Vedic astrological predictions, wet-nurses, the Internet zeitgeist, tantric goddess worship, love stories that transcend age barriers, Buddhist philosophy, references to Susan Sontag and Walter Benjamin—you can find it all in "The Prediction."

As to why the nineteenth century world of tantric worship is juxtaposed with the Internet zeitgeist—time, in many ways, is not as linear as we think it is, and all these aspects of lived lives, from belief in tantric goddesses to starving child brides, from childcare workers neglecting their own children to nurture those of the wealthy, to people who pursue astrologers for accurate predictions, can and does co-exist with modern people engaged in the search for material wealth and an elusive spirituality. So where does all this lead us? This is uncertain, unless like the character in The Best Sand Painting of the Century, it is towards the essence of Buddhist philosophy and practice.