which here is the road par excellence.

- - -

Among all fragments and scetches to uncompleted works Wagner left the
uncompleted opera "Die Sieger" is something absolutely unique. Since the
work first was concipiated 1856 it comes back many times until his death 27
years later, and its ties are wowen together with as well "Tristan und
Isolde":s as "Parsifal":s, and it is the most elaborated proof of Wagners
Orientalic thoughts and ideas. From the rich Buddhistic well of tales,
Wagner took a pearl, he intended to shine with a radiant light, and be the
finest of his creative career. The plot is taken from a tale in "Avadana",
which contains heroic and miraculous deeds Buddha achieved during his
different incarnations. The very specific tale Wagner based his opera plot
upon bears the name "Sardulakarnavadana", which means "The heroic tale of
'Tigerear'". The original text is written both on rhyme and prose, and is
maninly a critic against the Kast-system. The plot in "Sardulakarnavadana"
is in short the following:
---------------------
During one of their wanderings, Buddha and his pupils have reached the
Sravasti in the Northwest part of nowadays province Uttar Prades. Ananda,
Buddhas first pupil, has at an almswandering met the girl Prakrti at a well
and asks her to give him water. The girl belongs to the rejected Kast
Candala, at first, because of the difference of social heritage, doesn't
want to give him water, but finally accepts when Andana explained that the
Kasts don't mean anything. Prakrti falls in strong love with Ananda and
asks her mother to with forcing spells, mantra, get Ananda to visit their
house. The spell works and at Andanas arrive the mother has prepared a
magic liquid which shall make him fall in love with Prakrti. Ananda calls
Buddha for help, and Buddhas mantra appear to be stronger than hers, and
Ananda can return to his monastery. Prakrti is though not free from her
love, and follows Ananda wherever he goes in the city. He then calls Buddha
again, who speaks to the girl. He tells her that if Prakrti really wants to
follow her beloved Ananda she must, like him, live in celibat. She is
educated in the Buddhist philosophy and becomes a nun by the Buddhists.
When the Brahmans hear that Buddha has accepted a Candalagirl as
Buddhistnun, they march to him and complains that he has overruled the
Kastborders. Buddha then tells the story about the Candalachief Trisanku
and his very literate son Saldurakarna. For his son Trisanku asks for the
daughter of the great Brahman Puskarasarin. Angered the Brahman rejects the
wish because of the Kastrules. In the long discussion that follows,
Trisanku convience Puskarasarin about the unrealistic in the Kastrules
theoretic fundaments, for example with reference to that the reincarnation
as based on individual merits and not social merits. So they can marry, and
finally Buddha states the identifications: Prakrti was the Brahmadaughter,
Ananda was Sardulakarna, and himself was Trisanku.
------------------------------

Of this story Wagner made the following draft, dated 16.05.1956:

------------------------------

Chakha-Muni
Ananda
Prakriti
(deren Mutter)
Brahmanen
Juenger
Volk

- Der Buddha auf seiner letzten Wanderung. - Ananda am Brunnen von
Prakriti, dem Tchandalamädchen, getraenkt. Heftige Liebe dieser zu Ananda;
dieser erschuettert.

Prakriti, im heftigsten Liebesleiden: ihre Mutter lockt Ananda herbei:
grosser Liebeskampf. Ananda bis zu Traenen ergriffen und geängstigt, von
Chakha befreit

Prakriti tritt zu Buddha, am Stadttore unter dem Baume, um von ihm
Vereinigung mit Ananda zu bitten. Dieser fragt sie, ob sie die Bedingungen
dieser Vereinigung erfuellen wolle? Doppelsinniges Zwiegespraech, von
Prakriti auf eine Vereinigung im Sinne ihrer Leidenschaft gedeutet; sie
stuerzt erschreckt und schluchzend zu Boden, als sie endlich hoert, sie
muesse auch Anandas Geluebde der Keuschheit ertragen. Ananda von Brahmanen
verfolgt. Vorwuerfe wegen der Befassung Buddhas mit einem
Tchandalamaedchen. Buddhas Angriff des Kastengeistes. Er erzaehlt dann von
Prakritis Dasein in einer früheren Geburt; sie war damals die Tochter eines
stolzen Brahmanen; der Tchandalakoenig, der sich eines ehemaligen Daseins
als Brahmane erinnert, begehrt fuer seinen Sohn des Brahmanen Tochter, zu
welcher dieser heftige Liebe gefasst; aus Stolz und Hochmut versagte die
Tochter Gegenliebe und hoehnte dem Ungluecklichen. Dies hatte sie zu
buessen und ward nun als Tchandalamaedchen wiedergeboren, um die Qualen
hoffnungsloser Liebe zu empfinden; zugleich aber zu entsagen und der vollen
Erloesung durch Aufnahme unter Buddhas Gemeinde zugeführt zu werden. -
Prakriti beantwortet nun Buddhas letzte Frage mit einem freudigen Ja.
Ananda begrüsst sie als Schwester. Buddhas letzte Lehren. Alles bekennt
sich zu ihm. Er zieht dem Orte seiner Erloesung zu.

Rickard Wagner
Zuerich, 16. Mai 1856.

---------------------------

Wagner takes up the main lines of the originaltext, but he makes some
important and characteristic changes of accent, which are interesting and
reveals his masterhand. Significant differences between the texts are: In
the Indiite text, Buddha is on one of his wanderings; Wagner increases the
power with letting him be on his last journey (which in the original
stories took place far from Northwest Uttar Pardes). Wagner also let the
Brahmadaughter herself reject the offer, and with that she collects a
personal guilt, a in Wagners works very frappant motif.
Special attention is focused by Wagner on the Candalagirl Prakrtis person
and development. In difference to the more statically imaged male
characters, the female characters in Wagners works stand as more dynamic,
complex, full of tension and undergoing development and insight, and
Prakrti is a good example. She is to begin with underthrown as well a rigid
social rule as her own emotions, but grows to insight about her powers,
through an intellectual and emotional development, which finally allows her
to gain the Buddhistic wisdom. In relief to Wagner wiew of Love, it is
marking that Prakrtis acceptance of Celibat does not stand as a logic
consequence of her insight of the truth of the Buddhistic road, that it is
because of her growing love to Ananda.

Wagner took great interest in womans role in the development of humanity,
woman emancipation and the relationship man/woman. It seems important for
him to stress, that Buddha originally was strongly sceptic to allow women
membership in the Buddhistic society, but that he eventually gave up his
rejections. In the "Buddha letter" to Mathilde Wesendonck 05.10.1858 Wagner
writes about "Die Sieger" and about women and the final stage of Life, but
stresses that Ananda convinced Buddha about to allow women to become
Buddhists. In the letter Wagner now makes an analysis of the issue of his
drama. He now lets Prakrti become the first woman to get access to sangha,
and in a very original way, he combines this event with Buddhas own
development and final entlightement. From the letter it becomes clear that
the most important for him in the musicdramatic work of the Indiite
material is the Buddhaperson himself, and it gets an importance and place
that goes far beyond the Buddhistic texts frames. Of the conventional,
clam, wise, entlightened, of passions liberated Buddha, Wagner created his
Buddha, which actively takes part in lifes emotions, tensions,
passions...In Wagner Buddha has not yet reached the final entlightment - is
in that definition not yet a "Buddha" - and lacks the necessary conditions
to finally be able to reach Nirwana. This final development he undertakes
in "Die Sieger", but not in non-Buddhistic meaning through an understanding
of them worlds structure and the humans nature, but through a deep
emotional experience from Prakrtis love; "Die gesteigerte und geleuterte
Liebe".

With regard to the said and the issue of other musicdramas it ought to be
possible to interpret Wagners opus "Die Siegers" in a psychoanalytic sence,
and percieve the work as something that is taking place in Buddha himself.
The youths wild lovepassion and egocentrism with a struggle with the ages
peaceful resignation and deeper understanding, which leads to insight and
wideseeing humanism. To the lovepairs Siegfried and Brunhilda, Tristan and
Isolde, Walter and Eva, adds now Ananda and Prakrti, and Buddha stands as a
Wotan, Marke or Hans Sachs...

In the end Wagner never set "Die Sieger" in tones, and that can has to do
with that Wagner thought the Buddhism to be intellectual, an ideology for
an elite, in relief to the Christian simple, direct message directly to the
heart and the large masses, and therefore he set Parsifal in tune. So that
the christian symbols were more fitting, than the complicated Buddhist for
artisting imagination. Should "Die Sieger" remain a torso without musical
dress, may the world have missed "Das heiligste die vollstaendingste
Erloesung", much came still to set its mark on Wagners swansong "Parsifal",
which is what is left to explore.

Final word and refelxion after my study on Orientalism in Wagner: One might
add that Wagners engagement in the Oriental culture- and thought-world
never died out and it continued to lock him. Three days before his death on
the 10.02.1883, Cosimas daughter Daniela writes that Wagner for the climate
reasons wanted to set forth on a journey to Ceylon. So wished the fate also
that the character of Buddha occupied his thoughts in his last moment. The
11 february he started writing on an essay "Ueber das Weibliche im
Menschlichen", where he once again returns to one of his favourite topics;
the historical role of woman; and contrasts the polygamics order with the
momogamys ideal. When he sits writing at the desk two days later comes the
last heartattack. His thoughts were then concerned with the Candalagirl in
"Die Sieger" and the victoriously magnificent Buddha:

"Hier ist es, wo das Weib selbst ueber das natuerliche Gattungsgesetz
erhoben wird, welchem es anderseits nach der Annahme selbst der weisesten
Gesetzgeber so stark unterworfen blieb, dass z. B. der Buddha es von der
Moeglichkeit der Heiligwerdung ausgeschlossen gehalten wissen wollte. Es
ist ein schoener Zug der Legende, welche auch den Siegreich-Vollendeten zur
Aufnahme des Weibes sich bestimmten laesst. Gleichwohl geht der Prozess der
Emanzipation des Weibes nur unter ekstatischen Zuckungen vor sich."

Follows this only two words, Wagners last written words; the mane of two
powers, which are intimely wowen together and can stand as an insignum of
all Wagners work:

" Liebe - Tragik "

Mats Norrman
siegfried@...