CHAPTER 8

Summary

For a moment, Conway is so amazed at his realization that the High Lama is Father Perrault that he is unable to speak. However, the conversation begins again, this time about music which Father Perrault seems to read in Conway's mind. Conway then repeats what he has come to realize: they will be forbidden to leave. But he still wonders why the four travelers were chosen to be brought to the valley over all other people. Perrault reveals that one of the men in the valley, Talu, had come up with the idea to bring back people to infuse into the life of the lamasery by bringing them in by air. Conway still wonders what the idea is behind it all. So Perrault explains that the idea Henschell and he had developed so carefully had to do with Time: they would learn to slacken the tempo of their lives, achieve calmness and wisdom; and develop their interests in learning. If they have left relatives and friends behind, they will soon feel their loss less sharply. This will fulfill the wish for the lamasery. It is not a place to worship God and pray or learn more about a specific religion unless that's what they want to do. Instead, it's a place of timeless exploration always with an emphasis on moderation.

The High Lama then expresses his belief that Conway's best quality is his passionlessness. Conway admits that the High Lama is correct and that no doubt he has become this kind of man because of his experiences in the First World War. He says that he came out of that time chiefly wanting just to be left alone. However, he continues to insist to Perrault that even though he's attracted by the timelessness of Shangri-La, he would still want a life beyond the age of 100 to have a point. Perrault then tells him the ultimate purpose of the Valley of Blue Moon: to preserve and protect the heritage of all the beauties of life when the doom interlaced in the outside world threatens them. He believes that with this ideal in place the meek will truly inherit the earth. Suddenly, Conway understands everything Father Perrault has been trying to explain to him, and without realizing why he does so, he kneels before the ancient man and says he understands.

Notes

This is the most important chapter in understanding the concept of Shangri-La. The valley doesn't offer just long life; it offers a life in which the lamas will learn how to be in such harmony with each other and the people of the valley that they will be able to withstand any outside evil that might eventually penetrate their little paradise. The four travelers have been brought here to help reinforce this idyllic haven and to prepare for whatever the future will bring from the outside world. It is the perfect way for Conway to fulfill his life and protect the heritage of the beauty of life.

CHAPTER 9

Summary

Conway has been warned by the High Lama to not yet reveal to the other three travelers the truth of Shangri-La, so when they greet him at breakfast with many questions, he finds himself easily prevaricating and falling naturally into the beliefs of Perrault and the other lamas. He just tells them that it isn't an ordinary monastery, and that the High Lama still has given no answers about porters or departure from the valley. Miss Brinklow and Barnard seem unfazed by this lack of news, but Mallinson, of course, is frustrated and angry.

So Conway begins to live a kind of double life: with his friends, he pretends to be waiting for porters and departure to India while the rest of the time, the horizon seems to lift a curtain on the future. He spends many hours with Chang discussing the rule and routine of the lamasery. He learns that for the first five years he will live a normal life without any special regimen to enable his body to become accustomed to the thin air and for his mind to adjust to his mental and emotional regrets. After those five years, the process of retarding age would begin, and he would stay at the physical age of forty for at least fifty years or more. Eventually, like Chang will soon do, he will be a candidate for initiation. He will then have a century or more to fulfill the purpose of the lamasery. Chang also explains that this is only possible in the valley of the Blue Moon, but that the people of the valley do not possess the same possibility of long life.

Conway then begins to meet other lamas who have not made an appearance: a German named Meister and a Frenchman named Alphonse Briac who had been a pupil of Chopin. They both possess a calm intelligence and measured well-balanced opinions. Conway notes to Chang that they seem immersed in their own pasts which Chang explains is important for the clarification of the mind. Conway, too, will soon come to the realization of the significance of past events in his life.

One daily event that Conway especially comes to enjoy is listening to Lo-Tsen play Mozart and other composers and he eventually questions Chang about her. She was of royal Manchu stock and had come to the valley when her party was lost in the mountains on the way to her wedding. This happened in 1884 at which time she was 18. She still looks that age even though she is actually 65. Chang says that she soon came to accept her inability to return to the outside world, and that she hadn't given up love, because she had not yet met her husband, Instead, she had given up the idea of ever being in love. He also explains that even though Briac is initiated already, he is still obsessed with his past with Chopin. Chang allows that this is good, because when he becomes one of the older lamas, he will spend his life appreciating his past, yet looking toward the future. The High Lama spends his time in clairvoyant meditation in order to prepare for the future. Conway wonders when he will see the High Lama again, and Chang says that it will doubtless not be until his first five years have passed.

Ironically, less than a month after he has arrived at Shangri-La, the High Lama calls for Conway again. The elderly man sincerely enjoys Conway's company and he looks forward to appreciating his sense of humor in all the years to come.

Notes

Conway's understanding of life at the lamasery continues in this chapter. Chang explains the stages of his life there, and he meets other lamas who have been hidden to that point. There are several significant moments: the three travelers are still immersed in what they are becoming or what they still are (Barnard and Miss Brinklow like life there, and Mallinson is still angry that he can't leave); Chang insists that Lo-Tsen has come to accept life without love (this foreshadows how she will later leave the valley for love of Mallinson); and Conway begins to visit the High Lama regularly, a totally unprecedented event at the lamasery (this foreshadows how the High Lama will name Conway High Lama at his death).