The "police lamas" came out to beat the crowd into line, and during the lamas' crowd control activities, Illion meets a young girl with whom he has a conversation. Because Illion comes across to her as so knowledgeable on spiritual subjects, she inadvertently drops a hint about her own teacher and the existence of a "Hidden City." Illion is very intrigued. At this point, the conversation diverts to Illion's lack of fear evidenced by the fact that he is traveling alone and sleeps in the open without worrying about bandits or wild animals. The exchange that followed is s is another fascinating tidbit:
"Are you never attacked by animals?"
"Seldom, " I answered. "The animals which are on the rising branch of life are very kind to me. I do not think even a lion would attack me, although I never met one. I have had very pleasant experiences, though, with bears and some other so-called wild animals."
"I heard a story about a bear," said Dolma. "I will tell it to you. Perhaps you will be able to tell me whether such a thing can happen... A man who often broke the law which prohibits hunting had obtained a white man's death stick in the Lhasa district, and when he returned to his province he went out bear-hunting. He had shot several bears, but one day, just while he followed the track of an animal, a strong bear suddenly appeared just behind his back... [...] The hunter was so afraid when he saw the big bear just behind his back that he dropped his gun and stared aghast at the animal, who could have crushed him in a couple of seconds. [...] The bear looked at the frail creature who stood tremblingly before him, his gun lying at his feet, and calmly walked away."
"I can believe that, " I said, "for bears have a soul, although they are only at times individualized. By the way, it is easy to say whether the hunter in the story had a soul or not."
"How?"
"If the hunter had a soul, it was impossible for him to take up the gun to shoot after the bear. If he was soulless, he would have done so at once."
"Are there soulless animals too?"
"Oh yes. The animals on the descending branch of life are soulless. [...] Ravens, rats, mice - vermin, for instance."
"They behave like a soulless man?"
"Yes."
"Did these entities inhabit men before?"
"Perhaps, many thousand years ago. When they lost their soul they began to move downward."
"It is very strange. When I visited India I heard so much about progressive evolution - that life always passed upward, that the souls in minerals became souls in plants, then in animals, and after this in man, and that man finally must become an angel and that all this is only a question of time."
"Life would have no meaning if there was no alternative between light and darkness," I said. "There are two currents of life. One is moving upward and the other downward. The moment one loses one's soul one is precipitated into the downward current."
"How can one lose one's soul?"
"By sinning against one's soul."
"By a sensual life?"
"Oh no, in most cases that is a sin against one's body. You may suffer for it in this life or in some future incarnation."
"By treating other's badly, then?"
"No, as a rule, even this is no sin against your soul. You will get your punishment for treating others badly in this or some future incarnation, although wanton cruelty to defenceless creatures, ratlike ingratitude, or an innate tendency to spy on others already reveal a certain degree of soullessness which may be due to sins committed against one's soul in former incarnations."
"Well, then, what is a sin against one's soul?"
"Using spiritual things for selfish purposes. Dragging God down to earth. Trying to put oneself on a level with the Creator."
"Then many of us here sin like that!"
"Yes, but also people in other countries."
