This will be Chan Joon Yee’s 4th novel. This page will be regularly updated to give the reader a sneak review of this story that is full of paradoxes. The plot is inspired by pastor Kong Hee’s Crossover Project and the life of Tibet’s 6th Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso.
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He was born in a small, inconspicuous hamlet on the Tibetan plateau not far from the city of Kangding. At times, the fields sizzled under the fiery glow of the sun. At times, the ominous clouds would draw a gloomy curtain over the landscape. Craggy grey peaks with patches of snow threatening to slide and bury would cast shadows on lofty dreams, ambitions and even modernisation. The mortal inhabitants struggled just to grow enough to eat on the barren soils, thin air and harsh winds. They could only pray to the giants above for mercy and benevolence.
As an infant, everyone noticed that he was different. Born on an auspicious day, he cried very little compared to the other babies. The abbot at a nearby monastery had just passed away. When a senior lama saw him, he was almost immediately convinced that he was the late abbot’s reincarnation.
The boy’s mother was elated after the monastery’s leadership confirmed that the boy was a tulku. Not surprisingly, envious neighbours questioned the boy’s identity. They claimed that their sons were better lama material. The council at the monastery had no doubt that the boy was the one and only reincarnation of the late abbot. When he six, he was separated from his family and brought to live in the monastery. The boy did not disappoint his mentors and his supporters. He enjoyed his lessons and was more interested in reading Buddhist scriptures than playing games.
Those who challenged the boy’s authenticity were silenced. No longer envious, they rushed to worship him. The temple was soon crowded with devotees from all over the country. Donations poured in. The inconspicuous hamlet turned into a major tourist attraction. Soon, the figures in the nearby city of Kangding took notice. The living Buddha was a bigger magnet for tourist dollars than the legendary Kangding and its famous love song. Industry players met up with government officials. Their meeting drew the same conclusion. The living Buddha would steal the limelight from the political leaders.
They were concerned but did not see it as a big problem. They did not believe in living Buddhas. They did not believe in reincarnation. They did not believe that anyone could be preordained. The boy was young. They believed that he could be moulded into a vain and sexual hedonist, obedient to an authority that granted him all those privileges …
