Part 3: [Several hours later] Three Immortal friends relaxed in the after dinner comfort of the Victorian house's spacious living room. "He was one of us, I think," Richie tried to explain, describing his earlier encounter in the bookstore. Michael cocked his head to one side, curious at Richie's choice of words. "You *think*? I've always found it to be rather cut and dried, myself. If your head feels like the inside of a ringing bell, time to get out the sword -- otherwise, the coast is clear." Richie shook his head. "No, it wasn't that simple. You know how it feels... when you're near someone who hasn't... *died* yet -- I mean the first time?" Michael nodded vigorously, swirling the brandy in his large snifter with a flourish of his left hand. "Of course. So, you mean he's *going* to become one of us." "No, that's not it -- I mean, you know that it doesn't always feel the same," Richie protested, feeling increasingly frustrated and just a tad defensive in response to his own confusion. He wasn't about to explain to Michael that people had noted something peculiar about his, Methos, and Mac's combined presence in the past few months -- or, especially, the reason for that peculiarity. "Okay, I think I've had enough of the Twilight Zone for one evening. I'm going to check on my other half and see if that annual department report is any closer to being written than it was an hour ago." Richie and Methos' host excused himself from the room with a grin and a salute of his drink. Richie waited for Michael to leave, then turned toward Methos. "You don't think I'm nuts, do you?" "No more than usual," Methos drawled with purpose. "Gee, thanks. Now I'm really confused." Richie slumped in his seat on the sofa, sulking silently in his virtual defeat. The ancient Immortal reined in his sarcasm for a moment. "What did you say his name was?" he helpfully inquired. "Tsang... something. His last name was Gyatso -- I remember that, because it was the same as the Dalai Lama's." "The Fourteenth Dalai Lama's, you mean." "Duh!" Richie noted the sudden interest in Methos' expression. "Okay, I'll bite. Who is he -- I mean *really*." "Precisely who he says he is." Richie didn't appreciate what he thought to be condescendence in that response. "He didn't say much of *anything*, Old Timer. Just his name, and a little about how he died the first time." "I have a feeling he said a great deal -- you just weren't listening." Knowing he was beat, Richie loudly sighed. "This isn't gonna turn into a lecture, is it?" Methos arranged his sprawl across the arm of the easy chair into an even more jellyfish-like appearance. "Nope." He saluted with his beer, before raising the bottle to his lips. "Good -- I'm too tired to defend myself. I think I'll just read." "Good -- you might learn something," Methos parroted, the smirk in full bloom on his lips. "Yeah, I might learn something," Richie muttered under his breath. With a surreptitious glance at the elder man, he collected the small bookstore bag from the marble top of the end table next to his seat and slid out the slender volume. Tucking his shoeless feet up under him, he adjusted himself into a more comfortable position on the sofa, and opened the book. Skipping the introduction, he flipped to the first chapter, then read in silence. <<"Mind is the forerunner of all actions. All deeds are led by mind, created by mind. If one speaks or acts with a corrupt mind, suffering follows....>> The End Author's Notes For those who don't know, the Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokitesvara, the boddhisattva of compassion. Within two years after the death of one, the official search begins for the child who is the next reincarnation. H.H. Tenzin Gyatso, the current Dalai Lama, is the fourteenth in this line. Upon enthronement, each is given a name which contains "Gyatso," meaning "Ocean" (as in Ocean of Wisdom and Compassion). Much of the dialogue in this story concerning dharma (practice or law) was adapted from the writings of H.H. Tenzin Gyatso. The utmost reverence was meant in using his words and teachings. Tsangyang Gyatso (1683 - 1706) is a fascinating cult figure in Tibetan mythology. In fact, Mullin (2001:239) notes that "more literature exists in English on the Sixth Dalai Lama than on any of the other early incarnations. The reason is simple enough: He is the only Dalai Lama who not only rejected the lifestyle of a monk, but in addition he created a sexual scandal almost every day of his adult life." The Tibetans say, sometimes with a wink and a nudge, that he was much more than a playboy -- he was a great tantric master (like the earlier Tibetan Buddhist sage Padmasambhava), who understood well the difference between sex for pleasure and sex with a higher purpose. Some (including the current Dalai Lama) believe that this scandalous behavior was merely a cover for a holy purpose -- to change the lineage of the Dalai Lamas from that of reincarnation to that of genealogical succession. The thought was that his plan was thwarted by either the increasing bad karma and lack of virtue of the Tibetan people, or, more mundanely, the jealousy of the Mongols, and it is even believed by some that numerous inauspicious signs led him to plot his own death, to hasten the bringing forth of a new beginning in another reincarnation (i.e. the Seventh Dalai Lama). The classic historical accounts of his death state that he died while in the possession of the Mongols, either by illness or poison. Tibet folk accounts claim that he willingly left behind his own body during a tantric ritual in the Mongol camp, or faked his demise in order to escape in a whirlwind. Some Tibetans have claimed to have met him in the succeeding centuries, and in fact there is a long standing tradition of an old abbot claiming to have been Tsangyang Gyatso dying some forty years after the events in the Mongol camp. Mullin (2001: 265) writes that some Tibetans believe him to be truly immortal: "according to this legend, he is still alive today, and continues to wander the world incognito in order to bring spiritual benefits and transformation to those who are ready. He shows up when least expected but most needed, and works his spiritual magic almost without being noticed. This legend is quite popular with ordinary lay people, who speak of 'Sixth Dalai Lama encounters' much like Americans speak of Elvis spottings." One question which might seem obvious is how could there have been a reincarnation as the Seventh Dalai Lama if the Sixth, in fact, did not pass on? The answer is quite clear in Tibetan Buddhism: a high lama or bodhisattva has the power to possess as many simultaneous emanations as they so desire. This is clearly articulated in the movie "Little Buddha," where three children are found to be simultaneous reincarnations of the same lama. (Great movie, even though Keanu Reeves plays Buddha). The Dhammapada, the book Richie eventually buys, consists of a mere 423 verses, but is said to represent the authentic teachings of Buddha. There is no interpretation or speculation, merely a clear explanation of the law of cause and effect, and the oneness of all living beings. One last item of note: In Buddhism, it is extremely inauspicious for a monk (or nun) to break their vows. They are, however, free to return their vows to the master from whom they initially took those vows, and hence disrobe without consequence. So long as the vows are properly returned, a person can move from monkhood to laity several times in the same lifetime with no spiritual or societal penalty. References: H.H. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama (2000) Buddha Heart, Buddha Mind (NY: Crossroad Publishing) -- (2000) The Meaning of Life (Boston: Wisdom Publications) -- (1989) Ocean of Wisdom (Santa Fe: Clear Light Publishers) -- (1996) Violence and Compassion (NY: Doubleday) Ananda Maitreya (tr) (1995) The Dhammapada (Berkeley: Parallax Press) Robert Thurman (1998) Inner Revolution (NY: Riverhead Books) Glenn H. Mullin (2001) The Fourteen Dalai Lamas (Santa Fe: Clear Light Publishers) The Rebel Dalai Lama http://www.friendsoftibet.org/songs.html Sixth Dalai Lama http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/4886/6dalai.htm The Bohemian Poet - A Short Biography of the Sixth Dalai Lama http://www.kalachakra.org/articles/sixth_dalai.html