If a tower’s foundations are built on the shifting sands of a beach，how can you expect it to stay standing until the tides come in？
Lao Xu stares at me；I stare at the whiteboard；the whiteboard stares at everyone；everyone stares at their phone.We are like a flock of birds lost in fog，constantly drawn to flashing screens until we’ve forgotten the direction we were headed in.Yet，cold night has fallen，and hungry predators are approaching in the dark.
My phone beeps，indicating that it’s nearly out of battery.My instinctive reaction is not to conserve，but to rush to look through WeChat Moments posted in my network.Every last drop of juice must be used to its fullest extent and not be wasted with invisible background processes.Now you get a glimpse of my values，my philosophy.
I see the latest posts by Mr.Wan.All of a sudden，the dumpling skin has burst，and the fillings spill out.
“I’ve got it！”I slam my hand down on the table.Everyone jerks awake from their somnambulant state.
I hold my phone under Lao Xu’s nose.
Under Mr.Wan’s profile，he has posted a new photo，accompanied by the following caption：
On Saturday，the fifteenth of the month under the lunar calendar，I’m going to perform the Buddhist good deed of freeing captive animals on the shore of Wenyu River.I’ll purchase and free river snails laden with eggs，birds，reptiles，fish，and other animals.By this compassionate deed，I hope the Buddha brings blessings to everyone so that the aged may live longer，the middle-aged may have harmonious families，and children may gain wisdom and health！Happy Saturday！（Donations to help purchase more animals to free gratefully accepted：more animals=more good karma for all！Funds may be sent to this account：XXXXXXX.Sharing and reposting this message will also gain you blessings）.
“Err—I hadn’t realized that they were running so low on funds.”Lao Xu’s eyes are wide as teacups.“They haven’t paid us our last invoice yet！”
“Keep on reading，”I say.I continue to slide my finger up the screen.Mr.Wan’s dynamic timeline is woven from high-tech news and pop-Buddhism，a mixture of concentrated caffeine pills and chicken soup for the soul.“I think we’ve discovered his other passion.”
“So what？”
“Let’s think about why，every day，so many people share and forward these posts about how to do good deeds to build up merit and gain the Buddha’s protection.Are they really that faithful？I doubt it.Maybe preventing their photographs from being tempered with isn’t a core need for people，but the anxious contemporary Chinese are obsessed with personal security，especially the psychological sense of being safe.We have to connect Mr.Wan’s product with this psychological need.”
“Be specific！”
“Everyone，what kind of posts would you share to feel more secure？”I ask.
“Powerful mantras！”“Pictures of buddhas！”“The Birthday of the Buddha，and other festival birthdays！”“Wise sayings by famous master monks！”
“What sort of posts would make you believe and willingly hand over money？”
There’s a pause as everyone in the room ponders my question.Then，one of the girls timidly speaks up，“Something that’s been con…consecrated…um，you know，when the light has been—”
“Bingo！”
The room falls silent.Lao Xu gets up，and，poker-faced，walks behind me.I hear a loud slam，and a chill wind pours into the back of my shirt as though a bucket of ice has been emptied into it.The haze in the room instantly dissipates.
“Awake now？”Lao Xu closes the window.“Explain what you mean again，but stop being so damned mystical.”
I hold his gaze and speak slowly.“Let’s find a famous and respected monk to consecrate this app—’bring light into it’—so that every picture it takes becomes a charm to ward off evil.We’ll create a sharing economy of blessings.”
Everyone shifts their gaze from the phone screen to me；I gaze at Lao Xu；Lao Xu says nothing but gazes at the phone.
After a while，he lets out a held breath.“You know，all those Rinpoches in Chaoyang District are going to get you for this.”
I have no idea what’s in store for me.
2
My wife is a Neo-Luddite.
Once，she had been a heavy gamer.She spent so much time on the computer that her parents sent her to a summer camp that specialized in curing zhaiyuedu.com addiction.The experience caused her attitude toward technology to turn a hundred and eighty degrees.
Many times I asked her，what really happened in that campground located on Phoenix Mountain called“The Nirvana Plan”？
She never answered me directly.
This was the biggest philosophical difference between us.She believed that despite the appearance of unprecedented novelty，the high-tech industry was ultimately no different from another ancient trade：they both took advantage of the weaknesses of ordinary men and women，and，under the guise of words like“progress”“uplift”and“salvation”，manipulated their emotions.Whether you put your hand on a Bible or an iPad，in the end you were praying to the same god.
We only give the people what they want.They desire comfort，joy，a sense of security.They want to improve themselves，to see themselves stand out in the crowd.We can’t take such desires away from them.That was how I always argued back at her.
Oh，please！Don’t give me that.You’re just playing a game to satisfy your own yearning for control，she said.
Come on，give people a little credit！I said.Everyone’s got a brain.How can anyone“control”anyone else？
There are always NPCs.
What are you talking about？
Non-Player Characters.What if everything is controlled from behind the scenes by some invisible background process？Then every action you take will affect the game logic.The system will react with NPCs and they will carry out their predetermined programming.
I stared at her face as though I’d never really known her.I even wondered whether she had just joined some new cult.
You don’t really believe that，do you？
I’m going to walk the dog.There shouldn’t be much dog poop in the streets this early in the morning.
3
Every day，as the temple bell tolls five，I have to get up to sweep the grounds.I sweep the wooden floor of the gallery from the new library to the stone steps，and thence to the temple gates，where the ancient pagoda tree grows，its gnarled branches spread like the talons of a rampant beast.
As for whether I will be quietly reciting the Surangama Sutra，the Lotus Sutra，or the Diamond Sutra as I sweep，that depends on the day’s PM2.5 air quality index.My throat hurts when I breathe the polluted air；I don’t need the distraction.
Any of the faithful coming to the temple to make offerings can see that I haven’t been truly called by the Buddha.Just like all the other“disciples”flocking here on weekends to study Buddhist doctrine，I’m here to hide from the real world.
In a way，I’m not too different from the throngs of shoppers at the Buddhist shop outside Yonghe Lamasery vying to buy electronic“Buddha boxes”.They bring the box home，push a button，and the box starts chanting sutras.On the hour（or at designated times），the box will even emit a tranquil，meditative duannnnng，like the ringing of the bell in a temple.The purchasers apparently think this will bring them blessings and cleanse bad karma.I often imagine all the passengers squeezed like canned sardines into the number 2 subway train leaving from the lamasery station，all of their Buddha boxes ringing harmoniously together on the hour.Perhaps the so-called Chan state of mind refers to the detachment of such a moment from real life.
And now that I have to commit to a Buddhist vegetarian diet，I miss the restaurant at Beixinqiao where they serve chitterlings soup made from ancient stock that has supposedly been accumulating flavor for years.
I’ve canceled my mobile number and deleted all my accounts on social media；my wife has left me and returned to her hometown；I’ve even been given a Dharma name：“Chenwu”–“Free of Worldly Dust.”All I want is for those crazy people to never find me again.
I’ve had enough.
Everything began that night with the crazy marketing scheme that seemed to make no sense.
Mr.Wan bought my idea.Overnight he summoned the engineers to develop the new product.Lao Xu laid out the marketing plan and strategy.The most important piece of the project，of course，was assigned to me，the originator.
I had to go find a respected master monk willing to consecrate our app，to bring it light.
