Talk about good karma. The story starts with the french-fry incident. Churchward was 4. She knew right then her son was something special. She and her husband, also named Jack, have studied Buddhism for decades.
Compassion is an important part of what they practice.
So when their son showed concern for ants, they got excited. A meditation teacher told them the boy was possibly a tulku, a highly realized being who chose to reincarnate himself in their child. Most tulkus are born to Tibetan or Chinese parents, but some have been found in the West. By the time Churchward was ready to start school, his parents were pretty sure they had a little bodhisattva under their roof. His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche, head of the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, confirmed this the first time he visited the family.