Chapayev and Void

“Chapayev and Void”, known in the US as “Buddha’s Little Finger” and in the UK as “Clay Machine Gun”, is a novel by Victor Pelevin first published in 1996.


The clay machine-gun
“That was the clay machine-gun.’ said Chapaev. ‘Now I can tell you what it is. It isn’t really a machine-gun at all. It’s simply that many millennia ago, long before the Buddha Dipankara and the Buddha Shakyamuni came into the world, there lived the Buddha Anagama. He didn’t waste any time on explanations, he simply pointed at things with the little finger of his left hand, and their true nature was instantly revealed. When he pointed to a mountain, it disappeared, when he pointed to a river, that disappeared too. It’s a long story, but in short it all ended with him pointing to himself with his little finger and then disappearing. All that was left of him was that finger from his left hand, which his disciples hid in a lump of clay. The clay machine-gun is that lump of clay with the Buddha’s finger concealed within it. A very long time ago in India there lived a man who tried to turn that piece of clay into the most terrible weapon on earth, but no sooner had he drilled a hole in it than the finger pointed at him and he himself disappeared. After that it was kept in a locked trunk and moved from place to place until it was lost to the world in one of the monasteries of Mongolia. But now, for a whole series of reasons, it has found its way to me. I have attached a butt-stock to it and I call it the clay machine-gun.”

Chapayev’s and Annka’s hat – black wool with red moire
Sword – steel, brass, sting ray leather handle
Belts and straps – leather, cooper buckles

Order of Oktober Star – sterling silver, made by Lev Koulishov
Buddha’s Little Finger – polimer clue, brass, leather, oak handle and six color camo backpack with leather straps
Blue mala 21 beads
110 mm height

Spring 2013