A Most BizarreThing

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5 A Most Bizarre ThingI first came to know the schoolgirl Koh Fang Yee (not her actual name) when she was in Form 2 in the mid 1990s. She had her primary education in one of the vernacular schools and later on continued her secondary education at a quite established secondary school in town. She enrolled in our community motivational and self-development class which was held every Saturday night from 8 pm till 10 pm. I remember Fang Yee as a small-sized, thin and rather shy girl. She would come regularly for classes and she would sit quietly somewhere in the middle of the classroom paying good attention to all the lessons. It was sometime in July that year when she stopped coming to attend classes. After a few weeks of absence, I telephoned her mother to find out what had happened. Her mother told me that Fang Yee had not been well for more than a month already. She said that she would like to see me at our Buddhist Association.On an appointed day, Fang Yee’s parents came to see me in the afternoon. Her mother told me about a most bizarre thing that was happening to her daughter. She spoke in Mandarin and a local dialect. This was her account:‘One evening as usual, I went to fetch Fang Yee back from her afternoon school session. She was waiting for me sitting on the ground of a small field located not far from her school. She was clutching very tightly to her school bag, a sort of small backpack red in color. When she got into the car, I noticed that she was not her usual self. She was quiet and would not speak any word at all. To all my questions she

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remained silent. She was sitting beside me in the front seat of the car. On the way home, I noticed that she would sway her head from left to right periodically and stick out her tongue.Upon reaching home, her father and I again started to ask her what had happened to her. Did she fall down? Was she sick? Did anyone beat her? Did she see something that shocked her? To all the questions she just kept silent. We knew something was not right. The following day, we took her to see a doctor but the doctor said there was nothing wrong with her medically. He just prescribed some vitamins and mineral supplements.Over the days Fang Yee’s condition deteriorated. She seemed to grow weaker and would remain still for hours with that very strange long lost look in her face. In this state, she had to stop schooling. From time to time, she would undergo a transformation that scared the wits out of us. Her behavior and movements resembled those of a snake. She would go on to the ground and start to wriggle and crawl just like a snake. Her facial features were distorted and her tongue would dart in and out and she would make hissing sounds. She would then glide or wriggle into her room, grabbed her schoolbag and then try to get out of the house. We had to catch hold of her and bring her back into the house before locking all doors. Such ‘attacks’ or episodes would last some minutes before Fang Yee calmed down and remained still. We really could not understand the bizarre thing that was happening to our daughter. We brought her to consult a few psychologists and psychiatrists but all the counseling and psychotic drugs given did not seem to work. Her condition persisted. Days went by; it was really hell for the whole family. Out of desperation we even brought her to get help from some bomohs and mediums in a few temples. Some

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mediums told us that Fang Yee was possessed by a snake spirit. According to one temple medium, the unfortunate incident happened on that day in the evening when Fang Yee was waiting for me after school. Around the field she was sitting in was a snake lair and as the ‘spiritual level’ of my daughter was very low, the spirit of a snake had ‘entered’ Fang Yee. We did not know whether to believe the medium or not. We just followed what the medium asked us to do …some prayers to the ‘snake spirit’, burning of some paper paraphernalia and some talismans and amulets for wearing and placing in the bedroom of the victim of possession. Despite doing all these things, there wasn’t any significant change in Fang Yee till now.’After I had heard all that Fang Yee’s mother had to say, I could only tell her that my friends and I will pray and chant for her daughter’s speedy recovery. They thanked us and left.A few days later, an Australian monk, Reverend Abhinyana visited our Buddhist Association to give some talks. The Reverand, a monk in his early fifties was quite well-known. He had traveled the world over in his spiritual quest and practices, had written many books and had lots of experiences on spiritual matters. He was a most compassionate monk always ready to counsel and help. ( He passed away in April 2008. May he rest in peace. )When Fang Yee’s mother heard that Reverend was staying at our Association, she came to ask me to help her request for the Reverend to visit her home to pray and do blessings for her sick daughter. Reverend Abhinyana was only too willing and he asked me to go along with him to visit the home the following day. When we arrived at the home of Fang Yee, her parents paid their respects to the Reverend and we then sat on the sofa seats in the hall. Fang Yee’s parents brought her out from her

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room and she sat on the floor near Reverend Abhinyana. The Reverend started to talk kindly to Fang Yee but she remained silent with her eyes cast down on the floor. She looked really weak and sick. Her facial features were quite unearthly, so different from the time when she was a healthy schoolgirl.The Reverend started his prayers and chanting for the poor girl who just sat there virtually motionless. I joined in the prayers and chanting in the best way I could. Fang Yee’s parents just sat nearby and watched in silence.Half-way through the chanting, a most bizarre thing happened to Fang Yee. She started to sway her head from left to right and lay flat on the floor in a lengthwise way. She then started to wriggle like a snake and hissing sounds were coming out from her throat. Fang Yee’s parents panicked and her mother said loudly, “It’s here, it’s here again.” She asked her husband to quickly bring out Fang Yee’s schoolbag from the room. ( I learnt later that this was what they would do every time there was an ‘attack’. Sometimes Fang Yee would calm down upon clutching her school bag. )By then Fang Yee, behaving like a snake, had started to crawl and heading towards the main door to get out of the house. The parents followed behind very nervously and at the porch area of the house, the parents caught hold of Fang Yee and forced her into their car parked outside. The father passed the school bag to Fang Yee and drove the car away.Meanwhile Reverend Abhinyana still continued on with the chanting. I was still a bit shocked at what I had just seen but I tried to chant along with the Reverend. We then got up from our seats and I followed behind Reverend Abhinyana as he walked all over the house chanting and sprinkling some water from a bowl using a stalk of flowers. We soon finished the chanting ceremony and went back to sit in the hall in silent prayer. It was about 25 minutes or so later when

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Fang Yee and her parents returned in their car. By then Fang Yee had calmed down as if she had been sedated. We learnt from the mother that they had brought Fang Yee to the nearest temple to prostrate before the temple deities. Before long, Fang Yee returned to her quiet and helpless state. She just followed what her parents asked her to do. Most of the time, her eyes remained closed.After the family members had offered lunch to the Reverend and me, we got ready to leave. The Reverend gave some kind parting words of advice as to what they should do in the event of ‘attacks’ arising again.At the Association, I asked, “Reverend, what actually is happening? It’s really bizarre and shocking.”The Reverend replied, “To be honest, I don’t really know. It is very mysterious indeed. Let us pray and hope that the strange behavior will go off soon. Nothing is permanent.”A couple of days later after Reverend Abhinyana had delivered all his talks, he said goodbye to all of us and continued on his travel to another part of the world.Very mysteriously, not long later, I got to know that the bizarre thing left Fang Yee so suddenly just as it had come upon her so unexpectedly. She made a full recovery and went back to her schooling. What had cured her and how? Well, the honest thing is to say, “I don’t know.” She continued her education right up to university. At the sixth form level she followed my community guidance class.Today, Fang Yee is a successful professional. We have not met for years.Reflection* At times we can meet with strange experiences and we can only do our best to cope with them and stay positive.* Nothing is permanent. Everything will come to pass.

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