The road was raging and burning those who rode on motorcycles. An was ferrying a farang from a hotel on Soi 55 to the direction of Nana. Another one of many foreigners who came in search of sabai to the realm of a billion pleasures. To the place where gods manifest themselves and the Royal Palace shines with its might and splendor.

Suddenly farang started to talk. Unfortunately, he spoke too fast and An could understand almost nothing from what the man was saying. He responded politely:

“Sorry, na khap. My English not good na.”

And right then, in the middle of the cacophony and traffic jam of the Great Holy Royal City, a voice emerged in An’s mind speaking an old dialect he couldn’t even recognize properly. The voice asked him:

“There is something about you and me. There is something I must ask you: what is the difference between here and now? What is the difference between time and space?”

2

An froze in fear and stopped at a red traffic light. Farang continued to speak inside his mind:

“There is something I will tell you, and it is only for us — something that you don't remember anymore. But me. I remember it only for your sake:

There is no better world
Than the one
You imagined yourself.

Where sound and light,
Pretending that what is not
Exists with absolute certainty,

Suddenly it becomes you — now.”

3

Long ago, in the City of the Dawn,
In a land that knew neither war nor sorrow,
A lame monk-librarian
Sent three disciples
In search of ancient knowledge.

One went south,
Where the Khmer Chakravartin ruled.

The second went north,
To lands where dragons
Govern the Middle Kingdom.

And the third departed eastward,
Where, according to legend, Shiva wanders,
Changing forms, appearances, and faces —
Like a hidden king, and the one
Who answers every sorrow
With the breath of freedom from Samsara.

4

An’s passenger turned out not to be an ordinary farang. In truth, he was not human at all.

He was a Naga who needed the help of a human being, and now An found himself in a situation without choice. At once he felt terribly afraid and strangely calm-empty.

Naga said he had come from the ancient kingdom of Sukhothai, where nearly a thousand years ago he had lived as a human.

The Naga was searching for a Sayasat master named The Treasure of the Moon, Radiant with Kindness.

According to him, the master would recognize the Naga immediately and reward An generously by granting any five wishes he desired.

For An, this was a serious argument.  

He already imagined himself quitting taxi work forever, buying his fiancée from her parents with ten bars of gold, and the two of them traveling together across the kingdom.

He became so consumed by these fantasies that he was terrified the Naga might change his mind and find someone better suited to help him.

And so An never even asked where to search for The Treasure of the Moon, Radiant with Kindness, nor why just any other Sayasat master would not fit for the task.

5

Shining with Kindness,
Manifesting as Emptiness,
The Treasure of the Moon
Guards the secrets
Of Darkness
That seeks invisibility beneath the day.

Humans and non-humans come to him —
Military men, pundits,
And bandits alike —
To see the face Radiant with Goodness
And seek advice on
How to govern the dream of Samsara.

6

An explained to the Naga that they have to travel to Phitsanulok, his home province. There he would ask advice from his elder brother, who knew a monk, who in turn knew several Sayasat masters.

The Naga nodded approvingly and said:

“Vishnu Lok is the correct place. From there we shall travel onward to Sukhothai. Long ago I hid some gold there within Wat Si Sawai — it should be enough until we find him. And when we do find him, he will reward you generously.”

7

Using an old Honda Click 125cc, they departed from the Great Holy Royal Capital, the City of Angels. They left early in the morning, heading north. It was a long journey. The Naga transformed himself into a small cobra and hid inside the underseat of the motorbike.