The Book of Joy

“Originally, there were two similar statues, both carved from the same
single piece of sandalwood. And since the time of the 5th Dalai Lama,
one was housed in the Potala Palace,” the Dalai Lama explained. The
Great Fifth, as he is often called, lived in the seventeenth century and
united central Tibet, ending its many civil wars. He is the Charlemagne of
Tibet—well, maybe the Charlemagne and the pope combined. “While one
statue was in the Potala,” he said, “this statue was in western Tibet. They
were like two brothers, twins. So eventually when the Chinese army
destroyed the Potala, that one was killed.” It might have been a
misspoken word, but his personification of the statue and its death did
seem quite poignant. “Then the monks in western Tibet smuggled this
one out of Tibet and into India. So then there was a question of whether it
should go with the monks of that monastery to south India, where they
were resettled, or stay here with me. I made some investigations in the
mysterious way—divinations—which I think you also have in African
culture. So then this statue, how do you say?”
He spoke in Tibetan to Jinpa, who then translated: “The divination
revealed that the statue preferred to stay with the one who is more
famous.”
Everyone laughed.
“Now I’ll tell you a secret thing, something quite unique. Each
morning, you see, I pray to this statue. Then I see his facial expression
changing.” The Dalai Lama had a mischievous look, and it was hard to
know whether he was pulling the Archbishop’s leg.
“Really?” the Archbishop said, trying not to sound too incredulous.
The Dalai Lama rocked his head from side to side as if to say, Maybe it
does, maybe it doesn’t. Then the Archbishop asked, “Does it smile?”
“Yes, it is smiling like you, really,” the Dalai Lama said as he leaned
in and touched foreheads with the Archbishop. Then, wagging a finger at
him, he added quickly, “Oh, but not like your eyes, so big and round.”
The Dalai Lama’s eyes went wide with an expression that could be
surprise, fear, or anger. “Okay, now our session.”
But as he walked to his chair he stopped at another altar in the center
of the room. On the round table was a very lifelike crucifix, carved out of