A true story of a very strange thing that happened to a young student. For Dhamma reflection. The texts are in English.

1. 1
A True Story

2. 2
I 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:
Persatuan Buddhist Hilir Perak (PBHP) A PBHP Community Class

3. 3
‘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 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.

4. 4
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 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.

5. 5
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. )
Reverend
Abhinyana

6. 6
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 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.
Rev. Abhinyana with Bro. Oh
at Bodhgaya in India

7. 7
NNN
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 Fang Yee and her parents
returned in their car.

8. 8
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.
(Reverend Abhinyana still visited our Buddhist
Association a couple of times to give Dhamma talks
before he passed away in Australia in the year 2008.)
In
Memory Of
The Late
Rev.
Abhinyana
1946 -2008

9. 9
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.
Reflections
* 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.
* Is the human realm the only state of existence?
According to Buddhist teachings, there are 5 (or 6 according to
certain Buddhist traditions ) realms of existence. They are:
1 The Hell Realm 2 The Animal Realm 3 The Ghost
Realm 4 The Demons ( according to some schools)
5 The Human Realm 6 The Deva or Heavenly Realm
Can the human mind be under the influence / control of beings
from other realms?
6 When our mind is strong and cultivated in good mental states
like kindness, love, compassion, morality, calmness and wisdom
we will not fall victims of ‘possessions’, ‘charms’, or other
negative spiritual influences.
7 When we practice well Dana ( Giving/Charity), Sila
(Morality) and Bhavana (Mental Development … learning the
true Dhamma and meditation ), we will live more peacefully and
happily.