Elijah was born on an auspicious day on the Buddhist calendar. Tibetans celebrated it as the day that Buddha attained (enlightenment), a day reserved for the deepest respect. When Elijah was two years old, the Arys moved to Montreal. There they (established) a small Tibetan Buddhist center. Spiritual leaders or lamas would frequently visit this center to give talks. One afternoon in 1975, young Elijah joined the small audience. The three-year-old became entranced with a particular lama visiting from Tibet. “He went into the room and went to sit very quietly, staring at him, just staring like, but very (intently). Aha, it's a bit strange. But kids are kids, and they do funny things.” That night, Carol claims that when she (tucked) Elijah into bed, the little boy made a (startling) announcement. He told his mother that he used to have a spiritual teacher. He called him by name, and described in detail the room that he had lived in. At first, Carol dismissed this talk. Then Elijah broke into a strange language, a tongue that sounded to Carol like Tibetan. She froze in place. “I suppose if I was sitting in the seat of a (skeptic) I would think of, ‘Ugh, give me a break!’ like it's just normals, you know, everyday (occurrences). But when he was three and started speaking like that, I'm sorry, that wasn't normal. And no one will (convince) me that it was just a child having fantasy.” Carol was extremely puzzled by her son's behavior. What had prompted him to come up with such a story? And how had he learned these foreign words? Elijah's parents decided to (consult with) the visiting lama. The lama listened as Elijah (spouted off) names, Geshe Chekawa, Mahakala Napo, names of Buddhist monks he recognized. The next day, the lama flew to a monastery in India. He promised the Arys he would research the matter. “Elijah,” he told them, “was a very special boy.”
Over the next few years, Elijah's stories began to grow in scope and detail, taking on a life of their own. “I come from a beautiful planet,” he told them, “where the mountains are towering jewels, the trees take on curious shapes, and the roads are long and dusty.” Elijah says he has no doubt that these places were real. “I did not perceive it to be a memory. I perceived it to be actual information, (sort of) like news that was to be reported. It was actual images that I was having at the time and the experience that I was going through at the time that I was relating.”
Vocabulary:
auspicious: showing that something is likely to be successful 吉兆的，幸运的
EX: I'm pleased that you've made such an auspicious start to the new term.
tuck into: to put something into a small space, especially in order to protect, hide, carry, or hold it spout off: to talk a lot about something in a boring or annoying way
EX: My father was spouting his usual nonsense!
monastery: A monastery is a building or collection of buildings in which monks live. 修道院
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