The Illusion

By Dan Sharma

The Illusion the Novel by Dan Sharma is about the ups and downs in the life of Danny, a young student in Burma who escapes the Military Regime tyranny to obtain refuge in the United Sates. He is quite successful as an Entrepreneur and starts a corporation as a construction company. Very ambitious and crafty in exploiting his client's we

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book Vine Press
• Release date: Dec 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781956896435

Dan Sharma

Dan Sharma is an American engineer, entrepreneur, and business management consultant with an international presence. The Illusion is his debut novel.Dan Sharma can be contacted via email: [e-mail]

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Copyright © 2021 by Dan Sharma.

ISBN 978-1-956896-42-8 (softcover)

ISBN 978-1-956896-43-5 (ebook)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual locales, events, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Printed in the United States of America.

Book Vine Press

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Palatine, IL 60067

Contents

One: The Draw of the Catskill Mountains

Two: The Search for the Path

Three: The Revelation

Four: The Trek and the Asylum

Five: Danny in New York

Six: The Grand Plan

Seven: The Great Leap Forward

Eight: The Disaster

Nine: The Escape

Ten: The Split

Eleven: The Trial

Twelve: Off to Sing Sing

Thirteen: The Search and the Conflict

Fourteen: The Mystery of Illusion

Fifteen: The Exploration

Sixteen: The Eternal Peace

Seventeen: A Child’s Tears

Eighteen: The Light

The Epilogue

Dedicated to

you

for always believing in me

from the moment you knew me.

One

The Draw of the Catskill Mountains

The Catskill Mountains in New York have an aura of peace and serenity that surrounds them. Just a couple of hours’ drive away from the big New York City metropolis, one finds tranquility over there. You have a soothing vision of lush greens and brooks with water making musical sounds. The view of tall trees is beautiful, and it is here that you feel the splendor of the majestic nature. This is quite a contrast from the rat race happening less than a hundred miles away.

There are monasteries in the region. Monks, nuns, and teachers live here, and peace seekers come here. Some are motivated by love for tranquility, some need a break from the rat race they live in, some want to relieve their anxiety, and some just want to run away from the concrete jungle.

Running away from a stressful life is one thing, but running away to hide from the law is another. A Eurasian-looking young man pulled in front of the Sangha Monastery. He got off his car, walked up to the reception, and said to the receptionist, ‘I am Sid Bains, and I have a guide assigned, please take me to Zen Master Danny San, who will be my meditation counselor.’

Please wait, sir, I will get your guide to come and help you, replied the receptionist.

Sid nervously looked at his watch. He was thirty minutes early for the appointment for Meditation Counselor Danny Joshi, who was also called by some other names, such as Danny San, U Danny, Counselor Danny, or just Danny. Sid went to wash his face. In his late twenties, as Sid looked in the mirror, he thought, he had aged fast in the past two months that he had been on the run. He had been changing his disguise, and now he had short-cropped hair. He was thinking, why not spend a few days here at Sangha Monastery? The place looked safe and less likely to be suspected as his hideout. Still, it was a constant challenge for Sid to constantly be under threat of being caught. This was a tough situation for Sid, who knew that he had to keep changing his mobile phone number? He had to make himself harder to locate, as mobile phones do provide the location by giving the latitude and longitude.

The office door opened, and a Tibetan-looking young man came to Sid and said, I am Jigmet Namgyal, and I will be your guide. How long would you be staying here?

Sid replied, Just one night, but he added, I may extend my stay.

That would not be a problem, for these few weeks we have space available, as we do not have major functions and offerings. We can offer different types of rooms for you to settle down for as long as you wish, Jigmet labored to assure Sid.

Well, two more minutes? Sid nervously said, looking up at Jigmet.

I will check if Counselor Danny is available to see you, said Jigmet, as he rose to check into the office.

At this moment Sid was wrestling through thoughts about what was going to happen in his life and what his life would be about. Would he be a fugitive, changing names, disguises, and locations? Sid did not want to change names to avoid being tracked, and when in a safe location, he did not change his name. He considered the monastery as one of the safest places. It is the place where only peace, loving, and spiritual elevation came. He did not think that the FBI or state detectives would check all monasteries. Occasionally, he thought of escaping to Canada, and from there to the Cayman islands in the Caribbean Sea. He had not quite figured it out, but he was considering living in Hong Kong or Bhutan (in the Himalayas), which was also attractive to him. He was aware as to how another fugitive, Robert Vesco, had died in the chase, so the uncertainty made him worried at times. He was attracted to the nightlife in Hong Kong as well as the majestic mountains of Bhutan.

As Jigmet led Sid to Zen master Danny’s study, Sid noticed the Buddha statue in background. Sid felt drawn to Zen master Danny, so instead of a greeting like hello, he just bowed with hands folded. Jigmet took Sid’s lead, saying, For any help, call reception to send me, and I will get you settled. At Counselor Danny’s suggestion, Sid and Danny moved next door to the meditation center to introduce meditation to Sid. The meditation center was in the same building as the Universal Peace Temple at the Sangha Monastery Center.

Two

The Search for the Path

Danny looked at Sid, who seemed to be unsettled and had a worried appearance. ‘What do you want to learn, and what are you seeking? asked the guru.

Danny San, my mind is very unstable and distracted. I need to be able to meditate so I can know what path to choose, but I have been overcome with all kinds of strong feelings, replied Sid.

Sid, listen, Danny San continued. Your mind has been lured by impermanent pleasures. You have lost your ability to look deeply into the origin and conclusion of your actions. I know you are, right now, not stable enough to put your situation in its perspective, but you will. I will teach you meditation, but you still have to control your mind. Sid was impressed by the guru.

Danny taught him the lesson he always gave to his students. Sid found it a great, stabilizing influence. Sid asked Danny San if he could have a one-on-one guidance session with him. Sid planned to return the next morning at 10 a.m. to seek guidance from the Zen master.

That evening, Sid tried to meditate to get insight but failed. He tried to fixate on Danny San’s image and forget everything else, and it kept on getting better. From less than a minute at a time before, Sid was able to meditate for twenty minutes a stretch. That was a significant improvement and achievement on Sid’s part. He couldn’t wait for the night to be over so that he could meet with Zen master Danny in the morning. So at five minutes before 10 a.m., Sid walked to Danny San’s room and greeted him with folded hands.

How are you, Sid? Danny asked with a deep, penetrating look.

Fine, Sid answered. I did some meditation and was able to go up to twenty minutes without getting disturbed, but I need guidance as to how I can make a decision. So please understand the dilemma I face.

What? asked Danny.

I am running from the law, answered Sid.

Sid, you have to look deep inside to understand your own actions and the suffering your actions caused for others.

What, spiritual master? I did what everyone else in my industry was doing—well, what most were doing. So why I am being singled out? Why are they out to get me? Sid was pained and filled with anger.

What are the authorities charging you with? the guru asked.

"Well, I won the contract to demolish part of a building, and while doing that, the structure collapsed and there were casualties.