 the Dalai Lama, the ruler of Tibet.Buddhist morality plays (morality play)The last performing-arts genre to develop in Central Asia was the Buddhist morality play, called a-che-lha-mo. The plays are based on the lives of legendary and historical figures, and through costume and masks the ethnic origin and ethical character of the players are revealed. Folktales, as well as historical and Buddhist canonical literature, are sources for the stories presented in a-che-lha-mo. Most plays are about mythical heroes who prove that Buddhism and its virtues conquer all evil in the end; but there are those that tell the story of historical personages.Although traditions among the Central Asian peoples are vague about the development of shamanic rituals and 'cham, they are clear about the origin of a-che-lha-mo and even point out the historical creators of the art. Some scholars regard the plays as derivatives of Indian theatre, but Tibetan tradition claims that the first performance of a morality play was produced by Thang-stong rgyal-po, a famous bridge builder of the 15th century.One story tells of some Tibetans who were building a bridge and found that whatever they assembled during the day, demons dismantled at night. Thang-stong rgyal-po, a holy man well versed in the capricious ways of demons, advised the Tibetans to stage a play to divert the attention of the evil spirits. By this stratagem, they were able to complete the bridge. This story would seem to indicate that the primary purpose of the play was to entertain, but another story illustrates that Thang-stong rgyal-po realized that religious teachings would have a greater influence on the people if they were dramatized, so he developed the morality play to serve this purpose. Regardless of his intent, a-che-lha-mo evolved as didactic entertainment, and Thang-stong rgyal-po is regarded by the Tibetans as its patron saint.From primitive beginnings, the morality plays developed into a popular performing art, complete with stylized costumes and masks, complex scenarios and effective staging. The scripts are written in a dialogue song style called rnam-thar. There are at least nine traditional plays in the Tibetan repertoire.The most common type of a-che-lha-mo is the drama based on legend and mythology which often reflects a strong influence of Indian theatrical tradition. An example is the play 'Das-log Snang-sa. The phrase 'das-log means to return (log) from the beyond ('das) and is used in Tibetan to refer to anyone who was believed to be dead and then returns to life and relates all that was witnessed in the netherworld. 'Das-log Snang-sa is about a virtuous woman named Snang-sa who was unjustly accused of adultery and beaten to death by her jealous sister-in-law. When Snang-sa was led before the fierce Lord of the Dead (gshin-rje), he found that she was pure of heart and mind, and he allowed her therefore to return to life. Once home again, however, her husband and relatives began to mistreat her, so she became a nun. The play ends with Snang-sa flying away from the convent roof and disappearing like a rainbow in the sky.Another type of a-che-lha-mo is the plays based on the lives of Tibetan holy men or pious kings. Rgya-bza' Bal-bza' (“Chinese-wife, Nepalese-wife”), for example, tells the story of king Srong-btsan sgam-po (Srong-brtsan-sgam-po) (died AD 649) and his two Buddhist wives: Wen-ch'eng, a Chinese princess, and Bhrikuti, a princess from Nepal. These three historical figures are believed by faithful Tibetans to have been incarnations of Buddhist deities, and their story is very popular with the audience.The performance of a play may take more than a day. Narrative recitation is used to set scenes, delineate character, and give continuity to the songs that tell the main story. Comic sketches or dances are performed between the acts. Each character in a play has a distinctive costume or mask. Usually Tibetan male characters and the heroes wear no mask, while virtuous female characters wear flat, teardrop-shaped masks, particularly the serpentine deities. Three-