Fox Spirits

Fox Spirits embody desire in Chinese folklore or mythology. In Bones of the Master George is a fox spirit who is less "black" than Lei Shu Bao, yet not as "white" as Tsung Tsai. "Black" Fox Spirits are desirous and make trouble for themselves because they know the Dharma of Buddhism, yet do not follow it; while "white" Fox Spirits are pure and "godlike" (p172-172).

George, like most of the human race, has many desires. He has very potent sexual desires, which he expresses many times throughout the book; for his wife, for Feng-Feng, and essentially any woman he encounters. He has desires for fame and money, for freedom and everything else most Westerners desire. "I was a cerebral ne'er-do-well with a love for books, women, and travel and a distaste for long-term employment," he wrote. Before meeting Tsung-Tsai George was like most Americans; lazy, unappreciative and just cruising out his life doing whatever he wanted.

Lei Shu Bao also has many desires, but his intentions seem to be far more terrible than George's. He desires money, power and sex and even attempts to channel and take Tsung-Tsai's power with the bell ceremony. He is Tsung-Tsai's "most brilliant student," as George says, and it seems as though Tsung-Tsai is disappointed in the way he has turned out.

George and Lei Shu Bao seem to let their desires control them, but each on different levels. Both being students of Tsung-Tsai, they know what they should be doing, but don't always do what they should. George's desires control him and he is always wanting, and mostly unsatisfied in his wants, yet his desires do not drive him so much that he focuses only on fulfilling them. Lei Shu Bao seems to be letting his desires completely control his life. His world appears to be run by power, money and sex and the fulfillment of these desires by any means. He is overly-ambitious, to the point that he would attempt to extort the man who taught him everything, just to gain what he wants.

George is much like the epitomy of a black fox. He knows what the proper way to lead his life is, but chooses to ignore it sometimes. He does do things that are admirable; he helps the disfigured girl they meet in a small village of Mongolia obtain plastic surgery so that she might lead a more normal life, he helps Tsung-Tsai with this crazy journey he wants to take and stands by him no matter how absurd he thinks it is. Although George is selfish and desirous, he has a self-less side to him.

Lei Shu Bao gives the impression that he is almost a brown fox. Although he is not ruining lives, he does not appear to do anything that will not