Esoteric Buddhism of the Western Regions

In the spring of 1990, Chen Weiguo, a researcher at the Xinjiang Archaeological Institute, entered the Taklamakan Desert in search of his father, Chen Dehou, who had vanished twelve years earlier. His wife, Zhang Lihua, insisted on going with him. Their only clue was the notebook his father had left behind. On its final page, he had written: Deep in the desert lies an ancient city that does not exist. Find it, and you can unravel one of the greatest mysteries in the history of the Western Regions. The team ventured into the heart of Lop Nur and discovered a structure buried beneath the shifting sands: the Shrine of the Queen Mother of the West, where Li Bai, the Jin dynasty's Protector-General of the Western Regions, had come twice to make offerings. That night, a figure appeared in the photographer's shots, though no one had been there: Chen Dehou. In every photograph taken afterward, he stood in the distance, drawing closer each time. Geologist Wu Tianheng disappeared in the middle of the night, leaving no trace on the sand. Their guide, Aili, said, "The desert remembers everything. In some places, time moves in circles." They entered the shrine. The murals on the walls had no faces. But when the photographs were developed, every mural had a face: the faces of the team members, layered one upon another like the rings of a tree. On the third day, they found a notebook exactly like his father's, only newer and more complete. The name on its final page was Chen Weiguo, written in his own hand, and the date was today. Footsteps sounded in the distance. A man emerged from the darkness, wearing the same work clothes as him and bearing a face exactly like his. The man looked at him and asked, "Which one are you?"