,,the ,,soul ,,of ,a ,,people           
,illustration3 ,publisher's logo  ,,the 
,,soul ,,of ,a ,,people   ,,by  ,h4     
,,fielding   ',for to see things in     
their beauty is to see them in their    
truth'  ,,matthew ,,arnold   ,london    
,,macmillan ,,and ,,co41 ,,limited ,,new
 ,,york3 ,,the ,,macmillan ,,company    
#ahii   ,first ,edition1 #ahih ,second  
,edition1 #ahih ,third ,edition1 #ahii  
,,dedication ,,to ,,second ,,edition    
,i dedicate this book to you about whom 
it is written4 ,it has been made a      
reproach to me by the critics that ,i   
have only spoken well of you1 that ,i   
have forgotten your faults and          
remembered only your virtues4 ,if it is 
wrong to have done this1 ,i must admit  
the wrong4 ,i have written of you as a  
friend does of a friend4 ,where ,i could
 say kind things of you ,i have done so1
 where ,i could not ,i have been silent4
 ,you will find plenty of people who can
 see only your faults1 and who like to  
tell you of them4 ,you will find in the 

inexorable sequence of events a         
corrector of these faults more potent   
than any critics can be4 ,but ,i am not 
your critic1 but your friend4 ,if many  
of you had not admitted me1 a stranger1 
into your friendship during my many very
 solitary years1 of what sort should ,i 
be now8 ,how could ,i have lived those  
years alone8 ,you kept alive my         
sympathies1 and so saved me from many   
things4 ,do you think ,i could now turn 
round and criticise you8 ,no2 but this  
book is my tribute of gratitude for many
 kindnesses4     ,,preface   ,in most of
 the quotations from ,burmese books     
containing the life of the ,buddha ,i am
 indebted1 if not for the exact words1  
yet for the sense1 to ,bishop           
,bigandet's translation4  ,i do not     
think ,i am indebted to anyone else4 ,i 
have1 indeed1 purposely avoided quoting 
from any other book and using material  
collected by anyone else4  ,the story of
 ,ma ,pa ,da has appeared often before1 
but my version is taken entirely from   

the ,burmese song4 ,it is1 as ,i have   
said1 known to nearly every ,burman4  ,i
 wanted to write only what the ,burmese 
themselves thought2 whether ,i have     
succeeded or not1 the reader can judge4 
,i am indebted to ,messrs4 ,william     
,blackwood and ,sons for permission to  
use parts of my article on ',burmese    
,women'--,blackwood's ,magazine1 ,may1  
#ahie--;in the present work4            
,,contents   ,,chapter                  
,,page      ,i4 ,,living ,,beliefs      
#a     ,,ii4 ,,he ,,who ,,found ,,the   
,,light--,i4       #ag    ,,iii4 ,,he   
,,who ,,found ,,the ,,light--,,ii4      
#cd     ,,iv4 ,,the ,,way ,,to ,,the    
,,great ,,peace       #df      ,v4      
,,war--,i4                          #ef 
,,vi4 ,,war--,,ii4                      
#gg    ,,vii4 ,,government              
#hg   ,,viii4 ,,crime ,,and ,,punishment
            #ajb     ,,ix4 ,,happiness  
#aaf      ,x4 ,,the ,,monkhood--,i4     
#abg     ,,xi4 ,,the ,,monkhood--,,ii4  
#aec    ,,xii4 ,,prayer                 

#aeh   ,,xiii4 ,,festivals              
#aff    ,,xiv4 ,,women--,i4             
#ahe     ,,xv4 ,,women--,,ii4           
#bje    ,,xvi4 ,,women--,,iii4          
#bbd   ,,xvii4 ,,divorce                
#bbh  ,,xviii4 ,,drink                  
#bdb   ,,xix4 ,,manners                 
#bdh    ,,xx4 ',,noblesse ,,oblige'     
#bef    ,,xxi4 ,,all ,,life ,,is ,,one  
#bgg   ,,xxii4 ,,death1 ,,the           
,,deliverer            #cjb  ,,xxiii4   
,,the ,,potter',s ,,wheel               
#cbb   ,,xxiv4 ,,the ,,forest ,,of      
,,time              #cdb    ,,xxv4      
,,conclusion                      #cdh  
,,the ,,soul ,,of ,a ,,people           
,,chapter ,i  ,,living ,,beliefs        
',the observance of the law alone       
entitles to the right of belonging      
to my religion4'--,saying of the        
,buddha4   ,for the first few years of  
my stay in ,burma my life was so full of
 excitement that ,i had little care or  
time for any thought but of to-day4     
,there was1 first of all1 my few months 

in ,upper ,burma in the ,king's time    
before the war1 months which were full  
of danger and the exhilaration of       
danger1 when all the surroundings were  
too new and too curious to leave leisure
 for examination beneath the surface4   
,then came the flight from ,upper ,burma
 at the time of the war1 and then the   
war itself4 ,and this war lasted four   
years4 ,not four years of fighting in   
,burma proper1 for most of the          
,irrawaddy valley was peaceful enough by
 the end of #ahhi2 but as the central   
parts quieted down1 ,i was sent to the  
frontier1 first on the ,north and then  
on the ,east by the ,chin mountains2 so 
that it was not until #ahij that a      
transfer to a more settled part gave me 
quiet and opportunity for consideration 
of all ,i had seen and known4 ,for it   
was in those years that ,i gained most  
of whatever little knowledge ,i have of 
the ,burmese people4  ,months1 very many
 months1 ,i passed with no one to speak 
to1 with no other companions but        

,burmese4 ,i have been with them in joy 
and in sorrow1 ,i have fought with them 
and against them1 and sat round the     
camp-fire after the day's work and      
talked of it all4 ,i have had many      
friends amongst them1 friends ,i shall  
always honour2 and ,i have seen them    
killed sometimes in our fights1 or dead 
of fever in the marshes of the frontier4
 ,i have known them from the labourer to
 the ,prime ,minister1 from the little  
neophyte just accepted into the faith to
 the head of all the ,burmese religion4 
,i have known their wives and daughters2
 have watched many a flirtation in the  
warm scented evenings2 and have seen    
girls become wives and wives mothers    
while ,i have lived amongst them4 ,so   
that although when the country settled  
down1 and we built houses for ourselves 
and returned more to ,english modes of  
living1 ,i felt that ,i was drifting    
away from them into the conventionality 
and ignorance of our official lives1 yet
 ,i had in my memory much of what ,i had

 seen1 much of what ,i had done1 that ,i
 shall never forget4 ,i felt that ,i had
 been--even if it were only for a       
time--behind the veil1 where it is so   
hard to come4  ,in looking over these   
memories it seemed to me that there were
 many things ,i did not understand1 acts
 of theirs and customs1 which ,i had    
seen and noted1 but of which ,i did not 
know the reason4 ,we all know how hard  
it is to see into the heart even of our 
own people1 those of our flesh and blood
 who are with us always1 whose ways are 
our ways1 and whose thoughts are akin to
 ours4 ,and if this be so with them1 it 
is ten thousand times harder with those 
whose ways are not our ways1 and from   
whose thoughts we must be far apart4 ,it
 is true that there are no dark places  
in the lives of the ,burmese as there   
are in the lives of other ,orientals4   
,all is open to the light of day in     
their homes and in their religion1 and  
their women are the freest in the world4
 ,yet the barriers of a strange tongue  

and a strange religion1 and of ways     
caused by another climate than ours1 is 
so great that1 even to those of us who  
have every wish and every opportunity to
 understand1 it seems sometimes as if we
 should never know their hearts4 ,it    
seems as if we should never learn more  
of their ways than just the             
outside--that curiously varied outside  
which is so deceptive1 and which is so  
apt to prevent our understanding that   
they are men just as we are1 and not    
strange creations from some far-away    
planet4  ,so when ,i settled down and   
sought to know more of the meaning of   
what ,i had seen1 ,i thought that first 
of all ,i must learn somewhat of their  
religion1 of that mainspring of many    
actions1 which seemed sometimes         
admirable1 sometimes the reverse1 and   
nearly always foreign to my ideas4 ,it  
is true that ,i knew they were          
,buddhists1 that ,i recognized the      
yellow-robed monks as followers of the  
word of ,gaudama the ,buddha1 and that  

,i had a general acquaintance with the  
theory of their faith as picked up from 
a book or two--notably1 ,rhys ,davids'  
',buddhism' and ,bishop ,bigandet's     
book--and from many inconsequent talks  
with the monks and others4 ,but the     
knowledge was but superficial1 and ,i   
was painfully aware that it did not     
explain much that ,i had seen and that  
,i saw every day4  ,so ,i sent for more 
books1 such books as had been published 
in ,english1 and ,i studied them1 and   
hoped thereby to attain the explanations
 ,i wanted2 and as ,i studied1 ,i       
watched as ,i could the doings of the   
people1 that ,i might see the effects of
 causes and the results of beliefs4 ,i  
read in these sacred books of the       
mystery of ,dharma1 of how a man has no 
soul1 no consciousness after death2 that
 to the ,buddhist 'dead men rise up     
never1' and that those who go down to   
the grave are known no more4 ,i read    
that all that survives is the effect of 
a man's actions1 the evil effect1 for   

good is merely negative1 and that this  
is what causes pain and trouble to the  
next life4 ,everything changes1 say the 
sacred books1 nothing lasts even for a  
moment4 ,it will be1 and it has been1 is
 the life of man4 ,the life that lives  
tomorrow in the next incarnation is no  
more the life that died in the last than
 the flame we light in the lamp to-day  
is the same that went out yesternight4  
,it is as if a stone were thrown into a 
pool--that is the life1 the splash of   
the stone2 all that remains1 when the   
stone lies resting in the mud and weeds 
below the waters of forgetfulness1 are  
the circles ever widening on the        
surface1 and the ripples never dying1   
but only spreading farther and farther  
away4 ,all this seemed to me a mystery  
such as ,i could not understand4 ,but   
when ,i went to the people1 ,i found    
that it was simple enough to them2 for  
,i found that they remembered their     
former lives often1 that children1 young
 children1 could tell who they were     

before they died1 and remember details  
of that former existence4 ,as they grew 
older the remembrance grew fainter and  
fainter1 and at length almost died away4
 ,but in many children it was quite     
fresh1 and was believed in beyond       
possibility of a doubt by all the       
people4 ,so ,i saw that the teachings of
 their sacred books and the thoughts of 
the people were not at one in this      
matter4  ,again1 ,i read that there was 
no ,god4 ,nats there were1 spirits of   
great power like angels1 and there was  
the ,buddha 7the just man made perfect71
 who had worked out for all men the way 
to reach surcease from evil2 but of ,god
 ,i saw nothing4 ,and because the       
,buddha had reached heaven 7,nirvana71  
it would be useless to pray to him4     
,for1 having entered into his perfect   
rest1 he could not be disturbed by the  
sharp cry of those suffering below2 and 
if he heard1 still he could not help2   
for each man must through pain and      
sorrow work out for himself his own     

salvation4 ,so all prayer is futile4    
,then ,i remembered ,i had seen the     
young mother going to the pagoda on the 
hilltop with a little offering of a few 
roses or an orchid spray1 and pouring   
out her soul in passionate supplication 
to ,someone--,someone unknown to her    
sacred books--that her firstborn might  
recover of his fever1 and be to her once
 more the measureless delight of her    
life2 and it would seem to me that she  
must believe in a ,god and in prayer    
after all4  ,so though ,i found much in 
these books that was believed by the    
people1 and much that was to them the   
guiding influence of their lives1 yet ,i
 was unable to trust to them altogether1
 and ,i was in doubt where to seek for  
the real beliefs of these people4 ,if ,i
 went to their monks1 their holy men1   
the followers of the great teacher1     
,gaudama1 they referred me to their     
books as containing all that a ,buddhist
 believed2 and when ,i pointed out the  
discrepancies1 they only shook their    

heads1 and said that the people were an 
ignorant people and confused their      
beliefs in that way4  ,and when ,i asked
 what was a ,buddhist1 ,i was told that1
 to be a ,buddhist1 a man must be       
accepted into the religion with certain 
rites1 certain ceremonies1 he must      
become for a time a member of the       
community of the monks of the ,buddha1  
and that a ,buddhist was he who was so  
accepted1 and who thereafter held by the
 teachings of the ,buddha4  ,but when ,i
 searched the life of the ,buddha1 ,i   
could not find any such ceremonies      
necessary at all4 ,so that it seemed    
that the religion of the ,buddha was one
 religion1 and the religion of the      
,buddhists another2 but when ,i said so 
to the monks1 they were horror-struck1  
and said that it was because ,i did not 
understand4  ,in my perplexity ,i fell  
back1 as we all must1 to my own thoughts
 and those of my own people2 and ,i     
tried to imagine how a ,burman would act
 if he came to ,england to search into  

the religion of the ,english and to know
 the impulses of our lives4  ,i saw how 
he would be sent to the ,bible as the   
source of our religion1 how he would be 
told to study that if he would know what
 we believed and what we did not--what  
it was that gave colour to our lives4 ,i
 followed him in imagination as he took 
the ,bible and studied it1 and then went
 forth and watched our acts1 and ,i     
could see him puzzled1 as ,i was now    
puzzled when ,i studied his people4  ,i 
thought of him reading the ,new         
,testament1 and how he would come to    
these verses3  '#bg4 ,but ,i say unto   
you which hear1 ,love your enemies1 do  
good to them which hate you1  '#bh4     
,bless them that curse you1 and pray for
 them which despitefully use you4  '#bi4
 ,and unto him that smiteth thee on the 
one cheek offer also the other2 and him 
that taketh away thy cloke forbid him   
not to take thy coat also4  '#cj4 ,give 
to every man that asketh of thee2 and of
 him that taketh away thy goods ask them

 not again4'  ,he would read them again 
and again1 these wonderful verses1 that 
he was told the people and ,church      
believed1 and then he would go forth to 
observe the result of this belief4 ,and 
what would he see8 ,he would see this3  
,a nation proud and revengeful1 glorying
 in her victories1 always at war1 a     
conqueror of other peoples1 a mighty    
hater of her enemies4 ,he would find    
that in the public life of the nation   
with other nations there was no thought 
of this command4 ,he would find1 too1 in
 her inner life1 that the man who took a
 cloak was not forgiven1 but was        
terribly punished--he used to be hanged4
 ,he would find---- ,but need ,i say    
what he would find8 ,those who will read
 this are those very people--they know4 
,and the ,burman would say at length to 
himself1 ,can this be the belief of this
 people at all8 ,whatever their ,book   
may say1 they do not think that it is   
good to humble yourself to your         
enemies--nay1 but to strike hard back4  

,it is not good to let the wrong-doer go
 free4 ,they think the best way to stop 
crime is to punish severely4 ,those are 
their acts2 the ,book1 they say1 is     
their belief4 ,could they act one thing 
and believe another8 ,truly1 are these  
their beliefs8  ,and1 again1 he would   
read how that riches are an offence to  
righteousness3 hardly shall a rich man  
enter into the kingdom of ,god4 ,he     
would read how the ,teacher lived the   
life of the poorest among us1 and taught
 always that riches were to be avoided4 
,and then he would go forth and observe 
a people daily fighting and struggling  
to add field to field1 coin to coin1    
till death comes and ends the fight4 ,he
 would see everywhere wealth held in    
great estimation2 he would see the very 
children urged to do well1 to make      
money1 to struggle1 to rise in the      
world4 ,he would see the lives of men   
who have become rich held up as examples
 to be followed4 ,he would see the      
ministers who taught the ,book with fair

 incomes ranking themselves1 not with   
the poor1 but with the middle classes2  
he would see the dignitaries of the     
,church--the men who lead the way to    
heaven--among the wealthy of the land4  
,and he would wonder4 ,is it true1 he   
would say to himself1 that these people 
believe that riches are an evil thing8  
,whence1 then1 come their acts1 for     
their acts seem to show that they hold  
riches to be a good thing8 ,what is to  
be accepted as their belief3 the ,book  
they say they believe1 which condemns   
riches1 or their acts1 by which they    
show that they hold that wealth is a    
good thing--ay1 and if used according to
 their ideas of right1 a very good thing
 indeed8  ,so1 it seemed to me1 would a 
,burman be puzzled if he came to us to  
find out our belief2 and as the         
,burman's difficulty in ,england was1   
mutatis mutandis1 mine in ,burma1 ,i set
 to work to think the matter out4 ,how  
were the beliefs of a people to be      
known1 and why should there be such     

difficulties in the way8 ,if ,i could   
understand how it was with us1 it might 
help me to know how it was with them4   
,and ,i have thought that the difficulty
 arises from the fact that there are two
 ways of seeing a religion--from within 
and from without--and that these are as 
different as can possibly be4 ,it is    
because we forget there are the two     
standpoints that we fall into error4    
,in every religion1 to the believers in 
it1 the crown and glory of their creed  
is that it is a revelation of truth1 a  
lifting of the veil1 behind which every 
man born into this mystery desires to   
look4  ,they are sure1 these believers1 
that they have the truth1 that they     
alone have the truth1 and that it has   
come direct from where alone truth can  
live4 ,they believe that in their       
religion alone lies safety for man from 
the troubles of this world and from the 
terrors and threats of the next1 and    
that those alone who follow its teaching
 will reach happiness hereafter1 if not 

here4 ,they believe1 too1 that this     
truth only requires to be known to be   
understood and accepted of all men2 that
 as the sun requires no witness of its  
warmth1 so the truth requires no        
evidence of its truth4  ,it is to them  
so eternally true1 so matchless in      
beauty1 so convincing in itself1 that   
adherents of all other creeds have but  
to hear it pronounced and they must     
believe4 ,so1 then1 the question1 ,how  
do you know that your faith is true8 is 
as vain and foolish as the cry of the   
wind in an empty house4 ,and if they be 
asked wherein lies their religion1 they 
will produce their sacred books1 and    
declare that in them is contained the   
whole matter4 ,here is the very word of 
truth1 herein is told the meaning of all
 things1 herein alone lies              
righteousness4 ,this1 they say1 is their
 faith3 that they believe in every line 
of it1 this truth from everlasting to   
everlasting1 and that its precepts1 and 
none other1 can be held by him who seeks

 to be a sincere believer4 ,and to these
 believers the manifestation of their   
faith is that its believers attain      
salvation hereafter4 ,but as that is in 
the next world1 if the unbeliever ask   
what is the manifestation in this1 the  
believers will answer him that the true 
mark and sign whereby a man may be known
 to hold the truth is the observance of 
certain forms1 the performance of       
certain ceremonies1 more or less        
mystical1 more or less symbolical1 of   
some esoteric meaning4 ,that a man      
should be baptized1 should wear certain 
marks on his forehead1 should be        
accepted with certain rites1 is         
generally the outward and visible sign  
of a believer1 and the badge whereby    
others of the same faith have known     
their fellows4  ,it has never been      
possible for any religion to make the   
acts and deeds of its followers the test
 of their belief4 ,and for these        
reasons3 that it is a test no one could 
apply1 and that if anyone were to       

attempt to apply it1 there would soon be
 no ,church at all4 ,for to no one is it
 given to be able to observe in their   
entirety all the precepts of their      
prophet1 whoever that prophet may be4   
,all must fail1 some more and some less1
 but generally more1 and thus all would 
fall from the faith at some time or     
another1 and there would be no ,church  
left4 ,and so another test has been made
 necessary4 ,if from his weakness a man 
cannot keep these precepts1 yet he can  
declare his belief in and his desire to 
keep them1 and here is a test that can  
be applied4 ,certain rites have been    
instituted1 and it has been laid down   
that those who by their submission to   
these rites show their belief in the    
truth and their desire to follow that   
truth as far as in them lies1 shall be  
called the followers of the faith4 ,so  
in time it has come about that these    
ceremonial rites have been held to be   
the true and only sign of the believer1 
and the fact that they were but to be   

the earnest of the beginning and living 
of a new life has become less and less  
remembered1 till it has faded into      
nothingness4 ,instead of the life being 
the main thing1 and being absolutely    
necessary to give value and emphasis to 
the belief1 it has come to pass that it 
is the belief1 and the acceptance of the
 belief1 that has been held to hallow   
the life and excuse and palliate its    
errors4  ,thus of every religion is this
 true1 that its essence is a belief that
 certain doctrines are revelations of   
eternal truth1 and that the fruit of    
this truth is the observance of certain 
forms4 ,morality and works may or may   
not follow1 but they are immaterial     
compared with the other4 ,this1 put     
shortly1 is the view of every believer4 
,but to him who does not believe in a   
faith1 who views it from without1 from  
the standpoint of another faith1 the    
whole view is changed1 the whole        
perspective altered4 ,those landmarks   
which to one within the circle seem to  

stand out and overtop the world are to  
the eyes of him without dwarfed often   
into insignificance1 and other points   
rise into importance4  ,for the outsider
 judges a religion as he judges         
everything else in this world4 ,he      
cannot begin by accepting it as the only
 revelation of truth2 he cannot proceed 
from the unknown to the known1 but the  
reverse4 ,first of all1 he tries to     
learn what the beliefs of the people    
really are1 and then he judges from     
their lives what value this religion has
 to them4 ,he looks to acts as proofs of
 beliefs1 to lives as the ultimate      
effects of thoughts4 ,and he finds out  
very quickly that the sacred books of a 
people can never be taken as showing    
more than approximately their real      
beliefs4 ,always through the embroidery 
of the new creed he will find the       
foundation of an older faith1 of older  
faiths1 perhaps1 and below these1 again1
 other beliefs that seem to be part of  
no system1 but to be the outcome of the 

great fear that is in the world4  ,the  
more he searches1 the more he will be   
sure that there is only one guide to a  
man's faith1 to his soul1 and that is   
not any book or system he may profess to
 believe1 but the real system that he   
follows--that is to say1 that a man's   
beliefs can be known even to himself    
from his acts only4 ,for it is futile to
 say that a man believes in one thing   
and does another4 ,that is not a belief 
at all4 ,a man may cheat himself1 and   
say it is1 but in his heart he knows    
that it is not4 ,a belief is not a      
proposition to be assented to1 and then 
put away and forgotten4 ,it is always in
 our minds1 and for ever in our         
thoughts4 ,it guides our every action1  
it colours our whole life4 ,it is not   
for a day1 but for ever4 ,when we have  
learnt that a cobra's bite is death1 we 
do not put the belief away in a         
pigeon-hole of our minds1 there to rust 
for ever unused1 nor do we go           
straightway and pick up the first deadly

 snake that we see4 ,we remember it     
always2 we keep it as a guiding         
principle of our daily lives4  ,a belief
 is a strand in the cord of our lives1  
that runs through every fathom of it1   
from the time that it is first twisted  
among the others till the time when that
 life shall end4 ,and as it is thus     
impossible for the onlooker to accept   
from adherents of a creed a definition  
of what they really believe1 so it is   
impossible for him to acknowledge the   
forms and ceremonies of which they speak
 as the real manifestations of their    
creed4  ,it seems to the onlooker       
indifferent that men should be dipped in
 water or not1 that they should have    
their heads shaved or wear long hair4   
,any belief that is worth considering at
 all must have results more important to
 its believers1 more valuable to        
mankind1 than such signs as these4 ,it  
is true that of the great sign of all1  
that the followers of a creed attain    
heaven hereafter1 he cannot judge4 ,he  

can only tell of what he sees4 ,this may
 or may not be true2 but surely1 if it  
be true1 there must be some sign of it  
here on earth beyond forms4 ,a religion 
that fits a soul for the hereafter will 
surely begin by fitting it for the      
present1 he will think4 ,and it will    
show that it does so otherwise than by  
ceremonies4  ,for forms and ceremonies  
that have no fruit in action are not    
marks of a living truth1 but of a dead  
dogma4 ,there is but little thought of  
forms to him whose heart is full of the 
teaching of his ,master1 who has ,his   
words within his heart1 and whose soul  
is full of ,his love4 ,it is when       
beliefs die1 and love has faded into    
indifference1 that forms are necessary1 
for to the living no monument is needed1
 but to the dead4 ,forms and ceremonies 
are but the tombs of dead truths1 put up
 to their memory to recall to those who 
have never known them that they         
lived--and died--long ago4  ,and because
 men do not seek for signs of the living

 among the graveyards of the dead1 so it
 is not among the ceremonies of         
religions that we shall find the        
manifestations of living beliefs4  ,it  
is from the standpoint of this outsider 
that ,i have looked at and tried to     
understand the soul of the ,burmese     
people4 ,when ,i have read or heard of a
 teaching of ,buddhism1 ,i have always  
taken it to the test of the daily life  
of the people to see whether it was a   
living belief or no4 ,i have accepted   
just so much as ,i could find the people
 have accepted1 such as they have taken 
into their hearts to be with them for   
ever4 ,a teaching that has been but a   
teaching or theory1 a vain breath of    
mental assent1 has seemed to me of no   
value at all4 ,the guiding principles of
 their lives1 whether in accordance with
 the teaching of ,buddhism or not1 these
 only have seemed to me worthy of       
inquiry or understanding4 ,what ,i have 
desired to know is not their minds1 but 
their souls4 ,and as this test of mine  

has obliged me to omit much that will be
 found among the dogmas of ,buddhism1 so
 it has led me to accept many things    
that have no place there at all4 ,for ,i
 have thought that what stirs the heart 
of man is his religion1 whether he calls
 it religion or not4 ,that which makes  
the heart beat and the breath come      
quicker1 love and hate1 and joy and     
sorrow--that has been to me as worthy of
 record as his hopes of a future life4  
,the thoughts that come into the mind of
 the ploughman while he leads his team  
afield in the golden glory of the dawn2 
the dreams that swell and move in the   
heart of the woman when she knows the   
great mystery of a new life2 whither the
 dying man's hopes and fears are        
led--these have seemed to me the        
religion of the people as well as       
doctrines of the unknown4 ,for are not  
these1 too1 of the very soul of the     
people8     ,,chapter ,,ii  ,,he ,,who  
,,found ,,the ,,light--,i       ',he who
 pointed out the way to those that had  

lost it4'                               
,life of the ,buddha4   ,the life-story 
of ,prince ,theiddatha1 who saw the     
light and became the ,buddha twenty-five
 centuries ago1 has been told in        
,english many times4 ,it has been told  
in translations from the ,pali1 from    
,burmese1 and from ,chinese1 and now    
everyone has read it4 ,the writers1 too1
 of these books have been men of great  
attainments1 of untiring industry in    
searching out all that can be known of  
this life1 of gifts such as ,i cannot   
aspire to4 ,there is now nothing new to 
learn of those long past days1 nothing  
fresh for me to tell1 no discovery that 
can be made4 ,yet in thinking out what  
,i have to say about the religion of the
 ,burmese1 ,i have found that ,i must   
tell again some of the life of the      
,buddha1 ,i must rewrite this           
ten-times-told tale1 of which ,i know   
nothing new4 ,and the reason is this3   
that although ,i know nothing that      
previous writers have not known1        

although ,i cannot bring to the task    
anything like their knowledge1 yet ,i   
have something to say that they have not
 said4 ,for they have written of him as 
they have learned from books1 whereas ,i
 want to write of him as ,i have learned
 from men4 ,their knowledge has been    
taken from the records of the dead past1
 whereas mine is from the actualities of
 the living present4  ,i do not mean    
that the ,buddha of the sacred books and
 the ,buddha of the ,burman's belief are
 different persons4 ,they are the same4 
,but as ,i found it with their faith1 so
 ,i find it with the life of their      
teacher4 ,the ,burmese regard the life  
of the ,buddha from quite a different   
standpoint to that of an outsider1 and  
so it has to them quite a different     
value1 quite a different meaning1 to    
that which it has to the student of     
history4 ,for to the writer who studies 
the life of the ,buddha with a view     
merely to learn what that life was1 and 
to criticise it1 everything is very     

different to what it is to the ,buddhist
 who studies that life because he loves 
it and admires it1 and because he       
desires to follow it4 ,to the former the
 whole detail of every portion of the   
life of the ,buddha1 every word of his  
teaching1 every act of his ministry1 is 
sought out and compared and considered4 
,legend is compared with legend1 and    
tradition with tradition1 that out of   
many authorities some clue to the actual
 fact may be found4 ,but to the         
,buddhist the important parts in the    
great teacher's life are those acts1    
those words1 that appeal directly to    
him1 that stand out bravely1 lit with   
the light of his own experiences and    
feelings1 that assist him in living his 
own life4 ,his ,buddha is the ,buddha he
 understands1 and who understood and    
sympathized with such as him4 ,other    
things may be true1 but they are matters
 of indifference4  ,to hear of the      
,buddha from living lips in this        
country1 which is full of his influence1

 where the spire of his monastery marks 
every village1 and where every man has  
at one time or another been his monk1 is
 quite a different thing to reading of  
him in far countries1 under other skies 
and swayed by other thoughts4 ,to sit in
 the monastery garden in the dusk1 in   
just such a tropic dusk as he taught in 
so many years ago1 and hear the         
yellow-robed monk tell of that life1 and
 repeat his teaching of love1 and       
charity1 and compassion--eternal love1  
perfect charity1 endless                
compassion--until the stars come out in 
the purple sky1 and the silver-voiced   
gongs ring for evening prayers1 is a    
thing never to be forgotten4 ,as you    
watch the starlight die and the far-off 
hills fade into the night1 as the sounds
 about you still1 and the calm silence  
of the summer night falls over the whole
 earth1 you know and understand the     
teacher of the ,great ,peace as no words
 can tell you4 ,a sympathy comes to you 
from the circle of believers1 and you   

believe1 too4 ,an influence and an      
understanding breathes from the nature  
about you--the same nature that the     
teacher saw--from the whispering        
fig-trees and the scented champaks1 and 
the dimly seen statues in the shadows of
 the shrines1 that you can never gain   
elsewhere4 ,and as the monks tell you   
the story of that great life1 they bring
 it home to you with reflection and     
comment1 with application to your       
everyday existence1 till you forget that
 he of whom they speak lived so long    
ago1 so very long ago1 and your heart is
 filled with sorrow when you remember   
that he is dead1 that he is entered into
 his peace4  ,i do not hope that ,i can 
convey much of this in my writing4 ,i   
always feel the hopelessness of trying  
to put on paper the great thoughts1 the 
intense feeling1 of which ,buddhism is  
so full4 ,but still ,i can1 perhaps1    
give something of this life as ,i have  
heard it1 make it a little more living  
than it has been to us1 catch some      

little of that spirit of sympathy that  
it holds for all the world4  ,around the
 life of the ,buddha has gathered much  
myth1 like dust upon an ancient statue1 
like shadows upon the mountains far     
away1 blurring detail here and there1   
and hiding the beauty4 ,there are all   
sorts of stories of the great portents  
that foretold his coming3 how the sun   
and the stars knew1 and how the wise men
 prophesied4 ,marvels attended his      
birth1 and miracles followed him in life
 and in death4 ,and the appearance of   
the miraculous has even been heightened 
by the style of the chroniclers in      
telling us of his mental conflicts3 by  
the personification of evil in the      
spirit ,man1 and of desire in his three 
beautiful daughters4  ,all the teacher's
 thoughts1 all his struggles1 are       
materialized into forms1 that they may  
be more readily brought home to the     
reader1 that they may be more clearly   
realized by a primitive people as actual
 conflicts4  ,therefore at first sight  

it seems that of all creeds none is so  
full of miracle1 so teeming with the    
supernatural1 as ,buddhism1 which is1   
indeed1 the very reverse of the truth4  
,for to the supernatural ,buddhism owes 
nothing at all4 ,it is in its very      
essence opposed to all that goes beyond 
what we can see of earthly laws1 and    
miracle is never used as evidence of the
 truth of any dogma or of any doctrine4 
,if every supernatural occurrence were  
wiped clean out of the chronicles of the
 faith1 ,buddhism would1 even to the    
least understanding of its followers1   
remain exactly where it is4 ,not in one 
jot or tittle would it suffer in the    
authority of its teaching4 ,the great   
figure of the teacher would even gain   
were all the tinsel of the miraculous   
swept from him1 so that he stood forth  
to the world as he lived--would gain not
 only to our eyes1 but even to theirs   
who believe in him4 ,for the ,buddha was
 no prophet4 ,he was no messenger from  
any power above this world1 revealing   

laws of that power4 ,no one came to     
whisper into his ear the secrets of     
eternity1 and to show him where truth   
lived4 ,in no trance1 in no vision1 did 
he enter into the presence of the       
,unknown1 and return from thence full of
 the wisdom of another world2 neither   
did he teach the worship of any god1 of 
any power4 ,he breathed no threatenings 
of revenge for disobedience1 of         
forgiveness for the penitent4 ,he held  
out no everlasting hell to those who    
refused to follow him1 no easily gained 
heaven to his believers4  ,he went out  
to seek wisdom1 as many a one has done1 
looking for the laws of ,god with clear 
eyes to see1 with a pure heart to       
understand1 and after many troubles1    
after many mistakes1 after much         
suffering1 he came at last to the truth4
  ,even as ,newton sought for the laws  
of ,god in the movement of the stars1 in
 the falling of a stone1 in the stir of 
the great waters1 so this ,newton of the
 spiritual world sought for the secrets 

of life and death1 looking deep into the
 heart of man1 marking its toil1 its    
suffering1 its little joys1 with a soul 
attuned to catch every quiver of the    
life of the world4 ,and as to ,newton   
truth did not come spontaneously1 did   
not reveal itself to him at his first   
call1 but had to be sought with toil and
 weariness1 till at last he reached it  
where it hid in the heart of all things1
 so it was with the prince4 ,he was not 
born with the knowledge in him1 but had 
to seek it as every other man has done4 
,he made mistakes as other men do4 ,he  
wasted time and labour following wrong  
roads1 demonstrating to himself the     
foolishness of many thoughts4 ,but1     
never discouraged1 he sought on till he 
found1 and what he found he gave as a   
heritage to all men for ever1 that the  
way might be easier for them than it had
 been for him4  ,nothing is more clear  
than this3 that to the ,buddhist his    
teacher was but a man like himself1     
erring and weak1 who made himself       

perfect1 and that even as his teacher   
has done1 so1 too1 may he if he do but  
observe the everlasting laws of life    
which the ,buddha has shown to the      
world4 ,these laws are as immutable as  
,newton's laws1 and come1 like his1 from
 beyond our ken4  ,and this1 too1 is    
another point wherein the parallel with 
,newton will help us3 that just as when 
,newton discovered gravitation he was   
obliged to stop1 for his knowledge of   
that did not lead him at once to the    
knowledge of the infinite1 so when he   
had attained the laws of righteousness1 
,gaudama the ,buddha also stopped1      
because here his standing-ground failed4
 ,it is not true1 that which has been   
imputed to the ,buddha by those who have
 never tried to understand him--that he 
denied some power greater than          
ourselves2 that because he never tried  
to define the indefinite1 to confine the
 infinite within the corners of a       
phrase1 therefore his creed was         
materialistic4 ,we do not say of ,newton

 that he was an atheist because when he 
taught us of gravity he did not go      
further and define to us in equations   
,him who made gravity2 and as we        
understand more of the ,buddha1 as we   
search into life and consider his       
teaching1 as we try to think as he      
thought1 and to see as he saw1 we       
understand that he stopped as ,newton   
stopped1 because he had come to the end 
of all that he could see1 not because he
 declared that he knew all things1 and  
that beyond his knowledge there was     
nothing4  ,no teacher more full of      
reverence1 more humble than ,gaudama the
 ,buddha ever lived to be an example to 
us through all time4 ,he tells us of    
what he knows2 of what he knows not he  
is silent4 ,of the laws that he can see1
 the great sequences of life to death1  
of evil to sorrow1 of goodness to       
happiness1 he tells in burning words4   
,of the beginning and the end of the    
world1 of the intentions and the ways of
 the great ,unknown1 he tells us nothing

 at all4 ,he is no prophet1 as we       
understand the word1 but a man2 and all 
that is divine in him beyond what there 
is in us is that he hated the darkness  
and sought the light1 sought and was not
 dismayed1 and at last he found4  ,and  
yet nothing could be further from the   
truth than to call the ,buddha a        
philosopher and ,buddhism a philosophy4 
,whatever he was1 he was no philosopher4
 ,although he knew not any god1 although
 he rested his claims to be heard upon  
the fact that his teachings were clear  
and understandable1 that you were not   
required to believe1 but only to open   
your eyes and see1 and 'his delight was 
in the contemplation of unclouded       
truth1' yet he was far from a           
philosopher4 ,his was not an appeal to  
our reason1 to our power of putting two 
and two together and making five of     
them2 his teachings were no curious     
designs woven with words1 the counters  
of his thought4 ,he appealed to the     
heart1 not to the brain2 to our         

feelings1 not to our power of arranging 
these feelings4 ,he drew men to him by  
love and reverence1 and held them so for
 ever4 ,love and charity and compassion1
 endless compassion1 are the foundations
 of his teachings2 and his followers    
believe in him because they have seen in
 him the just man made perfect1 and     
because he has shown to them the way in 
which all men may become even as he is4 
,he was a prince in a little kingdom in 
the ,northeast of ,india1 the son of    
,king ,thudoodana and his wife ,maia4   
,he was strong1 we are told1 and        
handsome1 famous in athletic exercises1 
and his father looked forward to the    
time when he should be grown a great    
man1 and a leader of armies4 ,his       
father's ambition for him was that he   
should be a great conqueror1 that he    
should lead his troops against the      
neighbouring kings and overcome them1   
and in time make for himself a          
wide-stretching empire4 ,india was in   
those days1 as in many later ones1 split

 up into little kingdoms1 divided from  
each other by no natural boundary1      
overlooked by no sovereign power1 and   
always at war4 ,and the king1 as fathers
 are1 was full of dreams that this son  
of his should subdue all ,india to      
himself1 and be the glory of his        
dynasty1 and the founder of a great     
race4  ,everything seemed to fall in    
with the desire of the king4 ,the prince
 grew up strong and valiant1 skilled in 
action1 wise in counsel1 so that all his
 people were proud of him4 ,everything  
fell in with the desire of the king     
except the prince himself1 for instead  
of being anxious to fight1 to conquer   
other countries1 to be a great leader of
 armies1 his desires led him away from  
all this4 ,even as a boy he was         
meditative and given to religious       
musings1 and as he grew up he became    
more and more confirmed in his wish to  
know of sacred things1 more and more an 
inquirer into the mysteries of life4    
,he was taught all the faith of those   

days1 a faith so old that we do not know
 whence it came4 ,he was brought up to  
believe that life is immortal1 that no  
life can ever utterly die4 ,he was      
taught that all life is one2 that there 
is not one life of the beasts and one   
life of men1 but that all life was one  
glorious unity1 one great essence coming
 from the ,unknown4 ,man is not a thing 
apart from this world1 but of it4 ,as   
man's body is but the body of beasts1   
refined and glorified1 so the soul of   
man is but a higher stage of the soul of
 beasts4 ,life is a great ladder4 ,at   
the bottom are the lower forms of       
animals1 and some way up is man2 but all
 are climbing upwards for ever1 and     
sometimes1 alas6 falling back4          
,existence is for each man a great      
struggle1 punctuated with many deaths2  
and each death ends one period but to   
allow another to begin1 to give us a new
 chance of working up and gaining       
heaven4  ,he was taught that this ladder
 is very high1 that its top is very far 

away1 above us1 out of our sight1 and   
that perfection and happiness lie up    
there1 and that we must strive to reach 
them4 ,the greatest man1 even the       
greatest king1 was farther below        
perfection than an animal was below him4
 ,we are very near the beasts1 but very 
far from heaven4 ,so he was taught to   
remember that even as a very great      
prince he was but a weak and erring     
soul1 and that unless he lived well1 and
 did honest deeds1 and was a true man1  
instead of rising he might fall4  ,this 
teaching appealed to the prince far more
 than all the urging of his father and  
of the courtiers that he should strive  
to become a great conqueror4 ,it entered
 into his very soul1 and his continual  
thought was how he was to be a better   
man1 how he was to use this life of his 
so that he should gain and not lose1 and
 where he was to find happiness4  ,all  
the pomp and glory of the palace1 all   
its luxury and ease1 appealed to him    
very little4 ,even in his early youth he

 found but little pleasure in it1 and he
 listened more to those who spoke of    
holiness than to those who spoke of war4
 ,he desired1 we are told1 to become a  
hermit1 to cast off from him his state  
and dignity1 and to put on the yellow   
garments of a mendicant1 and beg his    
bread wandering up and down upon the    
world1 seeking for peace4  ,this        
disposition of the prince grieved his   
parents very much4 ,that their son1 who 
was so full of promise1 so brave and so 
strong1 so wise and so much beloved by  
everyone1 should become a mendicant clad
 in unclean garments1 begging his daily 
food from house to house1 seemed to them
 a horrible thing4 ,it could never be   
permitted that a prince should disgrace 
himself in this way4 ,every effort must 
be taken to eradicate such ideas2 after 
all1 it was but the melancholy of youth1
 and it would pass4 ,so stringent orders
 were given to distract his mind in     
every way from solemn thoughts1 to      
attempt by a continued round of pleasure

 and luxury to attract him to more      
worldly things4 ,and when he was        
eighteen he was married to his cousin   
,yathodaya1 in the hope that in marriage
 and paternity he might forget his      
desire to be a hermit1 might feel that  
love was better than wisdom4 ,and if    
,yathodaya had been other than she      
was--who can tell8--perhaps after all   
the king might have succeeded2 but it   
was not to be so4 ,for to ,yathodaya1   
too1 life was a very solemn thing1 not  
to be thrown away in laughter and       
frivolity1 but to be used as a great    
gift worthy of all care4 ,to the prince 
in his trouble there came a kindred     
soul1 and though from the palace all the
 teachers of religion1 all who would    
influence the prince against the desires
 of his father1 were banished1 yet      
,yathodaya more than made up to him for 
all he had lost4 ,for nearly ten years  
they lived together there such a life as
 princes led in those days in the ,east1
 not1 perhaps1 so very different from   

what they lead now4  ,and all that time 
the prince had been gradually making up 
his mind1 slowly becoming sure that life
 held something better than he had yet  
found1 hardening his determination that 
he must leave all that he had and go out
 into the world looking for peace4      
,despite all the efforts of the king his
 father1 despite the guards and his     
young men companions1 despite the beauty
 of the dancing-girls1 the mysteries of 
life came home to him1 and he was       
afraid4 ,it is a beautiful story told in
 quaint imagery how it was that the     
knowledge of sickness and of death came 
to him1 a horror stalking amid the      
glories of his garden4 ,he learnt1 and  
he understood1 that he too would grow   
old1 would fall sick1 would die4 ,and   
beyond death8 ,there was the fear1 and  
no one could allay it4 ,daily he grew   
more and more discontented with his life
 in the palace1 more and more averse to 
the pleasures that were around him4     
,deeper and deeper he saw through the   

laughing surface to the depths that lay 
beneath4 ,silently all these thoughts   
ripened in his mind1 till at last the   
change came4 ,we are told that the end  
came suddenly1 the resolve was taken in 
a moment4 ,the lake fills and fills     
until at length it overflows1 and in a  
night the dam is broken1 and the pent-up
 waters are leaping far towards the sea4
  ,as the prince returned from his last 
drive in his garden with resolve firmly 
established in his heart1 there came to 
him the news that his wife had borne to 
him a son4 ,wife and child1 his cup of  
desire was now full4 ,but his resolve   
was unshaken4 ',see1 here is another    
tie1 alas6 a new and stronger tie that  
,i must break1' he said2 but he never   
wavered4  ,that night the prince left   
the palace4 ,silently in the dead of    
night he left all the luxury about him1 
and went out secretly with only his     
faithful servant1 ,maung ,san1 to saddle
 for him his horse and lead him forth4  
,only before he left he looked in       

cautiously to see ,yathodaya1 the young 
wife and mother4 ,she was lying asleep1 
with one hand upon the face of her      
firstborn1 and the prince was afraid to 
go further4 ',to see him1' he said1 ',i 
must remove the hand of his mother1 and 
she may awake2 and if she awake1 how    
shall ,i depart8 ,i will go1 then1      
without seeing my son4 ,later on1 when  
all these passions are faded from my    
heart1 when ,i am sure of myself1       
perhaps then ,i shall be able to see    
him4 ,but now ,i must go4'  ,so he went 
forth very silently and very sadly1 and 
leapt upon his horse--the great white   
horse that would not neigh for fear of  
waking the sleeping guards--and the     
prince and his faithful noble ,maung    
,san went out into the night4 ,he was   
only twenty-eight when he fled from all 
his world1 and what he sought was this3 
',deliverance for men from the misery of
 life1 and the knowledge of the truth   
that will lead them unto the ,great     
,peace4'  ,this is the great            

renunciation4  ,i have often talked     
about this with the monks and others1   
often heard them speak about this great 
renunciation1 of this parting of the    
prince and his wife4  ',you see1' said a
 monk once to me1 'he was not yet the   
,buddha1 he had not seen the light1 only
 he was desirous to look for it4 ,he was
 just a prince1 just a man like any     
other man1 and he was very fond of his  
wife4 ,it is very hard to resist a woman
 if she loves you and cries1 and if you 
love her4 ,so he was afraid4'  ,and when
 ,i said that ,yathodaya was also       
religious1 and had helped him in his    
thoughts1 and that surely she would not 
have stopped him1 the monk shook his    
head4  ',women are not like that1' he   
said4  ,and a woman said to me once3    
',surely she was very much to be pitied 
because her husband went away from her  
and her baby4 ,do you think that when   
she talked religion with her husband she
 ever thought that it would cause him to
 leave her and go away for ever8 ,if she

 had thought that1 she would never have 
done as she did4 ,a woman would never   
help anything to sever her husband from 
her1 not even religion4 ,and when after 
ten years a baby had come to her6       
,surely she was very much to be pitied4'
 ,this woman made me understand that the
 highest religion of a woman is the true
 love of her husband1 of her children2  
and what is it to her if she gain the   
whole world1 but lose that which she    
would have8  ,all the story of          
,yathodaya and her dealings with her    
husband is full of the deepest pathos1  
full of passionate protest against her  
loss1 even in order that her husband and
 all the world should gain4 ,she would  
have held him1 if she could1 against the
 world1 and deemed that she did well4   
,and so1 though it is probable that it  
was a great deal owing to ,yathodaya's  
help1 to her sympathy1 to her support in
 all his difficulties1 that ,gaudama    
came to his final resolve to leave the  
world and seek for the truth1 yet she   

acted unwittingly of what would be the  
end4  ',she did not know1' said the     
woman4 ',she helped her husband1 but she
 did not know to what4 ,and when she was
 ill1 when she was giving birth to her  
baby1 then her husband left her4 ,surely
 she was very much to be pitied4'  ,and 
so ,yathodaya1 the wife of the ,prince  
,gaudama1 who became the ,buddha1 is    
held in high honour1 in great esteem1 by
 all ,buddhists4 ,by the men1 because   
she helped her husband to his resolve to
 seek for the truth1 because she had    
been his great stay and help when       
everyone was against him1 because if    
there had been no ,yathodaya there had  
been perchance no ,buddha4 ,and by the  
women--,i need not say why she is       
honoured by all women4 ,if ever there   
was a story that appealed to woman's    
heart1 surely it is this3 her love1 her 
abandonment1 her courage1 her submission
 when they met again in after-years1 her
 protest against being sacrificed upon  
the altar of her husband's religion4    

,truly1 it is all of the very essence of
 humanity4 ,whenever the story of the   
,buddha comes to be written1 then will  
be written also the story of the life of
 ,yathodaya his wife4 ,if one is full of
 wisdom and teaching1 the other is full 
of suffering and teaching also4 ,i      
cannot write it here4 ,i have so much to
 say on other matters that there is no  
room4 ,but some day it will be written1 
,i trust1 this old message to a new     
world4     ,,chapter ,,iii  ,,he ,,who  
,,found ,,the ,,light--,,ii       ',he  
who never spake but good and wise words1
 he who was the light      of the world1
 has found too soon the                 
,peace4'--,lament on the death      of  
the ,buddha4   ,the prince rode forth   
into the night1 and as he went1 even in 
the first flush of his resolve1         
temptation came to him4 ,as the night   
closed behind he remembered all he was  
leaving3 he remembered his father and   
his mother2 his heart was full of his   
wife and child4  ',return6' said the    

devil to him4 ',what seek you here8     
,return1 and be a good son1 a good      
husband1 a good father4 ,remember all   
that you are leaving to pursue vain     
thoughts4 ,you1 a great man--you might  
be a great king1 as your father         
wishes--a mighty conqueror of nations4  
,the night is very dark1 and the world  
before you is very empty4'  ,the        
prince's heart was full of bitterness at
 the thought of those he loved1 of all  
that he was losing4 ,yet he never       
wavered4 ,he would not even turn to look
 his last on the great white city lying 
in a silver dream behind him4 ,he set   
his face upon his way1 trampling beneath
 him every worldly consideration1       
despising a power that was but vanity   
and illusion2 he went on into the dark4 
,presently he came to a river1 the      
boundary of his father's kingdom1 and   
here he stopped4 ,then the prince turned
 to ,maung ,san1 and told him that he   
must return4 ,beyond the river lay for  
the prince the life of a holy man1 who  

needed neither servant nor horse1 and   
,maung ,san must return4 ,all his       
prayers were in vain2 his supplications 
that he might be allowed to follow his  
master as a disciple2 his protestations 
of eternal faith4 ,no1 he must return2  
so ,maung ,san went back with the horse1
 and the prince was alone4  ,as he      
waited there alone by the river1 alone  
in the dark waiting for the dawn ere he 
could cross1 alone with his own fears   
and thoughts1 doubt came to him again4  
,he doubted if he had done right1       
whether he should ever find the light1  
whether1 indeed1 there was any light to 
find1 and in his doubt and distress he  
asked for a sign4 ,he desired that it   
might be shown to him whether all his   
efforts would be in vain or not1 whether
 he should ever win in the struggle that
 was before him4 ,we are told that the  
sign came to him1 and he knew that1     
whatever happened1 in the end all would 
go well1 and he would find that which he
 sought4  ,so he crossed the river out  

of his father's kingdom into a strange  
country1 and he put on the garment of a 
recluse1 and lived as they did4  ,he    
sought his bread as they did1 going from
 house to house for the broken victuals1
 which he collected in a bowl1 retiring 
to a quiet spot to eat4  ,the first time
 he collected this strange meal and     
attempted to eat1 his very soul rose    
against the distastefulness of the mess4
 ,he who had been a prince1 and         
accustomed to the very best of          
everything1 could not at first bring    
himself to eat such fare1 and the       
struggle was bitter4 ,but in the end    
here1 too1 he conquered4 ',was ,i not   
aware1' he said1 with bitter indignation
 at his weakness1 'that when ,i became a
 recluse ,i must eat such food as this8 
,now is the time to trample upon the    
appetite of nature4' ,he took up his    
bowl1 and ate with a good appetite1 and 
the fight had never to be fought again4 
,so in the fashion of those days he     
became a seeker after truth4 ,men1 then1

 when they desired to find holiness1 to 
seek for that which is better than the  
things of this world1 had to begin their
 search by an utter repudiation of all  
that which the world holds good4 ,the   
rich and worldly wore handsome garments1
 they would wear rags2 those of the     
world were careful of their personal    
appearance1 they would despise it2 those
 of the world were cleanly1 the hermits 
were filthy2 those of the world were    
decent1 and had a care for outward      
observances1 and so hermits had no care 
for either decency or modesty4 ,the     
world was evil1 surely1 and therefore   
all that the world held good was surely 
evil too4 ,wisdom was to be sought in   
the very opposites of the conventions of
 men4  ,the prince took on him their    
garments1 and went to them to learn from
 all that which they had learnt4 ,he    
went to all the wisest hermits of the   
land1 to those renowned for their wisdom
 and holiness2 and this is what they    
taught him1 this is all the light they  

gave to him who came to them for light4 
',there is1' they said1 'the soul and   
the body of man1 and they are enemies2  
therefore1 to punish the soul1 you must 
destroy and punish the body4 ,all that  
the body holds good is evil to the      
soul4' ,so they purified their souls by 
ceremonies and forms1 by torture and    
starvation1 by nakedness and contempt of
 decency1 by nameless abominations4 ,and
 the young prince studied all their     
teaching1 and essayed to follow their   
example1 and he found it was all of no  
use4 ,here he could find no way to      
happiness1 no raising of the soul to    
higher planes1 but1 rather1 a           
degradation towards the beasts4 ,for    
self-punishment is just as much a       
submission to the flesh as luxury and   
self-indulgence4 ,how can you forget the
 body1 and turn the soul to better      
thoughts1 if you are for ever torturing 
that body1 and thereby keeping it in    
memory8 ,you can keep your lusts just as
 easily before your eyes by useless     

punishment as by indulgence4 ,and how   
can you turn your mind to meditation and
 thought if your body is in suffering8  
,so the prince soon saw that here was   
not the way he wanted4 ,his soul        
revolted from them and their            
austerities1 and he left them4 ,as he   
fathomed the emptiness of his           
counsellors of the palace1 so he        
fathomed the emptiness of the teachers  
of the cave and monastery4 ,if the      
powerful and wealthy were ignorant1     
wisdom was not to be found among the    
poor and feeble1 and he was as far from 
it as when he left the palace4 ,yet he  
did not despair4 ,truth was somewhere1  
he was sure2 it must be found if only it
 be looked for with patience and        
sincerity1 and he would find it4 ,surely
 there was a greater wisdom than mere   
contempt of wealth and comfort1 surely a
 greater happiness than could be found  
in self-torture and hysteria4 ,and so1  
as he could find no one to teach him1 he
 went out into the forest to look for   

truth there4 ,in the great forest where 
no one comes1 where the deer feed and   
the tiger creeps1 he would seek what man
 could not give him4 ,they would know1  
those great trees that had seen a       
thousand rains1 and outlived thirty     
generations of men2 they would know1    
those streams that flashed from the far 
snow summits2 surely the forest and the 
hills1 the dawn and the night1 would    
have something to tell him of the       
secrets of the world4 ,nature can never 
lie1 and here1 far away from the homes  
of men1 he would learn the knowledge    
that men could not give him4 ,with a    
body purified by abstinence1 with a     
heart attuned by solitude1 he would     
listen as the winds talked to the       
mountains in the dusk1 and understand   
the beckoning of the stars4 ,and so1 as 
many others did then and afterwards1 he 
left mankind and went to ,nature for    
help4 ,for six years he lived so in the 
fastnesses of the hills4  ,we are told  
but very little of those six years1 only

 that he was often very lonely1 often   
very sad with the remembrance of all    
whom he had left4 ',think not1' he said 
many years later to a favourite         
disciple--'think not that ,i1 though the
 ,buddha1 have not felt all this even as
 any other of you4 ,was ,i not alone    
when ,i was seeking for wisdom in the   
wilderness8 ,and yet what could ,i have 
gained by wailing and lamentation either
 for myself or for others8 ,would it    
have brought to me any solace from my   
loneliness8 ,would it have been any help
 to those ,i had left8'  ,we are told   
that his fame as a solitary1 as a a man 
who communed with ,nature1 and subdued  
his own lower feelings1 was so great    
that all men knew of it4 ,his fame was  
as a 'bell hung in the canopy of the    
skies1' that all nations heard2 and many
 disciples came to him4 ,but despite all
 his fame among men1 he himself knew    
that he had not yet come to the truth4  
,even the great soul of ,nature had     
failed to tell him what he desired4 ,the

 truth was as far off as ever1 so he    
thought1 and to those that came to him  
for wisdom he had nothing to teach4 ,so1
 at the end of six years1 despairing of 
finding that which he sought1 he entered
 upon a great fast1 and he pushed it to 
such an extreme that at length he       
fainted from sheer exhaustion and       
starvation4  ,when he came to himself he
 recognised that he had failed again4   
,no light had shone upon his dimmed     
eyes1 no revelation had come to him in  
his senselessness4 ,all was as before1  
and the truth--the truth1 where was     
that8  ,for this man was no inspired    
teacher4 ,he had no one to show him the 
way he should go2 he was tried with     
failure1 with failure after failure4 ,he
 learnt as other men learn1 through     
suffering and mistake4 ,here was his    
third failure4 ,the rich had failed him1
 and the poor2 even the voices of the   
hills had not told him of what he would 
know2 the radiant finger of dawn had    
pointed to him no way to happiness4     

,life was just as miserable1 as empty1  
as meaningless1 as before4  ,all that he
 had done was in vain1 and he must try  
again1 must seek out some new way1 if he
 were ever to find that which he sought4
  ,he rose from where he lay1 and took  
his bowl in his hands and went to the   
nearest village1 and ate heartily and   
drank1 and his strength came back to    
him1 and the beauty he had lost         
returned4  ,and then came the final     
blow3 his disciples left him in scorn4  
',behold1' they said to each other1 'he 
has lived through six years of          
mortification and suffering in vain4    
,see1 now1 he goes forth and eats food1 
and assuredly he who does this will     
never attain wisdom4 ,our master's      
search is not after wisdom1 but worldly 
things2 we must look elsewhere for the  
guidance that we seek4'  ,they departed1
 leaving him to bear his disappointment 
alone1 and they went into the solitude  
far away1 to continue in their own way  
and pursue their search after their own 

method4 ,he who was to be the ,buddha   
had failed1 and was alone4  ,to the     
followers of the ,buddha1 to those of   
our brothers who are trying to follow   
his teachings and emulate his example to
 attain a like reward1 can there be any 
greater help than this3 amid the failure
 and despair of our own lives to        
remember that the teacher failed1 even  
as we are doing8 ,if we find the way    
dark and weary1 if our footsteps fail1  
if we wander in wrong paths1 did not he 
do the same8 ,and if we find we have to 
bear sufferings alone1 so had he2 if we 
find no one who can comfort us1 neither 
did he2 as we know in our hearts that we
 stand alone1 to fight with our own     
hands1 so did he4 ,he is no model of    
perfection whom it is hopeless for us to
 imitate1 but a man like ourselves1 who 
failed and fought1 and failed and fought
 again1 and won4 ,and so1 if we fail1 we
 need not despair4 ,did not our teacher 
fail8 ,what he has done1 we can do1 for 
he has told us so4 ,let us be up again  

and be of good heart1 and we1 too1 shall
 win in the end1 even as he did4 ,the   
reward will come in its own good time if
 we strive and faint not4  ,surely this 
comes home to all of our hearts--this   
failure of him who found the light4     
,that he should have won--ah1 well1 that
 is beautiful2 but that he should have  
failed--and failed1 that is what comes  
home to us1 because we too have failed  
many times4 ,can you wonder that his    
followers love him8 ,can you wonder that
 his teaching has come home to them as  
never did teaching elsewhere8 ,i do not 
think it is hard to see why3 it is      
simply because he was a man as we are4  
,had he been other than a man1 had truth
 been revealed to him from the          
beginning1 had he never fought1 had he  
never failed1 do you think that he would
 have held the love of men as he does8  
,i fear1 had it been so1 this people    
would have lacked a soul4  ,his         
disciples left him1 and he was alone4   
,he went away to a great grove of trees 

near by--those beautiful groves of mango
 and palm and fig that are the delight  
of the heart in that land of burning1   
flooding sunshine--and there he slept1  
defeated1 discredited1 and abandoned2   
and there the truth came to him4  ,there
 is a story of how a young wife1 coming 
to offer her little offerings to the    
spirit of the great fig-tree1 saw him1  
and took him for the spirit1 so         
beautiful was his face as he rose4      
,there are spirits in all the great     
trees1 in all the rivers1 in all the    
hills--very beautiful1 very peaceful1   
loving calm and rest4  ,the woman       
thought he was the spirit come down to  
accept her offering1 and she gave it to 
him--the cup of curdled milk--in fear   
and trembling1 and he took it4 ,the     
woman went away again full of hope and  
joy1 and the prince remained in the     
grove4 ,he lived there for forty-nine   
days1 we are told1 under the great      
fig-tree by the river4 ,and the fig-tree
 has become sacred for ever because he  

sat there and because there he found the
 truth4 ,we are told of it all in       
wonderful trope and imagery--of his last
 fight over sin1 and of his victory4    
,there the truth came to him at last out
 of his own heart4 ,he had sought for it
 in men and in ,nature1 and found it    
not1 and1 lo6 it was in his own heart4  
,when his eyes were cleared of          
imaginings1 and his body purified by    
temperance1 then at last he saw1 down in
 his own soul1 what he had sought the   
world over for4 ,every man carries it   
there4 ,it is never dead1 but lives with
 our life1 this light that we seek4 ,we 
darken it1 and turn our faces from it to
 follow strange lights1 to pursue vague 
glimmers in the dark1 and there1 all the
 time1 is the light in each man's own   
heart4 ,darkened it may be1 crusted over
 with our ignorance and sin1 but never  
dead1 never dead1 always burning        
brightly for us when we care to seek for
 it4  ,the truth for each man is in his 
own soul4 ,and so it came at last1 and  

he who saw the light went forth and     
preached it to all the world4 ,he lived 
a long life1 a life full of wonderful   
teaching1 of still more marvellous      
example4 ,all the world loved him4  ,he 
saw again ,yathodaya1 she who had been  
his wife2 he saw his son4 ,now1 when    
passion was dead in him1 he could do    
these things4 ,and ,yathodaya was full  
of despair1 for if all the world had    
gained a teacher1 she had lost a        
husband4 ,so it will be for ever4 ,this 
is the difference between men and women4
 ,she became a nun1 poor soul6 and her  
son--his son--became one of his         
disciples4  ,i do not think it is       
necessary for me to tell much more of   
his life4 ,much has been told already by
 ,professor ,max ,mller and other       
scholars1 who have spared no pains to   
come to the truth of that life4 ,i do   
not wish to say more4 ,so far1 ,i have  
written to emphasize the view which1 ,i 
think1 the ,burmese take of the ,buddha1
 and how he came to his wisdom1 how he  

loved1 and how he died4  ,he died at a  
great age1 full of years and love4 ,the 
story of his death is most beautiful4   
,there is nowhere anything more         
wonderful than how1 at the end of that  
long good life1 he entered into the     
,great ,peace for which he had prepared 
his soul4  ',ananda1' he said to his    
weeping disciple1 'do not be too much   
concerned with what shall remain of me  
when ,i have entered into the ,peace1   
but be rather anxious to practise the   
works that lead to perfection2 put on   
those inward dispositions that will     
enable you also to reach the everlasting
 rest4'  ,and again3  ',when ,i shall   
have left life and am no more seen by   
you1 do not believe that ,i am no longer
 with you4 ,you have the laws that ,i   
have found1 you have my teachings still1
 and in them ,i shall be ever beside    
you4 ,do not1 therefore1 think that ,i  
have left you alone for ever4'  ,and    
before he died3  ',remember1' he said1  
'that life and death are one4 ,never    

forget this4 ,for this purpose have ,i  
gathered you together2 for life and     
death are one4'  ,and so 'the great and 
glorious teacher1' he who never spoke   
but good and wise words1 he who has been
 the light of the world1 entered into   
the ,peace4     ,,chapter ,,iv  ,,the   
,,way ,,to ,,the ,,great ,,peace        
',come to ,me3 ,i teach a doctrine which
 leads to deliverance from all      the 
miseries of life4'--,saying of the      
,buddha4   ,to understand the teaching  
of ,buddhism1 it must be remembered that
 to the ,buddhist1 as to the ,brahmin1  
man's soul is eternal4  ,in other faiths
 and other philosophies this is not so4 
,there the soul is immortal2 it cannot  
die1 but each man's soul appeared newly 
on his birth4 ,its beginning is very    
recent4  ,to the ,buddhist the beginning
 as well as the end is out of our ken4  
,where we came from we cannot know1 but 
certainly the soul that appears in each 
newborn babe is not a new thing4 ,it has
 come from everlasting1 and the present 

life is merely a scene in the endless   
drama of existence4 ,a man's identity1  
the sum of good and of evil tendencies1 
which is his soul1 never dies1 but      
endures for ever4 ,each body is but a   
case wherein the soul is enshrined for  
the time4  ,and the state of that soul1 
whether good predominate in it or evil1 
is purely dependent on that soul's      
thoughts and actions in time past4  ,men
 are not born by chance wise or foolish1
 righteous or wicked1 strong or feeble4 
,a man's condition in life is the       
absolute result of an eternal law that  
as a man sows so shall he reap2 that as 
he reaps so has he sown4  ,therefore1 if
 you find a man's desires naturally     
given towards evil1 it is because he has
 in his past lives educated himself to  
evil4 ,and if he is righteous and       
charitable1 long-suffering and full of  
sympathy1 it is because in his past     
existence he has cultivated these       
virtues2 he has followed goodness1 and  
it has become a habit of his soul4      

,thus is every man his own maker4 ,he   
has no one to blame for his             
imperfections but himself1 no one to    
thank for his virtues but himself4      
,within the unchangeable laws of        
righteousness each man is absolutely the
 creator of himself and of his own      
destiny4 ,it has lain1 and it lies1     
within each man's power to determine    
what manner of man he shall be4 ,nay1 it
 not only lies within his power to do   
so1 but a man must actually mould       
himself4 ,there is no other way in which
 he can develop4  ,every man has had an 
equal chance4 ,if matters are somewhat  
unequal now1 there is no one to blame   
but himself4 ,it is within his power to 
retrieve it1 not perhaps in this short  
life1 but in the next1 maybe1 or the    
next4  ,man is not made perfect all of a
 sudden1 but takes time to grow1 like   
all valuable things4 ,you might as well 
expect to raise a teak-tree in your     
garden in a night as to make a righteous
 man in a day4 ,and thus not only is a  

man the sum of his passions1 his acts   
and his thoughts1 in past time1 but he  
is in his daily life determining his    
future--what sort of man he shall be4   
,every act1 every thought1 has its      
effect1 not only upon the outer world1  
but upon the inner soul4 ,if you follow 
after evil1 it becomes in time a habit  
of your soul4 ,if you follow after good1
 every good act is a beautifying touch  
to your own soul4  ,man is as he has    
made himself2 man will be as he makes   
himself4 ,this is a very simple theory1 
surely4 ,it is not at all difficult to  
understand the ,buddhist standpoint in  
the matter4 ,it is merely the theory of 
evolution applied to the soul1 with this
 difference3 that in its later stages it
 has become a deliberate and a conscious
 evolution1 and not an unconscious one4 
,and the deduction from this is also    
simple4 ,it is true1 says ,buddhism1    
that every man is the architect of      
himself1 that he can make himself as he 
chooses4 ,now1 what every man desires is

 happiness4 ,as a man can form himself  
as he will1 it is within his power to   
make himself happy1 if he only knows    
how4 ,let us therefore carefully        
consider what happiness is1 that we may 
attain it2 what misery is1 that we may  
avoid it4  ,it is a commonplace of many 
religions1 and of many                  
philosophies--nay1 it is the actual base
 upon which they have been built1 that  
this is an evil world4  ,judaism1       
indeed1 thought that the world was      
really a capital place1 and that it was 
worth while doing well in order to enjoy
 it4 ,but most other faiths thought very
 differently4 ,indeed1 the very meaning 
of most religions and philosophies has  
been that they should be refuges from   
the wickedness and unhappiness of the   
world4 ,according to them the world has 
been a very weary world1 full of        
wickedness and of deceit1 of war and    
strife1 of untruth and of hate1 of all  
sorts of evil4  ,the world has been     
wicked1 and man has been unhappy in it4 

',i do not know that any theory has     
usually been propounded to explain why  
this is so4 ,it has been accepted as a  
fact that man is unhappy1 accepted1 ,i  
think1 by most faiths over the world4   
,indeed1 it is the belief that has been1
 one thinks1 the cause of faiths4 ,had  
the world been happy1 surely there had  
been no need of religions4 ,in a summer 
sea1 where is the need of havens8 ,it is
 a generally-accepted fact1 accepted1 as
 ,i have said1 without explanation4 ,but
 the ,buddhist has not been contented to
 leave it so4 ,he has thought that it is
 in the right explanation of this       
cardinal fact that lies all truth4 ,life
 suffers from a disease called misery4  
,he would be free from it4 ,let us1     
then1 says the ,buddhist1 first discover
 the cause of this misery1 and so only  
can we understand how to cure it4' ,it  
is this explanation which is really the 
distinguishing tenet of ,buddhism1 which
 differentiates it from all other faiths
 and all philosophies4  ,the reason1    

says ,buddhism1 why men are unhappy is  
that they are alive4 ,life and sorrow   
are inseparable--nay1 they are one and  
the same thing4 ,the mere fact of being 
alive is a misery4 ,when you have clear 
eyes and discern the truth1 you shall   
see this without a doubt1 says the      
,buddhist4 ,for consider1 ,what man has 
ever sat down and said3 ',now am ,i in  
perfect happiness2 just as ,i now am    
would ,i like to remain for ever and for
 ever without change'8 ,no man has ever 
done so4 ,what men desire is change4    
,they weary of the present1 and desire  
the future2 and when the future comes   
they find it no better than the past4   
,happiness lies in yesterday and in     
to-morrow1 but never in to-day4 ,in     
youth we look forward1 in age we look   
back4 ,what is change but the death of  
the present8 ,life is change1 and change
 is death1 so says the ,buddhist4 ,men  
shudder at and fear death1 and yet death
 and life are the same                  
thing--inseparable1 indistinguishable1  

and one with sorrow4 ,we men who desire 
life are as men athirst and drinking of 
the sea4 ,every drop we drink of the    
poisoned sea of existence urges on men  
surely to greater thirst still4 ,yet we 
drink on blindly1 and say that we are   
athirst4  ,this is the explanation of   
,buddhism4 ,the world is unhappy because
 it is alive1 because it does not see   
that what it should strive for is not   
life1 not change and hurry and          
discontent and death1 but peace--the    
,great ,peace4 ,there is the goal to    
which a man should strive4  ,see now how
 different it is from the ,christian    
theory4 ,in ,christianity there are two 
lives--this and the next4 ,the present  
is evil1 because it is under the empire 
of the devil--the world1 the flesh1 and 
the devil4 ,the next will be beautiful1 
because it is under the reign of ,god1  
and the devil cannot intrude4  ,but     
,buddhism acknowledges only one life--an
 existence that has come from the       
forever1 that may extend to the forever4

 ,if this life is evil1 then is all life
 evil1 and happiness can live but in    
peace1 in surcease from the troubles of 
this weary world4 ,if1 then1 a man      
desire happiness--and in all faiths that
 is the desired end--he must strive to  
attain peace4 ,this1 again1 is not a    
difficult idea to understand4 ,it seems 
to me so simple that1 when once it has  
been listened to1 it may be understood  
by a child4 ,i do not say believed and  
followed1 but understood4 ,belief is a  
different matter4 ',the law is deep2 it 
is difficult to know and to believe it4 
,it is very sublime1 and can be         
comprehended only by means of earnest   
meditation1' for ,buddhism is not a     
religion of children1 but of men4  ,this
 is the doctrine that has caused        
,buddhism to be called pessimism4       
,taught1 as we have been taught1 to     
believe that life and death are         
antagonistic1 that life in the world to 
come is beautiful1 that death is a      
horror1 it seems to us terrible to think

 that it is indeed our very life itself 
that is the evil to be eradicated1 and  
that life and death are the same4 ,but  
to those that have seen the truth1 and  
believed it1 it is not terrible1 but    
beautiful4 ,when you have cleansed your 
eyes from the falseness of the flesh1   
and come face to face with truth1 it is 
beautiful4 ',the law is sweet1 filling  
the heart with joy4'  ,to the ,buddhist1
 then1 the end to be obtained is the    
,great ,peace1 the mighty deliverance   
from all sorrow4 ,he must strive after  
peace2 on his own efforts depends       
success or failure4  ,when the end and  
the agent have been determined1 there   
remains but to discover the means1 the  
road whereby the end may be reached4    
,how shall a man so think and so act    
that he shall come at length unto the   
,great ,peace8 ,and the answer of       
,buddhism to this question is here3 good
 deeds and good thoughts--these are the 
gate wherein alone you may enter into   
the way4 ,be honourable and just1 be    

kind and compassionate1 truth-loving and
 averse to wrong--this is the beginning 
of the road that leads unto happiness4  
,do good to others1 not in order that   
they may do good to you1 but because1 by
 doing so1 you do good to your own soul4
 ,give alms1 and be charitable1 for     
these things are necessary to a man4    
,above all1 learn love and sympathy4    
,try to feel as others feel1 try to     
understand them1 try to sympathize with 
them1 and love will come4 ,surely he was
 a ,buddhist at heart who wrote3 ',tout 
comprendre1 c'est tout pardonner4'      
,there is no balm to a man's heart like 
love1 not only the love others feel     
towards him1 but that he feels towards  
others4 ,be in love with all things1 not
 only with your fellows1 but with the   
whole world1 with every creature that   
walks the earth1 with the birds in the  
air1 with the insects in the grass4 ,all
 life is akin to man4 ,man's life is not
 apart from other life1 but of it1 and  
if a man would make his heart perfect1  

he must learn to sympathize with and    
understand all the great world about    
him4 ,but he must always remember that  
he himself comes first4 ,to make others 
just1 you must yourself be just2 to make
 others happy1 you must yourself be     
happy first2 to be loved1 you must first
 love4 ,consider your own soul1 to make 
it lovely4 ,such is the teaching of     
,buddha4 ,but if this were all1 then    
would ,buddhism be but a repetition of  
the commonplaces of all religions1 of   
all philosophies4 ,in this teaching of  
righteousness is nothing new4 ,many     
teachers have taught it1 and all have   
learnt in the end that righteousness is 
no sure road to happiness1 to peace4    
,buddhism goes farther than this4       
,honour and righteousness1 truth and    
love1 are1 it says1 very beautiful      
things1 but are only the beginning of   
the way2 they are but the gate4 ,in     
themselves they will never bring a man  
home to the ,great ,peace4 ,herein lies 
no salvation from the troubles of the   

world4 ,far more is required of a man   
than to be righteous4 ,holiness alone is
 not the gate to happiness1 and all that
 have tried have found it so4 ,it alone 
will not give man surcease from pain4   
,when a man has so purified his heart by
 love1 has so weaned himself from       
wickedness by good acts and deeds1 then 
he shall have eyes to see the further   
way that he should go4 ,then shall      
appear to him the truth that it is      
indeed life that is the evil to be      
avoided2 that life is sorrow1 and that  
the man who would escape evil and sorrow
 must escape from life itself--not in   
death4 ,the death of this life is but   
the commencement of another1 just as1 if
 you dam a stream in one direction1 it  
will burst forth in another4 ,to take   
one's life now is to condemn one's self 
to longer and more miserable life       
hereafter4 ,the end of misery lies in   
the ,great ,peace4 ,a man must estrange 
himself from the world1 which is sorrow4
 ,hating struggle and fight1 he will    

learn to love peace1 and to so          
discipline his soul that the world shall
 appear to him clearly to be the unrest 
which it is4 ,then1 when his heart is   
fixed upon the ,great ,peace1 shall his 
soul come to it at last4 ,weary of the  
earth1 it shall come into the haven     
where there are no more storms1 where   
there is no more struggle1 but where    
reigns unutterable peace4 ,it is not    
death1 but the ,great ,peace4           
',ever pure1 and mirror bright and even1
      ,life among the immortals glides  
away2      ,moons are waning1           
generations changing1      ,their       
celestial life flows everlasting1       
,changeless 'midst a ruined world's     
decay4'   ,this is ,nirvana1 the end to 
which we must all strive1 the only end  
that there can be to the trouble of the 
world4 ,each man must realize this for  
himself1 each man will do so surely in  
time1 and all will come into the haven  
of rest4 ,surely this is a simple faith1
 the only belief that the world has     

known that is free from mystery and     
dogma1 from ceremony and priestcraft2   
and to know that it is a beautiful faith
 you have but to look at its believers  
and be sure4 ,if a people be contented  
in their faith1 if they love it and     
exalt it1 and are never ashamed of it1  
and if it exalts them and makes them    
happy1 what greater testimony can you   
have than that8  ,it will seem that     
indeed ,i have compressed the teaching  
of this faith into too small a          
space--this faith about which so many   
books have been written1 so much        
discussion has taken place4 ,but ,i do  
not think it is so4 ,i cannot see that  
even in this short chapter ,i have left 
out anything that is important in       
,buddhism4 ,it is such a simple faith   
that all may be said in a very few      
words4 ,it would be1 of course1 possible
 to refine on and gloze over certain    
points of the teaching4 ,where would be 
the use8 ,the real proof of the faith is
 in the results1 in the deeds that men  

do in its name4 ,discussion will not    
alter these one way or another4         
,,chapter ,v  ,,war--,i       ',love    
each other and live in peace4'          
,saying of the ,buddha4   ,this is the  
,buddhist belief as ,i have understood  
it1 and ,i have written so far in order 
to explain what follows4 ,for my object 
is not to explain what the ,buddha      
taught1 but what the ,burmese believe2  
and this is not quite the same thing1   
though in nearly every action of their  
life the influence of ,buddhism is      
visible more or less strongly4          
,therefore ,i propose to describe       
shortly the ideas of the ,burmese people
 upon the main objects of life2 and to  
show how much or how little ,buddhism   
has affected their conceptions4 ,i will 
begin with courage4  ,i think it will be
 evident that there is no quality upon  
which the success of a nation so much   
depends as upon its courage4 ,no nation 
can rise to a high place without being  
brave2 it cannot maintain its           

independence even2 it cannot push       
forward upon any path of life without   
courage4 ,nations that are cowards must 
fail4  ,i am aware that the courage of a
 nation depends1 as do its other        
qualities1 upon many things3 its        
situation with regard to other nations1 
its climate1 its food1 its occupations4 
,it is a great subject that ,i cannot go
 into4 ,i wish to take all such things  
as ,i find them1 and to discuss only the
 effect of the religion upon the courage
 of the people1 upon its fighting       
capabilities4 ,that religion may have a 
very serious effect one way or the      
other1 no one can doubt4 ,i went through
 the war of annexation1 from #ahhe to   
#ahhi1 and from it ,i will draw my      
examples4  ,when we declared war in     
,upper ,burma1 and the column advanced  
up the river in ,november1 #ahhe1 there 
was hardly any opposition4 ,a little    
fight there was at the frontier fort of 
,minhla1 but beyond that nothing4 ,the  
river that might have been blocked was  

open2 the earthworks had no cannon1 the 
men no guns4 ,such a collapse was never 
seen4 ,there was no organization1 no    
material1 no money4 ,the men wanted     
officers to command and teach them2 the 
officers wanted authority and ability to
 command4 ,the people looked to their   
rulers to repel the invaders2 the rulers
 looked to the people4 ,there was no    
common intelligence or will between     
them4 ,everything was wanting2 nothing  
was as it should be4 ,and so ,mandalay  
fell without a shot1 and ,king ,thibaw1 
the young1 incapable1 kind-hearted king1
 was taken into captivity4  ,that was   
the end of the first act1 brief and     
bloodless4 ,for a time the people were  
stupefied4 ,they could not understand   
what had happened2 they could not guess 
what was going to happen4 ,they expected
 that the ,english would soon retire1   
and that then their own government would
 reorganize itself4 ,meanwhile they kept
 quiet4  ,it is curious to think how    
peaceful the country really was from    

,november1 #ahhe1 till ,june1 #ahhf4    
,then the trouble came4 ,the people had 
by that time1 even in the wild forest   
villages1 begun to understand that we   
wanted to stay1 that we did not intend  
going away unless forced to4 ,they felt 
that it was of no further use looking to
 ,mandalay for help4 ,we had begun1 too1
 to consider about collecting taxes1 to 
interfere with the simple machinery of  
local affairs1 to show that we meant to 
govern4 ,and as the people did not      
desire to be governed--certainly not by 
foreigners1 at least--they began to     
organize resistance4 ,they looked to    
their local leaders for help1 and1 as   
too often these local governors were not
 very capable men1 they sought1 as all  
people have done1 the assistance of such
 men of war as they could               
find--brigands1 and freelances1 and the 
like--and put themselves under their    
orders4 ,the whole country rose1 from   
,bhamo to ,minhla1 from the ,shan       
,plateau to the ,chin ,mountains4 ,all  

,upper ,burma was in a passion of       
insurrection1 a very fury of rebellion  
against the usurping foreigners4 ,our   
authority was confined to the range of  
our guns4 ,our forts were attacked1 our 
convoys ambushed1 our steamers fired    
into on the rivers4 ,there was no safety
 for an ,englishman or a native of      
,india1 save within the lines of our    
troops1 and it was soon felt that these 
troops were far too few to cope with the
 danger4 ,to overthrow ,king ,thibaw was
 easy1 to subdue the people a very      
different thing4  ,it is almost         
impossible to describe the state of     
,upper ,burma in #ahhf4 ,it must be     
remembered that the central government  
was never very strong--in fact1 that    
beyond collecting a certain amount of   
taxes1 and appointing governors to the  
different provinces1 it hardly made     
itself felt outside ,mandalay and the   
large river towns4 ,the people to a     
great extent governed themselves4 ,they 
had a very good system of village       

government1 and managed nearly all their
 local affairs4 ,but beyond the presence
 of a governor1 there was but little to 
attach them to the central government4  
,there was1 and is1 absolutely no       
aristocracy of any kind at all4 ,the    
,burmese are a community of equals1 in a
 sense that has probably never been     
known elsewhere4 ,all their institutions
 are the very opposite to feudalism4    
,now1 feudalism was instituted to be    
useful in war4 ,the ,burmese customs    
were instituted that men should live in 
comfort and ease during peace2 they were
 useless in war4 ,so the natural leaders
 of a people1 as in other countries1    
were absent4 ,there were no local great 
men2 the governors were men appointed   
from time to time from ,mandalay1 and   
usually knew nothing of their charges2  
there were no rich men1 no large        
land-holders--not one4 ,there still     
remained1 however1 one institution that 
other nations have made useful in war1  
namely1 the organization of religion4   

,for ,buddhism is fairly well           
organized--certainly much better than   
ever the government was4 ,it has its    
heads of monasteries1 its ,gaing-dauks1 
its ,gaing-oks1 and finally the         
,thathanabaing1 the head of the ,burmese
 ,buddhism4 ,the overthrow of ,king     
,thibaw had not injured any of this4    
,this was an organization in touch with 
the whole people1 revered and honoured  
by every man and woman and child in the 
country4 ,in this terrible scene of     
anarchy and confusion1 in this death    
peril of their nation1 what were the    
monks doing8  ,we know what religion can
 do4 ,we have seen how it can preach war
 and resistance1 and can organize that  
war and resistance4 ,we know what ten   
thousand priests preaching in ten       
thousand hamlets can effect in making a 
people almost unconquerable1 in         
directing their armies1 in strengthening
 their determination4 ,we remember ,la  
,vende1 we remember our ,puritans1 and  
we have had recent experience in the    

,soudan4 ,we know what ,christianity has
 done again and again2 what ,judaism1   
what ,mahommedanism1 what many kinds of 
paganism1 have done4  ,to those coming  
to ,burma in those days1 fresh from the 
teachings of ,europe1 remembering recent
 events in history1 ignorant of what    
,buddhism means1 there was nothing more 
surprising than the fact that in this   
war religion had no place4 ,they rode   
about and saw the country full of       
monasteries2 they saw the monasteries   
full of monks1 whom they called priests2
 they saw that the people were intensely
 attached to their religion2 they had   
daily evidence that ,buddhism was an    
abiding faith in the hearts of the      
people4 ,and yet1 for all the assistance
 it was to them in the war1 the ,burmese
 might have had no faith at all4  ,and  
the explanation is1 that the teachings  
of the ,buddha forbid war4 ,all killing 
is wrong1 all war is hateful2 nothing is
 more terrible than this destroying of  
your fellow-man4 ,there is absolutely no

 getting free of this commandment4 ,the 
teaching of the ,buddha is that you must
 strive to make your own soul perfect4  
,this is the first of all things1 and   
comes before any other consideration4   
,be pure and kind-hearted1 full of      
charity and compassion1 and so you may  
do good to others4 ,these are the vows  
the ,buddhist monks make1 these are the 
vows they keep2 and so it happened that 
all that great organization was useless 
to the patriot fighter1 was worse than  
useless1 for it was against him4 ,the   
whole spectacle of ,burma in those days1
 with the country seething with strife1 
and the monks going about their business
 calmly as ever1 begging their bread    
from door to door1 preaching of peace1  
not war1 of kindness1 not hatred1 of    
pity1 not revenge1 was to most          
foreigners quite inexplicable4 ,they    
could not understand it4 ,i remember a  
friend of mine with whom ,i went through
 many experiences speaking of it with   
scorn4 ,he was a cavalry officer1 'the  

model of a light cavalry officer'2 he   
had with him a squadron of his regiment1
 and we were trying to subdue a very    
troubled part of the country4  ,we were 
camping in a monastery1 as we frequently
 did--a monastery on a hill near a high 
golden pagoda4 ,the country all round   
was under the sway of a brigand leader1 
and sorely the villagers suffered at his
 hands now that he had leapt into       
unexpected power4 ,the villages were    
half abandoned1 the fields untilled1 the
 people full of unrest2 but the         
monasteries were as full of monks as    
ever2 the gongs rang1 as they ever did1 
their message through the quiet evening 
air2 the little boys were taught there  
just the same2 the trees were watered   
and the gardens swept as if there were  
no change at all--as if the king were   
still on his golden throne1 and the     
,english had never come2 as if war had  
never burst upon them4 ,and to us1 after
 the very different scenes we saw now   
and then1 saw and acted in1 these monks 

and their monasteries were difficult to 
understand4 ,the religion of the ,buddha
 thus professed was strange4  ',what is 
the use1' said my friend1 'of this      
religion that we see so many signs of8  
,suppose these men had been ,jews or    
,hindus or ,mussulmans1 it would have   
been a very different business1 this    
war4 ,these yellow-robed monks1 instead 
of sitting in their monasteries1 would  
have pervaded the country1 preaching    
against us and organizing4 ,no one      
organizes better than an ecclesiastic4  
,we should have had them leading their  
men into action with sacred banners1 and
 promising them heaven hereafter when   
they died4 ,they would have made ,ghazis
 of them4 ,any one of these is a        
religion worth having4 ,but what is the 
use of ,buddhism8 ,what do these monks  
do8 ,i never see them in a fight1 never 
hear that they are doing anything to    
organize the people4 ,it is1 perhaps1 as
 well for us that they do not4 ,but what
 is the use of ,buddhism8'  ,so1 or     

somewhat like this1 spoke my friend1    
speaking as a soldier4 ,each of us      
speaks from our own standpoint4 ,he was 
a brilliant soldier1 and a religion was 
to him a sword1 a thing to fight with4  
,that was one of the first uses of a    
religion4 ,he knew nothing of ,buddhism2
 he cared to know nothing1 beyond       
whether it would fight4 ,if so1 it was a
 good religion in its way4 ,if not1 then
 not4  ,religion meant to him something 
that would help you in your trouble1    
that would be a stay and a comfort1 a   
sword to your enemies and a prop for    
yourself4 ,though he was himself an     
invader1 he felt that the ,burmans did  
no wrong in resisting him4 ,they fought 
for their homes1 as he would have       
fought2 and their religion1 if of any   
value1 should assist them4 ,it should   
urge them to battle1 and promise them   
peace and happiness if dying in a good  
cause4 ,his faith would do this for him4
 ,what was ,buddhism doing8 ,what help  
did it give to its believers in their   

extremity8 ,it gave none4 ,think of the 
peasant lying there in the ghostly      
dim-lit fields waiting to attack us at  
the dawn4 ,where was his help8 ,he      
thought1 perhaps1 of his king deported1 
his village invaded1 his friends killed1
 himself reduced to the subject of a    
far-off queen4 ,he would fight--yes1    
even though his faith told him not4     
,there was no help there4 ,his was no   
faith to strengthen his arm1 to         
straighten his aim1 to be his shield in 
the hour of danger4  ,if he died1 if in 
the strife of the morning's fight he    
were to be killed1 if a bullet were to  
still his heart1 or a lance to pierce   
his chest1 there was no hope for him of 
the glory of heaven4 ,no1 but every fear
 of hell1 for he was sinning against the
 laws of righteousness--',thou shalt    
take no life4' ,there is no exception to
 that at all1 not even for a patriot    
fighting for his country4 ',thou shalt  
not take the life even of him who is the
 enemy of thy king and nation4' ,he     

could count on no help in breaking the  
everlasting laws that the ,buddha has   
revealed to us4 ,if he went to his      
monks1 they could but say3 ',see the    
law1 the unchangeable law that man is   
subject to4 ,there is no good thing but 
peace1 no sin like strife and war4'     
,that is what the followers of the great
 teacher would tell the peasant yearning
 for help to strike a blow upon the     
invaders4 ,the law is the same for all4 
,there is not one law for you and       
another for the foreigner2 there is not 
one law to-day and another to-morrow4   
,truth is for ever and for ever4 ,it    
cannot change even to help you in your  
extremity4 ,think of the ,english       
soldier and the ,burmese peasant4 ,can  
there be anywhere a greater contrast    
than this8  ,truly this is not a creed  
for a soldier1 not a creed for a        
fighting-man of any kind1 for what the  
soldier wants is a personal god who will
 always be on his side1 always share his
 opinions1 always support him against   

everyone else4 ,but a law that points   
out unalterably that right is always    
right1 and wrong always wrong1 that     
nothing can alter one into the other1   
nothing can ever make killing righteous 
and violence honourable1 that is no     
creed for a soldier4 ,and ,buddhism has 
ever done this4 ,it never bent to       
popular opinion1 never made itself a    
tool in the hands of worldly passion4   
,it could not4 ,you might as well say to
 gravity1 ',i want to lift this stone2  
please don't act on it for a time1' as  
expect ,buddhism to assist you to make  
war4 ,buddhism is the unalterable law of
 righteousness1 and cannot ally itself  
with evil1 cannot ever be persuaded that
 under any circumstances evil can be    
good4  ,the ,burmese peasant had to     
fight his own fight in #ahhe alone4 ,his
 king was gone1 his government broken   
up1 he had no leaders4 ,he had no god to
 stand beside him when he fired at the  
foreign invaders2 and when he lay       
a-dying1 with a bullet in his throat1 he

 had no one to open to him the gates of 
heaven4  ,yet he fought--with every     
possible discouragement he fought1 and  
sometimes he fought well4 ,it has been  
thrown against him as a reproach that he
 did not do better4 ,those who have said
 this have never thought1 never counted 
up the odds against him1 never taken    
into consideration how often he did     
well4  ,here was a people--a very poor  
people of peasants--with no leaders1    
absolutely none2 no aristocracy of any  
kind1 no cohesion1 no fighting religion4
 ,they had for their leaders outlaws and
 desperadoes1 and for arms old          
flint-lock guns and soft iron swords4   
,could anything be expected from this   
except what actually did happen8 ,and   
yet they often did well1 their natural  
courage overcoming their bad weapons1   
their passionate desire of freedom      
giving them the necessary impulse4  ,in 
#ahhf1 as ,i have said1 all ,burma was  
up4 ,even in the lower country1 which we
 held for so long1 insurrection was     

spreading fast1 and troops and military 
police were being poured in from ,india4
  ,there is above ,mandalay a large     
trading village--a small town           
almost--called ,shemmaga4 ,it is the    
river port for a large trade in salt    
from the inner country1 and it was      
important to hold it4 ,the village lay  
along the river bank1 and about the     
middle of it1 some two hundred yards    
from the river1 rises a small hill4     
,thus the village was a triangle1 with  
the base on the river1 and the hill as  
apex4 ,on the hill were some monasteries
 of teak1 from which the monks had been 
ejected1 and three hundred ,ghurkas were
 in garrison there4 ,a strong fence ran 
from the hill to the river like two     
arms1 and there were three gates1 one   
just by the hill1 and one on each end of
 the river face4  ,behind ,shemmaga the 
country was under the rule of a robber  
chief called ,maung ,yaing1 who could   
raise from among the peasants some two  
hundred or three hundred men1 armed     

mostly with flint-locks4 ,he had been in
 the king's time a brigand with a small 
number of followers1 who defied or      
eluded the local authorities1 and lived 
free in quarters among the most distant 
villages4 ,like many a robber chief in  
our country and elsewhere1 he was liked 
rather than hated by the people1 for his
 brutalities were confined to either    
strangers or personal enemies1 and he   
was open-handed and generous4 ,we look  
upon things now with different eyes to  
what we did two or three hundred years  
ago1 but ,i dare say ,maung ,yaing was  
neither better nor worse than many a    
hero of ours long ago4 ,he was a fairly 
good fighter1 and had a little          
experience fighting the king's troops2  
and so it was very natural1 when the    
machinery of government fell like a     
house of cards1 and some leaders were   
wanted1 that the young men should crowd 
to him1 and put themselves under his    
orders4 ,he had usually with him forty  
or fifty men1 but he could1 as ,i have  

said1 raise five or six times as many   
for any particular service1 and keep    
them together for a few days4 ,he very  
soon discovered that he and his men were
 absolutely no match for our troops4 ,in
 two or three attempts that he made to  
oppose the troops he was signally       
worsted1 so he was obliged to change his
 tactics4 ,he decided to boycott the    
enemy4 ,no ,burman was to accept service
 under him1 to give him information or  
supplies1 to be his guide1 or to assist 
him in any way4 ,this rule ,maung ,yaing
 made generally known1 and he announced 
his intention of enforcing it with      
rigour4 ,he did so4 ,there was a head   
man of a village near ,shemmaga whom he 
executed because he had acted as guide  
to a body of troops1 and he cut off all 
supplies from the interior1 lying on the
 roads1 and stopping all men from       
entering ,shemmaga4 ,he further issued a
 notice that the inhabitants of         
,shemmaga itself should leave the town4 
,they could not move the garrison1      

therefore the people must move          
themselves4 ,no assistance must be given
 to the enemy4 ,the villagers of        
,shemmaga1 mostly small traders in salt 
and rice1 were naturally averse to      
leaving4 ,this trade was their only     
means of livelihood1 the houses their   
only homes1 and they did not like the   
idea of going out into the unknown      
country behind4 ,moreover1 the exaction 
by ,maung ,yaing of money and supplies  
for his men fell most heavily on the    
wealthier men1 and on the whole they    
were not sorry to have the ,english     
garrison in the town1 so that they could
 trade in peace4 ,some few left1 but    
most did not1 and though they collected 
money1 and sent it to ,maung ,yaing1    
they at the same time told the ,english 
officer in command of ,maung ,yaing's   
threats1 and begged that great care     
should be taken of the town1 for ,maung 
,yaing was very angry4 ,when he found he
 could not cause the abandonment of the 
town1 he sent in word to say that he    

would burn it4 ,not three hundred       
foreigners1 nor three thousand1 should  
protect these lazy1 unpatriotic folk    
from his vengeance4 ,he gave them till  
the new moon of a certain month1 and if 
the town were not evacuated by that time
 he declared that he would destroy it4  
,he would burn it down1 and kill certain
 men whom he mentioned1 who had been the
 principal assistants of the foreigners4
 ,this warning was quite public1 and    
came to the ears of the ,english officer
 almost at once4 ,when he heard it he   
laughed4  ,he had three hundred men1 and
 the rebels had three hundred4 ,his were
 all magnificently trained and drilled  
troops1 men made for war2 the ,burmans  
were peasants1 unarmed1 untrained4 ,he  
was sure he could defeat three thousand 
of them1 or ten times that number1 with 
his little force1 and so1 of course1 he 
could if he met them in the open2 no one
 knew that better1 by bitter experience1
 than ,maung ,yaing4 ,the villagers1    
too1 knew1 but nevertheless they were   

stricken with fear1 for ,maung ,yaing   
was a man of his word4 ,he was as good  
as his threat4  ,one night1 at midnight1
 the face of the fort where the ,ghurkas
 lived on the hill was suddenly         
attacked4 ,out of the brushwood near by 
a heavy fire was opened upon the        
breastwork1 and there was shouting and  
beating of gongs4 ,so all the ,ghurkas  
turned out in a hurry1 and ran to man   
the breastwork1 and the return fire     
became hot and heavy4 ,in a moment1 as  
it seemed1 the attackers were in the    
village4 ,they had burst in the north   
gate by the river face1 killed the      
,burmese guard on it1 and streamed in4  
,they lit torches from a fire they found
 burning1 and in a moment the village   
was on fire4 ,looking down from the     
hill1 you could see the village rushing 
into flame1 and in the lurid light men  
and women and children running about    
wildly4 ,there were shouts and screams  
and shots4 ,no one who has never heard  
it1 never seen it1 can know what a      

village is like when the enemy has burst
 in at night4 ,everyone is mad with     
hate1 with despair1 with terror4 ,they  
run to and fro1 seeking to kill1 seeking
 to escape being killed4 ,it is         
impossible to tell one from another4    
,the bravest man is dismayed4 ,and the  
noise is like a great moan coming out of
 the night1 pierced with sharp cries4   
,it rises and falls1 like the death-cry 
of a dying giant4 ,it is the most       
terrible sound in the world4 ,it makes  
the heart stop4  ,to the ,ghurkas this  
sight and sound came all of a sudden1 as
 they were defending what they took to  
be a determined attack on their own     
position4 ,the village was lost ere they
 knew it was attacked4 ,and two steamers
 full of troops1 anchored off the town1 
saw it1 too4 ,they were on their way up 
country1 and had halted there that      
night1 anchored in the stream4 ,they    
were close by1 but could not fire1 for  
there was no telling friend from foe4   
,before the relief party of ,ghurkas    

could come swarming down the hill1 only 
two hundred yards1 before the boats     
could land the eager troops from the    
steamers1 the rebels were gone4 ,they   
went through the village and out of the 
south gate4 ,they had fulfilled their   
threat and destroyed the town4 ,they had
 killed the men they had declared they  
would kill4 ,the firing died away from  
the fort side1 and the enemy were gone1 
no one could tell whither1 into the     
night4  ,such a scene of desolation as  
that village was next day6 ,it was all  
destroyed--every house4 ,all the food   
was gone1 all furniture1 all clothes1   
everything1 and here and there was a    
corpse in among the blackened cinders4  
,the whole countryside was              
terror-stricken at this failure to      
defend those who had depended on us4  ,i
 do not think this was a particularly   
gallant act1 but it was a very able one4
 ,it was certainly war4 ,it taught us a 
very severe lesson--more severe than a  
personal reverse would have been4 ,it   

struck terror in the countryside4 ,the  
memory of it hampered us for very long2 
even now they often talk of it4 ,it was 
a brutal act--that of a brigand1 not a  
soldier4  ,but there was no want of     
courage4 ,if these men1 inferior in     
number1 in arms1 in everything1 could do
 this under the lead of a robber chief1 
what would they not have done if well   
led1 if well trained1 if well armed8    
,of desperate encounters between our    
troops and the insurgents ,i could tell 
many a story4 ,i have myself seen such  
fights4 ,they nearly always ended in our
 favour--how could it be otherwise8     
,there was ,ta ,te1 who occupied a      
pagoda enclosure with some eighty men1  
and was attacked by our mounted         
infantry4 ,there was a long fight in    
that hot afternoon1 and very soon the   
insurgents' ammunition began to fail1   
and the pagoda was stormed4 ,many men   
were killed1 and ,ta ,te1 when his men  
were nearly all dead1 and his ammunition
 quite expended1 climbed up the pagoda  

wall1 and twisted off pieces of the     
cement and threw them at the troops4 ,he
 would not surrender--not he--and he was
 killed4 ,there were many like him4 ,the
 whole war was little affairs of this   
kind--a hundred1 three hundred1 of our  
men1 and much the same1 or a little     
more1 of theirs4 ,they only once or     
twice raised a force of two thousand    
men4 ,nothing can speak more forcibly of
 their want of organization than this4  
,the whole country was pervaded by bands
 of fifty or a hundred men1 very rarely 
amounting to more than two hundred1     
never1 ,i think1 to five hundred1 armed 
men1 and no two bands ever acted in     
concert4  ,it is probable that most of  
the best men of the country were against
 us4 ,it is certain1 ,i think1 that of  
those who openly joined us and          
accompanied us in our expedition1 very1 
very few were other than men who had    
some private grudge to avenge1 or some  
purpose to gain1 by opposing their own  
people4 ,of such as these you cannot    

expect very much4 ,and yet there were   
exceptions--men who showed up all the   
more brilliantly because they were      
exceptions--men whom ,i shall always    
honour4 ,there were two ,i remember best
 of all4 ,they are both dead now4  ,one 
was the eldest son of the hereditary    
governor of a part of the country called
 ,kawlin4 ,it is in the north-west of   
,upper ,burma1 and bordered on a        
semi-independent state called ,wuntho4  
,in the troubles that occurred after the
 deposition of ,king ,thibaw1 the       
,prince of ,wuntho thought that he would
 be able to make for himself an         
independent kingdom1 and he began by    
annexing ,kawlin4 ,so the governor had  
to flee1 and with him his sons1 and     
naturally enough they joined our columns
 when we advanced in that direction1    
hoping to be replaced4 ,they were       
replaced1 the father as governor under  
the direction of an ,english magistrate1
 and the son as his assistant4 ,they    
were only kept there by our troops1 and 

upheld in authority by our power against
 ,wuntho4 ,but they were desired by many
 of their own people1 and so1 perhaps1  
they could hardly be called traitors1 as
 many of those who joined us were4 ,the 
father was a useless old man1 but his   
son1 he of whom ,i speak1 was brave and 
honourable1 good tempered and courteous1
 beyond most men whom ,i have met4 ,it  
was well known that he was the real     
power behind his father4 ,it was he who 
assisted us in an attempt to quell the  
insurrections and catch the raiders that
 troubled our peace1 and many a time    
they tried to kill him1 many a time to  
murder him as he slept4  ,there was a   
large gang of insurgents who came across
 the ,mu ,river one day1 and robbed one 
of his villages1 so a squadron of       
cavalry was sent in pursuit4 ,we        
travelled fast and long1 but we could   
not catch the raiders4 ,we crossed the  
,mu into unknown country1 following     
their tracks1 and at last1 being without
 guides1 we camped that night in a      

little monastery in the forest4 ,at     
midnight we were attacked4 ,a road ran  
through our camp1 and there was a picket
 at each end of the road1 and sentries  
were doubled4  ,it was just after       
midnight that the first shot was fired4 
,we were all asleep when a sudden volley
 was poured into the south picket1      
killing one sentry and wounding another4
 ,there was no time to dress1 and we ran
 down the steps as we were 7in sleeping 
dresses71 to find the men rapidly       
falling in1 and the horses kicking at   
their pickets4 ,it was pitch-dark4 ,the 
monastery was on a little cleared space1
 and there was forest all round that    
looked very black4 ,just as we came to  
the foot of the steps an outbreak of    
firing and shouts came from the north1  
and the ,burmese tried to rush our camp 
from there2 then they tried to rush it  
again from the south1 but all their     
attempts were baffled by the steadiness 
of the pickets and the reinforcements   
that were running up4 ,so the ,burmese1 

finding the surprise ineffectual1 and   
that the camp could not be taken1 spread
 themselves about in the forest in      
vantage places1 and fired into the camp4
 ,nothing could be seen except the      
dazzling flashes from their guns as they
 fired here and there1 and the darkness 
was all the darker for those flashes of 
flame1 that cut it like swords4 ,it was 
very cold4 ,i had left my blanket in the
 monastery1 and no one was allowed to   
ascend1 because there1 of all places1   
the bullets flew thickest1 crushing     
through the mat walls1 and going into   
the teak posts with a thud4 ,there was  
nothing we could do4 ,the men1 placed in
 due order about the camp1 fired back at
 the flashes of the enemy's guns4 ,that 
was all they had to fire at4 ,it was not
 much guide4 ,the officers went from    
picket to picket encouraging the men1   
but ,i had no duty2 when fighting began 
my work as a civilian was at a          
standstill4 ,i sat and shivered with    
cold under the monastery1 and wished for

 the dawn4 ,in a pause of the firing you
 could hear the followers hammering the 
pegs that held the foot-ropes of the    
horses4 ,then the dead and wounded were 
brought and put near me1 and in the     
dense dark the doctor tried to find out 
what injuries the men had received1 and 
dress them as well as he could4 ,no     
light dare be lit4 ,the night seemed    
interminable4 ,there were no stars1 for 
a dense mist hung above the trees4      
,after an hour or two the firing        
slackened a little1 and presently1 with 
great caution1 a little lamp1 carefully 
shrouded with a blanket1 was lit4 ,a    
sudden burst of shots that came         
splintering into the posts beside us    
caused the lamp to be hurriedly put out2
 but presently it was lit again1 and    
with infinite caution one man was       
dressed4 ,at last a little very faint   
silver dawn came gleaming through the   
tree-tops--the most beautiful sight ,i  
ever saw--and the firing stopped4 ,the  
dawn came quickly down1 and very soon we

 were able once more to see what we were
 about1 and count our losses4  ,then we 
moved out4 ,we had hardly any hope of   
catching the enemy1 we who were in a    
strange country1 who were mounted on    
horses1 and had a heavy transport1 and  
they who knew every stream and ravine1  
and had every villager for a spy4 ,so we
 moved back a march into a more open    
country1 where we hoped for better news1
 and two days later that news came4     
,,chapter ,,vi  ,,war--,,ii             
',never in the world does hatred cease  
by hatred4 ,hatred ceases by            
love4'--,dammapada4   ,we were encamped 
at a little monastery in some fields by 
a village1 with a river in front4 ,up in
 the monastery there was but room for   
the officers1 so small was it1 and the  
men were camped beneath it in little    
shelters4 ,it was two o'clock1 and very 
hot1 and we were just about to take     
tiffin1 when news came that a party of  
armed men had been seen passing a little
 north of us4 ,it was supposed they were

 bound to a village known to be a very  
bad one--,laka--and that they would camp
 there4 ,so 'boot and saddle' rang from 
the trumpets1 and in a few moments later
 we were off1 fifty lances4 ,just as we 
started1 his old ,hindostani ,christian 
servant came up to my friend1 the       
commandant1 and gave him a little paper4
 ',put it in your pocket1 sahib1' he    
said4 ,the commandant had no time to    
talk1 no time even to look at what it   
could be4 ,he just crammed it into his  
breast-pocket1 and we rode on4 ,the     
governor's son was our guide1 and he led
 us through winding lanes into a pass in
 the low hills4 ,the road was very      
narrow1 and the heavy forest came down  
to our elbows as we passed4 ,now and    
again we crossed the stream1 which had  
but little water in it1 and the path    
would skirt its banks for awhile4 ,it   
was beautiful country1 but we had no    
time to notice it then1 for we were in a
 hurry1 and whenever the road would     
allow we trotted and cantered4 ,after   

five or six miles of this we turned a   
spur of the hills1 and came out into a  
little grass-glade on the banks of the  
stream1 and at the far end of this was  
the village where we expected to find   
those whom we sought4 ,they saw us      
first1 having a look-out on a high tree 
by the edge of the forest2 and as our   
advanced guard came trotting into the   
open1 he fired4 ,the shot echoed far up 
the hills like an angry shout1 and we   
could see a sudden stir in the          
village--men running out of the houses  
with guns and swords1 and women and     
children running1 too1 poor things6 sick
 with fear4 ,they fired at us from the  
village fence1 but had no time to close 
the gate ere our sowars were in4 ,then  
they escaped in various ways to the     
forest and scrub1 running like madmen   
across the little bit of open1 and      
firing at us directly they reached      
shelter where the cavalry could not     
come4 ,of course1 in the open they had  
no chance1 but in the dense forest they 

were safe enough4 ,the village was soon 
cleared1 and then we had to return4 ,it 
was no good to wait4 ,the valley was    
very narrow1 and was commanded from both
 its sides1 which were very steep and   
dense with forest4 ,beyond the village  
there was only forest again4 ,we had    
done what we could3 we had inflicted a  
very severe punishment on them2 it was  
no good waiting1 so we returned4 ,they  
fired on us nearly all the way1 hiding  
in the thick forest1 and perched on high
 rocks4 ,at one place our men had to be 
dismounted to clear a breastwork1 run up
 to fire at us from4 ,all the forest was
 full of voices--voices of men and women
 and even children--cursing our guide4  
,they cried his name1 that the spirits  
of the hills might remember that it was 
he who had brought desolation to their  
village4 ,figures started up on         
pinnacles of cliff1 and cursed him as he
 rode by4 ,us they did not curse2 it was
 our guide4  ,and so after some trouble 
we got back4 ,that band never attacked  

us again4  ,as we were dismounting1 my  
friend put his hand in his pocket1 and  
found the little paper4 ,he took it out1
 looked at it1 and when his servant came
 up to him he gave the paper back with a
 curious little smile full of many      
thoughts4 ',you see1' he said1 ',i am   
safe4 ,no bullet has hit me4' ,and the  
servant's eyes were dim4 ,he had been   
very long with his master1 and loved    
him1 as did all who knew him4 ',it was  
the goodness of ,god1' he said--'the    
great goodness of ,god4 ,will not the   
sahib keep the paper8' ,but the sahib   
would not4 ',you may need it as well as 
,i4 ,who can tell in this war8' ,and he 
returned it4  ,and the paper8 ,it was a 
prayer--a prayer used by the ,roman     
,catholic ,church1 printed on a sheet of
 paper4 ,at the top was a red cross4    
,the paper was old and worn1 creased at 
the edges2 it had evidently been much   
used1 much read4 ,such was the charm    
that kept the soldier from danger4  ,the
 nights were cold then1 when the sun had

 set1 and after dinner we used to have a
 camp-fire built of wood from the       
forest1 to sit round for a time and talk
 before turning in4 ,the native officers
 of the cavalry would come and sit with 
us1 and one or two of the ,burmans1 too4
 ,we were a very mixed assembly4 ,i     
remember one night very well--,i think  
it must have been the very night after  
the fight at ,laka1 and we were all of  
us round the fire4 ,i remember there was
 a half-moon bending towards the west1  
throwing tender lights upon the hills1  
and turning into a silver gauze the     
light white mist that lay upon the      
rice-fields4 ,opposite to us1 across the
 little river1 a ridge of hill ran down 
into the water that bent round its foot4
 ,the ridge was covered with forest1    
very black1 with silver edges on the    
sky-line4 ,it was out of range for a    
,burmese flint-gun1 or we should not    
have camped so near it4 ,on all the     
other sides the fields stretched away   
till they ended in the forest that      

gloomed beyond4 ,i was talking to the   
governor's son 7our guide of the fight  
at ,laka7 of the prospects of the       
future1 and of the intentions of the    
,prince of ,wuntho1 in whose country    
,laka lay4 ,i remarked to him how the   
,burmans of ,wuntho seemed to hate him1 
of how they had cursed him from the     
hills1 and he admitted that it was true4
 ',all except my friends1' he said1     
'hate me4 ,and yet what have ,i done8 ,i
 had to help my father to get back his  
governorship4 ,they forget that they    
attacked us first4'  ,he went on to tell
 me of how every day he was threatened1 
of how he was sure they would murder him
 some time1 because he had joined us4   
',they are sure to kill me some time1'  
he said4 ,he seemed sad and depressed1  
not afraid4  ,so we talked on1 and ,i   
asked him about charms4 ',are there not 
charms that will prevent you being hurt 
if you are hit1 and that will not allow 
a sword to cut you8 ,we hear of         
invulnerable men4 ,there were the       

,immortals of the ,king's ,guard1 for   
instance4'  ,and he said1 yes1 there    
were charms1 but no one believed in them
 except the villagers4 ,he did not1 nor 
did men of education4 ,of course1 the   
ignorant people believed in them4 ,there
 were several sorts of charms4 ,you     
could be tattooed with certain mystic   
letters that were said to insure you    
against being hit1 and there were       
certain medicines you could drink4      
,there were also charms made out of     
stone1 such as a little tortoise he had 
once seen that was said to protect its  
wearer4 ,there were mysterious writings 
on palm-leaves4 ,there were men1 he said
 vaguely1 who knew how to make these    
things4 ,for himself1 he did not believe
 in them4  ,i tried to learn from him   
then1 and ,i have tried from others     
since1 whether these charms have any    
connection with ,buddhism4 ,i cannot    
find that they have4 ,they are never in 
the form of images of the ,buddha1 or of
 extracts from the sacred writings4     

,there is not1 so far as ,i can make    
out1 any religious significance in these
 charms2 mostly they are simply         
mysterious4 ,i never heard that the     
people connect them with their religion4
 ,indeed1 all forms of enchantment and  
of charms are most strictly prohibited4 
,one of the vows that monks take is     
never to have any dealings with charms  
or with the supernatural1 and so        
,buddhism cannot even give such little  
assistance to its believers as to       
furnish them with charms4 ,if they have 
charms1 it is against their faith2 it is
 a falling away from the purity of their
 teachings2 it is simply the innate     
yearning of man to the supernatural1 to 
the mysterious4 ,man's passions are very
 strong1 and if he must fight1 he must  
also have a charm to protect him in     
fight4 ,if his religion cannot give it  
him1 he must find it elsewhere4 ,you see
 that1 as the teachings of the ,buddha  
have never been able to be twisted so as
 to permit war directly1 neither have   

they been able to assist indirectly by  
furnishing charms1 by making the fighter
 bullet-proof4 ,and ,i thought then of  
the little prayer and the cross that    
were so certain a defence against hurt4 
,we talked for a long time in the waning
 moonlight by the ruddy fire1 and at    
last we broke up to go to bed4 ,as we   
rose a voice called to us across the    
water from the little promontory4 ,in   
the still night every word was as clear 
as the note of a gong4  ',sleep well1'  
it cried--'sleep well--sle-e-ep we-l-l4'
  ,we all stood astonished--those who   
did not know ,burmese wondering at the  
voice2 those who did1 wondering at the  
meaning4 ,the sentries peered keenly    
towards the sound4  ',sleep well1' the  
voice cried again2 'eat well4 ,it will  
not be for long4 ,sleep well while you  
may4'  ,and then1 after a pause1 it     
called the governor's son's name1 and   
',traitor1 traitor6' till the hills were
 full of sound4  ,the ,burman turned    
away4  ',you see1' he said1 'how they   

hate me4 ,what would be the good of     
charms8'  ,the voice was quiet1 and the 
camp sank into stillness1 and ere long  
the moon set1 and it was quite dark4    
,he was a brave man1 and1 indeed1 there 
are many brave men amongst the ,burmese4
 ,they kill leopards with sticks and    
stones very often1 and even tigers4     
,they take their frail little canoes    
across the ,irrawaddy in flood in a most
 daring way4 ,they in no way want for   
physical courage1 but they have never   
made a cult of bravery2 it has never    
been a necessity to them2 it has never  
occurred to them that it is the prime   
virtue of a man4 ,you will hear them    
confess in the calmest way1 ',i was     
afraid4' ,we would not do that2 we      
should be much more afraid to say it4   
,and the teaching of ,buddhism is all in
 favour of this4 ,nowhere is courage--,i
 mean aggressive courage--praised4 ,no  
soldier could be a fervent ,buddhist2 no
 nation of ,buddhists could be good     
soldiers2 for not only does ,buddhism   

not inculcate bravery1 but it does not  
inculcate obedience4 ,each man is the   
ruler of his life1 but the very essence 
of good fighting is discipline1 and     
discipline1 subjection1 is unknown to   
,buddhism4 ,therefore the inherent      
courage of the ,burmans could have no   
assistance from their faith in any way1 
but the very contrary3 it fought against
 them4  ,there is no flexibility in     
,buddhism4 ,it is a law1 and nothing can
 change it4 ,laws are for ever and for  
ever1 and there are no exceptions to    
them4 ,the law of the ,buddha is against
 war--war of any kind at all--and there 
can be no exception4 ,and so every      
,burman who fought against us knew that 
he was sinning4 ,he did it with his eyes
 open2 he could never imagine any       
exception in his favour4 ,never could he
 in his bivouac look at the stars1 and  
imagine that any power looked down in   
approbation of his deeds4 ,no one fought
 for him4 ,our bayonets and lances were 
no keys to open to him the gates of     

paradise2 no monks could come and close 
his dying eyes with promises of rewards 
to come4 ,he was sinning1 and he must   
suffer long and terribly for this breach
 of the laws of righteousness4  ,if such
 be the faith of the people1 and if they
 believe their faith1 it is a terrible  
handicap to them in any fight2 it       
delivers them bound into the hands of   
the enemy4 ,such is ,buddhism4  ,but it 
must never be forgotten that1 if this   
faith does not assist the believer in   
defence1 neither does it in offence4    
,what is so terrible as a war of        
religion8 ,there can never be a war of  
,buddhism4  ,no ravished country has    
ever borne witness to the prowess of the
 followers of the ,buddha2 no murdered  
men have poured out their blood on their
 hearthstones1 killed in his name2 no   
ruined women have cursed his name to    
high ,heaven4 ,he and his faith are     
clean of the stain of blood4 ,he was the
 preacher of the ,great ,peace1 of love1
 of charity1 of compassion1 and so clear

 is his teaching that it can never be   
misunderstood4 ,wars of invasion the    
,burmese have waged1 that is true1 in   
,siam1 in ,assam1 and in ,pegu4 ,they   
are but men1 and men will fight4 ,if    
they were perfect in their faith1 the   
race would have died out long ago4 ,they
 have fought1 but they have never fought
 in the name of their faith4 ,they have 
never been able to prostitute its       
teachings to their own wants4 ,whatever 
the ,burmans have done1 they have kept  
their faith pure4 ,when they have       
offended against the laws of the ,buddha
 they have done so openly4 ,their souls 
are guiltless of hypocrisy--for whatever
 that may avail them4 ,they have known  
the difference between good and evil1   
even if they have not always followed   
the good4     ,,chapter ,,vii           
,,government       ',fire1 water1       
storms1 robbers1 rulers--these are the  
five great      evils4'--,burmese       
saying4   ,it would be difficult1 ,i    
think1 to imagine anything worse than   

the government of ,upper ,burma in its  
later days4 ,i mean by 'government' the 
king and his counsellors and the greater
 officials of the empire4 ,the          
management of foreign affairs1 of the   
army1 the suppression of greater crimes1
 the care of the means of communication1
 all those duties which fall to the     
central government1 were badly done1 if 
done at all4 ,it must be remembered that
 there was one difficulty in the        
way--the absence of any noble or        
leisured class to be entrusted with the 
greater offices4 ,as ,i have shown in   
another chapter1 there was no one       
between the king and the villager--no   
noble1 no landowner1 no wealthy or      
educated class at all4 ,the king had to 
seek for his ministers among the        
ordinary people1 consequently the men   
who were called upon to fill great      
offices of state were as often as not   
men who had no experience beyond the    
narrow limits of a village4  ,the       
breadth of view1 the knowledge of other 

countries1 of other thoughts1 that comes
 to those who have wealth and leisure1  
were wanting to these ministers of the  
king4 ,natural capacity many of them    
had1 but that is not of much value until
 it is cultivated4 ,you cannot learn in 
the narrow precincts of a village the   
knowledge necessary to the management of
 great affairs2 and therefore in affairs
 of state this want of any noble or     
leisured class was a very serious loss  
to the government of ,burma4 ,it had    
great and countervailing advantages1 of 
which ,i will speak when ,i come to     
local government1 but that it was a     
heavy loss as far as the central        
government goes no one can doubt4 ,there
 was none of that check upon the power  
of the king which a powerful nobility   
will give2 there was no trained talent  
at his disposal4 ,the king remained     
absolutely supreme1 with no one near his
 throne1 and the ministers were mere    
puppets1 here to-day and gone to-morrow4
 ,they lived by the breath of the king  

and court1 and when they lost favour    
there was none to help them4 ,they had  
no faction behind them to uphold them   
against the king4 ,it can easily be     
understood how disastrous all this was  
to any form of good government4 ,all    
these ministers and governors were      
corrupt2 there was corruption to the    
core4  ,when it is understood that      
hardly any official was paid1 and that  
those who were paid were insufficiently 
paid1 and had unlimited power1 there    
will be no difficulty in seeing the     
reason4 ,in circumstances like this all 
people would be corrupt4 ,the only      
securities against bribery and abuse of 
power are adequate pay1 restricted      
authority1 and great publicity4 ,none of
 these obtained in ,burma any more than 
in the ,europe of five hundred years    
ago1 and the result was the same in     
both4 ,the central government consisted 
of the king1 who had no limit at all to 
his power1 and the council of ministers1
 whose only check was the king4 ,the    

executive and judicial were all the     
same3 there was no appeal from one to   
the other4 ,the only appeal from the    
ministers was to the king1 and as the   
king shut himself up in his palace1 and 
was practically inaccessible to all but 
high officials1 the worthlessness of    
this appeal is evident4 ,outside        
,mandalay the country was governed by   
wuns or governors4 ,these were appointed
 by the king1 or by the council1 or by  
both1 and they obtained their position  
by bribery4 ,their tenure was           
exceedingly insecure1 as any man who    
came and gave a bigger bribe was likely 
to obtain the former governor's         
dismissal and his own appointment4      
,consequently the usual tenure of office
 of a governor was a year4 ,often there 
were half a dozen governors in a year2  
sometimes a man with strong influence   
managed to retain his position for some 
years4 ,from the orders of the governor 
there was an appeal to the council4     
,this was in some matters useful1 but in

 others not so4 ,if a governor sentenced
 a man to death--all governors had power
 of life and death--he would be executed
 long before an appeal could reach the  
council4 ,practically no check was      
possible by the palace over distant     
governors1 and they did as they liked4  
,anything more disastrous and fatal to  
any kind of good government than this it
 is impossible to imagine4 ,the         
governors did what they considered right
 in their own eyes1 and made as much    
money as they could1 while they could4  
,they collected the taxes and as much   
more as they could get2 they            
administered the laws of ,manu in civil 
and criminal affairs1 except when       
tempted to deviate therefrom by good    
reasons2 they carried out orders        
received from ,mandalay1 when these     
orders fell in with their own desires1  
or when they considered that            
disobedience might be dangerous4 ,it is 
a ,burmese proverb that officials are   
one of the five great enemies of        

mankind1 and there was1 ,i think 7at all
 events in the latter days of the       
kingdom7 good reason to remember it4    
,and yet these officials were not bad   
men in themselves2 on the contrary1 many
 of them were men of good purpose1 of   
natural honesty1 of right principles4   
,in a well-organized system they would  
have done well1 but the system was      
rotten to the core4  ,it may be asked   
why the ,burmese people remained quiet  
under such a rule as this2 why they did 
not rise and destroy it1 raising a new  
one in its place2 how it was that such a
 state of corruption lasted for a year1 
let alone for many years4  ,the answer  
is this3 ,however bad the government may
 have been1 it had the qualities of its 
defects4 ,if it did not do much to help 
the people1 it did little to hinder     
them4 ,to a great extent it left them   
alone to manage their own affairs in    
their own way4 ,burma in those days was 
like a great untended garden1 full of   
weeds1 full of flowers too1 each plant  

striving after its own way1 gradually   
evolving into higher forms4 ,now        
sometimes it seems to me to be like an  
old ,dutch garden1 with the paths very  
straight1 very clean swept1 with the    
trees clipped into curious shapes of    
bird and beast1 tortured out of all     
knowledge1 and many of the flowers mown 
down4 ,the ,burmese government left its 
people alone2 that was one great virtue4
 ,and1 again1 any government1 however   
good1 however bad1 is but a small factor
 in the life of a people2 it comes far  
below many other things in importance4  
,a short rainfall for a year is more    
disastrous than a mad king2 a plague is 
worse than fifty grasping governors2    
social rottenness is incomparably more  
dangerous than the rottenest government4
  ,and in ,burma it was only the supreme
 government1 the high officials1 that   
were very bad4 ,it was only the         
management of state affairs that was    
feeble and corrupt2 all the rest was    
very good4 ,the land laws1 the          

self-government1 the social condition of
 the people1 were admirable4 ,it was so 
good that the rotten central government 
made but little difference to the       
people1 and it would probably have      
lasted for a long while if not attacked 
from outside4 ,a greater power came and 
upset the government of the king1 and   
established itself in his place2 and ,i 
may here say that the idea that the     
feebleness or wrong-doing of the        
,burmese government was the cause of the
 downfall is a mistake4 ,if the ,burmese
 government had been the best that ever 
existed1 the annexation would have      
happened just the same4 ,it was a       
political necessity for us4  ,the       
central government of a country is1 as  
,i have said1 not a matter of much      
importance4 ,it has very little         
influence in the evolution of the soul  
of a people4 ,it is always a great deal 
worse than the people themselves--a     
hundred years behind them in            
civilization1 a thousand years behind   

them in morality4 ,men will do in the   
name of government acts which1 if       
performed in a private capacity1 would  
cover them with shame before men1 and   
would land them in a gaol or worse4 ,the
 name of government is a cloak for the  
worst passions of manhood4 ,it is not an
 interesting study1 the government of   
mankind4  ,a government is no part of   
the soul of the people1 but is a mere   
excrescence2 and so ,i have but little  
to say about this of ,burma1 beyond this
 curious fact--that religion had no part
 in it4 ,surely this is a very          
remarkable thing1 that a religion having
 the hold upon its followers that       
,buddhism has upon the ,burmese has     
never attempted to grasp the supreme    
authority and use it to its ends4  ,it  
is not quite an explanation to say that 
,buddhism is not concerned with such    
things2 that its very spirit is against 
the assumption of any worldly power and 
authority2 that it is a negation of the 
value of these things4 ,something of    

this sort might be said of other        
religions1 and yet they have all striven
 to use the temporal power4  ,i do not  
know what the explanation is1 unless it 
be that the ,burmese believe their      
religion and other people do not4       
,however that may be1 there is no doubt 
of the fact4 ,religion had nothing      
whatever--absolutely nothing in any way 
at all--to do with government4 ,there   
are no exceptions4 ,what has led people 
to think sometimes that there were      
exceptions is the fact that the king    
confirmed the ,thathanabaing--the head  
of the community of monks--after he had 
been elected by his fellow-monks4 ,the  
reason of this was as follows3 ,all     
ecclesiastical matters--,i use the word 
'ecclesiastical' because ,i can find no 
other--were outside the jurisdiction of 
civil limits4 ,by 'ecclesiastical' ,i   
mean such matters as referred to the    
ownership and habitation of monasteries1
 the building of pagodas and places of  
prayer1 the discipline of the monkhood4 

,such questions were decided by         
ecclesiastical courts under the         
,thathanabaing4  ,now1 it was necessary 
sometimes1 as may be understood1 to     
enforce these decrees1 and for that     
reason to apply to civil power4         
,therefore there must be a head of the  
monks acknowledged by the civil power as
 head1 to make such applications as     
might be necessary in this1 and perhaps 
some other such circumstances4  ,it     
became1 therefore1 the custom for the   
king to acknowledge by order the elect  
of the monks as ,thathanabaing for all  
such purposes4 ,that was all4 ,the king 
did not appoint him at all4  ,any such  
idea as a monk interfering in the       
affairs of state1 or expressing an      
opinion on war or law or finance1 would 
appear to the ,burmese a negation of    
their faith4 ,they were never led away  
by the idea that good might come of such
 interference4 ,this terrible snare has 
never caught their feet4 ,they hold that
 a man's first duty is to his own soul4 

,never think that you can do good to    
others at the same time as you injure   
yourself1 and the greatest good for your
 own heart is to learn that beyond all  
this turmoil and fret there is the      
,great ,peace--so great that we can     
hardly understand it1 and to reach it   
you must fit yourself for it4 ,the monk 
is he who is attempting to reach it1 and
 he knows that he cannot do that by     
attempting to rule his fellow-man2 that 
is probably the very worst thing he     
could do4 ,and therefore the monkhood1  
powerful as they were1 left all politics
 alone4 ,i have never been able to hear 
of a single instance in which they even 
expressed an opinion either as a body or
 as individuals on any state matter4    
,it is true that1 if a governor         
oppressed his people1 the monks would   
remonstrate with him1 or even1 in the   
last extremity1 with the king2 they     
would plead with the king for clemency  
to conquered peoples1 to rebels1 to     
criminals2 their voice was always on the

 side of mercy4 ,as far as urging the   
greatest of all virtues upon governors  
and rulers alike1 they may be said to   
have interfered with politics2 but this 
is not what is usually understood by    
religion interfering in things of state4
 ,it seems to me we usually mean the    
reverse of this1 for we are of late     
beginning to regard it with horror4 ,the
 ,burmese have always done so4 ,they    
would think it a denial of all religion4
  ,and so the only things worth noting  
about the government of the ,burmese    
were its exceeding badness1 and its     
disconnection with religion4 ,that it   
would have been a much stronger         
government had it been able to enlist on
 its side all the power of the monkhood1
 none can doubt4 ,it might even have    
been a better government2 of that ,i am 
not sure4 ,but that such a union would  
have meant the utter destruction of the 
religion1 the debasing of the very soul 
of the people1 no one who has tried to  
understand that soul can doubt4 ,and a  

soul is worth very many governments4    
,but when you left the central          
government1 and came down to the        
management of local affairs1 there was a
 great change4 ,you came straight down  
from the king and governor to the       
village and its headman4 ,there were no 
lords1 no squires1 nor ecclesiastical   
power wielding authority over the       
people4  ,each village was to a very    
great extent a self-governing community 
composed of men free in every way4 ,the 
whole country was divided into villages1
 sometimes containing one or two hamlets
 at a little distance from each         
other--offshoots from the parent stem4  
,the towns1 too1 were divided into      
quarters1 and each quarter had its      
headman4 ,these men held their          
appointment-orders from the king as a   
matter of form1 but they were chosen by 
their fellow-villagers as a matter of   
fact4 ,partly this headship was         
hereditary1 not from father to son1 but 
it might be from brother to brother1 and

 so on4 ,it was not usually a very      
coveted appointment1 for the            
responsibility and trouble were         
considerable1 and the pay small4 ,it was
 #aj per cent4 on the tax collections4  
,and with this official as their head1  
the villagers managed nearly all their  
affairs4 ,their taxes1 for instance1    
they assessed and collected themselves4 
,the governor merely informed the       
headman that he was to produce ten      
rupees per house from his village4 ,the 
villagers then appointed assessors from 
among themselves1 and decided how much  
each household should pay4 ,thus a      
coolie might pay but four rupees1 and a 
rice-merchant as much as fifty or sixty4
 ,the assessment was levied according to
 the means of the villagers4 ,so well   
was this done1 that complaints against  
the decisions of the assessors were     
almost unknown--,i might1 ,i think1     
safely say were absolutely unknown4 ,the
 assessment was made publicly1 and each 
man was heard in his own defence before 

being assessed4 ,then the money was     
collected4 ,if by any chance1 such as   
death1 any family could not pay1 the    
deficiency was made good by the other   
villagers in proportion4 ,when the money
 was got in it was paid to the governor4
  ,crime such as gang-robbery1 murder1  
and so on1 had to be reported to the    
governor1 and he arrested the criminals 
if he felt inclined1 and knew who they  
were1 and was able to do it4 ,generally 
something was in the way1 and it could  
not be done4 ,all lesser crime was dealt
 with in the village itself1 not only   
dealt with when it occurred1 but to a   
great extent prevented from occurring4  
,you see1 in a village anyone knows     
everyone1 and detection is usually easy4
 ,if a man became a nuisance to a       
village1 he was expelled4 ,i have often 
heard old ,burmans talking about this1  
and comparing these times with those4   
,in those times all big crimes were     
unpunished1 and there was but little    
petty crime4 ,now all big criminals are 

relentlessly hunted down by the police2 
and the inevitable weakening of the     
village system has led to a large       
increase of petty crime1 and certain    
breaches of morality and good conduct4  
,i remember talking to a man not long   
ago--a man who had been a headman in the
 king's time1 but was not so now4 ,we   
were chatting of various subjects1 and  
he told me he had no children2 they were
 dead4  ',when were you married8' ,i    
asked1 just for something to say1 and he
 said when he was thirty-two4  ',isn't  
that rather old to be just married8' ,i 
asked4 ',i thought you ,burmans often   
married at eighteen and twenty4 ,what   
made you wait so long8'  ,and he told me
 that in his village men were not       
allowed to marry till they were about   
thirty4 ',great harm comes1' he said1   
'of allowing boys and girls to make     
foolish marriages when they are too     
young4 ,it was never allowed in my      
village4'  ',and if a young man fell in 
love with a girl8' ,i asked4  ',he was  

told to leave her alone4'  ',and if he  
didn't8'  ',if he didn't1 he was put in 
the stocks for one day or two days1 and 
if that was no good1 he was banished    
from the village4'  ,a monk complained  
to me of the bad habits of the young men
 in villages4 ',could government do     
nothing8' he asked4 ,they used shameful 
words1 and they would shout as they     
passed his monastery1 and disturb the   
lads at their lessons and the girls at  
the well4 ,they were not well-behaved4  
,in the ,burmese time they would have   
been punished for all this--made to draw
 so many buckets of water for the       
school-gardens1 or do some road-making1 
or even be put in the stocks4 ,now the  
headman was afraid to do anything1 for  
fear of the great government4 ,it was   
very bad for the young men1 he said4    
,all villages were not alike1 of course1
 in their enforcement of good manners   
and good morals1 but1 still1 in every   
village they were enforced more or less4
 ,the opinion of the people was very    

decided1 and made itself felt1 and the  
influence of the monastery without the  
gate was strong upon the people4  ,yet  
the monks never interfered with village 
affairs4 ,as they abstained from state  
government1 so they did from local      
government4 ,you never could imagine a  
,buddhist monk being a magistrate for   
his village1 taking any part at all in  
municipal affairs4 ,the same reasons    
that held them from affairs of the state
 held them from affairs of the commune4 
,i need not repeat them4 ,the monastery 
was outside the village1 and the monk   
outside the community4 ,i do not think  
he was ever consulted about any village 
matters4 ,i know that1 though ,i have   
many and many a time asked monks for    
their opinion to aid me in deciding     
little village disputes1 ,i have never  
got an answer out of them4 ',these are  
not our affairs1' they will answer      
always4 ',go to the people2 they will   
tell you what you want4' ,their         
influence is by example and precept1 by 

teaching the laws of the great teacher1 
by living a life blameless before men1  
by preparing their souls for rest4 ,it  
is a general influence1 never a         
particular one4 ,if anyone came to the  
monk for counsel1 the monk would only   
repeat to him the sacred teaching1 and  
leave him to apply it4  ,so each village
 managed its own affairs1 untroubled by 
squire or priest1 very little troubled  
by the state4 ,that within their little 
means they did it well1 no one can      
doubt4 ,they taxed themselves without   
friction1 they built their own monastery
 schools by voluntary effort1 they      
maintained a very high1 a very simple1  
code of morals1 entirely of their own   
initiative4  ,all this has passed1 or is
 passing away4 ,the king has gone to a  
banishment far across the sea1 the      
ministers are either banished or        
powerless for good or evil4 ,it will    
never rise again1 this government of the
 king1 which was so bad in all it did1  
and only good in what it left alone4 ,it

 will never rise again4 ,the people are 
now part of the ,british ,empire1       
subjects of the ,queen4 ,what may be in 
store for them in the far future no one 
can tell1 only we may be sure that the  
past can return no more4 ,and the local 
government is passing away1 too4 ,it    
cannot exist with a strong government   
such as ours4 ,for good or for evil1 in 
a few years it1 too1 will be gone4      
,but1 after all1 these are but forms2   
the soul is far within4 ,in the soul    
there will be no change4 ,no one can    
imagine even in the far future any monk 
of the ,buddha desiring temporal power  
or interfering in any way with the      
government of the people4 ,that is why  
,i have written this chapter1 to show   
how ,buddhism holds itself towards the  
government4 ,with us1 we are accustomed 
to ecclesiastics trying to manage       
affairs of state1 or attempting to grasp
 the secular power4 ,it is in accordance
 with our ideals that they should do so4
 ,our religious phraseology is full of  

such terms as lord and king and ruler   
and servant4 ,buddhism knows nothing of 
any of them4 ,in our religion we are    
subject to the authority of deacons and 
priests and bishops and archbishops1 and
 so on up to the ,almighty ,himself4    
,but in ,buddhism every man is          
free--free1 subject to the inevitable   
laws of righteousness4 ,there is no     
hierarchy in ,buddhism3 it is a religion
 of absolute freedom4 ,no one can damn  
you except yourself2 no one can save you
 except yourself4 ,governments cannot do
 it1 and therefore it would be useless  
to try and capture the reins of         
government1 even if you did not destroy 
your own soul in so doing4 ,buddhism    
does not believe that you can save a man
 by force4  ,as ,buddhism was1 so it is1
 so it will remain4 ,by its very nature 
it abhors all semblance of authority4   
,it has proved that1 under temptation   
such as no other religion has felt1 and 
resisted2 it is a religion of each man's
 own soul1 not of governments and       

powers4     ,,chapter ,,viii  ,,crime   
,,and ,,punishment       ',overcome     
anger by kindness1 evil by good4'       
,dammapada4   ,not very many years ago  
an officer in ,rangoon lost some        
currency notes4 ,he had placed them upon
 his table overnight1 and in the morning
 they were gone4 ,the amount was not    
large4 ,it was1 if ,i remember rightly1 
thirty rupees2 but the loss annoyed him1
 and as all search and inquiry proved   
futile1 he put the matter in the hands  
of the police4  ,before long--the very  
next day--the possession of the notes   
was traced to the officer's ,burman     
servant1 who looked after his clothes   
and attended on him at table4 ,the boy  
was caught in the act of trying to      
change one of the notes4 ,he was        
arrested1 and he confessed4 ,he was very
 hard up1 he said1 and his sister had   
written asking him to help her4 ,he     
could not do so1 and he was troubling   
himself about the matter early that     
morning while tidying the room1 and he  

saw the notes on the table1 and so he   
took them4 ,it was a sudden temptation1 
and he fell4 ,when the officer learnt   
all this1 he would1 ,i think1 have      
withdrawn from the prosecution and      
forgiven the boy2 but it was too late4  
,in our ,english law theft is not       
compoundable4 ,a complaint of theft once
 made must be proved or disproved2 the  
accused must be tried before a          
magistrate4 ,there is no alternative4   
,so the lad--he was only a lad--was sent
 up before the magistrate1 and he again 
pleaded guilty1 and his master asked    
that the punishment might be light4 ,the
 boy1 he said1 was an honest boy1 and   
had yielded to a sudden temptation4 ,he1
 the master1 had no desire to press the 
charge1 but the reverse4 ,he would never
 have come to court at all if he could  
have withdrawn from the charge4         
,therefore he asked that the magistrate 
would consider all this1 and be lenient4
  ,but the magistrate did not see       
matters in the same light at all4 ,he   

would consider his judgment1 and deliver
 it later on4  ,when he came into court 
again and read the judgment he had      
prepared1 he said that he was unable to 
treat the case leniently4 ,there were   
many such cases1 he said4 ,it was       
becoming quite common for servants to   
steal their employers' things1 and they 
generally escaped4 ,it was a serious    
matter1 and he felt himself obliged to  
make an example of such as were         
convicted1 to be a warning to others4   
,so the boy was sentenced to six months'
 rigorous imprisonment2 and his master  
went home1 and before long had forgotten
 all about it4  ,but one day1 as he was 
sitting in his veranda reading before   
breakfast1 a lad came quickly up the    
stairs and into the veranda1 and knelt  
down before him4 ,it was the servant4   
,as soon as he was released from gaol1  
he went straight to his old master1     
straight to the veranda where he was    
sure he would be sitting at that hour1  
and begged to be taken back again into  

his service4 ,he was quite pleased1 and 
sure that his master would be equally   
pleased1 at seeing him again1 and he    
took it almost as a matter of course    
that he would be reinstated4  ,but the  
master doubted4  ',how can ,i take you  
back again8' he said4 ',you have been in
 gaol4'  ',but1' said the boy1 ',i did  
very well in gaol4 ,i became a warder   
with a cap white on one side and yellow 
on the other4 ,let the thakin ask4'     
,still the officer doubted4  ',i cannot 
take you back1' he repeated4 ',you stole
 my money1 and you have been in prison4 
,i could not have you as a servant      
again4'  ',yes1' admitted the boy1 ',i  
stole the thakin's money1 but ,i have   
been in prison for it a long time--six  
months4 ,surely that is all forgotten   
now4 ,i stole2 ,i have been in          
gaol--that is the end of it4'  ',no1'   
answered the master1 'unfortunately1    
your having been in gaol only makes     
matters much worse4 ,i could forgive the
 theft1 but the being in gaol--how can  

,i forgive that8'  ,and the boy could   
not understand4  ',if ,i have stolen1 ,i
 have been in gaol for it4 ,that is     
wiped out now1' he said again and again1
 till at last he went away in sore      
trouble of mind1 for he could not       
understand his master1 nor could his    
master understand him4  ,you see1 each  
had his own idea of what was law1 and   
what was justice1 and what was          
punishment4 ,to the ,burman all these   
words had one set of meanings2 to the   
,englishman they had another1 a very    
different one4 ,and each of them took   
his ideas from his religion4 ,to all men
 the law here on earth is but a         
reflection of the heavenly law2 the     
judge is the representative of his god4 
,the justice of the court should be as  
the justice of heaven4 ,many nations    
have imagined their law to be           
heaven-given1 to be inspired with the   
very breath of the ,creator of the      
world4 ,other nations have derived their
 laws elsewhere4 ,but this is of little 

account1 for to the one1 as to the      
other1 the laws are a reflection of the 
religion4  ,and therefore on a man's    
religion depends all his views of law   
and justice1 his understanding of the   
word 'punishment1' his idea of how sin  
should be treated4 ,and it was because  
of their different religions1 because   
their religions differed so greatly on  
these points as to be almost opposed1   
that the ,english officer and his       
,burman servant failed to understand    
each other4  ,for to the ,englishman    
punishment was a degradation4 ,it seemed
 to him far more disgraceful that his   
servant should have been in gaol than   
that he should have committed theft4    
,the theft he was ready to forgive1 the 
punishment he could not4 ,punishment to 
him meant revenge4 ,it is the revenge of
 an outraged and injured morality4 ,the 
sinner had insulted the law1 and        
therefore the law was to make him       
suffer4 ,he was to be frightened into   
not doing it again4 ,that is the idea4  

,he was to be afraid of receiving       
punishment4 ,and again his punishment   
was to be useful as a warning to others4
 ,indeed1 the magistrate had especially 
increased it with that object in view4  
,he was to suffer that others might be  
saved4 ,the idea of punishment being an 
atonement hardly enters into our minds  
at all4 ,to us it is practically a      
revenge4 ,we do not expect people to be 
the better for it4 ,we are sure they are
 the worse4 ,it is a deterrent for      
others1 not a healing process for the   
man himself4 ,we punish ,a4 that ,b4 may
 be afraid1 and not do likewise4 ,our   
thoughts are bent on ,b41 not really on 
,a4 at all4 ,as far as he is concerned1 
the process is very similar to pouring  
boiling lead into a wound4 ,we do not   
wish or intend to improve him1 but      
simply and purely to make him suffer4   
,after we have dealt with him1 he is    
never fit again for human society4 ,that
 was in the officer's thought when he   
refused to take back his ,burmese       

servant4  ,now see the boy's idea4      
,punishment is an atonement1 a purifying
 of the soul from the stain of sin4     
,that is the only justification for1 and
 meaning of1 suffering4 ,if a man breaks
 the everlasting laws of righteousness  
and stains his soul with the stain of   
sin1 he must be purified1 and the only  
method of purification is by suffering4 
,each sin is followed by suffering1     
lasting just so long as to cleanse the  
soul--not a moment less1 or the soul    
would not be white2 not a moment more1  
or it would be useless and cruel4 ,that 
is the law of righteousness1 the eternal
 inevitable sequence that leads us in   
the end to wisdom and peace4 ,and as it 
is with the greater laws1 so it should1 
the ,buddhist thinks1 be with the lesser
 laws4  ,if a man steals1 he should have
 such punishment and for such a time as 
will wean his soul from theft1 as will  
atone for his sin4 ,just so much4 ,you  
see1 to him mercy is a falling short of 
what is necessary1 a leaving of work    

half done1 as if you were to leave a    
garment half washed4 ,excess of         
punishment is mere useless brutality4   
,he recognizes no vicarious punishment4 
,he cannot understand that ,a4 should be
 damned in order to save ,b4 ,this does 
not agree with his scheme of            
righteousness at all4 ,it seems as      
futile to him as the action of washing  
one garment twice that another might be 
clean4 ,each man should atone for his   
own sin1 must atone for his own sin1 in 
order to be freed from it4 ,no one can  
help him1 or suffer for him4 ,if ,i have
 a sore throat1 it would be useless to  
blister you for it3 that is his idea4   
,consider this ,burman4 ,he had         
committed theft4 ,that he admitted4 ,he 
was prepared to atone for it4 ,the      
magistrate was not content with that1   
but made him also atone for other men's 
sins4 ,he was twice punished1 because   
other men who escaped did ill4 ,that was
 the first thing he could not           
understand4 ,and then1 when he had      

atoned both for his own sin and for that
 of others1 when he came out of prison1 
he was looked upon as in a worse state  
than if he had never atoned at all4 ,if 
he had never been in prison1 his master 
would have forgiven his theft and taken 
him back1 but now he would not4 ,the boy
 was proud of having atoned in full1    
very full1 measure for his sin2 the     
master looked upon the punishment as    
inconceivably worse than the crime4  ,so
 the officer went about and told the    
story of his boy coming back1 and       
expecting to be taken on again1 as a    
curious instance of the mysterious      
working of the ,oriental mind1 as       
another example of the extraordinary way
 ,easterns argue4 ',just to think1' said
 the officer1 'he was not ashamed of    
having been in prison6' ,and the boy8   
,well1 he probably said nothing1 but    
went away and did not understand1 and   
kept the matter to himself1 for they are
 very dumb1 these people1 very          
long-suffering1 very charitable4 ,you   

may be sure that he never railed at the 
law1 or condemned his old master for    
harshness4  ,he would wonder why he was 
punished because other people had sinned
 and escaped4 ,he could not understand  
that4 ,it would not occur to him that   
sending him to herd with other          
criminals1 that cutting him off from all
 the gentle influences of life1 from the
 green trees and the winds of heaven1   
from the society of women1 from the     
example of noble men1 from the teachings
 of religion1 was a curious way to      
render him a better man4 ,he would      
suppose it was intended to make him     
better1 that he should leave gaol a     
better man than when he entered1 and he 
would take the intention for the deed4  
,under his own king things were not much
 better4 ,it is true that very few men  
were imprisoned1 fine being the usual   
punishment1 but still1 imprisonment     
there was1 and so that would not seem to
 him strange2 and as to the conduct of  
his master1 he would be content to leave

 that unexplained4 ,the ,buddhist is    
content to leave many things unexplained
 until he can see the meaning4 ,he is   
not fond of theories4 ,if he does not   
know1 he says so4 ',it is beyond me1' he
 will say2 ',i do not understand4' ,he  
has no theory of an occidental mind to  
explain acts of ours of which he cannot 
grasp the meaning2 he would only not    
understand4  ,but the pity of it--think 
of the pity of it all6 ,surely there is 
nothing more pathetic than this3 that a 
sinner should not understand the        
wherefore of his sentence1 that the     
justice administered to him should be   
such as he cannot see the meaning of4   
,certain forms of crime are very rife in
 ,burma4 ,the villages are so scattered1
 the roads so lonely1 the amount of     
money habitually carried about so large1
 the people so habitually careless1 the 
difficulty of detection so great1 that  
robbery and kindred crimes are very     
common2 and it is more common in the    
districts of the delta1 long under our  

rule1 than in the newly-annexed province
 in the north4 ,under like conditions   
the ,burman is probably no more criminal
 and no less criminal than other people 
in the same state of civilization4      
,crime is a condition caused by         
opportunity1 not by an inherent state of
 mind1 except with the very1 very few1  
the exceptional individuals2 and in     
,upper ,burma there is1 now that the    
turmoil of the annexation is past1 very 
little crime comparatively4 ,there is   
less money there1 and the village       
system--the control of the community    
over the individual--the restraining    
influence of public opinion is greater4 
,but even during the years of trouble1  
the years from #ahhe till #ahij1 when1  
in the words of the ,burmese proverb1   
'the forest was on fire and the wild-cat
 slapped his arm1' there were certain   
peculiarities about the criminals that  
differentiated them from those of       
,europe4 ,you would hear of a terrible  
crime1 a village attacked at night by   

brigands1 a large robbery of property1  
one or two villagers killed1 and an old 
woman tortured for her treasure1 and you
 would picture the perpetrators as      
hardened1 brutal criminals1 lost to all 
sense of humanity1 tigers in human      
shape2 and when you came to arrest      
them--if by good luck you did so--you   
would find yourself quite mistaken4     
,one1 perhaps1 or two of the ringleaders
 might be such as ,i have described1 but
 the others would be far different4     
,they would be boys or young men led    
away by the idea of a frolic1 allured by
 the romance of being a free-lance for a
 night1 very sorry now1 and ready to    
confess and do all in their power to    
atone for their misdeeds4  ,nothing1 ,i 
think1 was more striking than the       
universal confession of criminals on    
their arrest4 ,even now1 despite the    
spread of lawyers and notions of law1 in
 country districts accused men always   
confess1 sometimes even they surrender  
themselves4 ,i have known many such     

cases4 ,here is one that happened to    
myself only the other day4  ,a man was  
arrested in another jurisdiction for    
cattle theft2 he was tried there and    
sentenced to two years' rigorous        
imprisonment4 ,shortly afterwards it was
 discovered that he was suspected of    
being concerned in a robbery in my      
jurisdiction1 committed before his      
arrest4 ,he was therefore transferred to
 the gaol near my court1 and ,i inquired
 into the case1 and committed him and   
four others for trial before the        
sessions judge for the robbery1 which he
 admitted4  ,now1 it so happened that   
immediately after ,i had passed orders  
in the case ,i went out into camp1      
leaving the necessary warrants to be    
signed in my absence by my junior       
magistrate1 and a mistake occurred by   
which the committal-warrant was only    
made out for the four4 ,the other man   
being already under sentence for two    
years1 it was not considered necessary  
to make out a remand-warrant for him4   

,but1 as it happened1 he had appealed   
from his former sentence and he was     
acquitted1 so a warrant of release      
arrived at the gaol1 and1 in absence of 
any other warrant1 he was at once       
released4  ,of course1 on the mistake   
being discovered a fresh warrant was    
issued1 and mounted police were sent    
over the country in search of him1      
without avail2 he could not be found4   
,but some four days afterwards1 in the  
late afternoon1 as ,i was sitting in my 
house1 just returned from court1 my     
servant told me a man wanted to see me4 
,he was shown up into the veranda1 and1 
lo6 it was the very man ,i wanted4 ,he  
had heard1 he explained1 that ,i wanted 
him1 and had come to see me4 ,i reminded
 him he was committed to stand his trial
 for dacoity1 that was why ,i wanted    
him4 ,he said that he thought all that  
was over1 as he was released2 but ,i    
explained to him that the release only  
applied to the theft case4 ,and then we 
walked over half a mile to court1 ,i in 

front and he behind1 across the wide    
plain1 and he surrendered to the guard4 
,he was tried and acquitted on this     
charge also4 ,not1 as the sessions judge
 said later1 that he had any doubt that 
my friend and the others were the right 
men1 but because he considered some of  
the evidence unsatisfactory1 and because
 the original confession was withdrawn4 
,so he was released again1 and went     
hence a free man4  ,but think of him    
surrendering himself6 ,he knew he had   
committed the dacoity with which he was 
charged3 he himself had admitted it to  
begin with1 and again admitted it freely
 when he knew he was safe from further  
trial4 ,he knew he was liable to very   
heavy punishment1 and yet he surrendered
 because he understood that ,i wanted   
him4 ,i confess that ,i do not          
understand it at all1 for this is no    
solitary instance4 ,the circumstances1  
truly1 were curious1 but the spirit in  
which the man acted was usual enough4 ,i
 have had dacoit leaders with prices on 

their heads walk into my camp4 ,it was a
 common experience with many officers4  
,the ,burmans often act as children do4 
,their crimes are the violent1          
thoughtless crimes of children2 they are
 as little depraved by crime as children
 are4 ,who are more criminal than       
,english boys8 and yet they grow up     
decent1 law-abiding men4 ,almost the    
only confirmed criminals have been made 
so by punishment1 by that punishment    
which some consider is intended to      
uplift them1 but which never does aught 
but degrade them4 ,instead of cleansing 
the garment1 it tears it1 and renders it
 useless for this life4  ,it is a very  
difficult question1 this of crime and   
punishment4 ,i have not written all this
 because ,i have any suggestion to make 
to improve it4 ,i have not written it   
because ,i think that the laws of ,manu1
 which obtained under the ,burmese      
kings1 and their methods of punishment1 
were any improvement on ours4 ,on the   
contrary1 ,i think they were much worse4

 ,their laws and their methods of       
enforcing the law were those of a very  
young people4 ,but1 notwithstanding     
this1 there was a spirit in their laws  
different from and superior to ours4  ,i
 have been trying to see into the soul  
of this people whom ,i love so well1 and
 nothing has struck me more than the way
 they regard crime and punishment2      
nothing has seemed to me more worthy of 
note than their ideas of the meaning and
 end of punishment1 of its scope and its
 limits4 ,it is so very different from  
ours4 ,as in our religion1 so in our    
laws3 we believe in mercy at one time   
and in vengeance at another4 ,we believe
 in vicarious punishment and vicarious  
salvation2 they believe in absolute     
justice--always the same1 eternal and   
unchangeable as the laws of the stars4  
,we purposely make punishment degrading2
 they think it should be elevating1 that
 in its purifying power lies its sole   
use and justification4 ,we believe in   
tearing a soiled garment2 they think it 

ought to be washed4  ,surely these are  
great differences1 surely thoughts like 
these1 engraven in the hearts of a young
 people1 will lead1 in the great and    
glorious future that lies before them1  
to a conception of justice1 to a method 
of dealing with crime1 very different   
from what we know ourselves4 ,they are  
now very much as we were sixteen        
centuries ago1 when the ,romans ruled   
us4 ,now we are a greater people1 our   
justice is better1 our prisons are      
better1 our morality is inconceivably   
better than ,imperial ,rome ever dreamt 
of4 ,and so with these people1 when     
their time shall come1 when they shall  
have grown out of childhood into        
manhood1 when they shall have the wisdom
 and strength and experience to put in  
force the convictions that are in their 
hearts1 it seems to me that they will   
bring out of these convictions something
 more wonderful than we to-day have     
dreamt of4     ,,chapter ,,ix           
,,happiness       ',the thoughts of his 

heart1 these are the wealth of a man4'  
,burmese saying4   ,as ,i have said1    
there was this very remarkable fact in  
,burma--that when you left the king1 you
 dropped at once to the villager4 ,there
 were no intermediate classes4 ,there   
were no nobles1 hereditary officers1    
great landowners1 wealthy bankers or    
merchants4  ,then there is no caste2    
there are no guilds of trade1 or art1 or
 science4 ,if a man discovered a method 
of working silver1 say1 he never hid it1
 but made it common property4 ,it is    
very curious how absolutely devoid      
,burma is of the exclusiveness of caste 
so universal in ,india1 and which       
survives to a great extent in ,europe4  
,the ,burman is so absolutely enamoured 
of freedom1 that he cannot abide the    
bonds which caste demands4 ,he will not 
bind himself with other men for a slight
 temporal advantage2 he does not        
consider it worth the trouble4 ,he      
prefers remaining free and poor to being
 bound and rich4 ,nothing is further    

from him than the feeling of            
exclusiveness4 ,he abominates secrecy1  
mystery4 ,his religion1 his women1      
himself1 are free2 there are no dark    
places in his life where the light      
cannot come4 ,he is ready that          
everything should be known1 that all men
 should be his brothers4  ,and so all   
the people are on the same level4       
,richer and poorer there are1 of course1
 but there are no very rich2 there is   
none so poor that he cannot get plenty  
to eat and drink4 ,all eat much the same
 food1 all dress much alike4 ,the       
amusements of all are the same1 for     
entertainments are nearly always free4  
,so the ,burman does not care to be     
rich4 ,it is not in his nature to desire
 wealth1 it is not in his nature to care
 to keep it when it comes to him4       
,beyond a sufficiency for his daily     
needs money has not much value4 ,he does
 not care to add field to field or coin 
to coin2 the mere fact that he has money
 causes him no pleasure4 ,money is worth

 to him what it will buy4 ,with us1 when
 we have made a little money we keep it 
to be a nest-egg to make more from4 ,not
 so a ,burman3 he will spend it4 ,and   
after his own little wants are          
satisfied1 after he has bought himself a
 new silk1 after he has given his wife a
 gold bangle1 after he has called all   
his village together and entertained    
them with a dramatic                    
entertainment--sometimes even before all
 this--he will spend the rest on        
charity4  ,he will build a pagoda to the
 honour of the great teacher1 where men 
may go to meditate on the great laws of 
existence4 ,he will build a monastery   
school where the village lads are       
taught1 and where each villager retires 
some time in his life to learn the great
 wisdom4 ,he will dig a well or build a 
bridge1 or make a rest-house4 ,and if   
the sum be very small indeed1 then he   
will build1 perhaps1 a little house--a  
tiny little house--to hold two or three 
jars of water for travellers to drink4  

,and he will keep the jars full of      
water1 and put a little cocoanut-shell  
to act as cup4  ,the amount spent thus  
every year in charity is enormous4 ,the 
country is full of pagodas2 you see them
 on every peak1 on every ridge along the
 river4 ,they stand there as do the     
castles of the robber barons on the     
,rhine1 only with what another meaning6 
,near villages and towns there are      
clusters of them1 great and small4 ,the 
great pagoda in ,rangoon is as tall as  
,st4 ,paul's2 ,i have seen many a one   
not three feet high--the offering of    
some poor old man to the ,great ,name1  
and everywhere there are monasteries4   
,every village has one1 at least2 most  
have two or three4 ,a large village will
 have many4 ,more would be built if     
there was anyone to live in them1 so    
anxious is each man to do something for 
the monks4 ,as it is1 more are built    
than there is actual need for4  ,and    
there are rest-houses everywhere4 ,far  
away in the dense forests by the        

mountain-side you will find them1 built 
in some little hollow by the roadside by
 someone who remembered his             
fellow-traveller4 ,you cannot go five   
miles along any road without finding    
them4 ,in villages they can be counted  
by tens1 in towns by fifties4 ,there are
 far more than are required4  ,in       
,burmese times such roads and bridges as
 were made were made in the same way by 
private charity4 ,nowadays1 the ,british
 ,government takes that in hand1 and    
consequently there is probably more     
money for rest-house building than is   
needed4 ,as time goes on1 the charity   
will flow into other lines1 no doubt1 in
 addition4 ,they will build and endow   
hospitals1 they will devote money to    
higher education1 they will spend money 
in many ways1 not in what we usually    
call charity1 for that they already do1 
nor in missions1 as whatever missions   
they may send out will cost nothing4    
,holy men are those vowed to extreme    
poverty4 ,but as their civilization     

7their civilization1 not any imposed    
from outside7 progresses1 they will find
 out new wants for the rich to supply1  
and they will supply them4 ,that is a   
mere question of material progress4     
,the inclination to charity is very     
strong4 ,the ,burmans give in charity   
far more in proportion to their wealth  
than any other people4 ,it is           
extraordinary how much they give1 and   
you must remember that all of this is   
quite voluntary4 ,with1 ,i think1 two or
 three exceptions1 such as gilding the  
,shwe ,dagon pagoda1 collections are    
never made for any purpose4 ,there is no
 committee of appeal1 no organized      
collection4 ,it is all given straight   
from the giver's heart4 ,it is a very   
marvellous thing4  ,i remember long ago1
 shortly after ,i had come to ,burma1 ,i
 was staying with a friend in ,toungoo1 
and ,i went with him to the house of a  
,burman contractor4 ,we had been out    
riding1 and as we returned my friend    
said he wished to see the contractor    

about some business1 and so we rode to  
his house4 ,he came out and asked us in1
 and we dismounted and went up the      
stairs into the veranda1 and sat down4  
,it was a little house built of wood1   
with three rooms4 ,behind was a little  
kitchen and a stable4 ,the whole may    
have cost a thousand rupees4 ,as my     
friend and the ,burman talked of their  
business ,i observed the furniture4     
,there was very little2 three or four   
chairs1 two tables and a big box were   
all ,i could see4 ,inside1 no doubt1    
were a few beds and more chairs4 ,while 
we sat1 the wife and daughter came out  
and gave us cheroots1 and ,i talked to  
them in my very limited ,burmese till my
 friend was ready4 ,then we went away4  
,that contractor1 so my friend told me  
as we went home1 made probably a profit 
of six or seven thousand rupees a year4 
,he spent on himself about a thousand of
 this2 the rest went in charity4 ,the   
great new monastery school1 with the    
marvellous carved faade1 just to the    

south of the town1 was his1 the new     
rest-house on the mountain road far up  
in the hills was his4 ,he supported many
 monks1 he gave largely to the gilding  
of the pagoda4 ,if a theatrical company 
came that way1 he subscribed freely4    
,soon he thought he would retire from   
contracting altogether1 for he had      
enough to live on quietly for the rest  
of his life4  ,his action is no         
exception1 but the rule4 ,you will find 
that every well-to-do man has built his 
pagoda or his monastery1 and is called  
'school-builder' or 'pagoda-builder4'   
,these are the only titles the ,burman  
knows1 and they always are given most   
scrupulously4 ,the builder of a bridge1 
a well1 or a rest-house may also receive
 the title of 'well-builder1' and so on1
 but such titles are rarely used in     
common speech4 ,even the builder of a   
long shed for water-jars may call       
himself after it if he likes1 but it is 
only big builders who receive any title 
from their fellows4 ,but the            

satisfaction to the man himself1 the    
knowledge that he has done a good deed1 
is much the same1 ,i think4  ,a         
,burman's wants are very few1 such wants
 as money can supply--a little house1 a 
sufficiency of plain food1 a cotton     
dress for weekdays and a silk one for   
holidays1 and that is nearly all4  ,they
 are still a very young people4 ,many   
wants will come1 perhaps1 later on1 but 
just now their desires are easily       
satisfied4  ,the ,burman does not care  
for a big house1 for there are always   
the great trees and the open spaces by  
the village4 ,it is far pleasanter to   
sit out of doors than indoors4 ,he does 
not care for books4 ,he has what is     
better than many books--the life of his 
people all about him1 and he has the    
eyes to see it and the heart to         
understand it4 ,he cares not to see with
 other men's eyes1 but with his own2 he 
cares not to read other men's thoughts1 
but to think his own1 for a love of     
books only comes to him who is shut     

always from the world by ill-health1 by 
poverty1 by circumstance4 ,when we are  
poor and miserable1 we like to read of  
those who are happier4 ,when we are shut
 in towns1 we love to read of the       
beauties of the hills4 ,when we have no 
love in our hearts1 we like to read of  
those who have4 ,few men who think their
 own thoughts care much to read the     
thoughts of others1 for a man's own     
thoughts are worth more to him than all 
the thoughts of all the world besides4  
,that a man should think1 that is a     
great thing4 ,very1 very few great      
readers are great thinkers4 ,and he who 
can live his life1 what cares he for    
reading of the lives of other people8   
,to have loved once is more than to have
 read all the poets that ever sang4 ,so 
a ,burman thinks4 ,to see the moon rise 
on the river as you float along1 while  
the boat rocks to and fro and someone   
talks to you--is not that better than   
any tale8  ,so a ,burman lives his life1
 and he asks a great deal from it4 ,he  

wants fresh air and sunshine1 and the   
great thoughts that come to you in the  
forest4 ,he wants love and              
companionship1 the voice of friends1 the
 low laugh of women1 the delight of     
children4 ,he wants his life to be a    
full one1 and he wants leisure to teach 
his heart to enjoy all these things2 for
 he knows that you must learn to enjoy  
yourself1 that it does not always come  
naturally1 that to be happy and         
good-natured and open-hearted requires  
an education4 ,to learn to sympathize   
with your neighbours1 to laugh with them
 and cry with them1 you must not shut   
yourself away and work4 ,his religion   
tells him that the first of all gifts is
 sympathy2 it is the first step towards 
wisdom1 and he holds it true4 ,after    
that1 all shall be added to you4 ,he    
believes that happiness is the best of  
all things4  ,we think differently4 ,we 
are content with cheerless days1 with an
 absence of love1 of beauty1 of all that
 is valuable to the heart1 if we can but

 put away a little money1 if we can     
enlarge our business1 if we can make a  
bigger figure in the world4 ,nay1 we go 
beyond this3 we believe that work1 that 
drudgery1 is a beautiful thing in       
itself1 that perpetual toil and effort  
is admirable4  ,this we do because we do
 not know what to do with our leisure1  
because we do not know for what to seek1
 because we cannot enjoy4 ,and so we go 
back to work1 to feverish effort1       
because we cannot think1 and see1 and   
understand4 ',work is a means to        
leisure1' ,aristotle told us long ago1  
and leisure1 adds the ,burman1 is needed
 that you may compose your own soul4    
,work1 no doubt1 is a necessity1 too1   
but not excess of it4  ,the necessary   
thing to a man is not gold1 nor         
position1 nor power1 but simply his own 
soul4 ,nothing is worth anything to him 
compared with that1 for while a man     
lives1 what is the good of all these    
things if he have no leisure to enjoy   
them8 ,and when he dies1 shall they go  

down into the void with him8 ,no2 but a 
man's own soul shall go with and be with
 him for ever4  ,a ,burman's ideas of   
this world are dominated by his         
religion4 ,his religion says to him1    
',consider your own soul1 that is the   
main thing4' ,his religion says to him1 
',the aim of every man should be        
happiness4' ,these are the fundamental  
parts of his belief2 these he learns    
from his childhood3 they are born in    
him4 ,he looks at all the world by their
 light4 ,later on1 when he grows older1 
his religion says to him1 ',and         
happiness is only to be found by        
renouncing the whole world4' ,this is a 
hard teaching4 ,this comes to him       
slowly1 or all ,buddhists would be      
monks2 but1 meanwhile1 if he does but   
remember the first two precepts1 he is  
on the right path4  ,he does do this4   
,happiness is the aim he seeks4 ,work   
and power and money are but the means by
 which he will arrive at the leisure to 
teach his own soul4 ,first the body1    

then the spirit2 but with us it is      
surely first the body1 and then the body
 again4  ,he often watches us with      
surprise4 ,he sees us work and work and 
work2 he sees us grow old quickly1 and  
our minds get weary2 he sees our        
sympathies grow very narrow1 our ideas  
bent into one groove1 our whole souls   
destroyed for a little money1 a little  
fame1 a little promotion1 till we go    
home1 and do not know what to do with   
ourselves1 because we have no work and  
no sympathy with anything2 and at last  
we die1 and take down with us our       
souls--souls fit for nothing but to be  
driven for ever with a goad behind and a
 golden fruit in front4  ,but do not    
suppose that the ,burmese are idle4     
,such a nation of workers was never     
known4 ,every man works1 every woman    
works1 every child works4 ,life is not  
an easy thing1 but a hard1 and there is 
a great deal of work to be done4 ,there 
is not an idle man or woman in all      
,burma4 ,the class of those who live on 

other men's labour is unknown4 ,i do not
 think the ,burman would care for such a
 life1 for a certain amount of work is  
good1 he knows4 ,a little work he likes2
 a good deal of work he does1 because he
 is obliged often to do so to earn even 
the little he requires4 ,and that is the
 end4 ,he is a free man1 never a slave  
to other men1 nor to himself4           
,therefore ,i do not think his will ever
 make what we call a great nation4 ,he  
will never try to be a conqueror of     
other peoples1 either with the sword1   
with trade1 or with religion4 ,he will  
never care to have a great voice in the 
management of the world4 ,he does not   
care to interfere with other people3 he 
never believes interference can do other
 than harm to both sides4  ,he will     
never be very rich1 very powerful1 very 
advanced in science1 perhaps not even in
 art1 though ,i am not sure about that4 
,it may be he will be very great in     
literature and art4 ,but1 however that  
may be1 in his own idea his will be     

always the greatest nation in the world1
 because it is the happiest4            
,,chapter ,x  ,,the ,,monkhood--,i      
',let his life be kindness1 his conduct 
righteousness2 then in the      fulness 
of gladness he will make an end of      
grief4'--,dammapada4   ,during his      
lifetime1 that long lifetime that       
remained to him after he had found the  
light1 ,gaudama the ,buddha gathered    
round him many disciples4 ,they came to 
learn from his lips of that truth which 
he had found1 and they remained near him
 to practise that life which alone can  
lead unto the ,great ,peace4  ,from time
 to time1 as occasion arose1 the teacher
 laid down precepts and rules to assist 
those who desired to live as he         
did--precepts and rules designed to help
 his disciples in the right way4 ,thus  
there arose about him a brotherhood of  
those who were striving to purify their 
souls1 and lead the higher life1 and    
that brotherhood has lasted ever since1 
till you see in it the monkhood of      

to-day1 for that is all that the monks  
are--a brotherhood of men who are trying
 to live as their great master lived1 to
 purify their souls from the lust of    
life1 to travel the road that reaches   
unto deliverance4 ,only that1 nothing   
more4  ,there is no idea of priesthood  
about it at all1 for by a priest we     
understand one who has received from    
above some power1 who is1 as it were1 a 
representative on earth of ,god4        
,priests1 to our thinking1 are those who
 have delegated to them some of that    
authority of which ,god is the          
fountainhead4 ,they can absolve from    
sin1 we think2 they can accept into the 
faith2 they can eject from it2 they can 
exhort with authority2 they can         
administer the sacraments of religion2  
they can speed the parting soul to ,god2
 they can damn the parting soul to hell4
 ,a priest is one who is clothed with   
much authority and holiness4  ,but in   
,buddhism there is not1 there cannot be1
 anything of all this4 ,the ,god who    

lies far beyond our ken has delegated   
,his authority to no one4 ,he works     
through everlasting laws4 ,his will is  
manifested by unchangeable sequences4   
,there is nothing hidden about ,his laws
 that requires exposition by ,his       
agents1 nor any ceremonies necessary for
 acceptance into the faith4 ,buddhism is
 a free religion4 ,no one holds the keys
 of a man's salvation but himself4      
,buddhism never dreams that anyone can  
save or damn you but yourself1 and so a 
,buddhist monk is as far away from our  
ideas of a priest as can be4 ,nothing   
could be more abhorrent to ,buddhism    
than any claim of authority1 of power1  
from above1 of holiness acquired except 
by the earnest effort of a man's own    
soul4  ,these monks1 who are so common  
all through ,burma1 whose monasteries   
are outside every village1 who can be   
seen in every street in the early       
morning begging their bread1 who educate
 the whole youth of the country1 are    
simply men who are striving after good4 

,this is a difficult thing for us to    
understand1 for our minds are bent in   
another direction4 ,a religion without a
 priesthood seems to us an              
impossibility1 and yet here it is so4   
,the whole idea and thing of a          
priesthood would be repugnant to        
,buddhism4  ,it is a wonderful thing to 
contemplate how this brotherhood has    
existed all these many centuries1 how it
 has always gained the respect and      
admiration of the people1 how it has    
always held in its hands the education  
of the children1 and yet has never      
aspired to sacerdotalism4 ,think of the 
temptation resisted here4 ,the          
temptation to interfere in government   
was great1 the temptation to arrogate to
 themselves priestly powers is far1 far 
greater4 ,yet it has been always        
resisted4 ,this brotherhood of monks is 
to-day as it was twenty-three centuries 
ago--a community of men seeking for the 
truth4  ,therefore1 in considering these
 monks1 we must dismiss from our minds  

any idea of priesthood1 any idea of     
extra human sanctity1 of extra human    
authority4 ,we must never liken them in 
any way to our priests1 or even to our  
friars4 ,i use the word monk1 because it
 is the nearest of any ,english word ,i 
can find1 but even that is not quite    
correct4 ,i have often found this       
difficulty4 ,i do not like to use the   
,burmese terms if ,i can help it1 for   
this reason1 that strange terms and     
names confuse us4 ,they seem to lift us 
into another world--a world of people   
differing from us1 not in habits alone1 
but in mind and soul4 ,it is a dividing 
partition4 ,it is very difficult to read
 a book speaking of people under strange
 terms1 and feel that they are flesh and
 blood with us1 and therefore ,i have1  
if possible1 always used an ,english    
word where ,i can come anywhere near the
 meaning1 and in this case ,i think monk
 comes closest to what ,i mean4 ,hermits
 they are not1 for they live always in  
communities by villages1 and they do not

 seclude themselves from human          
intercourse4 ,priests they are not1     
ministers they are not1 clergymen they  
are not2 mendicants only half describe  
them1 so ,i use the word monk as coming 
nearest to what ,i wish to say4  ,the   
monks1 then1 are those who are trying to
 follow the teaching of ,gaudama the    
,buddha1 to wean themselves from the    
world1 'who have turned their eyes      
towards heaven1 where is the lake in    
which all passions shall be washed      
away4' ,they are members of a great     
community1 who are governed by stringent
 regulations--the regulations laid down 
in the ,wini for observance by all      
monks4 ,when a man enters the monkhood1 
he makes four vows--that he will be pure
 from lust1 from desire of property1    
from the taking of any life1 from the   
assumption of any supernatural powers4  
,consider this last1 how it disposes    
once and for all of any desire a monk   
may have toward mysticism1 for this is  
what he is taught3  ',no member of our  

community may ever arrogate to himself  
extraordinary gifts or supernatural     
perfection1 or through vainglory give   
himself out to be a holy man2 such1 for 
instance1 as to withdraw into solitary  
places on pretence of enjoying ecstasies
 like the ,ariahs1 and afterwards to    
presume to teach others the way to      
uncommon spiritual attainments4 ,sooner 
may the lofty palm-tree that has been   
cut down become green again1 than an    
elect guilty of such pride be restored  
to his holy station4 ,take care for     
yourself that you do not give way to    
such an excess4'  ,is not this teaching 
the very reverse of that of all other   
peoples and religions8 ,can you imagine 
the religious teachers of any other     
religion being warned to keep themselves
 free from visions8 ,are not visions and
 trances1 dreams and imaginations1 the  
very proof of holiness8 ,but here it is 
not so4 ,these are vain things1 foolish 
imaginations1 and he who would lead the 
pure life must put behind him all such  

things as mere dram-drinking of the     
soul4  ,this is a most wonderful thing1 
a religion that condemns all mysticisms4
 ,it stands alone here amongst all      
religions1 pure from the tinsel of      
miracle1 either past1 or present1 or to 
come4 ,and yet this people is1 like all 
young nations1 given to superstition3   
its young men dream dreams1 its girls   
see visions4 ,there are interpreters of 
dreams1 many of them1 soothsayers of all
 kinds1 people who will give you charms1
 and foretell events for you4 ,just as  
it was with us not long ago1 the        
mystery1 what is beyond the world1      
exercises a curious fascination over    
them4 ,everywhere you will meet with    
traces of it1 and ,i have in another    
chapter told some of the principal      
phases of these4 ,but the religion has  
kept itself pure4 ,no hysteric visions1 
no madman's dreams1 no clever conjurer's
 tricks1 have ever shed a tawdry glory  
on the monkhood of the ,buddha4 ,amid   
all the superstition round about them   

they have remained pure1 as they have   
from passion and desire4 ,here in the   
far ,east1 the very home1 we think1 of  
the unnatural and superhuman1 the very  
cradle of the mysterious and the        
wonderful1 is a religion which condemns 
it all1 and a monkhood who follow their 
religion4 ,does not this out-miracle any
 miracle8  ,with other faiths it is     
different3 they hold out to those who   
follow their tenets and accept their    
ministry that in exchange for the       
worldly things which their followers    
renounce they shall receive other gifts1
 heavenly ones2 they will be endued with
 power from above2 they will have       
authority from on high2 they will become
 the chosen messengers of ,god2 they may
 even in their trances enter into ,his  
heaven1 and see ,him face to face4      
,buddhism has nothing of all this to    
offer4 ,a man must surrender all the    
world1 with no immediate gain4 ,there is
 only this3 that if he struggle along in
 the path of righteousness1 he will at  

length attain unto the ,great ,peace4   
,a monk who dreamed dreams1 who said    
that the ,buddha had appeared to him in 
a vision1 who announced that he was able
 to prophesy1 would be not exalted1 but 
expelled4 ,he would be deemed silly or  
mad2 think of that--mad--for seeing     
visions1 not holy at all6 ,the boys     
would jeer at him2 he would be turned   
out of his monastery4  ,a monk is he who
 observes purity and sanity of life4    
,hysteric dreams1 the childishness of   
the mysterious1 the insanity of the     
miraculous1 are no part of that4  ,and  
so a monk has to put behind him         
everything that is called good in this  
life1 and govern his body and his soul  
in strict temperance4  ,he must wear but
 yellow garments1 ample and decent1 but 
not beautiful2 he must shave his head2  
he must have none but the most distant  
intercourse with women2 he must beg his 
food daily in the streets2 he must eat  
but twice1 and then but a certain       
amount1 and never after noon2 he must   

take no interest in worldly affairs2 he 
must own no property1 must attend no    
plays or performances2 'he must eat1 not
 to satisfy his appetite1 but to keep   
his body alive2 he must wear clothes1   
not from vanity1 but from decency2 he   
must live under a roof1 not because of  
vainglory1 but because the weather      
renders it necessary4' ,all his life is 
bounded by the very strictest poverty   
and purity4  ,there is no austerity4 ,a 
monk may not over-eat1 but he must eat  
enough2 he must not wear fine clothes1  
but he must be decent and comfortable2  
he must not have proud dwellings1 but he
 should be sheltered from the weather4  
,there is no self-punishment in         
,buddhism4 ,did not the ,buddha prove   
the futility of this long ago8 ,the body
 must be kept in health1 that the soul  
may not be hampered4 ,and so the monks  
live a very healthy1 very temperate     
life1 eating and drinking just enough to
 keep the body in good health2 that is  
the first thing1 that is the very       

beginning of the pure life4  ,and as he 
trains his body by careful treatment1 so
 does he his soul4 ,he must read the    
sacred books1 he must meditate on the   
teachings of the great teacher1 he must 
try by every means in his power to bring
 these truths home to himself1 not as   
empty sayings1 but as beliefs that are  
to be to him the very essence of all    
truth4 ,he is not cut off from society4 
,there are other monks1 and there are   
visitors1 men and women4 ,he may talk to
 them--he is no recluse2 but he must not
 talk too much about worldly matters4   
,he must be careful of his thoughts1    
that they do not lead him into wrong    
paths4 ,his life is a life of           
self-culture4  ,being no priest1 he has 
few duties to others to perform2 he is  
not called upon to interfere in the     
business of others4 ,he does not visit  
the sick2 he has no concern with births 
and marriages and deaths4 ,on ,sunday1  
and on certain other occasions1 he may  
read the laws to the people1 that is    

all4 ,of this ,i will speak in another  
chapter4 ,it does not amount to a great 
demand upon his time4 ,he is also the   
schoolmaster of the village1 but this is
 aside entirely from his sacred         
profession4 ,certain duties he has1     
however4 ,every morning as the earliest 
sunlight comes upon the monastery       
spires1 when the birds are still calling
 to the day1 and the cool freshness of  
the morning still lies along the        
highways1 you will see from every       
monastery the little procession come    
forth4 ,first1 perhaps1 there will be   
two schoolboys with a gong slung on a   
bamboo between them1 which they strike  
now and then4 ,and behind them1 in their
 yellow robes1 their faces cast upon the
 ground1 and the begging-bowls in their 
hands1 follow the monks4 ,very slowly   
they pass along the streets1 amid the   
girls hurrying to their stalls in the   
bazaar with baskets of fruit upon their 
heads1 the housewives out to buy their  
day's requirements1 the workman going to

 his work1 the children running and     
laughing and falling in the dust4       
,everyone makes room for them as they go
 in slow and solemn procession1 and from
 this house and that come forth women   
and children with a little rice that    
they have risen before daylight to cook1
 a little curry1 a little fruit1 to put 
into the bowls4 ,never is there any     
money given3 a monk may not touch money1
 and his wants are very few4 ,presents  
of books1 and so on1 are made at other  
times2 but in the morning only food is  
given4  ,the gifts are never            
acknowledged4 ,the cover of the bowl is 
removed1 and when the offering has been 
put in1 it is replaced1 and the monk    
moves on4 ,and when they have made their
 accustomed round1 they return1 as they 
went1 slowly to the monastery1 their    
bowls full of food4 ,i do not know that 
this food is always eaten by the monks4 
,frequently in large towns they are fed 
by rich men1 who send daily a hot1      
fresh1 well-cooked meal for each monk1  

and the collected alms are given to the 
poor1 or to schoolboys1 or to animals4  
,but the begging round is never         
neglected1 nor is it a form4 ,it is a   
very real thing1 as anyone who has seen 
them go knows4 ,they must beg their     
food1 and they do2 it is part of the    
self-discipline that the law says is    
necessary to help the soul to humility4 
,and the people give because it is a    
good thing to give alms4 ,even if they  
know the monks are fed besides1 they    
will fill the bowls as the monks pass   
along4 ,if the monks do not want it1    
there are the poor1 there are the       
schoolboys1 sons of the poorest of the  
people1 who may often be in need of a   
meal2 and if a little be left1 then     
there are the birds and the beasts4 ,it 
is a good thing to give alms--good for  
yourself1 ,i mean4 ,so that this daily  
procession does good in two ways3 it is 
good for the monk because he learns     
humility2 it is good for the people     
because they have thereby offered them a

 chance of giving a little alms4 ,even  
the poorest may be able to give his     
spoonful of rice4 ,all is accepted4     
,think not a great gift is more         
acceptable than a little one4 ,you must 
judge by the giver's heart4  ,at every  
feast1 every rejoicing1 the central     
feature is presents to the monks4 ,if a 
man put his son into a monastery1 if he 
make merry at a stroke of good fortune1 
if he wish to celebrate a mark of favour
 from government1 the principal ceremony
 of the feast will be presents to monks4
 ,they must be presents such as the     
monks can accept2 that is understood4   
,therefore1 a man enters a monastery    
simply for this3 to keep his body in    
health by perfect moderation and careful
 conduct1 and to prepare his soul for   
heaven by meditation4 ,that is the      
meaning of it all4  ,if you see a grove 
of trees before you on your ride1       
mangoes and tamarinds in clusters1 with 
palms nodding overhead1 and great       
broad-leaved plantains and flowering    

shrubs below1 you may be sure that there
 is a monastery1 for it is one of the   
commands to the monks of the ,buddha to 
live under the shade of lofty trees1 and
 this command they always keep4 ,they   
are most beautiful1 many of these       
monasteries--great buildings of         
dark-brown teak1 weather-stained1 with  
two or three roofs one above the other1 
and at one end a spire tapering up until
 it ends in a gilded 'tee4' ,many of the
 monasteries are covered with carving   
along the faades and up the spires1     
scroll upon scroll of daintiest design1 
quaint groups of figures here and there1
 and on the gateways moulded dragons4   
,all the carvings tell a story taken    
from the treasure-house of the nation's 
infancy1 quaint tales of genii and fairy
 and wonderful adventure4 ,never1 ,i    
think1 do the carvings tell anything of 
the sacred life or teaching4 ,the       
,burmese are not fond1 as we are1 of    
carving and painting scenes from sacred 
books4 ,perhaps they think the subject  

too holy for the hand of the craftsman1 
and so1 with1 as far as ,i know1 but one
 exception in all ,burma--a pagoda built
 by ,indian architects long ago--you    
will look in vain for any sacred        
teaching in the carvings4 ,but they are 
very beautiful1 and their colour is so  
good1 the deep rich brown of teak       
against the light green of the          
tamarinds1 and the great leaves of the  
plantains all about4 ,within the        
monastery it will be all bare4 ,however 
beautiful the building is without1 no   
relaxation of his rules is allowed to   
the monk within4 ,all is bare3 only a   
few mats1 perhaps1 here and there on the
 plank floor1 a hard wooden bed1 a box  
or two of books4  ,at one end there will
 be sure to be the image of the teacher1
 wrought in alabaster4 ,these are always
 one of three stereotyped designs2 they 
are not works of art at all4 ,the wealth
 of imagination and desire of beauty    
that finds its expression in the carved 
stories in the faades has no place here 

at all4 ,it would be thought a sacrilege
 to attempt in any way to alter the     
time-honoured figures that have come    
down to us from long ago4  ,over the    
head of the image there will be a white 
or golden umbrella1 whence we have      
derived our haloes1 and perhaps a       
lotus-blossom in an earthen pot in      
front4 ,that will be all4 ,there is this
 very remarkable fact3 of all the great 
names associated with the life of the   
,buddha1 you never see any presentment  
at all4  ,the ,buddha stands alone4 ,of 
,maya his mother1 of ,yathodaya his     
wife1 of ,rahoula his son1 of his great 
disciple ,thariputra1 of his dearest    
disciple and brother ,ananda1 you see   
nothing4 ,there are no saints in        
,buddhism at all1 only the great        
teacher1 he who saw the light4 ,surely  
this is a curious thing1 that from the  
time of the prince to now1 two thousand 
four hundred years1 no one has arisen to
 be worthy of mention of record beside  
him4 ,there is only one man holy to     

,buddhism--,gaudama the ,buddha4  ,on   
one side of the monasteries there will  
be many pagodas1 tombs of the ,buddha4  
,they are usually solid cones1 topped   
with a gilded 'tee1' and there are many 
of them4 ,each man will build one in his
 lifetime if he can4 ,they are always   
white or gold4  ,so there is much colour
 about a monastery--the brown of the    
wood and the white of the pagoda1 and   
tender green of the trees4 ,the ground  
is always kept clean-swept and beaten   
and neat4 ,and there is plenty of sound1
 too--the fairy music of little bells   
upon the pagoda-tops when the breeze    
moves1 the cooing of the pigeons in the 
eaves1 the voices of the schoolboys4    
,monastery land is sacred4 ,no life may 
be taken there1 no loud sounds1 no noisy
 merriment1 no abuse is permitted       
anywhere within the fence4 ,monasteries 
are places of meditation and peace4  ,of
 course1 all monasteries are not great  
and beautiful buildings2 many are but   
huts of bamboo and straw1 but little    

better than the villager's hut4 ,some   
villages are so poor that they can      
afford but little for their holy men4   
,but always there will be trees1 always 
the ground will be swept1 always the    
place will be respected just the same4  
,and as soon as a good crop gives the   
village a little money1 it will build a 
teak monastery1 be sure of that4        
,monasteries are free to all4 ,any      
stranger may walk into a monastery and  
receive shelter4 ,the monks are always  
hospitable4 ,i have myself lived1       
perhaps1 a quarter of my life in ,burma 
in monasteries1 or in the rest-houses   
attached to them4 ,we break all their   
laws3 we ride and wear boots within the 
sacred enclosure2 our servants kill     
fowls for our dinners there1 where all  
life is protected2 we treat these monks1
 these who are the honoured of the      
nation1 much in the offhand1            
unceremonious way that we treat all     
,orientals2 we often openly laugh at    
their religion4 ,and yet they always    

receive us2 they are often even glad to 
see us and talk to us4 ,very1 very      
seldom do you meet with any return in   
kind for your contempt of their faith   
and habits4 ,i have heard it said       
sometimes that some monks stand aloof1  
that they like to keep to themselves4   
,if they should do so1 can you wonder8  
,would any people1 not firmly bound by  
their religion1 put up with it all for a
 moment8 ,if you went into a ,mahommedan
 mosque in ,delhi with your boots on1   
you would probably be killed4 ,yet we   
clump round the ,shwe ,dagon pagoda at  
our ease1 and no one interferes4 ,do not
 suppose that it is because the ,burman 
believes less than the ,hindu or        
,mahommedan4 ,it is because he believes 
more1 because he is taught that         
submission and patience are strong      
,buddhist virtues1 and that a man's     
conduct is an affair of his own soul4   
,he is willing to believe that the      
,englishman's breaches of decorum are   
due to foreign manners1 to the          

necessities of our life1 to ignorance4  
,but even if he supposed that we did    
these things out of sheer wantonness it 
would make no difference4 ,if the       
foreigner is dead to every feeling of   
respect1 of courtesy1 of sympathy1 that 
is an affair of the foreigner's own     
heart4 ,it is not for the monk to       
enforce upon strangers the respect and  
reverence due to purity1 to courage1 to 
the better things4 ,each man is         
responsible for himself1 the foreigner  
no less than the ,burman4 ,if a         
foreigner have no respect for what is   
good1 that is his own business4 ,it can 
hurt no one but himself if he is        
blatant1 ignorant1 contemptuous4 ,no one
 is insulted by it1 or requires revenge 
for it4 ,you might as well try and      
insult gravity by jeering at ,newton and
 his pupils1 as injure the laws of      
righteousness by jeering at the ,buddha 
or his monks4 ,and so you will see      
foreigners take all sorts of liberties  
in monasteries and pagodas1 break every 

rule wantonly1 and disregard everything 
the ,buddhist holds holy1 and yet very  
little notice will be taken openly4     
,burmans will have their own opinion of 
you1 do have their own opinion of you1  
without a doubt2 but because you are    
lost to all sense of decency1 that is no
 reason why the ,buddhist monk or layman
 should also lower himself by getting   
angry and resent it2 and so you may walk
 into any monastery or rest-house and   
act as you think fit1 and no one will   
interfere with you4 ,nay1 if you even   
show a little courtesy to the monks1    
your hosts1 they will be glad to talk to
 you and tell you of their lives and    
their desires4 ,it is very seldom that a
 pleasant word or a jest will not bring 
the monks into forgetting all your      
offences1 and talking to you freely and 
openly4 ,i have had1 ,i have still1 many
 friends among the monkhood2 ,i have    
been beholden to them for many          
kindnesses2 ,i have found them always1  
peasants as they are1 courteous and     

well-mannered4 ,nay1 there are greater  
things than these4  ,when my dear friend
 was murdered at the outbreak of the    
war1 wantonly murdered by the soldiers  
of a brutal official1 and his body      
drifted down the river1 everyone afraid 
to bury it1 for fear of the wrath of    
government1 was it not at last tenderly 
and lovingly buried by the monks near   
whose monastery it floated ashore8      
,would all people have done this8       
,remember1 he was one of those whose    
army was engaged in subduing the        
kingdom2 whose army imprisoned the king1
 and had killed1 and were killing1 many1
 many hundreds of ,burmans4 ',we do not 
remember such things4 ,all men are      
brothers to the dead4' ,they are        
brothers to the living1 too4 ,is there  
not a monastery near ,kindat1 built by  
an ,englishman as a memorial to the monk
 who saved his life at peril of his own 
at that same time1 who preserved him    
till help came8  ,can anyone ever tell  
when the influence of a monk has been   

other than for pity or mercy8 ,surely   
they believe their religion8 ,i did not 
know how people could believe till ,i   
saw them4  ,martyrdom--what is          
martyrdom1 what is death1 for your      
religion1 compared to living within its 
commands8 ,death is easy2 life it is    
that is difficult4 ,men have died for   
many things3 love and hate1 and religion
 and science1 for patriotism and        
avarice1 for self-conceit and sheer     
vanity1 for all sorts of things1 of     
value and of no value4 ,death proves    
nothing4 ,even a coward can die well4   
,but a pure life is the outcome only of 
the purest religion1 of the greatest    
belief1 of the most magnificent courage4
 ,those who can live like this can die1 
too1 if need be--have done so often and 
often2 that is but a little matter      
indeed4 ,no ,buddhist would consider    
that as a very great thing beside a holy
 life4  ,there is another difference    
between us4 ,we think a good death      
hallows an evil life2 no ,buddhist would

 hear of this for a moment4  ,the       
reverence in which a monk--ay1 even the 
monk to-day who was but an ordinary man 
yesterday--is held by the people is very
 great4 ,all those who address him do so
 kneeling4 ,even the king himself was   
lower than a monk1 took a lower seat    
than a monk in the palace4 ,he is       
addressed as ',lord1' and those who     
address him are his disciples4 ,poor as 
he is1 living on daily charity1 without 
any power or authority of any kind1 the 
greatest in the land would dismount and 
yield the road that he should pass4     
,such is the people's reverence for a   
holy life4 ,never was such voluntary    
homage yielded to any as to these monks4
 ,there is a special language for them1 
the ordinary language of life being too 
common to be applied to their actions4  
,they do not sleep or eat or walk as do 
other men4  ,it seems strange to us1    
coming from our land where poverty is an
 offence1 where the receipt of alms is a
 degradation1 where the ideal is power1 

to see here all this reversed4 ,the     
monks are the poorest of the poor1 they 
are dependent on the people for their   
daily bread2 for although lands may be  
given to a monastery as a matter of     
fact1 very few have any at all1 and     
those only a few palm-trees4 ,they have 
no power at all1 either temporal or     
eternal2 they are not very learned1 and 
yet they are the most honoured of all   
people4 ,without any of the attributes  
which in our experience gather the love 
and honour of mankind1 they are honoured
 above all men4  ,the ,burman demands   
from the monk no assistance in heavenly 
affairs1 no interference in worldly1    
only this1 that he should live as       
becomes a follower of the great teacher4
 ,and because he does so live the       
,burman reverences him beyond all       
others4 ,the king is feared1 the wise   
man admired1 perhaps envied1 the rich   
man is respected1 but the monk is       
honoured and loved4 ,there is no one    
beside him in the heart of the people4  

,if you would know what a ,burman would 
be1 see what a monk is3 that is his     
ideal4 ,but it is a very difficult      
ideal4 ,the ,burman is very fond of     
life1 very full of life1 delighting in  
the joy of existence1 brimming over with
 vitality1 with humour1 with merriment4 
,they are a young people1 in the full   
flush of early nationhood4 ,to them of  
all people the restraints of a monk's   
life must be terrible and hard to       
maintain4 ,and because it is so1 because
 they all know how hard it is to do     
right1 and because the monks do right1  
they honour them1 and they know they    
deserve honour4 ,remember that all these
 people have been monks themselves at   
one time or other2 they know how hard   
the rules are1 they know how well they  
are observed4 ,they are reverencing what
 they thoroughly understand2 they have  
seen their monkhood from the inside2    
their reverence is the outcome of a very
 real knowledge4  ,of the internal      
management of the monkhood ,i have but  

little to say4 ,there is the            
,thathanabaing1 who is the head of the  
community2 there are under him          
,gaing-oks1 who each have charge of a   
district2 each ,gaing-ok has an         
assistant1 'a prop1' called ,gaing-dauk2
 and there are the heads of monasteries4
 ,the ,thathanabaing is chosen by the   
heads of the monasteries1 and appoints  
his ,gaing-oks and ,gaing-dauks4 ,there 
is no complication about it4 ,usually   
any serious dispute is decided by a     
court of three or four heads of         
monasteries1 presided over by the       
,gaing-ok4 ,but note this3 no monk can  
be tried by any ecclesiastical court    
without his consent4 ,each monastery is 
self-governing2 no monk can be called to
 account by any ,gaing-ok or ,gaing-dauk
 unless he consents4 ,the discipline is 
voluntary entirely4 ,there are no       
punishments by law for disobedience of  
an ecclesiastical court4 ,a monk cannot 
be unfrocked by his fellows4            
,therefore1 it would seem that there    

would be no check over abuses1 that     
monks could do as they liked1 that      
irregularities could creep in1 and that1
 in fact1 there is nothing to prevent a 
monastery becoming a disgrace4 ,this    
would be a great mistake4 ,it must never
 be forgotten that monks are dependent  
on their village for everything--food   
and clothes1 and even the monastery     
itself4 ,do not imagine that the        
villagers would allow their monks1 their
 'great glories1' to become a scandal to
 them4 ,the supervision exercised by the
 people over their monks is most        
stringent4 ,as long as the monks act as 
monks should1 they are held in great    
honour1 they are addressed by titles of 
great respect1 they are supplied with   
all they want within the rules of the   
,wini1 they are the glory of the        
village4 ,but do you think a ,burman    
would render this homage to a monk whom 
he could not respect1 who did actions he
 should not8 ,a monk is one who acts as 
a monk4 ,directly he breaks his laws1   

his holiness is gone4 ,the villagers    
will have none such as he4 ,they will   
hunt him out of the village1 they will  
refuse him food1 they will make him a   
byword1 a scorn4 ,i have known this to  
happen4 ,if a monk's holiness be        
suspected1 he must clear himself before 
a court1 or leave that place quickly1   
lest worse befall him4 ,it is impossible
 to conceive any supervision more close 
than this of the people over their      
monks1 and so the breaches of any law by
 the monks are very rare--very rare     
indeed4 ,you see1 for one thing1 that a 
monk never takes the vows for life4 ,he 
takes them for six months1 a year1 two  
years1 very often for five years2 then1 
if he finds the life suit him1 he       
continues4 ,if he finds that he cannot  
live up to the standard required1 he is 
free to go4 ,there is no compulsion to  
stay1 no stigma on going4 ,as a matter  
of fact1 very few monks there are but   
have left the monastery at one time or  
another4 ,it is impossible to           

over-estimate the value of this         
safety-valve4 ,what with the certainty  
of detection and punishment from his    
people1 and the knowledge that he can   
leave the monastery if he will at the   
end of his time without any reproach1 a 
monk is almost always able to keep      
within his rules4  ,i have had for ten  
years a considerable experience of      
criminal law4 ,i have tried hundreds of 
men for all sorts of offences2 ,i have  
known of many hundreds more being tried1
 and the only cases where a monk was    
concerned that ,i can remember are      
these3 three times a monk has been      
connected in a rebellion1 once in a     
divorce case1 once in another offence4  
,this last case happened just as we     
annexed the country1 and when our courts
 were not established4 ,he was detected 
by the villagers1 stripped of his robes1
 beaten1 and hunted out of the place    
with every ignominy possible4 ,there is 
only one opinion amongst all those who  
have tried to study the ,buddhist       

monkhood--that their conduct is         
admirable4 ,do you suppose the people   
would reverence it as they do if it were
 corrupt8 ,they know3 they have seen it 
from the inside4 ,it is not outside     
knowledge they have4 ,and when it is    
understood that anyone can enter a      
monastery--thieves and robbers1         
murderers and sinners of every          
description1 can enter1 are even urged  
to enter monasteries1 and try to live   
the holy life2 and many of them do1     
either as a refuge against pursuit1 or  
because they really repent--it will be  
conceded that the discipline of the     
monks1 if obtained in a different way to
 elsewhere1 is very effective4  ,the    
more you study the monkhood1 the more   
you see that this community is the      
outcome of the very heart of the people4
 ,it is a part of the people1 not cut   
off from them1 but of them2 it is       
recruited in great numbers from all     
sorts and conditions of men4 ,in every  
village and town--nearly every man has  

been a monk at one time or another--it  
is honoured alike by all2 it is kept in 
the straight way1 not only from the     
inherent righteousness of its teaching1 
but from the determination of the people
 to allow no stain to rest upon what    
they consider as their 'great glory4'   
,this whole monkhood is founded on      
freedom4 ,it is held together not by a  
strong organization1 but by general     
consent4 ,there is no mystery about it1 
there are no dark places here where the 
sunlight of inquiry may not come4 ,the  
whole business is so simple that the    
very children can and do understand it4 
,i shall have expressed myself very     
badly if ,i have not made it understood 
how absolutely voluntary this monkhood  
is1 held together by no everlasting     
vows1 restrained by no rigid discipline4
 ,it is simply the free outcome of the  
free beliefs of the people1 as much a   
part of them as the fruit is of the     
tree4 ,you could no more imagine grapes 
without a vine than a ,buddhist monkhood

 that did not spring directly from1 and 
depend entirely on1 the people4 ,it is  
the higher expression of their life4    
,in writing this account of the ,burmese
 and their religion1 ,i have tried      
always to see with my own eyes1 to write
 my own thoughts without any reference  
to what anyone else may have thought or 
written4 ,i have believed that whatever 
value may attach to any man's opinions  
consists in the fact that they are his  
opinions1 and not a rechauff of the     
thoughts of others1 and therefore ,i    
have not even referred to1 or quoted    
from1 any other writer1 preferring to   
write only what ,i have myself seen and 
thought4 ,but ,i cannot end this chapter
 on the monks of the ,buddha without a  
reference to what ,bishop ,bigandet has 
said on the same subject1 for he is no  
observer prejudiced in favour of        
,buddhism1 but the reverse4 ,he was a   
bishop of the ,church of ,rome1         
believing always that his faith         
contained all truth1 and that the       

,buddha was but a 'pretended saviour1'  
his teachings based on 'capital and     
revolting errors1' and marked with an   
'inexplicable and deplorable            
eccentricity4' ,bishop ,bigandet was in 
no sympathy with ,buddhism1 but its     
avowed foe1 desirous of undermining and 
destroying its influence over the hearts
 of men1 and yet this is the way he ends
 his chapter3  ',there is in that       
religious body--the monks--a latent     
principle of vitality that keeps it up  
and communicates to it an amount of     
strength and energy that has hitherto   
maintained it in the midst of wars1     
revolutionary and political1 convulsions
 of all descriptions4 ,whether supported
 or not by the ruling power1 it has     
remained always firm and unchanged4 ,it 
is impossible to account satisfactorily 
for such a phenomenon1 unless we find a 
clear and evident cause of such         
extraordinary vitality1 a cause         
independent of ordinary occurrences of  
time and circumstances1 a cause deeply  

rooted in the very soul of the          
populations that exhibit before the     
observer this great and striking        
religious feature4  ',that cause appears
 to be the strong religious sentiment1  
the firm faith1 that pervades the mass  
of ,buddhists4 ,the laity admire and    
venerate the religious1 and voluntarily 
and cheerfully contribute to their      
maintenance and welfare4 ,from its ranks
 the religious body is constantly       
recruited4 ,there is hardly a man that  
has not been a member of the fraternity 
for a certain period of time4  ',surely 
such a general and continued impulse    
could not last long unless it were      
maintained by a powerful religious      
connection4  ',the members of the order 
preserve1 at least exteriorly1 the      
decorum of their profession4 ,the rules 
and regulations are tolerably well      
observed2 the grades of hierarchy are   
maintained with scrupulous exactitude4  
,the life of the religious is one of    
restraint and perpetual control4 ,he is 

denied all sorts of pleasures and       
diversions4 ,how could such a system of 
self-denial ever be maintained1 were it 
not for the belief which the ,rahans    
have in the merits that they amass by   
following a course of life which1 after 
all1 is repugnant to ,nature8 ,it cannot
 be denied that human motives often     
influence both the laity and the        
religious1 but1 divested of faith and   
the sentiments supplied by even a false 
belief1 their action could not produce  
in a lasting and persevering manner the 
extraordinary and striking fact that we 
witness in ,buddhist countries4'  ,this 
monkhood is the proof of how the people 
believe4 ,has any religion ever had for 
twenty-four centuries such a proof as   
this8     ,,chapter ,,xi  ,,the         
,,monkhood--,,ii       ',the restrained 
in hand1 restrained in foot1 restrained 
in speech1      of the greatest         
self-control4 ,he whose delight is      
inward1 who is      tranquil and happy  
when alone--him they call               

mendicant4'--,acceptance into the       
,monkhood4   ,besides being the ideal of
 the ,buddhists1 the monk is more3 he is
 the schoolmaster of all the boys4 ,it  
must be remembered that this is a thing 
aside from his monkhood4 ,a monk need   
not necessarily teach2 the aim and      
object of the monkhood is1 as ,i have   
written in the last chapter1 purity and 
abstraction from the world4 ,if the monk
 acts as schoolmaster1 that is a thing  
apart4 ,and yet all monasteries are     
schools4 ,the word in ,burmese is the   
same2 they are identified in popular    
speech and in popular opinion4 ,all the 
monasteries are full of scholars1 all   
the monks teach4 ,i suppose much the    
same reasons have had influence here as 
in other nations2 the desire of the     
parents that their children should learn
 religion in their childhood1 the fact  
that the wisest and most honoured men   
entered the monkhood1 the leisure of the
 monks giving them opportunity for such 
occupation4  ,every man all through     

,burma has gone to a monastery school as
 a lad1 has lived there with the monks1 
has learnt from them the elements of    
education and a knowledge of his faith4 
,it is an exception to find a ,burman   
who cannot read and write4 ,sometimes   
from lack of practice the art is lost in
 later manhood1 but it has always been  
acquired4 ,the education is not very    
deep--reading ,burmese and writing2     
simple1 very simple1 arithmetic2 a      
knowledge of the days and months1 and a 
little geography1 perhaps1 and          
history--that is all that is secular4   
,but of their religion they learn a     
great deal4 ,they have to get by heart  
great portions of the sacred books1     
stories and teachings1 and they have to 
learn many precepts4 ,they have to      
recite them1 too1 as those who have     
lived much near monasteries know4       
,several times a day1 at about nine     
o'clock at night1 and again before dawn1
 you will hear the lads intoning clearly
 and loudly some of the sacred          

teachings4 ,i have been awakened many a 
time in the early morning1 before the   
dawn1 before even the promise of the    
dawn in the eastern sky1 by the         
children's voices intoning4 ,and ,i have
 put aside my curtain and looked out    
from my rest-house and seen them in the 
dim starlight kneeling before the       
pagoda1 the tomb of the great teacher1  
saying his laws4 ,the light comes       
rapidly in this country3 the sky        
reddens1 the stars die quickly overhead1
 the first long beams of sunrise are    
trembling on the dewy bamboo feathers   
ere they have finished4 ,it is one of   
the most beautiful sights imaginable to 
see monks and children kneeling on the  
bare ground1 singing while the dawn     
comes4  ,the education in their religion
 is very good1 very thorough1 not only  
in precept1 but in practice2 for in the 
monastery you must live a holy life1 as 
the monks live1 even if you are but a   
schoolboy4  ,but the secular education  
is limited4 ,it is up to the standard of

 education amongst the people at large1 
but that is saying little4 ,beyond      
reading and writing and arithmetic it   
generally does not go4 ,i have seen the 
little boys do arithmetic4 ,they were   
adding sums1 and they began1 not as we  
would1 on the right1 but on the left4   
,they added1 say1 the hundreds first2   
then they wrote on the slate the number 
of hundreds1 and added up the tens4 ,if 
it happened that the tens mounted up so 
as to add one or more to the hundreds1 a
 grimy little finger would wipe out the 
hundreds already written and write in   
the correct numbers4 ,it follows that if
 the units on being added up came to    
over ten1 the tens must be corrected    
with the grimy little finger1 first put 
in the mouth4 ,perhaps both tens and    
hundreds had to be written again4 ,it   
will be seen that when you come to      
thousands and tens of thousands1 a good 
deal of wiping out and re-writing may be
 required4 ,a ,burman is very bad at    
arithmetic2 a villager will often write 

#acc as #ajj1cjc2 he would almost as    
soon write #dc as #cd2 both figures are 
in each number1 you see4  ,i never met a
 ,burman who had any idea of cubic      
measurement1 though land measurement    
they pick up very quickly4  ,i have said
 that the education in the monasteries  
is up to the average education of the   
people4 ,that is so4 ,whether when      
civilization progresses and more        
education is required the monasteries   
will be able to provide it is another   
thing4  ,the education given now is     
mostly a means to an end3 to learning   
the precepts of religion4 ,whether the  
monks will provide an education beyond  
such a want1 ,i doubt4 ,a monk is by his
 vows1 by the whole tenour of his life1 
apart from the world2 too keen a search 
after knowledge1 any kind of secular    
knowledge1 would be a return to the     
things of this life1 would1 perhaps1    
re-kindle in him the desires that the   
whole meaning of his life is to         
annihilate4 ',and after thou hast run   

over all things1 what will it profit    
thee if thou hast neglected thyself8'   
,besides1 no knowledge1 except mere     
theoretical knowledge1 can be acquired  
without going about in the world4 ,you  
cannot cut yourself off from the world  
and get knowledge of it4 ,yet the monk  
is apart from the world4 ,it is true    
that ,buddhism has no antagonism to     
science--nay1 has every sympathy with1  
every attraction to1 science4 ,buddhism 
will never try and block the progress of
 the truth1 of light1 secular or        
religious2 but whether the monks will   
find it within their vows to provide    
that science1 only time can prove4      
,however it may be1 it will not make any
 difference to the estimation in which  
the monks are held4 ,they are not       
honoured for their wisdom--they often   
have but little2 nor for their          
learning--they often have none at all2  
nor for their industry--they are never  
industrious2 but because they are men   
trying to live--nay1 succeeding in      

living--a life void of sin4 ,up till now
 the education given by the monks has   
met the wants of the people2 in future  
it will do so less and less4 ,but a     
community that has lived through        
twenty-four centuries of change1 and is 
now of the strength and vitality that   
the ,buddhist monkhood is1 can have     
nothing to fear from any such change4   
,schoolmasters1 except religious and    
elementary1 they may cease to be1       
perhaps2 the pattern and ensample of    
purity and righteousness they will      
always remain4     ,,chapter ,,xii      
,,prayer       ',what is there that can 
justify tears and lamentations8'        
,saying of the ,buddha4   ,down below my
 house1 in a grove of palms near the    
river1 was a little rest-house4 ,it was 
but a roof and a floor of teak boarding 
without any walls1 and it was plainly   
built4 ,it might have held1 perhaps1    
twenty people2 and here1 as ,i strolled 
past in the evening when the sun was    
setting1 ,i would see two or three old  

men sitting with beads in their hands4  
,they were making their devotions1      
saying to themselves that the world was 
all trouble1 all weariness1 and that    
there was no rest anywhere except in    
observing the laws of righteousness4 ,it
 was very pathetic1 ,i thought1 to see  
them there1 saying this over and over   
again1 as they told their beads through 
their withered fingers1 for surely there
 was no necessity for them to learn it4 
,has not everyone learnt it1 this1 the  
first truth of ,buddhism1 long before   
his hair is gray1 before his hands are  
shaking1 before his teeth are gone8 ,but
 there they would sit1 evening after    
evening1 thinking of the change about to
 come upon them soon1 realizing the     
emptiness of life1 wishing for the      
,great ,peace4  ,on ,sundays the        
rest-house1 like many others round the  
village1 was crowded4 ,old men there    
would be1 and one or two young men1 a   
few children1 and many women4 ,early in 
the morning they would come1 and a monk 

would come down from the monastery near 
by1 and each one would vow1 with the    
monk as witness1 that he or she would   
spend the day in meditation and in holy 
thought1 would banish all thought of    
evil1 and be for the day at least holy4 
,and then1 the vow made1 the devotee    
would go and sit in the rest-house and  
meditate4 ,the village is not very near2
 the sounds come very softly through the
 trees1 not enough to disturb the mind2 
only there is the sigh of the wind      
wandering amid the leaves1 and the      
occasional cry of birds4 ,once before   
noon a meal will be eaten1 either food  
brought with them cold1 or a simple pot 
of rice boiled beside the rest-house1   
and there they will stay till the sun   
sets and darkness is gathering about the
 foot of the trees4 ,there is no service
 at all4 ,the monk may come and read    
part of the sacred books--some of the   
,abidama1 or a sermon from the          
,thoots--and perhaps sometimes he may   
expound a little2 that is all4 ,there is

 nothing akin to our ideas of worship4  
,for consider what our service consists 
of3 there is thanksgiving and praise1   
there is prayer1 there is reading of the
 ,bible1 there is a sermon4 ,our        
thanksgiving and praise is rendered to  
,god for things ,he has done1 the       
pleasure that ,he has allowed us to     
enjoy1 the punishment that ,he might    
have inflicted upon us and has not4 ,our
 prayer is to ,him to preserve us in    
future1 to assist us in our troubles1 to
 give us our daily food1 not to be too  
severe upon us1 not to punish us as we  
deserve1 but to be merciful and kind4   
,we ask ,him to protect us from our     
enemies1 not to allow them to triumph   
over us1 but to give us triumph over    
them4  ,but the ,buddhist has far other 
thoughts than these4 ,he believes that  
the world is ruled by everlasting1      
unchangeable laws of righteousness4 ,the
 great ,god lives far behind ,his laws1 
and they are for ever and ever4 ,you    
cannot change the laws of righteousness 

by praising them1 or by crying against  
them1 any more than you can change the  
revolution of the earth4 ,sin begets    
sorrow1 sorrow is the only purifier from
 sin2 these are eternal sequences2 they 
cannot be altered2 it would not be good 
that they should be altered4 ,the       
,buddhist believes that the sequences   
are founded on righteousness1 are the   
path to righteousness1 and he does not  
believe he could alter them for the     
better1 even if he had the power by     
prayer to do so4 ,he believes in the    
everlasting righteousness1 that all     
things work for good in the end2 he has 
no need for prayer or praise2 he thinks 
that the world is governed with far     
greater wisdom than any of his--perfect 
wisdom1 that is too great1 too          
wonderful1 for his petty praise4  ,god  
lives far behind ,his laws2 think not   
,he has made them so badly as to require
 continual rectification at the prayer  
of man4 ,think not that ,god is not     
bound by ,his own laws4 ,the ,buddhist  

will never believe that ,god can break  
,his own laws2 that ,he is like an      
earthly king who imagines one code of   
morality for his subjects and another   
for himself4 ,not so2 the great laws are
 founded in righteousness1 so the       
,buddhist believes1 in everlasting      
righteousness2 they are perfect1 far    
beyond our comprehension2 they are the  
eternal1 unchangeable1 marvellous will  
of ,god1 and it is our duty not to be   
for ever fretfully trying to change     
them1 but to be trying to understand    
them4 ,that is the ,buddhist belief in  
the meaning of religion1 and in the laws
 of righteousness2 that is1 he believes 
the duty of him who would follow        
religion to try to understand these     
laws1 to bring them home to the heart1  
so to order life as to bring it into    
harmony with righteousness4  ,now see   
the difference4 ,we believe that the    
world is governed not by eternal laws1  
but by a changeable and continually     
changing ,god1 and that it is our duty  

to try and persuade ,him to make it     
better4  ,we believe1 really1 that we   
know a great deal better than ,god what 
is good1 not only for us1 but for       
others2 we do not believe ,his will is  
always righteous--not at all3 ,god has  
wrath to be deprecated2 ,he has mercy to
 be aroused2 ,he has partiality to be   
turned towards us1 and hence our        
prayers4  ,but to the ,buddhist the     
whole world is ruled by righteousness1  
the same for all1 the same for ever1 and
 the only sin is ignorance of these     
laws4  ,the ,buddha is he who has found 
for us the light to see these laws1 and 
to order our life in accordance with    
them4  ,now it will be understood1 ,i   
think1 why there is no prayer1 no       
gathering together for any ceremonial1  
in ,buddhism2 why there is no praise1 no
 thanksgiving of any kind2 why it is so 
very different in this way from our     
faith4 ,buddhism is a wisdom1 a seeking 
of the light1 a following of the light1 
each man as best he can1 and it has very

 little to correspond with our prayer1  
our services of praise1 our meetings    
together in the name of ,christ4        
,therefore1 when you see a man kneeling 
before a pagoda1 moving silent lips of  
prayer1 when you see the people sitting 
quietly in the rest-houses on a ,sunday1
 when you see the old men telling their 
beads to themselves slowly and sadly1   
when you hear the resonant chant of     
monks and children1 lending a soul to   
the silence of the gloaming1 you will   
know what they are doing4 ,they are     
trying to understand and bring home to  
themselves the eternal laws of          
righteousness2 they are honouring their 
great teacher4  ,this is all that there 
is2 this is the meaning of all that you 
see and hear4 ,the ,buddhist praises and
 honours the ,buddha1 the ,indian prince
 who so long ago went out into the      
wilderness to search for truth1 and     
after many years found it in his own    
heart2 he reverences the ,buddha for    
seeing the light2 he thanks the ,buddha 

for his toil and exertion in making this
 light known to all men4 ,it can do the 
,buddha no good1 all this praise1 for he
 has come to his eternal peace2 but it  
can arouse the enthusiasm of the        
follower1 can bring into his heart love 
for the memory of the great teacher1 and
 a firm resolve to follow his teaching4 
,the service of his religion is to try  
and follow these laws1 to take them home
 into the heart1 that the follower1 too1
 may come soon into the ,great ,peace4  
,this has been called pessimism4 ,surely
 it is the greatest optimism the world  
has known--this certainty that the world
 is ruled by righteousness1 that the    
world has been1 that the world will     
always be1 ruled by perfect             
righteousness4  ,to the ,buddhist this  
is a certainty4 ,the laws are laws of   
righteousness1 if man would but see1    
would but understand4 ,do not complain  
and cry and pray1 but open your eyes and
 see4 ,the light is all about you1 if   
you would only cast the bandage from    

your eyes and look4 ,it is so wonderful1
 so beautiful1 far beyond what any man  
has dreamt of1 has prayed for1 and it is
 for ever and for ever4  ,this is the   
attitude of ,buddhism towards prayer1   
towards thanksgiving4 ,it considers them
 an impertinence and a foolishness1 born
 of ignorance1 akin to the action of him
 who would daily desire ,atlas not to   
allow the heavens to drop upon the      
earth4  ,and yet1 and yet4  ,i remember 
standing once on the platform of a      
famous pagoda1 the golden spire rising  
before us1 and carved shrines around us1
 and seeing a woman lying there1 her    
face to the pagoda4 ,she was praying    
fervently1 so fervently that her words  
could be heard1 for she had no care for 
anyone about1 in such trouble was she2  
and what she was asking was this1 that  
her child1 her baby1 might not die4 ,she
 held the little thing in her arms1 and 
as she looked upon it her eyes were full
 of tears4 ,for it was very sick2 its   
little limbs were but thin bones1 with  

big knees and elbows1 and its face was  
very wan4 ,it could not even take any   
interest in the wonderful sights around1
 but hardly opened its careworn eyes now
 and then to blink upon the world4      
',let him recover1 let him be well once 
more6' the woman cried1 again and again4
  ,whom was she beseeching8 ,i do not   
know4  ',thakin1 there will be ,someone1
 ,someone4 ,a ,spirit may hear4 ,who can
 tell8 ,surely someone will help me8    
,men would help me if they could1 but   
they cannot2 surely there will be       
someone8'  ,so she did not remember the 
story of ,ma ,pa ,da4  ,women often     
pray1 ,i think--they pray that their    
husbands and those they love may be     
well4 ,it is a frequent ending to a     
girl's letter to her lover3 ',and ,i    
pray always that you may be well4' ,i   
never heard of their praying for        
anything but this3 that they may be     
loved1 and those they love may be well4 
,nothing else is worth praying for      
besides this4 ,the queen would pray at  

the pagoda in the palace morning and    
evening4 ',what did she pray for8'      
',what should she pray for1 thakin8     
,surely she prayed that her husband     
might be true to her1 and that her      
children might live and be strong4 ,that
 is what women pray for4 ,do you think a
 queen would pray differently to any    
other woman8'  ',women1' say the        
,buddhist monks1 'never understand4     
,they will not understand2 they cannot  
learn4 ,and so we say that most women   
must be born again1 as men1 before they 
can see the light and understand the    
laws of righteousness4'  ,what do women 
care for laws of righteousness8 ,what do
 they care for justice8 ,what for the   
everlasting sequences that govern the   
world8 ,would not they involve all other
 men1 all earth and heaven1 in          
bottomless chaos1 to save one heart they
 loved8 ,that is woman's religion4      
,,chapter ,,xiii  ,,festivals           
',the law is sweet1 filling the soul    
with joy4'                              

,saying of the ,buddha4   ,the three    
months of the rains1 from the full moon 
of ,july to the full moon of ,october1  
is the ,buddhist ,lent4 ,it was during  
these months that the ,buddha would     
retire to some monastery and cease from 
travelling and teaching for a time4 ,the
 custom was far older even than that--so
 old that we do not know how it arose4  
,its origin is lost in the mists of     
far-away time4 ,but whatever the        
beginning may have been1 it fits in very
 well with the habits of the people2 for
 in the rains travelling is not easy4   
,the roads are very bad1 covered even   
with water1 often deep in mud2 and the  
rest-houses1 with open sides1 are not   
very comfortable with the rain drifting 
in4 ,even if there were no custom of    
,lent1 there would be but little        
travelling then4 ,people would stay at  
home1 both because of the discomfort of 
moving1 and because there is much work  
then at the village4 ,for this is the   
time to plough1 this is the time to sow2

 on the villagers' exertions in these   
months depends all their maintenance for
 the rest of the year4 ,every man1 every
 woman1 every child1 has hard work of   
some kind or another4  ,what with the   
difficulties of travelling1 what with   
the work there is to do1 and what with  
the custom of ,lent1 everyone stays at  
home4 ,it is the time for prayer1 for   
fasting1 for improving the soul4 ,many  
men during these months will live even  
as the monks live1 will eat but before  
mid-day1 will abstain from tobacco4     
,there are no plays during ,lent1 and   
there are no marriages4 ,it is the time 
for preparing the land for the crop2 it 
is the time for preparing the soul for  
eternity4 ,the congregations on the     
,sundays will be far greater at this    
time than at any other2 there will be   
more thought of the serious things of   
life4  ,it is a very long ,lent--three  
months2 but with the full moon of       
,october comes the end4 ,the rains then 
are over2 the great black bank of clouds

 that walled up all the south so long is
 gone4 ,the south wind has died away1   
and the light1 fresh north wind is      
coming down the river4 ,the roads are   
drying up1 the work in the fields is    
over for a time1 awaiting the ripening  
of the grain4 ,the damp has gone out of 
the air1 and it is very clear4 ,you can 
see once more the purple mountains that 
you have missed so long2 there is a new 
feeling in the wind1 a laughter in the  
sunshine1 a flush of blossom along the  
fields like the awakening of a new joy4 
,the rains are gone and the cool weather
 is coming2 ,lent is over and gladness  
is returned2 the crop has been sown1 and
 soon will come the reaping4 ,and so at 
this full moon of ,october is the great 
feast of the year4 ,there are other     
festivals3 of the ,new ,year1 in ,march1
 with its water-throwing2 of each great 
pagoda at its appointed time2 but of    
all1 the festival at the end of ,lent is
 the greatest4  ,wherever there are     
great pagodas the people will come in   

from far and near for the feast4 ,there 
are many great pagodas in ,burma2 there 
is the ,arakan pagoda in ,mandalay1 and 
there was the ,incomparable pagoda1     
which has been burnt2 there are great   
pagodas at ,pegu1 at ,prome1 at many    
other places2 but perhaps the greatest  
of all is the ,shwe ,dagon at ,rangoon4 
,you see it from far away as you come up
 the river1 steaming in from the open   
sea1 a great tongue of flame before you4
 ,it stands on a small conical hill just
 behind the city of ,rangoon1 about two 
miles away from the wharves and shipping
 in the busy river4 ,the hill has been  
levelled on the top and paved into a    
wide platform1 to which you ascend by a 
flight of many steps from the gate      
below1 where stand the dragons4 ,this   
entrance-way is all roofed over1 and the
 pillars and the ceiling are red and    
painted4 ,here it was that much fighting
 took place in the early wars1 in #aheb 
especially1 and many men1 ,english and  
,burmese1 were killed in storming and   

defending this strong place4 ,for it had
 been made a very strong place1 this    
holy place of him who taught that peace 
was the only good1 and the defences     
round about it are standing still4 ,upon
 the top of this hill1 the flat paved   
top1 stands the pagoda1 a great solid   
tapering cone over three hundred feet   
high1 ending in an iron fretwork spire  
that glitters with gold and jewels2 and 
the whole pagoda is covered with        
gold--pure leaf-gold4 ,down below it is 
being always renewed by the pious       
offerings of those who come to pray and 
spread a little gold-leaf on it2 but    
every now and then it is all regilt1    
from the top1 far away above you1 to the
 golden lions that guard its base4 ,it  
is a most wonderful sight1 this great   
golden cone1 in that marvellous sunlight
 that bathes its sides like a golden    
sea4 ,it seems to shake and tremble in  
the light like a fire4 ,and all about   
the platform1 edging it ere it falls    
away below1 are little shrines1 marvels 

of carven woodwork and red lacquer4     
,they have tapering roofs1 one above    
another1 till they1 too1 end in a golden
 spire full of little bells with        
tongues4 ,as the wind blows the tongues 
move to and fro1 and the air is full of 
music1 so faint1 so clear1 like 'silver 
stir of strings in hollow shells4'  ,in 
most of these shrines there are statues 
of the great teacher1 cut in white      
alabaster1 glimmering whitely in the    
lustrous shadows there within2 and in   
one shrine is the great bell4 ,long ago 
we tried to take this great bell2 we    
tried to send it home as a war trophy1  
this bell stolen from their sacred      
place1 but we failed4 ,as it was being  
put on board a ship1 it slipped and fell
 into the river into the mud1 where the 
fierce tides are ever coming and going4 
,and when all the efforts of our        
engineers to raise it had failed1 the   
,burmese asked3 ',the bell1 our bell1 is
 there in the water4 ,you cannot get it 
up4 ,you have tried and you have failed4

 ,if we can get it up1 may we have it   
back to hang in our pagoda as our own   
again8' ,and they were told1 with a     
laugh1 perhaps1 that they might2 and so 
they raised it up again1 the river      
giving back to them what it had refused 
to us1 and they took and hung it where  
it used to be4 ,there it is now1 and you
 may hear it when you go1 giving out a  
long1 deep note1 the beat of the        
pagoda's heart4  ,there are many trees1 
too1 about the pagoda platform--so many1
 that seen far off you can only see the 
trees and the pagoda towering above     
them4 ,have not trees been always sacred
 things8 ,have not all religions been   
glad to give their fanes the glory and  
majesty of great trees8  ,you may look  
from the pagoda platform over the whole 
country1 over the city and the river and
 the straight streets2 and on the other 
side you may see the long white lakes   
and little hills covered with trees4 ,it
 is a very beautiful place1 this pagoda1
 and it is steeped in an odour of       

holiness1 the perfume of the thousand   
thousand prayers that have been prayed  
there1 of the thousand thousand holy    
thoughts that have been thought there4  
,the pagoda platform is always full of  
people kneeling1 saying over and over   
the great precepts of their faith1      
trying to bring into their hearts the   
meaning of the teaching of him of whom  
this wonderful pagoda represents the    
tomb4 ,there are always monks there     
passing to and fro1 or standing leaning 
on the pillars of the shrines2 there are
 always a crowd of people climbing up   
and down the long steps that lead from  
the road below4 ,it is a place ,i always
 go to when ,i am in ,rangoon2 for1     
besides its beauty1 there are the       
people2 and if you go and stand near    
where the stairway reaches the platform 
you will see the people come up4 ,they  
come up singly1 in twos1 in groups4     
,first a nun1 perhaps1 walking very     
softly1 clad in her white dress with her
 beads about her neck1 and there in a   

corner by a little shrine she will      
spread a cloth upon the hard stones and 
kneel and bow her face to the great     
pagoda4 ,then she will repeat1 ',sorrow1
 misery1 trouble1' over and over again1 
running her beads through her fingers1  
repeating the words in the hope that in 
the end she may understand whither they 
should lead her4 ',sorrow1 misery1      
trouble'--ah6 surely she must know what 
they mean1 or she would not be a nun4   
,and then comes a young man1 and after a
 reverence to the pagoda he goes        
wandering round1 looking for someone1   
maybe2 and then comes an old man with   
his son4 ,they stop at the little stalls
 on the stairs1 and they have bought    
there each a candle4 ,the old man has a 
plain taper1 but the little lad must    
have one with his emblem on it4 ,each   
day has its own sign1 a tiger for       
,monday1 and so on1 and the lad buys a  
candle like a little rat1 for his       
birthday is ,friday1 and the father and 
son go on to the platform4 ,there they  

kneel down side by side1 the old man and
 the little chubby lad1 and they1 too1  
say that all is misery and delusion4    
,presently they rise and advance to the 
pagoda's golden base1 and put their     
candles thereon and light them4 ,this   
side of the pagoda is in shadow now1 and
 so you can see the lights of the       
candles as little stars4  ,and then come
 three girls1 sisters1 perhaps1 all so  
prettily dressed1 with meek eyes1 and   
they1 too1 buy candles2 they1 too1 kneel
 and make their devotions1 for long1 so 
long1 that you wonder if anything has   
happened1 if there has been any trouble 
that has brought them thus in the sunset
 to the remembrance of religion4 ,but at
 last they rise1 and they light their   
little candles near by where the old man
 and the boy have lit theirs1 and then  
they go away4 ,they are so sad1 they    
keep their faces so turned upon the     
ground1 that you fear there has been    
something1 some trouble come upon them4 
,you feel so sorry for them1 you would  

like to ask them what it all is2 you    
would like to help them if you could4   
,but you can do nothing4 ,they go away  
down the steps1 and you hear the nun    
repeating always1 ',sorrow1 misery1     
trouble4'  ,so they come and go4  ,but  
on the festival days at the end of ,lent
 it is far more wonderful4 ,then for    
units there are tens1 for tens there are
 hundreds--all come to do reverence to  
the great teacher at this his great holy
 place4 ,there is no especial ceremony1 
no great service1 such as we are        
accustomed to on our festivals4 ,only   
there will be many offerings2 there will
 be a procession1 maybe1 with offerings 
to the pagoda1 with offerings to the    
monks2 there will be much gold-leaf     
spread upon the pagoda sides2 there will
 be many people kneeling there--that is 
all4 ,for1 you see1 ,buddhism is not an 
affair of a community1 but of each man's
 own heart4  ,to see the great pagoda on
 the festival days is one of the sights 
of the world4 ,there are a great crowd  

of people coming and going1 climbing up 
the steps4 ,there are all sorts of      
people1 rich and poor1 old and young4   
,old men there are1 climbing wearily up 
these steps that are so steep1 steps    
that lead towards the ,great ,peace2 and
 there are old women1 too--many of them4
  ,young men will be there1 walking     
briskly up1 laughing and talking to each
 other1 very happy1 very merry1 glad to 
see each other1 to see so many people1  
calling pleasant greetings to their     
friends as they pass4 ,they are all so  
gaily dressed1 with beautiful silks and 
white jackets and gay satin head-cloths1
 tied with a little end sticking up as a
 plume4  ,and the girls1 how shall ,i   
describe them1 so sweet they are1 so    
pretty in their fresh dresses1 with     
downcast eyes of modesty1 tempered with 
little side-glances4 ,they laugh1 too1  
as they go1 and they talk1 never        
forgetting the sacredness of the place1 
never forgetting the reverences due1    
kneeling always first as they come up to

 the great pagoda1 but being of good    
courage1 happy and contented4 ,there are
 children1 too1 numbers and numbers of  
them1 walking along1 with their little  
hands clasping so tightly some bigger   
ones1 very fearful lest they should be  
lost4 ,they are as gay as butterflies in
 their dress1 but their looks are very  
solemn4 ,there is no solemnity like that
 of a little child2 it takes all the    
world so very1 very seriously1 walking  
along with great eyes of wonder at all  
it sees about it4  ,they are all well   
dressed who come here2 on a festival day
 even the poor can be dressed well4     
,pinks and reds are the prevailing      
colours1 in checks1 in stripes1 mixed   
usually with white4 ,these colours go   
best with their brown skins1 and they   
are fondest of them4 ,but there are     
other colours1 too3 there is silver and 
green embroidery1 and there are         
shot-silks in purple and orange1 and    
there is dark blue4 ,all the jackets1 or
 nearly all the jackets1 are white with 

wide sleeves1 showing the arm nearly up 
to the elbow4 ,each man has his turban  
very gay1 while each girl has a bright  
handkerchief which she drapes as she    
likes upon her arm1 or carries in her   
hand4 ,such a blaze of colour would not 
look well with us4 ,under our dull skies
 and with our sober lights it would be  
too bright2 but here it is not so4      
,everything is tempered by the sun2 it  
is so brilliant1 this sunlight1 such a  
golden flood pouring down and bathing   
the whole world1 that these colours are 
only in keeping4 ,before them is the    
gold pagoda1 and about them the red     
lacquer and dark-brown carving of the   
shrines4  ,you hear voices like the     
murmur of a summer sea1 rising and      
falling1 full of laughter low and sweet1
 and above is the music of the fairy    
bells4  ,everything is in keeping--the  
shining pagoda and the gaily-dressed    
people1 their voices and the bells1 even
 the great bell far beyond1 and all are 
so happy4  ,the feast lasts for seven   

days2 but of these there are three that 
are greater1 and of these1 one1 the day 
of the full moon1 is the greatest of    
all4 ,on that day the offerings will be 
most numerous1 the crowd densest4 ,down 
below the pagoda are many temporary     
stalls built1 where you can buy all     
sorts of fairings1 from a baby's jointed
 doll to a new silk dress2 and there are
 restaurants where you may obtain       
refreshments2 for the pagoda is some way
 from the streets of the city1 and on   
festival days refreshments are much     
wanted4  ,these stalls are always       
crowded with people buying and selling1 
or looking anxiously at the many pretty 
wares1 unable1 perhaps1 to buy4 ,the    
refreshments are usually very           
simple--rice and curry for supper1 and  
for little refreshments between whiles  
there are sugar-cakes and vermicelli1   
and other little cates4  ,the crowd     
going up and down the steps is like a   
gorgeous-coloured flood1 crested with   
white foam1 flowing between the dragons 

of the gate2 and on the platform the    
crowd is thicker than ever4 ,all day the
 festival goes on--the praying1 the     
offering of gifts1 the burning of little
 candles before the shrines--until the  
sun sets across the open country far    
beyond in gold and crimson glory4 ,but  
even then there is no pause1 no         
darkness1 for hardly has the sun's last 
bright shaft faded from the pagoda spire
 far above1 while his streamers are     
still bright across the west1 than there
 comes in the east a new radiance1 so   
soft1 so wonderful1 it seems more       
beautiful than the dying day4 ,across   
the misty fields the moon is rising2    
first a crimson globe hung low among the
 trees1 but rising fast1 and as it rises
 growing whiter4 ,its light comes       
flooding down upon the earth1 pure      
silver with very black shadows4 ,then   
the night breeze begins to blow1 very   
softly1 very gently1 and the trees give 
out their odour to the night1 which woos
 them so much more sweetly than the day1

 till the air is heavy with incense4    
,behold1 the pagoda has started into a  
new glory1 for it is all hung about with
 little lamps1 myriads of tiny cressets1
 and the faades of the shrines are lit  
up1 too4 ,the lamps are put in long rows
 or in circles1 to fit the places they  
adorn4 ,they are little earthenware jars
 full of cocoanut-oil1 with a lip where 
is the wick4 ,they burn very redly1 and 
throw a red light about the platform1   
breaking the shadows that the moonlight 
throws and staining its whiteness4  ,in 
the streets1 too1 there are lamps--the  
houses are lined with them--and there   
are little pagodas and ships curiously  
designed in flame4  ,all the people come
 out to see the illuminations1 just as  
they do with us at ,christmas to see the
 shop-windows1 and the streets are      
crowded with people going to and fro1   
laughing and talking4 ,and there are    
dramatic entertainments going on1 dances
 and marionette shows1 all in the open  
air4 ,the people are all so happy1 they 

take their pleasure so pleasantly1 that 
it is a delight to see them4 ,you cannot
 help but be happy1 too4 ,the men joke  
and laugh1 and you laugh1 too2 the      
children smile at you as they pass1 and 
you must smile1 too2 can you help it8   
,and to see the girls makes the heart   
glad within you4 ,there is an infection 
from the good temper and the gaiety     
about you that is irresistible1 even if 
you should want to resist it4  ,the     
festival goes on till very late4 ,the   
moon is so bright that you forget how   
late it is1 and only remember how       
beautiful it is all around4 ,you are    
very loath to leave it1 and so it is not
 till the moon itself is falling low    
down in the same path whither the sun   
went before her1 it is not till the     
lamps are dying one by one and the      
children are yawning very sleepily1 that
 the crowd disperses and the pagoda is  
at rest4  ,such is a great feast at a   
great pagoda4  ,but whenever ,i think of
 a great feast1 whenever the growing    

autumn moon tells me that the end of    
,lent is drawing nigh1 it is not the    
great feast of the ,shwe ,dagon1 nor of 
any other famous pagoda that comes into 
my mind1 but something far different4   
,it was on a frontier long ago that     
there was the festival that ,i remember 
so well4 ,the country there was very far
 away from all the big towns2 the people
 were not civilized as those of         
,mandalay or of ,rangoon2 the pagoda was
 a very small one4 ,there was no gilding
 upon it at all1 and no shrines were    
about it2 it stood alone1 just a little 
white plastered pagoda1 with a few trees
 near it1 on a bare rice-field4 ,there  
were a few villages about1 dotted here  
and there in the swamp1 and the people  
of these were all that came to our      
festival4  ,for long before the villages
 were preparing for it1 saving a little 
money here1 doing a little extra work   
there1 so that they might be able to    
have presents ready for the monks1 so   
that they might be able to subscribe to 

the lights1 so that they would have a   
good dress in which they might appear4  
,the men did a little more work at the  
fields1 bamboo-cutting in the forest1   
making baskets in the evening1 and the  
women wove4 ,all had to work very hard  
to have even a little margin2 for there1
 although food--plain rice--was very    
cheap1 all other things were very       
expensive4 ,it was so far to bring them1
 and the roads were so bad4 ,i remember 
that the only ,european things to be    
bought there then were matches and      
tinned milk1 and copper money was not   
known4 ,you paid a rupee1 and took the  
change in rice or other commodities4    
,the excitement of the great day of the 
full moon began in the morning1 about   
ten o'clock1 with the offerings to the  
monks4 ,outside the village gate there  
was a piece of straight road1 dry and   
open1 and on each side of this1 in rows1
 were the people with their gifts2      
mostly they were eatables4 ,you see that
 it is very difficult to find any       

variety of things to give a monk2 he is 
very strictly limited in the things he  
is allowed to receive4 ,garments1 yellow
 garments1 curtains to partition off    
corners of the monasteries and keep away
 the draughts1 sacred books and         
eatables--that is nearly all4 ,but      
eatables allow a very wide range4 ,a    
monk may accept and eat any food--not   
drink1 of course--provided he eat but   
the one big meal a day before noon2 and 
so most of the offerings were eatables4 
,each donor knelt there upon the road   
with his or her offerings in a tray in  
front4 ,there was rice cooked in all    
sorts of shapes1 ordinary rice for      
eating with curry1 and the sweet purple 
rice1 cooked in bamboos and coming out  
in sticks4 ,there were vegetables1 too1 
of very many kinds1 and sugar and cakes 
and oil and honey1 and many other such  
things4 ,there were a few1 very few1    
books1 for they are very hard to get1   
being all in manuscript2 and there were 
one or two tapestry curtains2 but there 

were heaps of flowers4 ,i remember there
 was one girl whose whole offering was a
 few orchid sprays1 and a little1 very  
little1 heap of common rice4 ,she was so
 poor2 her father and mother were dead1 
and she was not married4 ,it was all she
 could give4 ,she sat behind her little 
offering1 as did all the donors4 ,and my
 gift8 ,well1 although an ,english      
official1 ,i was not then very much     
richer than the people about me1 so my  
gift must be small1 too--a tin of       
biscuits1 a tin or two of jam1 a new    
pair of scissors4 ,i did not sit behind 
them myself1 but gave them to the       
headman to put with his offerings2 for  
the monks were old friends of mine4 ,did
 ,i not live in one of their monasteries
 for over two months when we first came 
and camped there with a cavalry         
squadron8 ,and if there is any merit in 
such little charity1 as the ,burmese say
 there is1 why should ,i not gain it1   
too8 ,the monks said my present was best
 of all1 because it was so uncommon2 and

 the biscuits1 they said1 though they   
did not taste of much while you were    
eating them1 had a very pleasant        
after-taste that lasted a long time4    
,they were like charity1 maybe3 that has
 a pleasant after-taste1 too1 they tell 
me4  ,when all the presents1 with the   
donors behind them1 dressed all in their
 best1 were ready1 the monks came4      
,there were four monasteries near by1   
and the monks1 perhaps in all thirty1   
old and young1 monks and novices1 came  
in one long procession1 walking very    
slowly1 with downcast eyes1 between the 
rows of gifts and givers4 ,they did not 
look at them at all4 ,it is not proper  
for a monk to notice the gifts he       
receives2 but schoolboys who came along 
behind attending on them1 they saw and  
made remarks4 ,perhaps they saw the     
chance of some overflow of these good   
things coming their way4 ',see1' one    
nudged the other2 'honey--what a lot6 ,i
 can smell it1 can't you8' ,and1 ',my   
mother6 what a lot of sweet rice4 ,who  

gave that8 ,oh1 ,i see1 old ,u ,hman4'  
',i wonder what's in that tin box8'     
remarked one as he passed my biscuits4  
',i hope it's coming to our monastery1  
any way4'  ,thus the monks passed1      
paying no sort of attention1 while the  
people knelt to them2 and when the      
procession reached the end of the line  
of offerings1 it went on without        
stopping1 across the fields1 the monks  
of each monastery going to their own    
place2 and the givers of presents rose  
up and followed them1 each carrying his 
or her gifts4 ,and so they went across  
the fields till each little procession  
was lost to sight4  ,that was all the   
ceremony for the day1 but at dusk the   
illuminations began4 ,the little pagoda 
in the fields was lighted up nearly to  
its top with concentric rings of lamps  
till it blazed like a pyramid of flame1 
seen far across the night4 ,all the     
people came there1 and placed little    
offerings of flowers at the foot of the 
pagoda1 or added each his candle to the 

big illumination4  ,the house of the    
headman of the village was lit up with a
 few rows of lamps1 and all the         
monasteries1 too1 were lit4 ,there were 
no restaurants--everyone was at home1   
you see--but there were one or two      
little stalls1 at which you could buy a 
cheroot1 or even perhaps a cup of       
vermicelli2 and there was a dance4 ,it  
was only the village girls who had been 
taught1 partly by their own mothers1    
partly by an old man1 who knew something
 of the business4 ,they did not dance   
very well1 perhaps2 they were none of   
them very beautiful2 but what matter8   
,we knew them all2 they were our        
neighbours1 the kinswomen of half the   
village2 everyone liked to see them     
dance1 to hear them sing2 they were all 
young1 and are not all young girls      
pretty8 ,and amongst the audience were  
there not the girls' relations1 their   
sisters1 their lovers8 would not that   
alone make the girls dance well1 make   
the audience enthusiastic8 ,and so1 what

 with the illuminations1 and the chat   
and laughter of friends1 and the dance1 
we kept it up till very late2 and we all
 went to bed happy and well pleased with
 each other1 well pleased with          
ourselves4 ,can you imagine a more      
successful end than that8  ,to write    
about these festivals is so pleasant1 it
 brings back so many delightful         
memories1 that ,i could go on writing   
for long and long4 ,but there is no use 
in doing so1 as they are all very much  
alike1 with little local differences    
depending on the enterprise of the      
inhabitants and the situation of the    
place4 ,there might be boat-races1      
perhaps1 on a festival day1 or          
pony-races1 or boxing4 ,i have seen all 
these1 if not at the festival at the end
 of ,lent1 at other festivals4 ,i       
remember once ,i was going up the river 
on a festival night by the full moon1   
and we saw point after point crowned    
with lights upon the pagodas2 and as we 
came near the great city we saw a new   

glory2 for there was a boat anchored in 
mid-stream1 and from this boat there    
dropped a stream of fire2 myriads of    
little lamps burned on tiny rafts that  
drifted down the river in a golden band4
 ,there were every now and then bigger  
rafts1 with figures made in light--boats
 and pagodas and monasteries4 ,the      
lights heaved with the long swell of the
 great river1 and bent to and fro like a
 great snake following the tides1 until 
at length they died far away into the   
night4  ,i do not know what is the      
meaning of all these lights2 ,i do not  
know that they have any inner meaning1  
only that the people are very glad1 only
 that they greatly honour the great     
teacher who died so long ago1 only that 
they are very fond of light and colour  
and laughter and all beautiful things4  
,but although these festivals often     
become also fairs1 although they are the
 great centres for amusement1 although  
the people look to them as their great  
pleasure of the year1 it must not be    

forgotten that they are essentially     
religious feasts1 holy days4 ,though    
there be no great ceremony of prayer1 or
 of thanksgiving1 no public joining in  
any religious ceremony1 save1 perhaps1  
the giving of alms to the monks1 yet    
religion is the heart and soul of them4 
,their centre is the pagoda1 their      
meaning is a religious meaning4  ,what  
if the people make merry1 too1 if they  
make their holy days into holidays1 is  
that any harm8 ,for their pleasures are 
very simple1 very innocent2 there is    
nothing that the moon1 even the cold and
 distant moon1 would blush to look upon4
 ,the people make merry because they are
 merry1 because their religion is to    
them a very beautiful thing1 not to be  
shunned or feared1 but to be exalted to 
the eye of day1 to be rejoiced in4      
,,chapter ,,xiv  ,,women--,i       ',her
 cheek is more beautiful than the dawn1 
her eyes are deeper      than the river 
pools2 when she loosens her hair upon   
her shoulders1      it is as night      

coming over the hills4'--,burmese       
,love-,song4   ,if you were to ask a    
,burman ',what is the position of women 
in ,burma8' he would reply that he did  
not know what you meant4 ,women have no 
position1 no fixed relation towards men 
beyond that fixed by the fact that women
 are women and men are men4 ,they differ
 a great deal in many ways1 so a ,burman
 would say2 men are better in some      
things1 women are better in others2 if  
they have a position1 their relative    
superiority in certain things determines
 it4 ,how else should it be determined8 
,if you say by religion1 he laughs1 and 
asks what religion has to do with such  
things8 ,religion is a culture of the   
soul2 it is not concerned with the      
relationship of men and women4 ,if you  
say by law1 he says that law has no more
 to do with it than religion4 ,in the   
eye of the law both are alike4 ',you    
wouldn't have one law for a man and     
another for a woman8' he asks4  ,in the 
life of the ,buddha nothing is said upon

 the subject4 ,the great teacher never  
committed himself to an opinion as to   
whether men or women were the highest4  
,he had men disciples1 he had women     
disciples2 he honoured both4 ,nowhere in
 any of his sayings can anything be     
found to show that he made any          
difference between them4 ,that monks    
should be careful and avoid intercourse 
with women is merely the counterpart of 
the order that nuns should be careful in
 their intercourse with men4 ,that man's
 greatest attraction is woman does not  
infer wickedness in woman2 that woman's 
greatest attraction is man does not show
 that man is a devil4 ,wickedness is a  
thing of your own heart4 ,if he could be
 sure that his desire towards women was 
dead1 a monk might see them as much as  
he liked4 ,the desire is the enemy1 not 
the woman2 therefore a woman is not     
damned because by her man is often      
tempted to evil2 therefore a woman is   
not praised because by her a man may be 
led to better thoughts4 ,she is but the 

outer and unconscious influence4  ,if1  
for instance1 you cannot see a precipice
 without wishing to throw yourself down1
 you blame not the precipice1 but your  
giddiness2 and if you are wise you avoid
 precipices in future4 ,you do not rail 
against steep places because you have a 
bad circulation4 ,so it is with women3  
you should not contemn women because    
they rouse a devil in man4  ,and it is  
the same with man4 ,men and women are   
alike subject to the eternal laws4 ,and 
they are alike subject to the laws of   
man2 in no material points1 hardly even 
in minor points1 does the law           
discriminate against women4  ,the law as
 regards marriage and inheritance and   
divorce will come each in its own place4
 ,it is curiously the same both for the 
man and the woman4  ,the criminal law   
was the same for both2 ,i have tried to 
find any difference1 and this is all ,i 
have found3 ,a woman's life was less    
valuable than a man's4 ,the price of the
 body1 as it is called1 of a woman was  

less than that of a man4 ,if a woman    
were accidentally killed1 less          
compensation had to be paid than for a  
man4 ,i asked a ,burman about this once4
  ',why is this difference8' ,i said4   
',why does the law discriminate8'  ',it 
isn't the law1' he said1 'it is a fact4 
,a woman is worth less than a man in    
that way4 ,a maidservant can be hired   
for less than a manservant1 a daughter  
can claim less than a son4 ,they cannot 
do so much work2 they are not so strong4
 ,if they had been worth more1 the law  
would have been the other way2 of course
 they are worth less4'  ,and so this    
sole discrimination is a fact1 not      
dogma4 ,it is a fact1 no doubt1         
everywhere4 ,no one would deny it4 ,the 
pecuniary value of a woman is less than 
that of a man4 ,as to the soul's value1 
that is not a question of law1 which    
confines itself to material affairs4    
,but ,i suppose all laws have been      
framed out of the necessities of        
mankind4 ,it was the incessant fighting 

during the times when our laws grew     
slowly into shape1 the necessity of not 
allowing the possession of land1 and the
 armed wealth that land gave1 to fall   
into the weaker hands of women1 that led
 to our laws of inheritance4  ,laws then
 were governed by the necessity of war1 
of subjecting everything else to the    
ability to fight4 ,consequently1 as     
women were not such good fighters as    
men1 they went to the wall4 ,but        
feudalism never obtained at all in      
,burma4 ,what fighting they did was far 
less severe than that of our ancestors1 
was not the dominant factor in the      
position1 and consequently woman did not
 suffer4  ,she has thus been given the  
inestimable boon of freedom4 ,freedom   
from sacerdotal dogma1 from secular law1
 she has always had4  ,and so1 in order 
to preserve the life of the people1 it  
has never been necessary to pass laws   
treating woman unfairly as regards      
inheritance2 and as religion has left   
her free to find her own position1 so   

has the law of the land4  ,and yet the  
,burman man has a confirmed opinion that
 he is better than a woman1 that men are
 on the whole superior as a sex to      
women4 ',we may be inferior in some     
ways1' he will tell you4 ',a woman may  
steal a march on us here and there1 but 
in the long-run the man will always win4
 ,women have no patience4'  ,i have     
heard this said over and over again1    
even by women1 that they have less      
patience than a man4 ,we have often     
supposed differently4 ,some ,burmans    
have even supposed that a woman must be 
reincarnated as a man to gain a step in 
holiness4 ,i do not mean that they think
 men are always better than women1 but  
that the best men are far better than   
the best women1 and there are many more 
of them4 ,however all this may be1 it is
 only an opinion4 ,neither in their law1
 nor in their religion1 nor--what is far
 more important--in their daily life1 do
 they acknowledge any inferiority in    
women beyond those patent weaknesses of 

body that are1 perhaps1 more differences
 than inferiorities4  ,and so she has   
always had fair-play1 from religion1    
from law1 and from her fellow man and   
woman4  ,she has been bound by no ties1 
she has had perfect freedom to make for 
herself just such a life as she thinks  
best fitted for her4 ,she has had no    
frozen ideals of a long dead past held  
up to her as eternal copies4 ,she has   
been allowed to change as her world     
changed1 and she has lived in a very    
real world--a world of stern facts1 not 
fancies4 ,you see1 she has had to fight 
her own way2 for the same laws that made
 woman lower than man in ,europe        
compensated her to a certain extent by  
protection and guidance4 ,in ,burma she 
has been neither confined nor guided4   
,in ,europe and ,india for very long the
 idea was to make woman a hot-house     
plant1 to see that no rough winds struck
 her1 that no injuries overtook her4 ,in
 ,burma she has had to look out for     
herself3 she has had freedom to come to 

grief as well as to come to strength4   
,you see1 all such laws cut both ways4  
,freedom to do ill must accompany       
freedom to do well4 ,you cannot have one
 without the other4 ,the ,burmese woman 
has had both4 ,ideals act for good as   
well as for evil2 if they cramp all     
progress1 they nevertheless tend to the 
sustentation of a certain level of      
thought4 ,she has had none4 ,whatever   
she is1 she has made herself1 finding   
under the varying circumstances of life 
what is the best for her2 and as her    
surroundings change1 so will she4 ,what 
she was a thousand years ago ,i do not  
care1 what she may be a thousand years  
hence ,i do not know2 it is of what she 
is to-day that ,i have tried to know and
 write4  ,children in ,burma have1 ,i   
think1 a very good time when they are   
young4 ,parentage in ,burma has never   
degenerated into a sort of slavery4 ,it 
has never been supposed that gaiety and 
goodness are opposed4 ,and so they grow 
up little merry naked things1 sprawling 

in the dust of the gardens1 sleeping in 
the sun with their arms round the       
village dogs1 very sedate1 very         
humorous1 very rarely crying4 ,boys and 
girls when they are babies grow up      
together1 but with the schooldays comes 
a division4 ,all the boys go to school  
at the monastery without the walls1 and 
there learn in noisy fashion their      
arithmetic1 letters1 and other useful   
knowledge4 ,but little girls have       
nowhere to go4 ,they cannot go to the   
monasteries1 these are for boys alone1  
and the nunneries are very scarce4 ,for 
twenty monasteries there is not one     
nunnery4 ,women do not seem to care to  
learn to become nuns as men do to become
 monks4 ,why this is so ,i cannot tell1 
but there is no doubt of the fact4 ,and 
so there are no schools for girls as    
there are for boys1 and consequently the
 girls are not well educated as a rule4 
,in great towns there are1 of course1   
regular schools for girls1 generally for
 girls and boys together2 but in the    

villages these very seldom exist4 ,the  
girls may learn from their mothers how  
to read and write1 but most of them     
cannot do so4 ,it is an exception in    
country places to find a girl who can   
read1 as it is to find a boy who cannot4
 ,if there were more nunneries1 there   
would be more education among the women2
 here is cause and effect4 ,but there   
are not1 so the little girls work       
instead4 ,while their brothers are in   
the monasteries1 the girls are learning 
to weave and herd cattle1 drawing water1
 and collecting firewood4 ,they begin   
very young at this work1 but it is very 
light2 they are never overworked1 and so
 it does them no harm usually1 but good4
  ,the daughters of better-class people1
 such as merchants1 and clerks1 and     
advocates1 do not1 of course1 work at   
field labour4 ,they usually learn to    
read and write at home1 and they weave1 
and many will draw water4 ,for to draw  
water is to go to the well1 and the well
 is the great meeting-place of the      

village4 ,as they fill their jars they  
lean over the curb and talk1 and it is  
here that is told the latest news1 the  
latest flirtation1 the little scandal of
 the place4 ,very few men or boys come  
for water2 carrying is not their duty1  
and there is a proper place for         
flirtation4 ,so the girls have the well 
almost to themselves4  ,almost every    
girl can weave4 ,in many houses there   
are looms where the girls weave their   
dresses and those of their parents2 and 
many girls have stalls in the bazaar4   
,of this ,i will speak later4 ,other    
duties are the husking of rice and the  
making of cheroots4 ,of course1 in      
richer households there will be servants
 to do all this2 but even in them the   
daughter will frequently weave either   
for herself or her parents4 ,almost     
every girl will do something1 if only to
 pass the time4  ,you see1 they have no 
accomplishments4 ,they do not sing1 nor 
play1 nor paint4 ,it must never be      
forgotten that their civilization is    

relatively a thousand years behind ours4
 ,accomplishments are part of the polish
 that a civilization gives1 and this    
they have not yet reached4              
,accomplishments are also the means to  
fill up time otherwise unoccupied2 but  
very few ,burmese girls have any time on
 their hands4 ,there is no leisured     
class1 and there are very few girls who 
have not to help1 in one way or another1
 at the upkeep of the household4  ,mr4  
,rudyard ,kipling tells of an           
astonishing young lady who played the   
banjo4 ,he has been more fortunate than 
myself1 for ,i have never had such good 
luck4 ,they have no accomplishments at  
all4 ,housekeeping they have not very   
much of4 ,you see1 houses are small1 and
 households also are small2 there is    
very little furniture2 and as the       
cooking is all the same1 there is not   
much to learn in that way4 ,i fear1 too1
 that their houses could not compete as 
models of neatness with any other       
nation4 ,tidiness is one of the last    

gifts of civilization4 ,we now pride    
ourselves on our order2 we forget how   
very recent an accomplishment it is4 ,to
 them it will come with the other gifts 
of age1 for it must never be forgotten  
that they are a very young people--only 
children1 big children--learning very   
slowly the lessons of experience and    
knowledge4  ,when they are between eight
 and fourteen years of age the boys     
become monks for a time1 as every boy   
must1 and they have a great festival at 
their entrance into the monastery4      
,girls do not enter nunneries1 but they1
 too1 have a great feast in their       
honour4 ,they have their ears bored4 ,it
 is a festival for a girl of great      
importance1 this ear-boring1 and1       
according to the wealth of the parents1 
it is accompanied by pws and other      
rejoicings4  ,a little girl1 the        
daughter of a shopkeeper here in this   
town1 had her ears bored the other day1 
and there were great rejoicings4 ,there 
was a pw open to all for three nights1  

and there were great quantities of food1
 and sweets1 and many presents given    
away1 and on the last night the river   
was illuminated4 ,there was a boat      
anchored in mid-stream1 and from this   
were launched myriads of tiny rafts1    
each with a little lamp on board4 ,the  
lamps gleamed bright with golden light  
as they drifted on the bosom of the     
great water1 a moving line of living    
fire4 ,there were little boats1 too1    
with the outlines marked with lamps1 and
 there were pagodas and miniature houses
 all floating1 floating down the river1 
till1 in far distance by the promontory1
 the lamps flickered out one by one1 and
 the river fell asleep again4  ',there  
is only one great festival in a girl's  
life1' a woman told me4 ',we try to make
 it as good as we can4 ,boys have many  
festivals1 girls have but one4 ,it is   
only just that it should be good4'  ,and
 so they grow up very quiet1 very       
sedate1 looking on the world about them 
with very clear eyes4 ,it is strange1   

talking to ,burmese girls1 to see how   
much they know and understand of the    
world about them4 ,it is to them no     
great mystery1 full of unimaginable good
 and evil1 but a world that they are    
learning to understand1 and where good  
and evil are never unmixed4 ,men are to 
them neither angels nor devils1 but just
 men1 and so the world does not hold for
 them the disappointments1 the          
disillusionings1 that await those who do
 not know4 ,they have their dreams--who 
shall doubt it8--dreams of him who shall
 love them1 whom they shall love1 who   
shall make life one great glory to them2
 but their dreams are dreams that can   
come true4 ,they do not frame to        
themselves ideals out of their own      
ignorance and imagine these to be good1 
but they keep their eyes wide open to   
the far more beautiful realities that   
are around them every day4 ,they know   
that a living lover is greater1 and     
truer1 and better than any ideal of a   
girl's dream4 ,they live in a real      

world1 and they know that it is good4   
,in time the lover comes4 ,there is a   
delightful custom all through ,burma1 an
 institution1 in fact1 called           
'courting-time4' ,it is from nine till  
ten o'clock1 more especially on         
moonlight nights1 those wonderful tropic
 nights1 when the whole world lies in a 
silver dream1 when the little wandering 
airs that touch your cheek like a caress
 are heavy with the scent of flowers1   
and your heart comes into your throat   
for the very beauty of life4  ,there is 
in front of every house a veranda1      
raised perhaps three feet from the      
ground1 and there the girl will sit in  
the shadow of the eaves1 sometimes with 
a friend1 but usually alone2 and her    
suitors will come and stand by the      
veranda1 and talk softly in little      
broken sentences1 as lovers do4 ,there  
maybe be many young men come1 one by    
one1 if they mean business1 with a      
friend if it be merely a visit of       
courtesy4 ,and the girl will receive    

them all1 and will talk to them all2    
will laugh with a little humorous       
knowledge of each man's peculiarities2  
and she may give them cheroots1 of her  
own making2 and1 for one perhaps1 for   
one1 she will light the cheroot herself 
first1 and thus kiss him by proxy4  ,and
 is the girl alone8 ,well1 yes4 ,to all 
intents and purposes she is alone2 but  
there is always someone near1 someone   
within call1 for the veranda is free to 
all4 ,she cannot tell who may come1 and 
some men1 as we know1 are but wolves in 
sheep's clothing4 ,usually marriages are
 arranged by the parents4 ,girls are not
 very different here to elsewhere2 they 
are very biddable1 and ready to do what 
their mothers tell them1 ready to       
believe that it is the best4 ,and so if 
a lad comes wooing1 and can gain the    
mother's ear1 he can usually win the    
girl's affection1 too2 but ,i think     
there are more exceptions here than     
elsewhere4 ,girls are freer2 they fall  
in love of their own accord oftener than

 elsewhere2 they are very impulsive1    
full of passion4 ,love is a very serious
 matter1 and they are not trained in    
self-restraint4  ,there are very many   
romances played out every day in the    
dusk beside the well1 in the deep       
shadows of the palm-groves1 in the      
luminous nights by the river            
shore--romances that end sometimes well1
 sometimes in terrible tragedies4 ,for  
they are a very passionate people2 the  
language is full of little love-songs1  
songs of a man to a girl1 of a girl to a
 man4 ',no girl1' a woman once told me1 
'no good1 quiet girl would tell a man   
she loved him first4' ,it may be so2 if 
this be true1 ,i fear there are many    
girls here who are not good and quiet4  
,how many romances have ,i not seen in  
which the wooing began with the girl1   
with a little note perhaps1 with a      
flower1 with a message sent by someone  
whom she could trust6 ,of course many of
 these turned out well4 ,parents are    
good to their children1 and if they can1

 they will give their daughter the      
husband of her choice4 ,they remember   
what youth is--nay1 they themselves     
never grow old1 ,i think2 they never    
forget what once was to them now is to  
their children4 ,so if it be possible   
all may yet go well4 ,social differences
 are not so great as with us1 and the   
barrier is easily overcome4 ,i have     
often known servants in a house marry   
the daughters1 and be taken into the    
family2 but1 of course1 sometimes things
 do not go so smoothly4 ,and then8      
,well1 then there is usually an         
elopement1 and a ten days' scandal2 and 
sometimes1 too1 there is an elopement   
for no reason at all save that hot youth
 cannot abide the necessary delay4  ,for
 life is short1 and though to-day be to 
us1 who can tell for the morrow8 ,during
 the full moon there is no night1 only a
 change to silver light from golden2 and
 the forest is full of delight4 ,there  
are wood-cutters' huts in the ravines   
where the water falls1 soft beds of torn

 bracken and fragrant grasses where     
great trees make a shelter from the     
heat2 and for food1 that is easily      
arranged4 ,a basket of rice with a      
little salt-fish and spices is easily   
hidden in a favourable place4 ,you only 
want a jar to cook it1 and there is     
enough for two for a week2 or it is     
brought day by day by some trusted      
friend to a place previously agreed     
upon4  ,all up and down the forest there
 are flowers for her hair1 scarlet dak  
blossoms and orchid sprays and jasmine  
stars2 and for occupation through the   
hours each has a new world to explore   
full of wonderful undreamt-of           
discoveries1 lit with new light and     
mysterious with roseate shadows1 a world
 of 'beautiful things made new' for     
those forest children4 ,so that when the
 confidante1 an aunt maybe or a sister1 
meets them by the sacred fig-tree on the
 hill1 and tells them that all          
difficulties are removed1 and their     
friends called together for the         

marriage1 can you wonder that it is not 
without regret that they fare forth from
 that enchanted land to ordinary life   
again8  ,it is1 as ,i have said1 not    
always the man who is the proposer of   
the flight4 ,nay1 ,i think indeed that  
it is usually the girl4 ',men have more 
patience4'  ,i had a ,burmese servant1 a
 boy1 who may have been twenty1 and he  
had been with me a year1 and was        
beginning to be really useful4 ,he had  
at last grasped the idea that           
electro-plate should not be cleaned with
 monkey-brand soap1 and he could be     
trusted not to put up rifle cartridges  
for use with a double-barrelled gun2 and
 he chose this time to fall in love with
 the daughter of the headman of a       
certain village where ,i was in camp4   
,he had good excuse1 for she was a      
delicious little maiden with great coils
 of hair1 and the voice of a wood-pigeon
 cooing in the forest1 and she was very 
fond of him1 without a doubt4  ,so one  
evening he came to me and said that he  

must leave me--that he wanted to get    
married1 and could not possibly delay4  
,then ,i spoke to him with all that     
depth of wisdom we are so ready to      
display for the benefit of others4 ,i   
pointed out to him that he was much too 
young1 that she was much too young      
also--she was not eighteen--and that    
there was absolutely nothing for them to
 marry on4 ,i further pointed out how   
ungrateful it would be of him to leave  
me2 that he had been paid regularly for 
a year1 and that it was not right that  
now1 when he was at last able to do     
something besides destroy my property1  
he should go away4  ,the boy listened to
 all ,i had to say1 and agreed with it  
all1 and made the most fervent and      
sincere promise to be wise2 and he went 
away after dinner to see the girl and   
tell her1 and when ,i awoke in the      
morning my other servants told me the   
boy had not returned4  ,shortly         
afterwards the headman came to say that 
his daughter had also disappeared4 ,they

 had fled1 those two1 into the forest1  
and for a week we heard nothing4 ,at    
last one evening1 as ,i sat under the   
great fig-tree by my tent1 there came to
 me the mother of the girl1 and she sat 
down before me1 and said she had        
something of great importance to impart3
 and this was that all had been arranged
 between the families1 who had found    
work for the boy whereby he might       
maintain himself and his wife1 and the  
marriage was arranged4 ,but the boy     
would not return as long as ,i was in   
camp there1 for he was bitterly ashamed 
of his broken vows and afraid to meet my
 anger4 ,and so the mother begged me to 
go away as soon as ,i could1 that the   
young couple might return4 ,i explained 
that ,i was not angry at all1 that the  
boy could return without any fear2 on   
the contrary1 that ,i should be pleased 
to see him and his wife4 ,and1 at the   
old lady's request1 ,i wrote a ,burmese 
letter to that effect1 and she went away
 delighted4  ,they must have been in    

hiding close by1 for it was early next  
morning that the boy came into my tent  
alone and very much abashed1 and it was 
some little time before he could recover
 himself and talk freely as he would    
before1 for he was greatly ashamed of   
himself4  ,but1 after all1 could he help
 it8  ,if you can imagine the tropic    
night1 and the boy1 full of high        
resolve1 passing up the village street1 
now half asleep1 and the girl1 with     
shining eyes1 coming to him out of the  
hibiscus shadows1 and whispering in his 
ear words--words that ,i need not       
say--if you imagine all that1 you will  
understand how it was that ,i lost my   
servant4  ,they both came to see me     
later on in the day after the marriage1 
and there was no bashfulness about      
either of them then4 ,they came         
hand-in-hand1 with the girl's father and
 mother and some friends1 and she told  
me it was all her fault3 she could not  
wait4  ',perhaps1' she said1 with a     
little laugh and a side-glance at her   

husband--'perhaps1 if he had gone with  
the thakin to ,rangoon1 he might have   
fallen in love with someone there and   
forgotten me2 for ,i know they are very 
pretty1 those ,rangoon ladies1 and of   
better manners than ,i1 who am but a    
jungle girl4'  ,and when ,i asked her   
what it was like in the forest1 she said
 it was the most beautiful place in all 
the world4  ,things do not always go so 
well4 ,parents may be obdurate1 and     
flight be impossible2 or even her love  
may not be returned1 and then terrible  
things happen4 ,i have held1 not once   
nor twice alone1 inquests over the      
bodies1 the fair1 innocent bodies1 of   
quite young girls who died for love4    
,only that1 because their love was      
unreturned2 and so the sore little heart
 turned in her trouble to the great     
river1 and gave herself and her hot     
despair to the cold forgetfulness of its
 waters4  ,they love so greatly that    
they cannot face a world where love is  
not4 ,all the country is full of the    

romance of love--of love passionate and 
great as woman has ever felt4 ,it seems 
to me here that woman has something of  
the passions of man1 not only the       
enduring affection of a woman1 but the  
hot love and daring of a man4 ,it is    
part of their heritage1 perhaps1 as a   
people in their youth4 ,one sees so much
 of it1 hears so much of it1 here4 ,i   
have seen a girl in man's attire killed 
in a surprise attack upon an insurgent  
camp4 ,she had followed her outlawed    
lover there1 and in the mle she caught  
up sword and gun to fight by his side1  
and was cut down through neck and       
shoulder2 for no one could tell in the  
early dawn that it was a girl4  ,she    
died about an hour afterwards1 and      
though ,i have seen many sorrowful      
things in many lands1 in war and out of 
it1 the memory of that dying girl1 held 
up by one of the mounted police1 sobbing
 out her life beneath the wild forest   
shadow1 with no one of her sex1 no one  
of her kin to help her1 comes back to me

 as one of the saddest and strangest4   
,her lover was killed in action some    
time later fighting against us1 and he  
died as a brave man should1 his face to 
his enemy4 ,he played his game1 he lost1
 and paid2 but the girl8  ,i have seen  
and heard so much of this love of women 
and of its tragedies4 ,perhaps it is    
that to us it is usually the tragedies  
that are best remembered4 ,happiness is 
void of interest4 ,and this love may be1
 after all1 a good thing4 ,but ,i do not
 know4 ,sometimes ,i think they would be
 happier if they could love less1 if    
they could take love more quietly1 more 
as a matter of course1 as something that
 has to be gone through1 as part of a   
life's training2 not as a thing that    
swallows up all life and death and      
eternity in one passion4  ,in ,burmese  
the love-songs are in a short1 sweet    
rhythm1 full of quaint conceits and     
word-music4 ,i cannot put them into     
,english verse1 or give the flow of the 
originals in a translation4 ,it always  

seems to me that ,don ,quixote was right
 when he said that a translation was    
like the wrong side of an embroidered   
cloth1 giving the design without the    
beauty4 ,but even in the plain1 rough   
outline of a translation there is beauty
 here1 ,i think3                        
,from a ,man to a ,girl4  ,the moon     
wooed the lotus in the night1 the lotus 
was wooed by the moon1 and my sweetheart
 is their child4 ,the blossom opened in 
the night1 and she came forth2 the      
petals moved1 and she was born4  ,she is
 more beautiful than any blossom2 her   
face is as delicate as the dusk2 her    
hair is as night falling over the hills2
 her skin is as bright as the diamond4  
,she is very full of health1 no sickness
 can come near her4  ,when the wind     
blows ,i am afraid1 when the breezes    
move ,i fear4 ,i fear lest the south    
wind take her1 ,i tremble lest the      
breath of evening woo her from me--so   
light is she1 so graceful4  ,her dress  
is of gold1 even of silk and gold1 and  

her bracelets are of fine gold4 ,she    
hath precious stones in her ears1 but   
her eyes1 what jewels can compare unto  
them8  ,she is proud1 my mistress2 she  
is very proud1 and all men are afraid of
 her4 ,she is so beautiful and so proud 
that all men fear her4  ,in the whole   
world there is none anywhere that can   
compare unto her4     ,,chapter ,,xv    
,,women--,,ii       ',the husband is    
lord of the wife4'                      
,laws of ,manu4   ,marriage is not a    
religious ceremony among the ,burmese4  
,religion has no part in it at all2 as  
religion has refrained from interfering 
with ,government1 so does it in the     
relations of man and wife4 ,marriage is 
purely a worldly business1 like entering
 into partnership2 and religion1 the    
,buddhist religion1 has nothing to do   
with such things4 ,those who accept the 
teachings of the great teacher in all   
their fulness do not marry4  ,indeed1   
marriage is not a ceremony at all4 ,it  
is strange to find that the ,burmese    

have actually no necessary ceremonial4  
,the ,laws of ,manu1 which are the laws 
governing all such matters1 make no     
mention of any marriage ceremony2 it is1
 in fact1 a status4 ,just as two men may
 go into partnership in business without
 executing any deed1 so a man and a     
woman may enter into the marriage state 
without undergoing any form4 ,amongst   
the richer ,burmese there is1 however1  
sometimes a ceremony4  ,friends are     
called to the wedding1 and a ribbon is  
stretched round the couple1 and then    
their hands are clasped2 they also eat  
out of the same dish4 ,all this is very 
pretty1 but not at all necessary4  ,it  
is1 indeed1 not a settled point in law  
what constitutes a marriage1 but there  
are certain things that will render it  
void4 ,for instance1 no marriage can be 
a marriage without the consent of the   
girl's parents if she be under age1 and 
there are certain other conditions which
 must be fulfilled4  ,but although there
 be this doubt about the actual ceremony

 of marriage1 there is none at all about
 the status4 ,there is no confusion     
between a woman who is married and a    
woman who is not4 ,the condition of     
marriage is well known1 and it brings   
the parties under the laws that pertain 
to husband and wife4 ,a woman not       
married does not1 of course1 obtain     
these privileges2 there is a very strict
 line between the two4  ,amongst the    
poorer people a marriage is frequently  
kept secret for several days4 ,the great
 pomp and ceremony which with us1 and   
occasionally with a few rich ,burmese1  
consecrate a man and a woman to each    
other for life1 are absent at the       
greater number of ,burmese marriages2   
and the reason they tell me is that the 
girl is shy4 ,she does not like to be   
stared at1 and wondered at1 as a maiden 
about to be a wife2 it troubles her that
 the affairs of her heart1 her love1 her
 marriage1 should be so public4 ,the    
young men come at night and throw stones
 upon the house roof1 and demand        

presents from the bridegroom4 ,he does  
not mind giving the presents2 but he1   
too1 does not like the publicity4 ,and  
so marriage1 which is with most people a
 ceremony performed in full daylight    
with all accessories of display1 is with
 the ,burmese generally a secret4 ,two  
or three friends1 perhaps1 will be      
called quietly to the house1 and the man
 and woman will eat together1 and thus  
become husband and wife4 ,then they will
 separate again1 and not for several    
days1 or even weeks perhaps1 will it be 
known that they are married2 for it is  
seldom that they can set up house for   
themselves just at once4 ,often they    
will marry and live apart for a time    
with their parents4 ,sometimes they will
 go and live together with the man's    
parents1 but more usually with the      
girl's mother4 ,then after a time1 when 
they have by their exertions made a     
little money1 they build a house and go 
to live there2 but sometimes they will  
live on with the girl's parents for     

years4  ,a girl does not change her name
 when she marries1 nor does she wear any
 sign of marriage1 such as a ring4 ,her 
name is always the same1 and there is   
nothing to a stranger to denote whether 
she be married or not1 or whose wife she
 is2 and she keeps her property as her  
own4 ,marriage does not confer upon the 
husband any power over his wife's       
property1 either what she brings with   
her1 what she earns1 or what she        
inherits subsequently2 it all remains   
her own1 as does his remain his own4    
,but usually property acquired after    
marriage is held jointly4 ,you will     
inquire1 for instance1 who is the owner 
of this garden1 and be told ,maung ,han1
 ,ma ,shw1 the former being the         
husband's name and the latter the       
wife's4 ,both names are used very       
frequently in business and in legal     
proceedings1 and indeed it is usual for 
both husband and wife to sign all deeds 
they may have occasion to execute4      
,nothing more free than a woman's       

position in the marriage state can be   
imagined4 ,by law she is absolutely the 
mistress of her own property and her own
 self2 and if it usually happens that   
the husband is the head of the house1   
that is because his nature gives him    
that position1 not any law4  ,with us   
marriage means to a girl an utter       
breaking of her old ties1 the beginning 
of a new life1 of new duties1 of new    
responsibilities4 ,she goes out into a  
new and unknown world1 full of strange  
facts1 leaving one dependence for       
another1 the shelter of a father for the
 shelter of a husband4 ,she has even    
lost her own name1 and becomes known but
 as the mistress of her husband2 her    
soul is merged in his4 ,but in ,burma it
 is not so at all4 ,she is still        
herself1 still mistress of herself1 an  
equal partner for life4  ,i have said   
that the ,burmese have no ideals1 and   
this is true2 but in the ,laws of ,manu 
there are laid down some of the         
requisite qualities for a perfect wife4 

,there are seven kinds of wife1 say the 
,laws of ,manu3 a wife like a thief1    
like an enemy1 like a master1 like a    
friend1 like a sister1 like a mother1   
like a slave4 ,the last four of these   
are good1 but the last is the best1 and 
these are some of her qualities3  ',she 
should fan and soothe her master to     
sleep1 and sit by him near the bed on   
which he lies4 ,she will fear and watch 
lest anything should disturb him4 ,every
 noise will be a terror to her2 the hum 
of a mosquito as the blast of a trumpet2
 the fall of a leaf without will sound  
as loud as thunder4 ,even she will guard
 her breath as it passes her lips to and
 fro1 lest she awaken him whom she      
fears4  ',and she will remember that    
when he awakens he will have certain    
wants4 ,she will be anxious that the    
bath be to his custom1 that his clothes 
are as he wishes1 that his food is      
tasteful to him4 ,always she will have  
before her the fear of his anger4'  ,it 
must be remembered that the ,laws of    

,manu are of ,indian origin1 and are not
 totally accepted by the ,burmese4 ,i   
fear a ,burmese girl would laugh at this
 ideal of a wife4 ,she would say that if
 a wife were always afraid of her       
husband's wrath1 she and he1 too1 must  
be poor things4 ,a household is ruled by
 love and reverence1 not by fear4 ,a    
girl has no idea when she marries that  
she is going to be her husband's slave1 
but a free woman1 yielding to him in    
those things in which he has most       
strength1 and taking her own way in     
those things that pertain to a woman4   
,she has a very keen idea of what things
 she can do best1 and what things she   
should leave to her husband4 ,long      
experience has taught her that there are
 many things she should not interfere   
with2 and she knows it is experience    
that has proved it1 and not any command4
 ,she knows that the reason women are   
not supposed to interfere in public     
affairs is because their minds and      
bodies are not fitted for them4         

,therefore she accepts this1 in the same
 way as she accepts physical            
inferiority1 as a fact against which it 
is useless and silly to declaim1 knowing
 that it is not men who keep her out1   
but her own unfitness4 ,moreover1 she   
knows that it is made good to her in    
other ways1 and thus the balance is     
redressed4 ,you see1 she knows her own  
strength and her own weakness4 ,can     
there be a more valuable knowledge for  
anyone than this8  ,in many ways she    
will act for her husband with vigour and
 address1 and she is not afraid of      
appearing in his name or her own in law 
courts1 for instance1 or in transacting 
certain kinds of business4 ,she knows   
that she can do certain business as well
 as or better than her husband1 and she 
does it4 ,there is nothing more         
remarkable than the way in which she    
makes a division of these matters in    
which she can act for herself1 and those
 in which1 if she act at all1 it is for 
her husband4  ,thus1 as ,i have said1   

she will1 as regards her own property or
 her own business1 act freely in her own
 name1 and will also frequently act for 
her husband too4 ,they will both sign   
deeds1 borrow money on joint security1  
lend money repayable to them jointly4   
,but in public affairs she will never   
allow her name to appear at all4 ,not   
that she does not take a keen interest  
in such things4 ,she lives in no world  
apart2 all that affects her husband     
interests her as keenly as it does him4 
,she lives in a world of men and women1 
and her knowledge of public affairs1 and
 her desire and powers of influencing   
them1 is great4 ,but she learnt long ago
 that her best way is to act through and
 by her husband1 and that his strength  
and his name are her bucklers in the    
fight4 ,thus women are never openly     
concerned in any political matters4 ,how
 strong their feeling is can better be  
illustrated by a story than in any other
 way4  ,in #ahhi ,i was stationed far   
away on the north-west frontier of      

,burma1 in charge of some four thousand 
square miles of territory which had been
 newly incorporated4 ,i went up there   
with the first column that ever         
penetrated that country1 and ,i remained
 there when1 after the partial          
pacification of the district1 the main  
body of the troops were withdrawn4 ,it  
was a fairly exciting place to live in4 
,to say nothing of the fever which swept
 down men in batches1 and the           
trans-frontier people who were always   
peeping over to watch a good opportunity
 for a raid1 my own charge simply       
swarmed with armed men1 who seemed to   
rise out of the very ground--so hard was
 it to follow their movements--attack   
anywhere they saw fit1 and disappear as 
suddenly4 ,there was1 of course1 a      
considerable force of troops and police 
to suppress these insurgents1 but the   
whole country was so roadless1 so       
unexplored1 such a tangled labyrinth of 
hill and forest1 dotted with sparse     
villages1 that it was often quite       

impossible to trace the bands who       
committed these attacks2 and to the sick
 and weary pursuers it sometimes seemed 
as if we should never restore peace to  
the country4  ,the villages were        
arranged in groups1 and over each group 
there was a headman with certain powers 
and certain duties1 the principal of the
 latter being to keep his people quiet1 
and1 if possible1 protect them from     
insurgents4  ,now1 it happened that     
among these headmen was one named ,saw  
,ka1 who had been a free-lance in his   
day1 but whose services were now        
enlisted on the side of order--or1 at   
least1 we hoped so4 ,he was a           
fighting-man1 and rather fond of that   
sort of exercise2 so that ,i was not    
much surprised one day when ,i got a    
letter from him to say that his         
villagers had pursued and arrested1     
after a fight1 a number of armed        
robbers1 who had tried to lift some of  
the village cattle4 ,the letter came to 
me when ,i was in my court-house1 a tent

 ten feet by eight1 trying a case4 ,so1 
saying ,i would see ,saw ,ka's people   
later1 and giving orders for the        
prisoners to be put in the lock-up1 ,i  
went on with my work4 ,when my case was 
finished1 ,i happened to notice that    
among those sitting and waiting without 
my tent-door was ,saw ,ka himself1 so ,i
 sent to call him in1 and ,i            
complimented him upon his success4 ',it 
shall be reported1' ,i said1 'to the    
,commissioner1 who will1 no doubt1      
reward you for your care and diligence  
in the public service4'  ,as ,i talked  
,i noticed that the man seemed rather   
bewildered1 and when ,i had finished he 
said that he really did not understand4 
,he was aware1 he added modestly1 that  
he was a diligent headman1 always active
 in good deeds1 and a terror to dacoits 
and other evil-doers2 but as to these   
particular robbers and this fighting he 
was a little puzzled4  ,i was           
considerably surprised1 naturally1 and  
,i took from the table the ,burmese     

letter describing the affair4 ,it began1
 ',your honour1 ,i1 ,maung ,saw ,ka1    
headman1' etc41 and was in the usual    
style4 ,i handed it to ,saw ,ka1 and    
told him to read it4 ,as he read1 his   
wicked black eyes twinkled1 and when he 
had finished he said he had not been    
home for a week4  ',i came in from a    
visit to the river1' he said1 'where ,i 
have gathered for your honour some      
private information4 ,i had not been    
here five minutes before ,i was called  
in4 ,all this the letter speaks of is   
news to me1 and must have happened while
 ,i was away4'  ',then1 who wrote the   
letter8' ,i asked4  ',ah6' he said1 ',i 
think ,i know2 but ,i will go and make  
sure4'  ,then ,saw ,ka went to find the 
guard who had come in with the          
prisoners1 and ,i dissolved court and   
went out shooting4 ,after dinner1 as we 
sat round a great bonfire before the    
mess1 for the nights were cold1 ,saw ,ka
 and his brother came to me1 and they   
sat down beside the fire and told me all

 about it4  ,it appeared that three days
 after ,saw ,ka left his village1 some  
robbers came suddenly one evening to a  
small hamlet some two miles away and    
looted from there all the cattle1 thirty
 or forty head1 and went off with them4 
,the frightened owners came in to tell  
the headman about it1 and in his absence
 they told his wife4 ,and she1 by virtue
 of the order of appointment as headman1
 which was in her hands1 ordered the    
villagers to turn out and follow the    
dacoits4 ,she issued such government    
arms as she had in the house1 and the   
villagers went and pursued the dacoits  
by the cattle tracks1 and next day they 
overtook them1 and there was a fight4   
,when the villagers returned with the   
cattle and the thieves1 she had the     
letter written to me1 and the prisoners 
were sent in1 under her husband's       
brother1 with an escort4 ,everything was
 done as well1 as successfully1 as if   
,saw ,ka himself had been present4 ,but 
if it had not been for the accident of  

,saw ,ka's sudden appearance1 ,i should 
probably never have known that this     
exploit was due to his wife2 for she was
 acting for her husband1 and she would  
not have been pleased that her name     
should appear4  ',a good wife1' ,i said 
to ,saw ,ka4  ',like many1' he answered4
  ,but in her own line she has no       
objection to publicity4 ,i have said    
that nearly all women work1 and that is 
so4 ,married or unmarried1 from the age 
of sixteen or seventeen1 almost every   
woman has some occupation besides her   
own duties4 ,in the higher classes she  
will have property of her own to manage2
 in the lower classes she will have some
 trade4 ,i cannot find that in ,burma   
there have ever been certain occupations
 told off for women in which they may   
work1 and others tabooed to them4 ,as   
there is no caste for the men1 so there 
is none for the women4 ,they have been  
free to try their hands at anything they
 thought they could excel in1 without   
any fear of public opinion4 ,but        

nevertheless1 as is inevitable1 it has  
been found that there are certain trades
 in which women can compete successfully
 with men1 and certain others in which  
they cannot4 ,and these are not quite   
the same as in the ,west4 ,we usually   
consider sewing to be a feminine        
occupation4 ,in ,burma1 there being no  
elaborately cut and trimmed garments1   
the amount of sewing done is small1 but 
that is usually done by men4 ,women     
often own and use small hand-machines1  
but the treadles are always used by men 
only4 ,as ,i am writing1 my ,burmese    
orderly is sitting in the garden sewing 
his jacket4 ,he is usually sewing when  
not sent on messages4 ,he seems to sew  
very well4  ,weaving is usually done by 
women4 ,under nearly every house there  
will be a loom1 where the wife or       
daughter weaves for herself or for sale4
 ,but many men weave also1 and the      
finest silks are all woven by men4 ,i   
once asked a woman why they did not     
weave the best silks1 instead of leaving

 them all to the men4  ',men do them    
better1' she said1 with a laugh4 ',i    
tried once1 but ,i cannot manage that   
embroidery4'  ,they also work in the    
fields--light work1 such as weeding and 
planting4 ,the heavy work1 such as      
ploughing1 is done by men4 ,they also   
work on the roads carrying things1 as   
all ,oriental women do4 ,it is curious  
that women carry always on their heads1 
men always on their shoulders4 ,i do not
 know why4  ,but the great occupation of
 women is petty trading4 ,i have already
 said that there are few large merchants
 among the ,burmese4 ,nearly all the    
retail trade is small1 most of it is    
very small indeed1 and practically the  
whole of it is in the hands of the      
women4  ,women do not often succeed in  
any wholesale trade4 ,they have not1 ,i 
think1 a wide enough grasp of affairs   
for that4 ,their views are always       
somewhat limited2 they are too pennywise
 and pound-foolish for big businesses4  
,the small retail trade1 gaining a penny

 here and a penny there1 just suits     
them1 and they have almost made it a    
close profession4  ,this trade is almost
 exclusively done in bazaars4 ,in every 
town there is a bazaar1 from six till   
ten each morning4 ,when there is no town
 near1 the bazaar will be held on one   
day at one village and on another at a  
neighbouring one4 ,it depends on the    
density of population1 the means of     
communication1 and other matters4 ,but a
 bazaar within reach there must always  
be1 for it is only there that most      
articles can be bought4 ,the bazaar is  
usually held in a public building       
erected for the purpose1 and this may   
vary from a great market built of brick 
and iron to a small thatched shed4      
,sometimes1 indeed1 there is no building
 at all1 merely a space of beaten       
ground4  ,the great bazaar in ,mandalay 
is one of the sights of the city4 ,the  
building in which it is held is the     
property of the municipality1 but is    
leased out4 ,it is a series of enormous 

sheds1 with iron roofs and beaten earth 
floor4 ,each trade has a shed or sheds  
to itself4 ,there is a place for        
rice-sellers1 for butchers1 for         
vegetable-sellers1 for the vendors of   
silks1 of cottons1 of sugars and spices1
 of firewood1 of jars1 of fish4 ,the    
butchers are all natives of ,india4 ,i  
have explained elsewhere why this should
 be4 ,the firewood-sellers will mostly  
be men1 as will also the large          
rice-merchants1 but nearly all the rest 
are women4  ,you will find the sellers  
of spices1 fruit1 vegetables1 and other 
such matters seated in long rows1 on    
mats placed upon the ground4 ,each will 
have a square of space allotted1 perhaps
 six feet square1 and there she will sit
 with her merchandise in a basket or    
baskets before her4 ,for each square    
they will pay the lessee a halfpenny for
 the day1 which is only three hours or  
so4 ,the time to go is in the morning   
from six till eight1 for that is the    
busy time4 ,later on all the stalls will

 be closed1 but in the early morning the
 market is thronged4 ,every householder 
is then buying his or her provisions for
 the day1 and the people crowd in       
thousands round the sellers4 ,everyone  
is bargaining and chaffing and laughing1
 both buyers and sellers2 but both are  
very keen1 too1 on business4  ,the cloth
 and silk sellers1 the large            
rice-merchants1 and a few other traders1
 cannot carry on business sitting on a  
mat1 nor can they carry their wares to  
and fro every day in a basket4 ,for such
 there are separate buildings or        
separate aisles1 with wooden stalls1 on 
either side of a gangway4 ,the wooden   
floor of the stalls is raised two to    
three feet1 so that the buyer1 standing 
on the ground1 is about on a level with 
the seller sitting in the stall4 ,the   
stall will be about eight feet by ten1  
and each has at the back a strong       
lock-up cupboard or wardrobe1 where the 
wares are shut at night2 but in the day 
they will be taken out and arranged     

daintily about the girl-seller4         
,home-made silks are the staple--silks  
in checks of pink and white1 of yellow  
and orange1 of indigo and dark red4     
,some are embroidered in silk1 in       
silver1 or in gold2 some are plain4 ,all
 are thick and rich1 none are glazed1   
and none are gaudy4 ,there will also be 
silks from ,bangkok1 which are of two   
colours--purple shot with red1 and      
orange shot with red1 both very         
beautiful4 ,all the silks are woven the 
size of the dress3 for men1 about       
twenty-eight feet long and twenty inches
 broad2 and for women1 about five feet  
long and much broader4 ,thus1 there is  
no cutting off the piece4 ,the anas1    
too1 which are the bottom pieces for a  
woman's dress1 are woven the proper     
size4 ,there will probably1 too1 be     
piles of showy cambric jackets and gauzy
 silk handkerchiefs2 but often these are
 sold at separate stalls4  ,but prettier
 than the silks are the sellers1 for    
these are nearly all girls and women1   

sweet and fresh in their white jackets1 
with flowers in their hair4 ,and they   
are all delighted to talk to you and    
show you their goods1 even if you do not
 buy2 and they will take a compliment   
sedately1 as a girl should1 and they    
will probably charge you an extra rupee 
for it when you come to pay for your    
purchases4 ,so it is never wise for a   
man1 unless he have a heart of stone1 to
 go marketing for silks4 ,he should     
always ask a lady friend to go with him 
and do the bargaining1 and he will lose 
no courtesy thereby1 for these women    
know how to be courteous to fellow-women
 as well as to fellow-men4  ,in the     
provincial bazaars it is much the same4 
,there may be a few travelling merchants
 from ,rangoon or ,mandalay1 most of    
whom are men2 but nearly all the        
retailers are women4 ,indeed1 speaking  
broadly1 it may be said that the retail 
trade of the country is in the hands of 
the women1 and they nearly all trade on 
their own account4 ,just as the men farm

 their own land1 the women own their    
businesses4 ,they are not saleswomen for
 others1 but traders on their own       
account2 and with the exception of the  
silk and cloth branches of the trade1 it
 does not interfere with home-life4 ,the
 bazaar lasts but three hours1 and a    
woman has ample time for her home duties
 when her daily visit to the bazaar is  
over2 she is never kept away all day in 
shops and factories4  ,her home-life is 
always the centre of her life2 she could
 not neglect it for any other3 it would 
seem to her a losing of the greater in  
the less4 ,but the effect of this custom
 of nearly every woman having a little  
business of her own has a great         
influence on her life4 ,it broadens her 
views2 it teaches her things she could  
not learn in the narrow circle of home  
duties2 it gives her that tolerance and 
understanding which so forcibly strikes 
everyone who knows her4 ,it teaches her 
to know her own strength and weakness1  
and how to make the best of each4 ,above

 all1 by showing her the real life about
 her1 and how much beauty there is      
everywhere1 to those whose eyes are not 
shut by conventions1 it saves her from  
that dreary1 weary pessimism that seeks 
its relief in fancied idealism1 in a    
smattering of art1 of literature1 or of 
religion1 and which is the curse of so  
many of her sisters in other lands4     
,and yet1 with all their freedom1       
,burmese women are very particular in   
their conduct4 ,do not imagine that     
young girls are allowed1 or allow       
themselves1 to go about alone except on 
very frequented roads4 ,i suppose there 
are certain limits in all countries to  
the freedom a woman allows herself1 that
 is to say1 if she is wise4 ,for she    
knows that she cannot always trust      
herself2 she knows that she is weak     
sometimes1 and she protects herself     
accordingly4 ,she is timid1 with a      
delightful timidity that fears1 because 
it half understands2 she is brave1 with 
the bravery of a girl who knows that as 

long as she keeps within certain limits 
she is safe4 ,do not suppose that they  
ever do1 or ever can1 allow themselves  
that freedom of action that men have2 it
 is an impossibility4 ,girls are very   
carefully looked after by their mothers1
 and wives by their husbands2 and they  
delight in observing the limits which   
experience has indicated to them4 ,there
 is a funny story which will illustrate 
what ,i mean4 ,a great friend of mine1  
an officer in ,government service1 went 
home not very long ago and married1 and 
came out again to ,burma with his wife4 
,they settled down in a little          
up-country station4 ,his duties were    
such as obliged him to go very          
frequently on tour far away from his    
home1 and he would be absent ten days at
 a time or more4 ,so when it came for   
the first time that he was obliged to go
 out and leave his wife behind him alone
 in the house1 he gave his head-servant 
very careful directions4 ,this servant  
was a ,burman who had been with him for 

many years1 who knew all his ways1 and  
who was a very good servant4 ,he did not
 speak ,english2 and my friend gave him 
strict orders4  ',the mistress1' he     
said1 'has only just come here to       
,burma1 and she does not know the ways  
of the country1 nor what to do4 ,so you 
must see that no harm comes to her in   
any way while ,i am in the jungle4'     
,then he gave directions as to what was 
to be done in any eventuality1 and he   
went out4  ,he was away for about a     
fortnight1 and when he returned he found
 all well4 ,the house had not caught    
fire1 nor had thieves stolen anything1  
nor had there been any difficulty at    
all4 ,the servant had looked after the  
other servants well1 and my friend was  
well pleased4 ,but his wife complained4 
',it has been very dull1' she said1     
'while you were away4 ,no one came to   
see me2 of all the officers here1 not   
one ever called4 ,i saw only two or     
three ladies1 but not a man at all4'    
,and my friend1 surprised1 asked his    

servant how it was4  ',didn't anyone    
come to call8' he asked4  ',oh yes1' the
 servant answered2 'many gentlemen came 
to call--the officers of the regiment   
and others4 ,but ,i told them the thakin
 was out1 and that the thakinma could   
not see anyone4 ,i sent them all away4' 
,at the club that evening my friend was 
questioned as to why in his absence no  
one was allowed to see his wife4 ,the   
whole station laughed at him1 but ,i    
think he and his wife laughed most of   
all at the careful observances of       
,burmese etiquette by the servant2 for  
it is the ,burmese custom for a wife not
 to receive in her husband's absence4   
,anyone who wants to see her must stay  
outside or in the veranda1 and she will 
come out and speak to him4 ,it would be 
a grave breach of decorum to receive    
visitors while her husband is out4  ,so 
even a ,burmese woman is not free from  
restrictions--restrictions which are    
merely rules founded upon experience4   
,no woman1 no man1 can ever free herself

 or himself from the bonds that even a  
young civilization demands4 ,a freedom  
from all restraint would be a return1   
not only to savagery1 but to the        
condition of animals--nay1 even animals 
are bound by certain conventions4  ,the 
higher a civilization1 the more         
conventions are required2 and freedom   
does not mean an absence of all rules1  
but that all rules should be founded on 
experience and common-sense4  ,there are
 certain restrictions on a woman's      
actions which must be observed as long  
as men are men and women women4 ,that   
the ,burmese woman never recognises them
 unless they are necessary1 and then    
accepts the necessity as a necessity1 is
 the fact wherein her freedom lies4 ,if 
at any time she should recognise that a 
restriction was unnecessary1 she would  
reject it4 ,if experience told her      
further restrictions were required1 she 
would accept them without a doubt4      
,,chapter ,,xvi  ,,women--,,iii         
',for women are very tender-hearted4'   

,wethandaya4   ',you know1 thakin1' said
 a man to me1 'that we say sometimes    
that women cannot attain unto the great 
deliverance1 that only men will come    
there4 ,we think that a woman must be   
born again as a man before she can enter
 upon the way that leads to heaven4'    
',why should that be so8' ,i asked4 ',i 
have looked at the life of the ,buddha1 
,i have read the sacred books1 and ,i   
can find nothing about it4 ,what makes  
you think that8'  ,he explained it in   
this way3 ',before a soul can attain    
deliverance it must renounce the world1 
it must have purified itself by wisdom  
and meditation from all the lust of the 
flesh4 ,only those who have done this   
can enter into the ,great ,peace4 ,many 
men do this4 ,the country is full of    
monks1 men who have left the world1 and 
are trying to follow in the path of the 
great teacher4 ,not all these will      
immediately attain to heaven1 for       
purification is a very long process2 but
 they have entered into the path1 they  

have seen the light1 if it be even a    
long way off yet4 ,they know whither    
they would go4 ,but women1 see how few  
become nuns6 ,only those who have       
suffered such shipwreck in life that    
this world holds nothing more for them  
worth having become nuns4 ,and they are 
very few4 ,for a hundred monks there is 
not one nun4 ,women are too attached to 
their home1 to their fathers1 their     
husbands1 their children1 to enter into 
the holy life2 and1 therefore1 how shall
 they come to heaven except they return 
as men8 ,our teacher says nothing about 
it1 but we have eyes1 and we can see4'  
,all this is true4 ,women have no desire
 for the holy life4 ,they cannot tear   
themselves away from their home-life4   
,if their passions are less than those  
of men1 they have even less command over
 them than men have4 ,only the          
profoundest despair will drive a woman  
to a renunciation of the world4 ,if on  
an average their lives are purer than   
those of men1 they cannot rise to the   

heights to which men can4 ,how many     
monks there are--how few nuns6 ,not one 
to a hundred4  ,yet in some ways women  
are far more religious than men4 ,if you
 go to the golden pagoda on the hilltop 
and count the people kneeling there     
doing honour to the teacher1 you will   
find they are nearly all women4 ,if you 
go to the rest-houses by the monastery1 
where the monks recite the law on       
,sundays1 you will find that the        
congregations are nearly all women4 ,if 
you visit the monastery without the     
gate1 you will see many visitors        
bringing little presents1 and they will 
be women4  ',thakin1 many men do not    
care for religion at all1 but when a man
 does do so1 he takes it very seriously4
 ,he follows it out to the end4 ,he     
becomes a monk1 and surrenders the whole
 world4 ,but with women it is different4
 ,many women1 nearly all women1 will    
like religion1 and none will take it    
seriously4 ,we mix it up with our       
home-life1 and our affections1 and our  

worldly doings2 for we like a little of 
everything4' ,so said a woman to me4    
,is this always true8 ,i do not know1   
but it is very true in ,burma4 ,nearly  
all the women are religious1 they like  
to go to the monastery and hear the law1
 they like to give presents to the      
monks1 they like to visit the pagoda and
 adore ,gaudama the ,buddha4 ,i am sure 
that if it were not for their influence 
the laws against taking life and against
 intoxicants would not be observed as   
stringently as they are4 ,so far they   
will go4 ,as far as they can use the    
precepts of religion and retain their   
home-life they will do so2 as it was    
with ,yathodaya so long ago1 so it is   
now4 ,but when religion calls them and  
says1 ',come away from the world1 leave 
all that you love1 all that your heart  
holds good1 for it is naught2 see the   
light1 and prepare your soul for peace1'
 they hold back4 ,this they cannot do2  
it is far beyond them4 ',thakin1 we     
cannot do so4 ,it would seem to us      

terrible1' that is what they say4  ,a   
man who renounces the world is called   
'the great glory1' but not so a woman4  
,i have said that the ,buddhist religion
 holds men and women as equal4 ,if women
 can observe its laws as men do1 it is  
surely their own fault if they be held  
the less worthy4  ,women themselves     
admit this4 ,they honour a man greatly  
who becomes a monk1 not so a nun4 ,nuns 
have but little consideration4 ,and why8
 ,because what is good for a man is not 
good for a woman2 and if1 indeed1       
renunciation of the world be the only   
path to the ,great ,peace1 then surely  
it must be true that women must be born 
again4     ,,chapter ,,xvii  ,,divorce  
',they are to each other as a burning   
poison falling into a man's             
eye4'--,burmese saying4   ,i remember a 
night not so long ago2 it was in the hot
 weather1 and ,i was out in camp with my
 friend the police-officer4 ,it was past
 sunset1 and the air beneath the trees  
was full of luminous gloom1 though      

overhead a flush still lingered on the  
cheek of the night4 ,we were sitting in 
the veranda of a ,government rest-house1
 enjoying the first coolness of the     
coming night1 and talking in disjointed 
sentences of many things2 and there came
 up the steps of the house into the     
veranda a woman4 ,she came forward      
slowly1 and then sat down on the floor  
beside my friend1 and began to speak4   
,there was a lamp burning in an inner   
room1 and a long bar of light came      
through the door and lit her face4 ,i   
could see she was not good-looking1 but 
that her eyes were full of tears1 and   
her face drawn with trouble4 ,i         
recognised who she was1 the wife of the 
head-constable in charge of the guard   
near by1 a woman ,i had noticed once or 
twice in the guard4  ,she spoke so fast1
 so fast2 the words fell over each other
 as they came from her lips1 for her    
heart was very full4  ,i sat quite still
 and said nothing2 ,i think she hardly  
noticed ,i was there4 ,it was all about 

her husband4 ,everything was wrong2 all 
had gone crooked in their lives1 and she
 did not know what she could do4 ,at    
first she could hardly tell what it was 
all about1 but at last she explained4   
,for some years1 three or four years1   
matters had not been very smooth between
 them4 ,they had quarrelled often1 she  
said1 about this thing and the other1   
little things mostly2 and gradually the 
rift had widened till it became very    
broad indeed4  ',perhaps1' she said1 'if
 ,i had been able to have a child it    
would have been different4' ,but fate   
was unkind and no baby came1 and her    
husband became more and more angry with 
her4 ',and yet ,i did all for the best1 
thakin2 ,i always tried to act for the  
best4 ,my husband has sisters at        
,henzada1 and they write to him now and 
then1 and say1 ,send ten rupees1 or     
,send five rupees1 or even twenty       
rupees4 ,and ,i always say1 ,send1 send4
 ,other wives would say1 ,no1 we cannot 
afford it2 but ,i said always1 ,send1   

send4 ,i have always done for the best1 
always for the best4'  ,it was very     
pitiable to hear her opening her whole  
heart1 such a sore troubled heart1 like 
this4 ,her words were full of pathos2   
her uncomely face was not beautified by 
the sorrow in it4 ,and at last her      
husband took a second wife4  ',she is a 
girl from a village near2 the thakin    
knows1 ,taungywa4 ,he did not tell me1  
but ,i soon heard of it2 and although ,i
 thought my heart would break1 ,i did   
not say anything4 ,i told my husband1   
,bring her here1 let us live all        
together2 it will be best so4 ,i always 
did for the best1 thakin4 ,so he brought
 her1 and she came to live with us a    
week ago4 ,ah1 thakin1 ,i did not know6 
,she tramples on me4 ,my head is under  
her feet4 ,my husband does not care for 
me1 only for her4 ,and to-day1 this     
evening1 they went out together for a   
walk1 and my husband took with him the  
concertina4 ,as they went ,i could hear 
him play upon it1 and they walked down  

through the trees1 he playing and she   
leaning upon him4 ,i heard the music4'  
,then she began to cry bitterly1 sobbing
 as if her heart would break4 ,the      
sunset died out of the sky1 and the     
shadows took all the world and made it  
gray and dark4 ,no one said anything1   
only the woman cried4  ',thakin1' she   
said at last1 'what am ,i to do8 ,tell  
me4'  ,then my friend spoke4  ',you can 
divorce him1' he said2 'you can go to   
the elders and get a divorce4 ,won't    
that be best8'  ',but1 thakin1 you do   
not know4 ,we are both ,christians2 we  
are married for ever4 ,we were both at  
the mission-school in ,rangoon1 and we  
were married there1 for ever and for    
ever1 so the padre said4 ,we are not    
married according to ,burmese customs1  
but according to your religion2 we are  
husband and wife for ever4'  ,my friend 
said nothing4 ,it seemed to him useless 
to speak to her of the ,high ,court1    
five hundred miles away1 and a decree   
nisi2 it would have been a mockery of   

her trouble4  ',your husband had no     
right to take a second wife1 if you are 
,christians and married1' he said4      
',ah1' she answered1 'we are ,burmans2  
it is allowed by ,burmese law4 ,other   
officials do it4 ,what does my husband  
care that we were married by your law8  
,here we are alone with no other        
,christians near4 ,but ,i would not mind
 so much1' she went on1 'only she treads
 me under her feet4 ,and he takes her   
out and not me1 who am the elder wife1  
and he plays music to her2 and ,i did   
all for the best4 ,this trouble has come
 upon me1 though all my life ,i have    
acted for the best4'  ,there came       
another footstep up the stair1 and a man
 entered4 ,it was her husband4 ,on his  
return he had missed his wife1 and      
guessed whither she had gone1 and had   
followed her4 ,he came alone4  ,then    
there was a sad scene1 only restrained  
by respect for my friend4 ,i need not   
tell it4 ,there was a man's side to the 
question1 a strong one4 ,the wife had a 

terrible temper1 a peevish1 nagging1    
maddening fashion of talking4 ,she was a
 woman very hard for a man to live with4
  ,does it matter much which was right  
or wrong1 now that the mischief was     
done8 ,they went away at last1 not      
reconciled4 ,could they be reconciled8  
,i cannot tell4 ,i left there next day1 
and have never returned4  ,there they   
had lived for many years among their own
 people1 far away from the influence    
that had come upon their childhood1 and 
led them into strange ways4 ,and now all
 that was left of that influence was the
 chain that bound them together4 ,had it
 not been for that they would have been 
divorced long ago2 for they had never   
agreed very well1 and both sides had    
bitter grounds for complaint4 ,they     
would have been divorced1 and both could
 have gone their own way4 ,but now1 what
 was to be done8  ,that is one of my    
memories3 this is another4  ,there was a
 girl ,i knew1 the daughter of a man who
 had made some money by trading1 and    

when the father died the property was   
divided according to law between the    
girl and her brother4 ,she was a little 
heiress in her way1 owning a garden1    
where grew many fruit-trees1 and a piece
 of rice land4 ,she had also a share in 
a little shop which she managed1 and she
 had many gold bracelets and fine       
diamond earrings4 ,she was much wooed by
 the young men about there1 and at last 
she married4 ,he was a young man1       
good-looking1 a sergeant of police1 and 
for a time they were very happy4 ,and   
then trouble came4 ,the husband took to 
bad ways4 ,the knowledge that he could  
get money for nothing was too much for  
him4 ,he drank and he wasted her money1 
and he neglected his work1 and at last  
he was dismissed from ,government       
employ4 ,and his wife got angry with    
him1 and complained of him to the       
neighbours2 and made him worse1 though  
she was at heart a good girl4 ,quickly  
he went from bad to worse1 until in a   
very short time1 six months1 ,i think1  

he had spent half her little fortune4   
,then she began to limit supplies--the  
husband did no work at all--and in      
consequence he began to neglect her2    
they had many quarrels1 and her tongue  
was sharp1 and matters got worse and    
worse until they were the talk of the   
village4 ,all attempts of the headman   
and elders to restrain him were useless4
 ,he became quarrelsome1 and went on    
from one thing to another1 until at last
 he was suspected of being concerned in 
a crime4 ,so then when all means had    
failed to restore her husband to her1   
when they had drifted far apart and     
there was nothing before them but       
trouble1 she went to the elders of the  
village and demanded a divorce4 ,and the
 elders granted it to her4 ,her husband 
objected2 he did not want to be         
divorced4 ,he claimed this1 and he      
claimed that1 but it was all of no use4 
,so the tie that had united them was    
dissolved1 as the love had been         
dissolved long before1 and they parted4 

,the man went away to ,lower ,burma4    
,they tell me he has become a cultivator
 and has reformed1 and is doing well2   
and the girl is ready to marry again4   
,half her property is gone1 but half    
remains1 and she has still her little   
business4 ,i think they will both do    
well4 ,but if they had been chained     
together1 what then8  ,in ,burma divorce
 is free4 ,anyone can obtain it by      
appearing before the elders of the      
village and demanding it4 ,a writing of 
divorcement is made out1 and the parties
 are free4 ,each retains his or her own 
property1 and that earned during        
marriage is divided2 only that the party
 claiming the divorce has to leave the  
house to the other--that is the only    
penalty1 and it is not always enforced1 
unless the house be joint property4  ,as
 religion has nothing to do with        
marriage1 neither has it with divorce4  
,marriage is a status1 a partnership1   
nothing more4 ,but it is all that4      
,divorce is a dissolution of that       

partnership4 ,a ,burman would not ask1  
',were they married8' but1 ',are they   
man and wife8' ,and so with divorce1 it 
is a cessation of the state of marriage4
  ,elders tell me that women ask for    
divorce far more than men do4 ',men have
 patience1 and women have not1' that is 
what they say4 ,for every little quarrel
 a woman will want a divorce4 ',thakin1 
if we were to grant divorces every time 
a woman came and demanded it1 we should 
be doing nothing else all day long4 ,if 
a husband comes home to find dinner not 
cooked1 and speaks angrily1 his wife    
will rush to us in tears for a divorce4 
,if he speaks to another woman and      
smiles1 if he does not give his wife a  
new dress1 if he be fond of going out in
 the evenings1 all these are reasons for
 a breathless demand for a divorce4 ,the
 wives get cross and run to us and cry1 
,my husband has been angry with me4     
,never will ,i live with him again4     
,give me a divorce4 ,or1 ,see my        
clothes1 how old they are4 ,i cannot buy

 any new dress4 ,i will have a divorce4 
,and we say1 ,yes1 yes2 it is very sad4 
,of course1 you must have a divorce2 but
 we cannot give you one to-night4 ,go   
away1 and come again in three days or in
 four days1 when we have more time4     
,they go away1 thakin1 and they do not  
return4 ,next day it is all forgotten4  
,you see1 they don't know what they     
want2 they turn with the wind--they have
 no patience4'  ,yet sometimes they     
repent too late4 ,here is another of my 
memories about divorce3  ,there was a   
man and his wife1 cultivators1 living in
 a small village4 ,the land that he     
cultivated belonged to his wife1 for she
 had inherited it from her father1      
together with a house and a little      
money4 ,the man had nothing when he     
married her1 but he was hardworking and 
honest and good-tempered1 and they kept 
themselves going comfortably enough4    
,but he had one fault3 every now and    
then he would drink too much4 ,this was 
in ,lower ,burma1 where liquor shops are

 free to ,burmans4 ,in ,upper ,burma no 
liquor can be sold to them4 ,he did not 
drink often4 ,he was a teetotaler       
generally2 but once a month1 or once in 
two months1 he would meet some friends1 
and they would drink in good fellowship1
 and he would return home drunk4 ,his   
wife felt this very bitterly1 and when  
he would come into the house1 his eyes  
red and his face swollen1 she would     
attack him with bitter words1 as women  
do4 ,she would upbraid him for his      
conduct1 she would point at him the     
finger of scorn1 she would tell him in  
biting words that he was drinking the   
produce of her fields1 of her           
inheritance2 she would even impute to   
him1 in her passion1 worse things than  
these1 things that were not true4 ,and  
the husband was usually good-natured1   
and admitted his wrong1 and put up with 
all her abuse1 and they lived more or   
less happily till the next time4  ,and  
after this had been going on for a few  
years1 instead of getting accustomed to 

her husband1 instead of seeing that if  
he had this fault he had many virtues1  
and that he was just as good a husband  
as she was a wife1 or perhaps better1   
her anger against him increased every   
time1 till now she would declare that   
she would abide it no longer1 that he   
was past endurance1 and she would have a
 divorce2 and several times she even ran
 to the elders to demand it4 ,but the   
elders would put it by4 ',let it wait1' 
they said1 'for a few days1 and then we 
will see2' and by that time all was     
soothed down again4 ,but at last the end
 came4 ,one night she passed all bounds 
in her anger1 using words that could    
never be forgiven2 and when she declared
 as usual that she must have a divorce1 
her husband said3 ',yes1 we will        
divorce4 ,let there be an end of it4'   
,and so next day they went to the elders
 both of them1 and as both demanded the 
divorce1 the elders could not delay very
 long4 ,a few days' delay they made1 but
 the man was firm1 and at last it was   

done4 ,they were divorced4 ,i think the 
woman would have drawn back at the last 
moment1 but she could not1 for very     
shame1 and the man never wavered4 ,he   
was offended past forgiveness4  ,so the 
divorce was given1 and the man left the 
house and went to live elsewhere4  ,in a
 few days--a very few days--the wife    
sent for him again4 ',would he return8' 
,and he refused4 ,then she went to the  
headman and asked him to make it up1 and
 the headman sent for the husband1 who  
came4  ,the woman asked her husband to  
return4  ',come back1' she said1 'come  
back4 ,i have been wrong4 ,let us       
forgive4 ,it shall never happen again4' 
,but the man shook his head4  ',no1' he 
said2 'a divorce is a divorce4 ,i do not
 care to marry and divorce once a week4 
,you were always saying ,i will divorce 
you1 ,i will divorce you4 ,now it is    
done4 ,let it remain4'  ,the woman was  
struck with grief4  ',but ,i did not    
know1' she said2 ',i was hot-tempered4  
,i was foolish4 ,but now ,i know4 ,ah6  

the house is so lonely6 ,i have but two 
ears1 ,i have but two eyes1 and the     
house is so large4'  ,but the husband   
refused again4  ',what is done1 is done4
 ,marriage is not to be taken off and   
put on like a jacket4 ,i have made up my
 mind4'  ,then he went away1 and after a
 little the woman went away too4 ,she   
went straight to the big1 lonely house1 
and there she hanged herself4  ,you see1
 she loved him all the time1 but did not
 know till too late4  ,men do not often 
apply for divorce except for very good  
cause1 and with their minds fully made  
up to obtain it4 ,they do obtain it1 of 
course4  ,with this facility for        
divorce1 it is remarkable how uncommon  
it is4 ,in the villages and amongst     
respectable ,burmans in all classes of  
life it is a great exception to divorce 
or to be divorced4 ,the only class      
amongst whom it is at all common is the 
class of hangers-on to our              
,administration1 the clerks and         
policemen1 and so on4 ,i fear there is  

little that is good to be said of many  
of them4 ,it is terrible to see how     
demoralizing our contact is to all sorts
 and conditions of men4 ,to be attached 
to our ,administration is almost a      
stigma of disreputableness4 ,i remember 
remarking once to a headman that a      
certain official seemed to be quite     
regardless of public opinion in his     
life1 and asked him if the villagers did
 not condemn him4 ,and the headman      
answered with surprise3 ',but he is an  
official2' as if officials were quite   
super grammaticam of morals4  ,and yet  
this is the class from whom we most of  
us obtain our knowledge of ,burmese     
life1 whom we see most of1 whose        
opinions we accept as reflecting the    
truth of ,burmese thought4 ,no wonder we
 are so often astray4  ,amongst these1  
the taking of second1 and even third1   
wives is not at all uncommon1 and       
naturally divorce often follows4 ,among 
the great mass of the people it is very 
uncommon4 ,i cannot give any figures4   

,there are no records kept of marriage  
or of divorce4 ,what the proportion is  
it is impossible to even guess4 ,i have 
heard all sorts of estimates1 none      
founded on more than imagination4 ,i    
have even tried to find out in small    
villages what the number of divorces    
were in a year1 and tried to estimate   
from this the percentage4 ,i made it    
from #b to #e per cent4 of the          
marriages4 ,but ,i cannot offer these   
figures as correct for any large area4  
,probably they vary from place to place 
and from year to year4 ,in the old time 
the queen was very strict upon the      
point4 ,as she would allow no other wife
 to her king1 so she would allow no     
taking of other wives1 no abuse of      
divorce among her subjects4 ,whatever   
her influence may have been in other    
ways1 here it was all for good4 ,but the
 queen has gone1 and there is no one    
left at all4 ,no one but the hangers-on 
of whom ,i have spoken1 examples not to 
be followed1 but to be shunned4  ,but of

 this there is no manner of doubt1 that 
this freedom of marriage and divorce    
leads to no license4 ,there is no       
confusion between marriage or           
non-marriage1 and even yet public       
opinion is a very great check upon      
divorce4 ,it is considered not right to 
divorce your husband or your wife       
without good--very good and sufficient  
cause4 ,and what is good and sufficient 
cause is very well understood4 ,that a  
woman should have a nagging tongue1 that
 a man should be a drunkard1 what could 
be better cause than this8 ,the gravity 
of the offence lies in whether it makes 
life unbearable together1 not in the    
name you may give it4  ,the facility for
 divorce has other effects too4 ,it     
makes a man and a woman very careful in 
their behaviour to each other4 ,the     
chain that binds them is a chain of     
mutual forbearance1 of mutual endurance1
 of mutual love2 and if these be broken1
 then is the bond gone4 ,marriage is no 
fetter about a man or woman1 binding    

both to that which they may get to hate4
  ,in the first ,burmese war in #ahbe   
there was a man1 an ,englishman1 taken  
prisoner in ,ava and put in prison1 and 
there he found certain ,europeans and   
,americans4 ,after a time1 for fear of  
attempts at escape1 these prisoners were
 chained together two and two4 ,he tells
 you1 this ,englishman1 how terrible    
this was1 and of the hate and repulsion 
that arose in your heart to your        
co-bondsman4 ,before they were chained  
together they lived in close            
neighbourhood1 in peace and amity2 but  
when the chains came it was far         
otherwise1 though they were no nearer   
than before4 ,they got to hate each     
other4  ,and this is the ,burmese idea  
of marriage1 that it is a partnership of
 love and affection1 and that when these
 die1 all should be over4 ,an           
unbreakable marriage appears to them as 
a fetter1 a bond1 something hateful and 
hate inspiring4 ,they are a people who  
love to be free3 they hate bonds and    

dogmas of every description4 ,it is     
always religion that has made a bond of 
marriage1 and here religion has not     
interfered4 ,theirs is a religion of    
free men and free women4     ,,chapter  
,,xviii  ,,drink       ',the ignorant   
commit sins in consequence of           
drunkenness1 and also      make others  
drunk4'--,acceptance into the ,monkhood4
   ,the ,buddhist religion forbids the  
use of all stimulants1 including opium  
and other drugs2 and in the times of the
 ,burmese rule this law was stringently 
kept4 ,no one was allowed to make1 to   
sell1 or to consume1 liquors of any     
description4 ,that this law was kept as 
firmly as it was was due1 not to the    
vigilance of the officials1 but to the  
general feeling of the people4 ,it was a
 law springing from within1 and         
therefore effectual2 not imposed from   
without1 and useless4 ,that there were  
breaches and evasions of the law is only
 natural4 ,the craving for some         
stimulant amongst all people is very    

great--so great as to have forced itself
 to be acknowledged and regulated by    
most states1 and made a great source of 
revenue4 ,amongst the ,burmans the      
craving is1 ,i should say1 as strong as 
amongst other people2 and no mere legal 
prohibition would have had much effect  
in a country like this1 full of jungle1 
where palms grow in profusion1 and where
 little stills might be set up anywhere 
to distil their juice4 ,but the feelings
 of the respectable people and the      
influence of the monks is very great1   
very strong2 and the ,burmans were1 and 
in ,upper ,burma1 where the old laws    
remain in force1 are still1 an          
absolutely teetotal people4 ,no one who 
was in ,upper ,burma before and just    
after the war but knows how strictly the
 prohibition against liquor was         
enforced4 ,the principal offenders      
against the law were the high officials1
 because they were above popular reach4 
,no bribe was so gratefully accepted as 
some whisky4 ,it was a sure step to     

safety in trouble4  ,a gentleman--not an
 ,englishman--in the employ of a company
 who traded in ,upper ,burma in the     
king's time told me lately a story about
 this4  ,he lived in a town on the      
,irrawaddy1 where was a local governor1 
and this governor had a head clerk4     
,this head clerk had a wife1 and she    
was1 ,i am told1 very beautiful4 ,i     
cannot write scandal1 and so will not   
repeat here what ,i have heard about    
this lady and the merchant2 but one day 
his ,burman servant rushed into his     
presence and told him breathlessly that 
the bailiff of the governor's court was 
just entering the garden with a warrant 
for his arrest1 for1 let us say1 undue  
flirtation4 ,the merchant1 horrified at 
the prospect of being lodged in gaol and
 put in stocks1 fled precipitately out  
of the back-gate and gained the         
governor's court4 ,the governor was in  
session1 seated on a little das1 and the
 merchant ran in and knelt down1 as is  
the custom1 in front of the das4 ,he    

began to hurriedly address the governor3
  ',my lord1 my lord1 an unjust         
complaint has been made against me4     
,someone has abused your justice and    
caused a warrant to be taken out against
 me4 ,i have just escaped the bailiff1  
and came to your honour for protection4 
,it is all a mistake4 ,i will explain4  
,i----'  ,but here the governor         
interposed4 ,he bent forward till his   
head was close to the merchant's head1  
and whispered3  ',friend1 have you any  
whisky8'  ,the merchant gave a sigh of  
relief4  ',a case newly arrived is at   
your honour's disposal1' he answered    
quickly4 ',i will give orders for it to 
be sent over at once4 ,no1 two cases--,i
 have two4 ,and this charge is all a    
mistake4'  ,the governor waved his hand 
as if all explanation were superfluous4 
,then he drew himself up1 and1          
addressing the officials and crowd      
before him1 said3  ',this is my good    
friend4 ,let no one touch him4' ,and in 
an undertone to the merchant3 ',send it 

soon4'  ,so the merchant went home      
rejoicing1 and sent the whisky4 ,and the
 lady8 ,well1 my story ends there with  
the governor and the whisky4 ,no doubt  
it was all a mistake about the lady1 as 
the merchant said4 ,all officials were  
not so bad as this1 and many officials  
were as strongly against the use of     
liquor1 as urgent in the maintenance of 
the rules of the religion1 as the lowest
 peasant4  ,it was the same with opium3 
its use was absolutely prohibited4 ,of  
course1 ,chinese merchants managed to   
smuggle enough in for their own use1 but
 they had to bribe heavily to be able to
 do so1 and the people remained         
uncontaminated4 ',opium-eater1'         
'gambler1' are the two great terms of   
reproach and contempt4  ,it used to be a
 custom in the war-time--it has died out
 now1 ,i think--for officers of all     
kinds to offer to ,burmans who came to  
see them--officials1 ,i mean--a drink of
 whisky or beer on parting1 just as you 
would to an ,englishman4 ,it was often  

accepted4 ,burmans are1 as ,i have said1
 very fond of liquor1 and an opportunity
 like this to indulge in a little       
forbidden drink1 under the encouragement
 of the great ,english soldier or       
official1 was too much for them4        
,besides1 it would have been a          
discourtesy to refuse4 ,and so it was   
generally accepted4 ,i do not think it  
did much harm to anyone1 or to anything1
 except1 perhaps1 to our reputation4  ,i
 remember in #ahhg that ,i went up into 
a semi-independent state to see the     
prince4 ,i travelled up with two of his 
officials1 men whom ,i had seen a good  
deal of for some months before1 as his  
messengers and spokesmen1 about affairs 
on the border4 ,we travelled for three  
days1 and came at last to where he had  
pitched his camp in the forest4 ,he had 
built me a house1 too1 next to his camp1
 where ,i put up4 ,i had a long         
interview with him about official       
matters--,i need not tell of that       
here--and after our business was over we

 talked of many things1 and at last ,i  
got up to take my leave4 ,i had seen    
towards the end that the prince had     
something on his mind1 something he     
wanted to say1 but was afraid1 or too   
shy1 to mention2 and when ,i got up1    
instead of moving away1 ,i laughed and  
said3  ',well1 what is it8 ,i think     
there is something the prince wants to  
say before ,i go4'  ,and the prince     
smiled back awkwardly1 still desirous to
 have his say1 still clearly afraid to  
do so1 and at last it was his wife who  
spoke4  ',it is about the whisky1' she  
said4 ',we know that you drink it4 ,that
 is your own business4 ,we hear1 too1   
that it is the custom in the part of the
 country you have taken for ,english    
officers to give whisky and beer to     
officials who come to see you--to our   
officials1' and she looked at the men   
who had come up with me1 and they       
blushed4 ',the prince wishes to ask you 
not to do it here4 ,of course1 in your  
own country you do what you like1 but in

 the prince's country no one is allowed 
to drink or to smoke opium4 ,it is      
against our faith4 ,that is what the    
prince wanted to say4 ,the thakin will  
not be offended if he is asked that here
 in our country he will not tempt any of
 us to break our religion4'  ,i almost  
wished ,i had not encouraged the prince 
to speak4 ,i am afraid that the         
embarrassment passed over to my side4   
,what could ,i say but that ,i would    
remember1 that ,i was not offended1 but 
would be careful8 ,i had been lecturing 
the prince about his shortcomings2 ,i   
had been warning him of trouble to come1
 unless he mended his ways2 ,i had been 
telling him wonderful things of ,europe 
and our power4 ,i thought that ,i had   
produced an impression of               
superiority--,i was young then--but when
 ,i left ,i had my doubts who it was    
that scored most in that interview4     
,however1 ,i have remembered ever since4
 ,i was not a frequent offender         
before--,i have never offered a ,burman 

liquor since4     ,,chapter ,,xix       
,,manners       ',not where others fail1
 or do1 or leave undone--the wise should
      notice what himself has done1 or  
left undone4'--,dammapada4   ,a         
remarkable trait of the ,burmese        
character is their unwillingness to     
interfere in other people's affairs4    
,whether it arises from their religion  
of self-culture or no1 ,i cannot say1   
but it is in full keeping with it4      
,every man's acts and thoughts are his  
own affair1 think the ,burmans2 each man
 is free to go his own way1 to think his
 own thoughts1 to act his own acts1 as  
long as he does not too much annoy his  
neighbours4 ,each man is responsible for
 himself and for himself alone1 and     
there is no need for him to try and be  
guardian also to his fellows4 ,and so   
the ,burman likes to go his own way1 to 
be a free man within certain limits2 and
 the freedom that he demands for        
himself1 he will extend also to his     
neighbours4 ,he has a very great and    

wide tolerance towards all his          
neighbours1 not thinking it necessary to
 disapprove of his neighbours' acts     
because they may not be the same as his 
own1 never thinking it necessary to     
interfere with his neighbours as long as
 the laws are not broken4 ,our ideas    
that what habits are different to our   
habits must be wrong1 and being wrong1  
require correction at our hands1 is very
 far from his thoughts4 ,he never       
desires to interfere with anyone4       
,certain as he is that his own ideas are
 best1 he is contented with that        
knowledge1 and is not ceaselessly       
desirous of proving it upon other       
people4 ,and so a foreigner may go and  
live in a ,burman village1 may settle   
down there and live his own life and    
follow his own customs in perfect       
freedom1 may dress and eat and drink and
 pray and die as he likes4 ,no one will 
interfere4 ,no one will try and correct 
him2 no one will be for ever insisting  
to him that he is an outcast1 either    

from civilization or from religion4 ,the
 people will accept him for what he is1 
and leave the matter there4 ,if he likes
 to change his ways and conform to      
,burmese habits and ,buddhist forms1 so 
much the better2 but if not1 never mind4
  ,it is1 ,i think1 a great deal owing  
to this habit of mind that the manners  
of the ,burmese are usually so good1    
children in civilization as they are4   
,there is amongst them no rude          
inquisitiveness and no desire to in any 
way circumscribe your freedom1 by either
 remark or act4 ,surely of all things   
that cause trouble1 nothing is so common
 amongst us as the interference with    
each other's ways1 as the needless      
giving of advice4 ,it seems to each of  
us that we are responsible1 not only for
 ourselves1 but also for everyone else  
near us2 and so if we disapprove of any 
act1 we are always in a hurry to express
 our disapproval and to try and persuade
 the actor to our way of thinking4 ,we  
are for ever thinking of others and     

trying to improve them2 as a nation we  
try to coerce weaker nations and to     
convert stronger ones1 and as           
individuals we do the same4 ,we are sure
 that other people cannot but be better 
and happier for being brought into our  
ways of thinking1 by force even1 if     
necessary4 ,we call it philanthropy4    
,but the ,buddhist does not believe this
 at all4 ,each man1 each nation1 has1 he
 thinks1 enough to do managing his or   
its own affairs4 ,interference1 any sort
 of interference1 he is sure can do     
nothing but harm4 ,you cannot save a    
man4 ,he can save himself2 you can do   
nothing for him4 ,you may force or      
persuade him into an outer agreement    
with you1 but what is the value of that8
 ,all dispositions that are good1 that  
are of any value at all1 must come      
spontaneously from the heart of man4    
,first1 he must desire them1 and then   
struggle to obtain them2 by this means  
alone can any virtue be reached4 ,this1 
which is the key of his religion1 is the

 key also of his private life4 ,each man
 is a free man to do what he likes1 in a
 way that we have never understood4     
,even under the rule of the ,burmese    
kings there was the very widest         
tolerance4 ,you never heard of a        
foreigner being molested in any way1    
being forbidden to live as he liked1    
being forbidden to erect his own places 
of worship4 ,he had the widest freedom1 
as long as he infringed no law4 ,the    
,burmese rule may not have been a good  
one in many ways1 but it was never      
guilty of persecution1 of any attempt at
 forcible conversion1 of any desire to  
make such an attempt4  ,this tolerance1 
this inclination to let each man go his 
own way1 is conspicuous even down to the
 little events of life4 ,it is very     
marked1 even in conversation1 how little
 criticism is indulged in towards each  
other1 how there is an absolute absence 
of desire to proselytize each other in  
any way4 ',it is his way1' they will    
say1 with a laugh1 of any peculiar act  

of any person2 'it is his way4 ,what    
does it matter to us8' ,of all the      
lovable qualities of the ,burmese1 and  
they are many1 there are none greater   
than these--their light-heartedness and 
their tolerance4  ,a ,burman will always
 assume that you know your own business1
 and will leave you alone to do it4 ,how
 great a boon this is ,i think we hardly
 can understand1 for we have none of it4
 ,and he carries it to an extent that   
sometimes surprises us4  ,suppose you   
are walking along a road and there is a 
broken bridge on the way1 a bridge that 
you might fall through4 ,no one will try
 and prevent you going4 ,any ,burman who
 saw you go will1 if he think at all    
about it1 give you the credit for       
knowing what you are about4 ,it will not
 enter into his head to go out of his   
way to give you advice about that       
bridge4 ,if you ask him he will help you
 all he can1 but he will not volunteer2 
and so if you depend on volunteered     
advice1 you may fall through the bridge 

and break your neck1 perhaps4  ,at first
 this sort of thing seems to us to      
spring from laziness or from            
discourtesy4 ,it is just the reverse of 
this latter2 it is excess of courtesy   
that assumes you to be aware of what you
 are about1 and capable of judging      
properly4  ,you may get yourself into   
all sorts of trouble1 and unless you    
call out no one will assist you4 ,they  
will suppose that if you require help   
you will soon ask for it4 ,you could    
drift all the way from ,bhamo to        
,rangoon on a log1 and ,i am sure no one
 would try to pick you up unless you    
shouted for help4 ,let anyone try to    
drift down from ,oxford to ,richmond1   
and he will be forcibly saved every mile
 of his journey1 ,i am sure4 ,the       
,burman boatmen you passed would only   
laugh and ask how you were getting on4  
,the ,english boatman would have you out
 of that in a jiffy1 saving you despite 
yourself4 ,you might commit suicide in  
,burma1 and no one would stop you4 ',it 

is your own look-out1' they would say2  
'if you want to die why should we       
prevent you8 ,what business is it of    
ours8'  ,never believe for a moment that
 this is cold-heartedness4 ,nowhere is  
there any man so kind-hearted as a      
,burman1 so ready to help you1 so       
hospitable1 so charitable both in act   
and thought4  ,it is only that he has   
another way of seeing these things to   
what we have4 ,he would resent as the   
worst discourtesy that which we call    
having a friendly interest in each      
other's doings4 ,volunteered advice     
comes1 so he thinks1 from pure          
self-conceit1 and is intolerable2 help  
that he has not asked for conveys the   
assumption that he is a fool1 and the   
helper ever so much wiser than he4 ,it  
is in his eyes simply a form of         
self-assertion1 an attempt at governing 
other people1 an infringement of good   
manners not to be borne4  ,each man is  
responsible for himself1 each man is the
 maker of himself4 ,only he can do      

himself good by good thought1 by good   
acts2 only he can hurt himself by evil  
intentions and deeds4 ,therefore in your
 intercourse with others remember always
 yourself1 remember that no one can     
injure you but yourself2 be careful1    
therefore1 of your acts for your own    
sake4 ,for if you lose your temper1 who 
is the sufferer8 ,yourself2 no one but  
yourself4 ,if you are guilty of         
disgraceful acts1 of discourteous words1
 who suffers8 ,yourself4 ,remember that2
 remember that courtesy and good temper 
are due from you to everyone4 ,what does
 it matter who the other person be8 you 
should be courteous to him1 not because 
he deserves it1 but because you deserve 
it4 ,courtesy is measured by the giver1 
not by the receiver4 ,we are apt        
sometimes to think that this continual  
care of self is selfishness2 it is the  
very reverse4 ,self-reverence is the    
antipode of self-conceit1 of            
selfishness4 ,if you honour yourself1   
you will be careful that nothing        

dishonourable shall come from you4      
',self-reverence1 self-knowledge1       
self-control2' we1 too1 have had a poet 
who taught this4  ,and so dignity of    
manner is very marked amongst this      
people4 ,it is cultivated as a gift1 as 
the outward sign of a good heart4  ',a  
rough diamond2' no ,burman would        
understand this saying4 ,the value of a 
diamond is that it can be polished4 ,as 
long as it remains in the rough1 it has 
no more beauty than a lump of mud4 ,if  
your heart be good1 so1 too1 will be    
your manners4 ,a good tree will bring   
forth good fruit4 ,if the fruit be      
rotten1 can the tree be good8 ,not so4  
,if your manners are bad1 so1 too1 is   
your heart4 ,to be courteous1 even      
tempered1 to be tolerant and full of    
sympathy1 these are the proofs of an    
inward goodness4 ,you cannot have one   
without the other4 ,outward appearances 
are not deceptive1 but are true4        
,therefore they strive after even       
temper4 ,hot-tempered as they are1      

easily aroused to wrath1 easily awakened
 to pleasure1 men with the passions of a
 child1 they have very great command    
over themselves4 ,they are ashamed of   
losing their temper2 they look upon it  
as a disgrace4 ,we are often proud of   
it2 we think sometimes we do well to be 
angry4  ,so they are very patient1 very 
long-suffering1 accepting with          
resignation the troubles of this world1 
the kicks and spurns of fortune1 secure 
in this1 that each man's self is in his 
own keeping4 ,if there be trouble for   
to-day1 what can it matter if you do but
 command yourself8 ,if others be        
discourteous to you1 that cannot hurt   
you1 if you do not allow yourself to be 
discourteous in return4 ,take care of   
your own soul1 sure that in the end you 
will win1 either in this life or in some
 other1 that which you deserve4 ,what   
you have made your soul fit for1 that   
you will obtain1 sooner or later1       
whether it be evil or whether it be     
good4 ,the law of righteousness is for  

ever this1 that what a man deserves that
 he will obtain4 ,and in the end1 if you
 cultivate your soul with unwearying    
patience1 striving always after what is 
good1 purifying yourself from the lust  
of life1 you will come unto that lake   
where all desire shall be washed away4  
,,chapter ,,xx  ',,noblesse ,,oblige'   
',sooner shall the cleft rock reunite so
 as to make a whole1 than      may he   
who kills any living being be admitted  
into our      society4'--,acceptance    
into the ,monkhood4   ,it is very       
noticeable throughout the bazaars of    
,burma that all the beef butchers are   
natives of ,india4 ,no ,burman will kill
 a cow or a bullock1 and no ,burman will
 sell its meat4 ,it is otherwise with   
pork and fowls4 ,burmans may sometimes  
be found selling these2 and fish are    
almost invariably sold by the wives of  
the fishermen4 ,during the king's time1 
any man who was even found in possession
 of beef was liable to very severe      
punishment4 ,the only exception1 as ,i  

have explained elsewhere1 was in the    
case of the queen when expecting an     
addition to her family1 and it was      
necessary that she should be            
strengthened in all ways4 ,none1 not    
even foreigners1 were allowed to kill   
beef1 and this law was very stringently 
observed4 ,other flesh and fish might1  
as far as the law of the country went1  
be sold with impunity4 ,you could not be
 fined for killing and eating goats1 or 
fowls1 or pigs1 and these were sold     
occasionally4 ,it is now ten years since
 ,king ,thibaw was overthrown1 and there
 is now no law against the sale of beef4
 ,and yet1 as ,i have said1 no          
respectable ,burman will even now kill  
or sell beef4 ,the law was founded on   
the beliefs of the people1 and though   
the law is dead1 the beliefs remain4    
,it is true that the taking of life is  
against ,buddhist commands4 ,no life at 
all may be taken by him who adheres to  
,buddhistic teaching4 ,neither for      
sport1 nor for revenge1 nor for food1   

may any animal be deprived of the breath
 that is in it4 ,and this is a command  
wonderfully well kept4 ,there are a few 
exceptions1 but they are known and      
accepted as breaches of the law1 for the
 law itself knows no exceptions4 ,fish1 
as ,i have said1 can be obtained almost 
everywhere4 ,they are caught in great   
quantities in the river1 and are sold in
 most bazaars1 either fresh or salted4  
,it is one of the staple foods of the   
,burmese4 ,but although they will eat   
fish1 they despise the fisherman4 ,not  
so much1 perhaps1 as if he killed other 
living things1 but still1 the fisherman 
is an outcast from decent society4 ,he  
will have to suffer great and terrible  
punishment before he can be cleansed    
from the sins that he daily commits4    
,notwithstanding this1 there are many   
fishermen in ,burma4  ,a fish is a very 
cold-blooded beast4 ,one must be very   
hard up for something to love to have   
any affection to spare upon fishes4     
,they cannot be1 or at all events they  

never are1 domesticated1 and most of    
them are not beautiful4 ,i am not aware 
that they have ever been known to       
display any attachment to anyone1 which 
accounts1 perhaps1 for the comparatively
 lenient eye with which their           
destruction is contemplated4  ,for with 
warm-blooded animals it is very         
different4 ,cattle1 as ,i have said1 can
 never be killed nor their meat sold by 
a ,burman1 and with other animals the   
difficulty is not much less4  ,i was in 
,upper ,burma for some months before the
 war1 and many a time ,i could get no   
meat at all4 ,living in a large town    
among prosperous people1 ,i could get no
 flesh at all1 only fish and rice and   
vegetables4 ,when1 after much trouble1  
my ,indian cook would get me a few      
fowls1 he would often be waylaid and    
forced to release them4 ,an old woman1  
say1 anxious to do some deed of merit1  
would come to him as he returned        
triumphantly home with his fowls and    
tender him money1 and beg him to release

 the fowls4 ,she would give the full    
price or double the price of the fowls2 
she had no desire to gain merit at      
another person's expense1 and the       
unwilling cook would be obliged to give 
up the fowls4 ,public opinion was so    
strong he dare not refuse4 ,the money   
was paid1 the fowls set free1 and ,i    
dined on tinned beef4  ,and yet the     
villages are full of fowls4 ,why they   
are kept ,i do not know4 ,certainly not 
for food4 ,i do not mean to say that an 
accidental meeting between a rock and a 
fowl may not occasionally furnish forth 
a dinner1 but this is not the object    
with which they are kept--of this ,i am 
sure4  ,you would not suppose that fowls
 were capable of exciting much          
affection1 yet ,i suppose they are4     
,certainly in one case ducks were4      
,there is a ,burman lady ,i know who is 
married to an ,englishman4 ,he kept     
ducks4 ,he bought a number of ducklings1
 and had them fed up so that they might 
be fat and succulent when the time came 

for them to be served at table4 ,they   
became very fine ducks1 and my friend   
had promised me one4 ,i took an interest
 in them1 and always noticed their      
increasing fatness when ,i rode that    
way4 ,imagine1 then1 my disappointment  
when one day ,i saw that all the ducks  
had disappeared4  ,i stopped to inquire4
 ,yes1 truly they were all gone1 my     
friend told me4 ,in his absence his wife
 had gone up the river to visit some    
friends1 and had taken the ducks with   
her4 ,she could not bear1 she said1 that
 they should be killed1 so she took them
 away and distributed them among her    
friends1 one here and one there1 where  
she was sure they would be well treated 
and not killed4 ,when she returned she  
was quite pleased at her success1 and   
laughed at her husband and me4  ,this   
same lady was always terribly distressed
 when she had to order a fowl to be     
killed for her husband's breakfast1 even
 if she had never seen it before4 ,i    
have seen her1 after telling the cook to

 kill a fowl for breakfast1 run away and
 sit down in the veranda with her hands 
over her ears1 and her face the very    
picture of misery1 fearing lest she     
should hear its shrieks4 ,i think that  
this was the one great trouble to her in
 her marriage1 that her husband would   
insist on eating fowls and ducks1 and   
that she had to order them to be killed4
  ,as she is1 so are most ,burmans4 ,if 
there is all this trouble about fowls1  
it can be imagined how the trouble      
increases when it comes to goats or any 
larger beasts4 ,in the jungle villages  
meat of any kind at all is never seen3  
no animals of any kind are allowed to be
 killed4 ,an officer travelling in the  
district would be reduced to what he    
could carry with him1 if it were not for
 an ,act of ,government obliging        
villages to furnish--on payment1 of     
course--supplies for officers and troops
 passing through4 ,the mere fact of such
 a law being necessary is sufficient    
proof of the strength of the feeling    

against taking life4  ,of course1 all   
shooting1 either for sport or for food1 
is looked upon as disgraceful4 ,in many 
jungle villages where deer abound there 
are one or two hunters who make a living
 by hunting4 ,but they are disgraced    
men4 ,they are worse than fishermen1 and
 they will have a terrible penalty to   
pay for it all4 ,it will take much      
suffering to wash from their souls the  
cruelty1 the blood-thirstiness1 the     
carelessness to suffering1 the absence  
of compassion1 that hunting must        
produce4 ',is there no food in the      
bazaar1 that you must go and take the   
lives of animals8' has been said to me  
many a time4 ,and when my house-roof was
 infested by sparrows1 who dropped grass
 and eggs all over my rooms1 so that ,i 
was obliged to shoot them with a little 
rifle1 this was no excuse4 ',you should 
have built a sparrow-cote1' they told   
me4 ',if you had built a sparrow-cote1  
they would have gone away and left you  
in peace4 ,they only wanted to make     

nests and lay eggs and have little ones1
 and you went and shot them4' ,there are
 many sparrow-cotes to be seen in the   
villages4  ,i might give example after  
example of this sort1 for they happen   
every day4 ,we who are meat-eaters1 who 
delight in shooting1 who have a horror  
of insects and reptiles1 are continually
 coming into collision with the         
principles of our neighbours2 for even  
harmful reptiles they do not care to    
kill4 ,truly ,i believe it is a myth1   
the story of the ,burmese mother        
courteously escorting out of the house  
the scorpion which had just bitten her  
baby4 ,a ,burmese mother worships her   
baby as much as the woman of any other  
nation does1 and ,i believe there is no 
crime she would not commit in its       
behalf4 ,but if she saw a scorpion      
walking about in the fields1 she would  
not kill it as we should4 ,she would    
step aside and pass on4 ',poor beast6'  
she would say1 'why should ,i hurt it8  
,it never hurt me4'  ,the ,burman never 

kills insects out of sheer brutality4   
,if a beetle drone annoyingly1 he will  
catch it in a handkerchief and put it   
outside1 and so with a bee4 ,it is a    
great trouble often to get your ,burmese
 servants to keep your house free of    
ants and other annoying creatures4 ,if  
you tell them to kill the insects they  
will1 for in that case the sin falls on 
you4 ,without special orders they would 
rather leave the ants alone4  ,in the   
district in which ,i am now living      
snakes are very plentiful4 ,there are   
cobras and keraits1 but the most dreaded
 is the ,russell's viper4 ,he is a snake
 that averages from three to four feet  
long1 and is very thick1 with a big head
 and a stumpy tail4 ,his body is marked 
very prettily with spots and blurs of   
light on a dark1 grayish green1 and he  
is so like the shadows of the grass and 
weeds in a dusty road1 that you can walk
 on him quite unsuspectingly4 ,then he  
will bite you1 and you die4 ,he comes   
out usually in the evening before dark1 

and lies about on footpaths to catch the
 home-coming ploughman or reaper1 and1  
contrary to the custom of other snakes1 
he will not flee on hearing a footstep4 
,when anyone approaches he lies more    
still than ever1 not even a movement of 
his head betraying him4 ,he is so like  
the colour of the ground1 he hopes he   
will be passed unseen2 and he is slow   
and lethargic in his movements1 and so  
is easy to kill when once detected4 ,as 
a ,burman said1 ',if he sees you first1 
he kills you2 if you see him first1 you 
kill him4'  ,in this district no ,burman
 hesitates a moment in killing a viper  
when he has the chance4 ,usually he has 
to do it in self-defence4 ,this viper is
 terribly feared1 as over a hundred     
persons a year die here by his bite4 ,he
 is so hated and feared that he has     
become an outcast from the law that     
protects all life4  ,but with other     
snakes it is not so4 ,there is the      
hamadryad1 for instance4 ,he is a great 
snake about ten to fourteen feet long1  

and he is the only snake that will      
attack you first4 ,he is said always to 
do so1 certainly he often does4 ,one    
attacked me once when out               
quail-shooting4 ,he put up his great    
neck and head suddenly at a distance of 
only five or six feet1 and was just     
preparing to strike1 when ,i literally  
blew his head off with two charges of   
shot4  ,you would suppose he was vicious
 enough to be included with the         
,russell's viper in the category of the 
exceptions1 but no4 ,perhaps he is too  
rare to excite such fierce and deadly   
hate as makes the ,burman forget his law
 and kill the viper4 ,however it may be1
 the ,burman is not ready to kill the   
hamadryad4 ,a few weeks ago a friend of 
mine and myself came across two little  
,burman boys carrying a jar with a piece
 of broken tile over it4 ,the lads kept 
lifting up the tile and peeping in1 and 
then putting the tile on again in a     
great hurry1 and their actions excited  
our curiosity4 ,so we called them to    

come to us1 and we looked into the jar4 
,it was full of baby hamadryads4 ,the   
lads had found a nest of them in the    
absence of the mother1 who would have   
killed them if she had been there1 and  
had secured all the little snakes4      
,there were seven of them4  ,we asked   
the boys what they intended to do with  
the snakes1 and they answered that they 
would show them to their friends in the 
village4 ',and then8' we asked4 ,and    
then they would let them go in the      
water4 ,my friend killed all the        
hamadryads on the spot1 and gave the    
boys some coppers1 and we went on4 ,can 
you imagine this happening anywhere     
else8 ,can you think of any other       
schoolboys sparing any animal they      
caught1 much less poisonous snakes8 ,the
 extraordinary hold that this tenet of  
their religion has upon the ,burmese    
must be seen to be understood4 ,what ,i 
write will sound like some fairy story1 
,i fear1 to my people at home4 ,it is   
far beneath the truth4 ,the belief that 

it is wrong to take life is a belief    
with them as strong as any belief could 
be4 ,i do not know anywhere any command1
 earthly or heavenly1 that is acted up  
to with such earnestness as this command
 is amongst the ,burmese4 ,it is an     
abiding principle of their daily life4  
,where the command came from ,i do not  
know4 ,i cannot find any allusion to it 
in the life of the great teacher4 ,we   
know that he ate meat4 ,it seems to me  
that it is older even than he4 ,it has  
been derived both by the ,burmese       
,buddhists and the ,hindus from a faith 
whose origin is hidden in the mists of  
long ago4 ,it is part of that far older 
faith on which ,buddhism was built1 as  
was ,christianity on ,judaism4  ,but if 
not part of his teaching--and though it 
is included in the sacred books1 we do  
not know how much of them are derived   
from the ,buddha himself--it is in      
strict accordance with all his teaching4
 ,that is one of the most wonderful     
points of ,buddhism1 it is all in       

accordance2 there are no exceptions4  ,i
 have heard amongst ,europeans a very   
curious explanation of this refusal of  
,buddhists to take life4 ',buddhists1'  
they say1 'believe in the transmigration
 of souls4 ,they believe that when a man
 dies his soul may go into a beast4 ,you
 could not expect him to kill a bull1   
when perchance his grandfather's soul   
might inhabit there4' ,this is their    
explanation1 this is the way they put   
two and two together to make five4 ,they
 know that ,buddhists believe in        
transmigration1 they know that          
,buddhists do not like to take life1 and
 therefore one is the cause of the      
other4  ,i have mentioned this          
explanation to ,burmans while talking of
 the subject1 and they have always      
laughed at it4 ,they had never heard of 
it before4 ,it is true that it is part  
of their great theory of life that the  
souls of men have risen from being souls
 of beasts1 and that we may so relapse  
if we are not careful4 ,many stories are

 told of cases that have occurred where 
a man has been reincarnated as an       
animal1 and where what is now the soul  
of a man used to live in a beast4 ,but  
that makes no difference4 ,whatever a   
man may have been1 or may be1 he is a   
man now2 whatever a beast may have been1
 he is a beast now4 ,never suppose that 
a ,burman has any other idea than this4 
,to him men are men1 and animals are    
animals1 and men are far the higher4    
,but he does not deduce from this that  
man's superiority gives him permission  
to illtreat or to kill animals4 ,it is  
just the reverse4 ,it is because man is 
so much higher than the animal that he  
can and must observe towards animals the
 very greatest care1 feel for them the  
very greatest compassion1 be good to    
them in every way he can4 ,the ,burman's
 motto should be ,noblesse oblige2 he   
knows the meaning1 if he knows not the  
words4  ,for the ,burman's compassion   
towards animals goes very much farther  
than a mere reluctance to kill them4    

,although he has no command on the      
subject1 it seems to him quite as       
important to treat animals well during  
their lives as to refrain from taking   
those lives4 ,his refusal to take life  
he shares with the ,hindu2 his perpetual
 care and tenderness to all living      
creatures is all his own4 ,and here ,i  
may mention a very curious contrast1    
that whereas in ,india the ,hindu will  
not take life and the ,mussulman will1  
yet the ,mussulman is by reputation far 
kinder to his beasts than the ,hindu4   
,here the ,burman combines both         
qualities4 ,he has all the kindness to  
animals that the ,mahommedan has1 and   
more1 and he has the same horror of     
taking life that the ,hindu has4        
,coming from half-starved1 over-driven  
,india1 it is a revelation to see the   
animals in ,burma4 ,the village ponies  
and cattle and dogs in ,india are enough
 to make the heart bleed for their      
sordid misery1 but in ,burma they are a 
delight to the eye4 ,they are all fat1  

every one of them--fat and comfortable  
and impertinent2 even the ownerless dogs
 are well fed4 ,i suppose the           
indifference of the ordinary native of  
,india to animal suffering comes from   
the evil of his own lot4 ,he is so very 
poor1 he has such hard work to find     
enough for himself and his children1    
that his sympathy is all used up4 ,he   
has none to spare4 ,he is driven into a 
dumb heartlessness1 for ,i do not think 
he is actually cruel4  ,the ,burman is  
full of the greatest sympathy towards   
animals of all kinds1 of the greatest   
understanding of their ways1 of the most
 humorously good-natured attitude       
towards them4 ,looking at them from his 
manhood1 he has no contempt for them2   
but the gentle toleration of a father to
 very little children who are stupid and
 troublesome often1 but are very        
lovable4 ,he feels himself so far above 
them that he can condescend towards     
them1 and forbear with them4  ,his      
ponies are pictures of fatness and      

impertinence and go4 ,they never have   
any vice because the ,burman is never   
cruel to them2 they are never well      
trained1 partly because he does not know
 how to train them1 partly because they 
are so near the aboriginal wild pony as 
to be incapable of very much training4  
,but they are willing2 they will go for 
ever1 and are very strong1 and they have
 admirable constitutions and tempers4   
,you could not make a ,burman ill-use   
his pony if you tried1 and ,i fancy that
 to break these little half-wild ponies 
to go in cabs in crowded streets        
requires severe treatment4 ,at least1 ,i
 never knew but one hackney-carriage    
driver either in ,rangoon or ,mandalay  
who was a ,burman1 and he very soon gave
 it up4 ,he said that the work was too  
heavy either for a pony or a man4 ,i    
think1 perhaps1 it was for the safety of
 the public that he resigned1 for his   
ponies were the very reverse of         
meek--which a native of ,india says a   
hackney-carriage pony should be--and he 

drove entirely by the light of ,nature4 
,so all the drivers of gharries1 as we  
call them1 are natives of ,india or     
half-breeds1 and it is amongst them that
 the work of the ,society for the       
,prevention of ,cruelty to ,animals     
principally lies4 ,while ,i was in      
,rangoon ,i tried a number of cases of  
over-driving1 of using ponies with sore 
withers and the like4 ,i never tried a  
,burman4 ,even in ,rangoon1 which has   
become almost ,indianized1 his natural  
humanity never left the ,burman4 ,as far
 as ,burmans are concerned1 the ,society
 for the ,prevention of ,cruelty to     
,animals need not exist4 ,they are      
kinder to their animals than even the   
members of the ,society could be4       
,instances occur every day2 here is one 
of the most striking that ,i remember4  
,there is a town in ,burma where there  
are some troops stationed1 and which is 
the headquarters of the civil           
administration of the district4 ,it is1 
or was then1 some distance from a       

railway-station1 and it was necessary to
 make some arrangement for the carriage 
of the mails to and from the town and   
station4 ,the ,post-,office called for  
tenders1 and at length it was arranged  
through the civil authorities that a    
coach should run once a day each way to 
carry the mails and passengers4 ,a      
native of ,india agreed to take the     
contract--for ,burmans seldom or never  
care to take them--and he was to comply 
with certain conditions and receive a   
certain subsidy4  ,there was a great    
deal of traffic between the town and    
station1 and it was supposed that the   
passenger traffic would pay the         
contractor well1 apart from his mail    
subsidy4 ,for ,burmans are always free  
with their money1 and the road was long 
and hot and dusty4 ,i often passed that 
coach as ,i rode4 ,i noticed that the   
ponies were poor1 very poor1 and were   
driven a little hard1 but ,i saw no     
reason for interference4 ,it did not    
seem to me that any cruelty was         

committed1 nor that the ponies were     
actually unfit to be driven4 ,i noticed 
that the driver used his whip a good    
deal1 but then some ponies require the  
whip4 ,i never thought much about it1 as
 ,i always rode my own ponies1 and they 
always shied at the coach1 but ,i should
 have noticed if there had been anything
 remarkable4 ,towards the end of the    
year it became necessary to renew the   
contract1 and the contractor was        
approached on the subject4 ,he said he  
was willing to continue the contract for
 another year if the mail subsidy was   
largely increased4 ,he said he had lost 
money on that year's working4 ,when     
asked how he could possibly have lost   
considering the large number of people  
who were always passing up and down1 he 
said that they did not ride in his      
coach4 ,only the ,european soldiers and 
a few natives of ,india came with him4  
,officers had their own ponies and rode1
 and the ,burmans either hired a        
bullock-cart or walked4 ,they hardly    

ever came in his coach1 but he could not
 say what the reason might be4  ,so an  
inquiry was made1 and the ,burmese were 
asked why they did not ride on the      
coach4 ,were the fares too high8--was it
 uncomfortable8 ,but no1 it was for     
neither of these reasons that they left 
the coach to the soldiers and natives of
 ,india4 ,it was because of the ponies4 
,no ,burman would care to ride behind   
ponies who were treated as these ponies 
were--half fed1 overdriven1 whipped4 ,it
 was a misery to see them2 it was twice 
a misery to drive behind them4 ',poor   
beasts6' they said2 'you can see their  
ribs1 and when they come to the end of a
 stage they are fit to fall down and    
die4 ,they should be turned out to      
graze4'  ,the opinion was universal4    
,the ,burmans preferred to spend twice  
or thrice the money and hire a          
bullock-cart and go slowly1 while the   
coach flashed past them in a whirl of   
dust1 or they preferred to walk4 ,many  
and many times have ,i seen the roadside

 rest-houses full of travellers halting 
for a few minutes' rest4 ,they walked   
while the coach came by empty2 and      
nearly all of them could have afforded  
the fare4 ,it was a very striking       
instance of what pure kind-heartedness  
will do1 for there would have been no   
religious command broken by going in the
 coach4 ,it was the pure influence of   
compassion towards the beasts and       
refusal to be a party to such           
hard-heartedness4 ,and yet1 as ,i have  
said1 ,i do not think the law could have
 interfered with success4 ,surely a     
people who could act like this have the 
very soul of religion in their hearts1  
although the act was not done in the    
name of religion4  ,all the animals--the
 cattle1 the ponies1 and the            
buffaloes--are so tame that it is almost
 an unknown thing for anyone to get     
hurt4  ,the cattle are sometimes afraid 
of the white face and strange attire of 
a ,european1 but you can walk through   
the herds as they come home in the      

evening with perfect confidence that    
they will not hurt you4 ,even a cow with
 a young calf will only eye you         
suspiciously2 and with the ,burmans even
 the huge water buffaloes are absolutely
 tame4 ,you can see a herd of these     
great beasts1 with horns six feet       
across1 come along under the command of 
a very small boy or girl perched on one 
of their broad backs4 ,he flourishes a  
little stick1 and issues his commands   
like a general4 ,it is one of the       
quaintest imaginable sights to see this 
little fellow get off his steed1 run    
after a straggler1 and beat him with his
 stick4 ,the buffalo eyes his master1   
whom he could abolish with one shake of 
his head1 submissively1 and takes the   
beating1 which he probably feels about  
as much as if a straw fell on him1      
good-humouredly4 ,the children never    
seem to come to grief4 ,buffaloes       
occasionally charge ,europeans1 but the 
only place where ,i have known of       
,burmans being killed by buffaloes is in

 the ,kal ,valley4 ,there the buffaloes 
are turned out into the jungle for eight
 months in the year1 and are only caught
 for ploughing and carting4 ,naturally  
they are quite wild2 in fact1 many of   
them are the offspring of wild bulls4   
,the ,burmans1 too1 are very fond of    
dogs4 ,their villages are full of dogs2 
but1 as far as ,i know1 they never use  
them for anything1 and they are never   
trained to do anything4 ,they are       
supposed to be useful as watch-dogs1 but
 ,i do not think they are very good even
 at that4 ,i have surrounded a village  
before dawn1 and never a dog barked1 and
 ,i have heard them bark all night at   
nothing4  ,but when a ,burman sees a    
fox-terrier or any ,english dog his     
delight is unfeigned4 ,when we first    
took ,upper ,burma1 and such sights were
 rare1 half a village would turn out to 
see the little 'tail-less' dog trotting 
along after its master4 ,and if the     
terrier would 'beg1' then he would win  
all hearts4 ,i am not only referring to 

children1 but to grown men and women2   
and then there is always something      
peculiarly childlike and frank in these 
children of the great river4  ,only     
to-day1 as ,i was walking up the bank of
 the river in the early dawn1 ,i heard  
some ,burman boatmen discussing my      
fox-terrier4 ,they were about fifteen   
yards from the shore1 poling their boat 
up against the current1 which is arduous
 work2 and as ,i passed them my little  
dog ran down the bank and looked at them
 across the water1 and they saw her4    
',see now1' said one man to another1    
pausing for a moment with his pole in   
his hand--'see the little white dog with
 the brown face1 how wise she looks6'   
',and how pretty6' said a man steering  
in the stern4 ',come6' he cried1 holding
 out his hand to it4  ,but the dog only 
made a splash in the water with her     
paws1 and then turned and ran after me4 
,the boatmen laughed and resumed their  
poling1 and ,i passed on4 ,in the still 
morning across the still water ,i could 

hear every word1 but ,i hardly took any 
note2 ,i have heard it so often4 ,only  
now when ,i come to write on this       
subject do ,i remember4  ,it has been   
inculcated in us from childhood that it 
is a manly thing to be indifferent to   
pain--not to our own pain only1 but to  
that of all others4 ,to be sorry for a  
hunted hare1 to compassionate the       
wounded deer1 to shrink from torturing  
the brute creation1 has been accounted  
by us as namby-pamby sentimentalism1 not
 fit for man1 fit only for a squeamish  
woman4 ,to the ,burman it is one of the 
highest of all virtues4 ,he believes    
that all that is beautiful in life is   
founded on compassion and kindness and  
sympathy--that nothing of great value   
can exist without them4 ,do you think   
that a ,burmese boy would be allowed to 
birds'-nest1 or worry rats with a       
terrier1 or go ferreting8 ,not so4      
,these would be crimes4  ,that this     
kindness and compassion for animals has 
very far-reaching results no one can    

doubt4 ,if you are kind to animals1 you 
will be kind1 too1 to your fellow-man4  
,it is really the same thing1 the same  
feeling in both cases4 ,if to be        
superior in position to an animal       
justifies you in torturing it1 so it    
would do with men4 ,if you are in a     
better position than another man1       
richer1 stronger1 higher in rank1 that  
would--that does often in our           
minds--justify ill-treatment and        
contempt4 ,our innate feeling towards   
all that we consider inferior to        
ourselves is scorn2 the ,burman's is    
compassion4 ,you can see this spirit    
coming out in every action of their     
daily life1 in their dealings with each 
other1 in their thoughts1 in their      
speech4 ',you are so strong1 have you no
 compassion for him who is weak1 who is 
tempted1 who has fallen8' ,how often    
have ,i heard this from a ,burman's     
lips6 ,how often have ,i seen him act up
 to it6 ,it seems to them the necessary 
corollary of strength that the strong   

man should be sympathetic and kind4 ,it 
seems to them an unconscious confession 
of weakness to be scornful1 revengeful1 
inconsiderate4 ,courtesy1 they say1 is  
the mark of a great man1 discourtesy of 
a little one4 ,no one who feels his     
position secure will lose his temper1   
will persecute1 will be disdainful4     
,their word for a fool and for a        
hasty-tempered man is the same4 ,to them
 it is the same thing1 one infers the   
other4 ,and so their attitude towards   
animals is but an example of their      
attitude to each other4 ,that an animal 
or a man should be lower and weaker than
 you is the strongest claim he can have 
on your humanity1 and your courtesy and 
consideration for him is the clearest   
proof of your own superiority4 ,and so  
in his dealings with animals the        
,buddhist considers himself1 consults   
his own dignity1 his own strength1 and  
is kind and compassionate to them out of
 the greatness of his own heart4        
,nothing is more beautiful than the     

,burman in his ways with his children1  
and his beasts1 with all who are lesser 
than himself4  ,even to us1 who think so
 very differently from him on many      
points1 there is a great and abiding    
charm in all this1 to which we can find 
only one exception2 for to our ideas    
there is one exception1 and it is this3 
,no ,burman will take any life if he can
 help it1 and therefore1 if any animal  
injure itself1 he will not kill it--not 
even to put it out of its pain1 as we   
say4 ,i have seen bullocks split on     
slippery roads1 ,i have seen ponies with
 broken legs1 ,i have seen goats with   
terrible wounds caused by accidental    
falls1 and no one would kill them4 ,if1 
when you are out shooting1 your beaters 
pick up a wounded hare or partridge1 do 
not suppose that they wring its neck2   
you must yourself do that1 or it will   
linger on till you get home4 ,under no  
circumstances will they take the life   
even of a wounded beast4 ,and if you ask
 them1 they will say3 ',if a man be     

sick1 do you shoot him8 ,if he injure   
his spine so that he will be a cripple  
for life1 do you put him out of his     
pain8'  ,if you reply that men and      
beasts are different1 they will answer  
that in this point they do not recognise
 the difference4 ',poor beast6 let him  
live out his little life4' ,and they    
will give him grass and water till he   
dies4  ,this is the exception that ,i   
meant1 but now1 after ,i have written   
it1 ,i am not so sure4 ,is it an        
exception8     ,,chapter ,,xxi  ,,all   
,,life ,,is ,,one       ',i heard a     
voice that cried1      ,balder the      
,beautiful      ,is dead1 is dead1      
,and through the misty air      ,passed 
like the mournful cry      ,of          
sunward-sailing cranes4'                
,,tegner',s ,drapa4   ,all romance has  
died out of our woods and hills in      
,england1 all our fairies are dead long 
ago4 ,knowledge so far has brought us   
only death4 ,later on it will bring us a
 new life4 ,it is even now showing us   

how this may be1 and is bringing us face
 to face again with ,nature1 and        
teaching us to know and understand the  
life that there is about us4 ,science is
 telling us again what we knew long ago 
and forgot1 that our life is not apart  
from the life about us1 but of it4      
,everything is akin to us1 and when we  
are more accustomed to this knowledge1  
when we have ceased to regard it as a   
new1 strange teaching1 and know that we 
are but seeing again with clearer eyes  
what a half-knowledge blinded us to1    
then the world will be bright and       
beautiful to us as it was long ago4     
,but now all is dark4 ,there are no     
dryads in our trees1 nor nymphs among   
the reeds that fringe the river2 even   
our peaks hold for us no guardian       
spirit1 that may take the reckless      
trespasser and bind him in a rock for   
ever4 ,and because we have lost our     
belief in fairies1 because we do not now
 think that there are goblins in our    
caves1 because there is no spirit in the

 winds nor voice in the thunder1 we have
 come to think that the trees and the   
rocks1 the flowers and the storm1 are   
all dead things4 ,they are made up1 we  
say1 of materials that we know1 they are
 governed by laws that we have          
discovered1 and there is no life        
anywhere in ,nature4  ,and yet this     
cannot be true4 ,far truer is it to     
believe in fairies and in spirits than  
in nothing at all2 for surely there is  
life all about us4 ,who that has lived  
out alone in the forest1 that has lain  
upon the hillside and seen the mountains
 clothe themselves in lustrous shadows  
shot with crimson when the day dies1 who
 that has heard the sigh come up out of 
the ravines where the little breezes    
move1 that has watched the trees sway   
their leaves to and fro1 beckoning to   
each other with wayward amorous         
gestures1 but has known that these are  
not dead things8  ,watch the stream     
coming down the hill with a flash and a 
laugh in the sunlight1 look into the    

dark brown pools in the deep shadows    
beneath the rocks1 or voyage a whole    
night upon the breast of the great      
river1 drifting past ghostly monasteries
 and silent villages1 and then say if   
there be no life in the waters1 if they1
 too1 are dead things4 ,there is no     
consolation like the consolation of     
,nature1 no sympathy like the sympathy  
of the hills and streams2 and sympathy  
comes from life4 ,there is no sympathy  
with the dead4  ,when you are alone in  
the forest all this life will come and  
talk to you1 if you are quiet and       
understand4 ,there is love deep down in 
the passionate heart of the flower1 as  
there is in the little quivering        
honeysucker flitting after his mate1 as 
there was in ,romeo long ago4 ,there is 
majesty in the huge brown precipice     
greater than ever looked from the face  
of a king4 ,all life is one4 ,the soul  
that moves within you when you hear the 
deer call to each other far above in the
 misty meadows of the night is the same 

soul that moves in everything about you4
 ,no people who have lived much with    
,nature have failed to descry this4     
,they have recognised the life1 they    
have felt the sympathy of the world     
about them1 and to this life they have  
given names and forms as they would to  
friends whom they loved4 ,fairies and   
goblins1 fauns and spirits1 these are   
but names and personifications of a real
 life4 ,but to him who has never felt   
this life1 who has never been wooed by  
the trees and hills1 these things are   
but foolishness1 of course4  ,to the    
,burman1 not less than to the ,greek of 
long ago1 all nature is alive4 ,the     
forest and the river and the mountains  
are full of spirits1 whom the ,burmans  
call ,nats4 ,there are all kinds of     
,nats1 good and bad1 great and little1  
male and female1 now living round about 
us4 ,some of them live in the trees1    
especially in the huge fir-tree that    
shades half an acre without the village2
 or among the fernlike fronds of the    

tamarind2 and you will often see beneath
 such a tree1 raised upon poles or      
nestled in the branches1 a little house 
built of bamboo and thatch1 perhaps two 
feet square4 ,you will be told when you 
ask that this is the house of the       
,tree-,nat4 ,flowers will be offered    
sometimes1 and a little water or rice   
maybe1 to the ,nat1 never supposing that
 he is in need of such things1 but as a 
courteous and graceful thing to do2 for 
it is not safe to offend these ,nats1   
and many of them are very powerful4     
,there is a ,nat of whom ,i know1 whose 
home is in a great tree at the crossing 
of two roads1 and he has a house there  
built for him1 and he is much feared4   
,he is such a great ,nat that it is     
necessary when you pass his house to    
dismount from your pony and walk to a   
respectful distance4 ,if you haughtily  
ride past1 trouble will befall you4 ,a  
friend of mine riding there one day     
rejected all the advice of his ,burmese 
companions and did not dismount1 and a  

few days later he was taken deadly sick 
of fever4 ,he very nearly died1 and had 
to go away to the ,straits for a        
sea-trip to take the fever out of his   
veins4 ,it was a very near thing for    
him4 ,that was in the ,burmese times1 of
 course4 ,after that he always          
dismounted4 ,but all ,nats are not so   
proud nor so much to be feared as this  
one1 and it is usually safe to ride     
past4  ,even as ,i write ,i am under the
 shadow of a tree where a ,nat used to  
live1 and the headman of the village has
 been telling me all about it4 ,this is 
a ,government rest-house on a main road 
between two stations1 and is built for  
,government officials travelling on duty
 about their districts4 ,to the west of 
it is a grand fig-tree of the kind      
called ,nyaungbin by the ,burmese4 ,it  
is a very beautiful tree1 though now a  
little bare1 for it is just before the  
rains2 but it is a great tree even now1 
and two months hence it will be         
glorious4 ,it was never planted1 the    

headman tells me1 but came up of itself 
very many years ago1 and when it was    
grown to full size a ,nat came to live  
in it4 ,the ,nat lived in the tree for  
many years1 and took great care of it4  
,no one might injure it or any living   
creature near it1 so jealous was the    
,nat of his abode4 ,and the villagers   
built a little ,nat-house1 such as ,i   
have described1 under the branches1 and 
offered flowers and water1 and all      
things went well with those who did     
well4 ,but if anyone did ill the ,nat   
punished him4 ,if he cut the roots of   
the tree1 the ,nat hurt his feet2 and if
 he injured the branches1 the ,nat      
injured his arms2 and if he cut the     
trunk1 the ,nat came down out of the    
tree1 and killed the sacrilegious man   
right off4 ,there was no running away1  
because1 as you know1 the headman said1 
,nats can go a great deal faster than   
any man4 ,many men1 careless strangers1 
who camped under the tree and then      
abused the hospitality of the ,nat by   

hunting near his home1 came to severe   
grief4  ,but the ,nat has gone now1     
alas6 ,the tree is still there1 but the 
,nat has fled away these many years4    
',i suppose he didn't care to stay1'    
said the headman4 ',you see that the    
,english ,government officials came and 
camped here1 and didn't fear the ,nats4 
,they had fowls killed here for their   
dinner1 and they sang and shouted2 and  
they shot the green pigeons who ate his 
figs1 and the little doves that nested  
in his branches4'  ,all these things    
were an abomination to the ,nat1 who    
hated loud1 rough talk and abuse1 and to
 whom all life was sacred4  ,so the ,nat
 went away4 ,the headman did not know   
where he was gone1 but there are plenty 
of trees4  ',he has gone somewhere to   
get peace1' the headman said4           
',somewhere in the jungle1 where no one 
ever comes save the herd-boy and the    
deer1 he will be living in a tree1      
though ,i do not think he will easily   
find a tree so beautiful as this4'  ,the

 headman seemed very sorry about it1 and
 so did several villagers who were with 
him2 and ,i suggested that if the       
,nat-houses were rebuilt1 and flowers   
and water offered1 the ,nat might know  
and return4 ,i even offered to          
contribute myself1 that it might be     
taken as an amende honorable on behalf  
of the ,english ,government4 ,but they  
did not think this would be any use4 ,no
 ,nat would come where there was so much
 going and coming1 so little care for   
life1 such a disregard for pity and for 
peace4 ,if we were to take away our     
rest-house1 well then1 perhaps1 after a 
time1 something could be done1 but not  
under present circumstances4  ,and so1  
besides dethroning the ,burmese king1   
and occupying his golden palace1 we are 
ousting from their pleasant homes the   
guardian spirits of the trees4 ,they    
flee before the cold materialism of our 
belief1 before the brutality of our     
manners4 ,the headman did not say this2 
he did not mean to say this1 for he is a

 very courteous man and a great friend  
of all of us2 but that is what it came  
to1 ,i think4  ,the trunk of this tree  
is more than ten feet through--not a    
round bole1 but like the pillar in a    
,gothic cathedral1 as of many smaller   
boles growing together2 and the roots   
spread out into a pedestal before       
entering the ground4 ,the trunk does not
 go up very far4 ,at perhaps twenty-five
 feet above the ground it divides into a
 myriad of smaller trunks1 not branches1
 till it looks more like a forest than a
 single tree2 it is full of life still4 
,though the pigeons and the doves come  
here no longer1 there are a thousand    
other birds flitting to and fro in their
 aerial city and chirping to each other4
 ,two tiny squirrels have just run along
 a branch nearly over my head1 in a     
desperate hurry apparently1 their tails 
cocked over their backs1 and a sky blue 
chameleon is standing on the trunk near 
where it parts4 ,there is always a      
breeze in this great tree2 the leaves   

are always moving1 and there is a       
continuous rustle and murmur up there4  
,a mango-tree and tamarind near by are  
quite still4 ,not a breath shakes their 
leaves2 they are as still as stone1 but 
the shadow of the fig-tree is chequered 
with ever-changing lights4 ,is the ,nat 
really gone8 ,perhaps not2 perhaps he is
 still there1 still caring for his tree1
 only shy now and distrustful1 and      
therefore no more seen4  ,whole woods   
are enchanted sometimes1 and no one dare
 enter them4 ,such a wood ,i know1 far  
away north1 near the hills1 which is    
full of ,nats4 ,there was a great deal  
of game in it1 for animals sought       
shelter there1 and no one dared to      
disturb them2 not the villagers to cut  
firewood1 nor the girls seeking orchids1
 nor the hunter after his prey1 dared to
 trespass upon that enchanted ground4   
',what would happen1' ,i asked once1 'if
 anyone went into that wood8 ,would he  
be killed1 or what8'  ,and ,i was told  
that no one could tell what would       

happen1 only that he would never be seen
 again alive4 ',the ,nats would         
confiscate him1' they said1 'for        
intruding on their privacy4' ,but what  
they would do to him after the          
confiscation no one seemed to be quite  
sure4 ,i asked the official who was with
 me1 a fine handsome ,burman who had    
been with us in many fights1 whether he 
would go into the wood with me1 but he  
declined at once4 ,enemies are one      
thing1 ,nats are quite another1 and a   
very much more dreadful thing4 ,you can 
escape from enemies1 as witness my      
companion1 who had been shot at times   
without number and had only once been   
hit1 in the leg1 but you cannot escape  
,nats4 ,once1 he told me1 there were two
 very sacrilegious men1 hunters by      
profession1 only more abandoned than    
even the majority of hunters1 and they  
went into this wood to hunt ',they      
didn't care for ,nats1' they said4 ,they
 didn't care for anything at all        
apparently4 ',they were absolutely      

without reverence1 worse than any       
beast1' said my companion4  ,so they    
went into the wood to shoot1 and they   
never came out again4 ,a few days later 
their bare bones were found1 flung out  
upon the road near the enchanted wood4  
,the ,nats did not care to have even the
 bones of such scoundrels in their wood1
 and so thrust them out4 ,that was what 
happened to them1 and that was what     
might happen to us if we went in there4 
,we did not go4  ,though the ,nats of   
the forest will not allow even one of   
their beasts to be slain1 the ,nats of  
the rivers are not so exclusive4 ,i do  
not think fish are ever regarded in     
quite the same light as animals4 ,it is 
true that a fervent ,buddhist will not  
kill even a fish1 but a fisherman is not
 quite such a reprobate as a hunter in  
popular estimation4 ,and the ,nats think
 so too1 for the ,nat of a pool will not
 forbid all fishing4 ,you must give him 
his share2 you must be respectful to    
him1 and not offend him2 and then he    

will fill your nets with gleaming fish1 
and all will go well with you4 ,if not1 
of course1 you will come to grief2 your 
nets will be torn1 and your boat upset2 
and finally1 if obstinate1 you will be  
drowned4 ,a great arm will seize you1   
and you will be pulled under and        
disappear for ever4  ,a ,nat is much    
like a human being2 if you treat him    
well he will treat you well1 and        
conversely4 ,courtesy is never wasted on
 men or ,nats1 at least1 so a ,burman   
tells me4  ,the highest ,nats live in   
the mountains4 ,the higher the ,nat the 
higher the mountain2 and when you get to
 a very high peak indeed1 like          
,mainthong ,peak in ,wuntho1 you        
encounter very powerful ,nats4  ,they   
tell a story of ,mainthong ,peak and the
 ,nats there1 how all of a sudden1 one  
day in #ahhe1 strange noises came from  
the hill4 ,high up on his mighty side   
was heard the sound of great guns firing
 slowly and continuously2 there was the 
thunder of falling rocks1 cries as of   

someone bewailing a terrible calamity1  
and voices calling from the precipices4 
,the people living in their little      
hamlets about his feet were terrified4  
,something they knew had happened of    
most dire import to them1 some          
catastrophe which they were powerless to
 prevent1 which they could not even     
guess4 ,but when a few weeks later there
 came even into those remote villages   
the news of the fall of ,mandalay1 of   
the surrender of the king1 of the 'great
 treachery1' they knew that this was    
what the ,nats had been sorrowing over4 
,all the ,nats everywhere seem to have  
been distressed at our arrival1 to hate 
our presence1 and to earnestly desire   
our absence4 ,they are the spirits of   
the country and of the people1 and they 
cannot abide a foreign domination4  ,but
 the greatest place for ,nats is the    
,popa ,mountain1 which is an extinct    
volcano standing all alone about midway 
between the river and the ,shan         
,mountains4 ,it is thus very            

conspicuous1 having no hills near it to 
share its majesty2 and being in sight   
from many of the old capitals1 it is    
very well known in history and legend4  
,it is covered with dense forest1 and   
the villages close about are few4 ,at   
the top there is a crater with a broken 
side1 and a stream comes flowing out of 
this break down the mountain4 ,probably 
it was the denseness of its forests1 the
 abundance of water1 and its central    
position1 more than its guardian ,nats1 
that made it for so many years the last 
retreating-place of the half-robber1    
half-patriot bands that made life so    
uneasy for us4 ,but the ,nats of ,popa  
,mountains are very famous4  ,when any  
foreigner was taken into the service of 
the ,king of ,burma he had to swear an  
oath of fidelity4 ,he swore upon many   
things1 and among them were included    
'all the ,nats in ,popa4' ,no ,burman   
would have dared to break an oath sworn 
in such a serious way as this1 and they 
did not imagine that anyone else would4 

,it was and is a very dangerous thing to
 offend the ,popa ,nats2 for they are   
still there in the mountain1 and        
everyone who goes there must do them    
reverence4  ,a friend of mine1 a police 
officer1 who was engaged in trying to   
catch the last of the robber chiefs who 
hid near ,popa1 told me that when he    
went up the mountain shooting he1 too1  
had to make offerings4 ,some way up     
there is a little valley dark with      
overhanging trees1 and a stream flows   
slowly along it4 ,it is an enchanted    
valley1 and if you look closely you will
 see that the stream is not as other    
streams1 for it flows uphill4 ,it comes 
rushing into the valley with a great    
display of foam and froth1 and it leaves
 in a similar way1 tearing down the     
rocks1 and behaving like any other      
boisterous hill rivulet2 but in the     
valley itself it lies under a spell4 ,it
 is slow and dark1 and has a surface    
like a mirror1 and it flows uphill4     
,there is no doubt about it2 anyone can 

see it4 ,when they came here1 my friend 
tells me1 they made a halt1 and the     
,burmese hunters with him unpacked his  
breakfast4 ,he did not want to eat then1
 he said1 but they explained that it was
 not for him1 but for the ,nats4 ,all   
his food was unpacked1 cold chicken and 
tinned meats1 and jam and eggs and      
bread1 and it was spread neatly on a    
cloth under a tree4 ,then the hunters   
called upon the ,nats to come and take  
anything they desired1 while my friend  
wondered what he should do if the ,nats 
took all his food and left him with     
nothing4 ,but no ,nats came1 although   
the ,burmans called again and again4 ,so
 they packed up the food1 saying that   
now the ,nats would be pleased at the   
courtesy shown to them1 and that my     
friend would have good sport4 ,presently
 they went on1 leaving1 however1 an egg 
or two and a little salt1 in case the   
,nats might be hungry later1 and true   
enough it was that they did have good   
luck4 ,at other times1 my friend says1  

when he did not observe this ceremony1  
he saw nothing to shoot at all1 but on  
this day he did well4  ,the former      
history of all ,nats is not known4      
,whether they have had a previous       
existence in another form1 and if so1   
what1 is a secret that they usually keep
 carefully to themselves1 but the       
history of the ,popa ,nats is well      
known4 ,everyone who lives near the     
great hill can tell you that1 for it all
 happened not so long ago4 ,how long    
exactly no one can say1 but not so long 
that the details of the story have      
become at all clouded by the mists of   
time4  ,they were brother and sister1   
these ,popa ,nats1 and they had lived   
away up ,north4 ,the brother was a      
blacksmith1 and he was a very strong    
man4 ,he was the strongest man in all   
the country2 the blow of his hammer on  
the anvil made the earth tremble1 and   
his forge was as the mouth of hell4 ,no 
one was so much feared and so much      
sought after as he4 ,and as he was      

strong1 so his sister was beautiful     
beyond all the maidens of the time4     
,their father and mother were dead1 and 
there was no one but those two1 the     
brother and sister1 so they loved each  
other dearly1 and thought of no one     
else4 ,the brother brought home no wife 
to his house by the forge4 ,he wanted no
 one while he had his sister there1 and 
when lovers came wooing to her1 singing 
amorous songs in the amber dusk1 she    
would have nothing to do with them4 ,so 
they lived there together1 he growing   
stronger and she more beautiful every   
day1 till at last a change came4  ,the  
old king died1 and a new king came to   
the throne1 and orders were sent about  
to all the governors of provinces and   
other officials that the most beautiful 
maidens were to be sent down to the     
,golden ,city to be wives to the great  
king4 ,so the governor of that country  
sent for the blacksmith and his sister  
to his palace1 and told them there what 
orders he had received1 and asked the   

blacksmith to give his sister that she  
might be sent as queen to the king4 ,we 
are not told what arguments the governor
 used to gain his point1 but only this1 
that when he failed1 he sent the girl in
 unto his wife1 and there she was       
persuaded to go4 ,there must have been  
something very tempting1 to one who was 
but a village girl1 in the prospect of  
being even one of the lesser queens1 of 
living in the palace1 the centre of the 
world4 ,so she consented at last1 and   
her brother consented1 and the girl was 
sent down under fitting escort to find  
favour in the eyes of her king4 ,but the
 blacksmith refused to go4 ,it was no   
good the governor saying such a great   
man as he must come to high honour in   
the ,golden ,city1 it was useless for   
the girl to beg and pray him to come    
with her--he always refused4 ,so she    
sailed away down the great river1 and   
the blacksmith returned to his forge4   
,as the governor had said1 the girl was 
acceptable in the king's sight1 and she 

was made at last one of the principal   
queens1 and of all she had most power   
over the king4 ,they say she was most   
beautiful1 that her presence was as     
soothing as shade after heat1 that her  
form was as graceful as a young tree1   
and the palms of her hands were like    
lotus blossoms4 ,she had enemies1 of    
course4 ,most of the other queens were  
her enemies1 and tried to do her harm4  
,but it was useless telling tales of her
 to the king1 for the king never        
believed2 and she walked so wisely and  
so well1 that she never fell into any   
snare4 ,but still the plots never       
ceased4  ,there was one day when she was
 sitting alone in the garden pavilion1  
with the trees making moving shadows all
 about her1 that the king came to her4  
,they talked for a time1 and the king   
began to speak to her of her life before
 she came to the palace1 a thing he had 
never done before4 ,but he seemed to    
know all about it1 nevertheless1 and he 
spoke to her of her brother1 and said   

that he1 the king1 had heard how no man 
was so strong as this blacksmith1 the   
brother of the queen4 ,the queen said it
 was true1 and she talked on and on and 
praised her brother1 and babbled of the 
days of her childhood1 when he carried  
her on his great shoulder1 and threw her
 into the air1 catching her again4 ,she 
was delighted to talk of all these      
things1 and in her pleasure she forgot  
her discretion1 and said that her       
brother was wise as well as strong1 and 
that all the people loved him4 ,never   
was there such a man as he4 ,the king   
did not seem very pleased with it all1  
but he said only that the blacksmith was
 a great man1 and that the queen must   
write to him to come down to the city1  
that the king might see him of whom     
there was such great report4  ,then the 
king got up and went away1 and the queen
 began to doubt2 and the more she       
thought the more she feared she had not 
been acting wisely in talking as she    
did1 for it is not wise to praise anyone

 to a king4 ,she went away to her own   
room to consider1 and to try if she     
could hear of any reason why the king   
should act as he had done1 and desire   
her brother to come to him to the city2 
and she found out that it was all a plot
 of her enemies4 ,herself they had      
failed to injure1 so they were now      
plotting against her through her        
brother4 ,they had gone to the king1 and
 filled his ear with slanderous reports4
 ,they had said that the queen's brother
 was the strongest man in all the       
kingdom4 ',he was cunning1 too1' they   
said1 'and very popular among all the   
people2 and he was so puffed up with    
pride1 now that his sister was a queen1 
that there was nothing he did not think 
he could do4' ,they represented to the  
king how dangerous such a man was in a  
kingdom1 that it would be quite easy for
 him to raise such rebellion as the king
 could hardly put down1 and that he was 
just the man to do such a thing4 ,nay1  
it was indeed proved that he must be    

disloyally plotting something1 or he    
would have come down with his sister to 
the city when she came4 ,but now many   
months had passed1 and he never came4   
,clearly he was not to be trusted4 ,any 
other man whose sister was a queen would
 have come and lived in the palace1 and 
served the king and become a minister1  
instead of staying up there and         
pretending to be a blacksmith4  ,the    
king's mind had been much disturbed by  
this1 for it seemed to him that it must 
be in part true2 and he went to the     
queen1 as ,i have said1 and his         
suspicions had not been lulled by what  
she told him1 so he had ordered her to  
write to her brother to come down to the
 palace4  ,the queen was terrified when 
she saw what a mistake she had made1 and
 how she had fallen into the trap of her
 enemies2 but she hoped that the king   
would forget1 and she determined that   
she would send no order to her brother  
to come4 ,but the next day the king came
 back to the subject1 and asked her if  

she had yet sent the letter1 and she    
said ',no6' ,the king was very angry at 
this disobedience to his orders1 and he 
asked her how it came that she had not  
done as he had commanded1 and sent a    
letter to her brother to call him to the
 palace4  ,then the queen fell at the   
king's feet and told him all her fears  
that her brother was sent for only to be
 imprisoned or executed1 and she begged 
and prayed the king to leave him in     
peace up there in his village4 ,she     
assured the king that he was loyal and  
good1 and would do no evil4  ,the king  
was rather abashed that his design had  
been discovered1 but he was firm in his 
purpose4 ,he assured the queen that the 
blacksmith should come to no harm1 but  
rather good2 and he ordered the queen to
 obey him1 threatening her that if she  
refused he would be sure that she was   
disloyal also1 and there would be no    
alternative but to send and arrest the  
blacksmith by force1 and punish her1 the
 queen1 too4 ,then the queen said that  

if the king swore to her that her       
brother should come to no harm1 she     
would write as ordered4 ,and the king   
swore4  ,so the queen wrote to her      
brother1 and adjured him by his love to 
her to come down to the ,golden ,city4  
,she said she had dire need of him1 and 
she told him that the king had sworn    
that no harm should come to him4  ,the  
letter was sent off by a king's         
messenger4 ,in due time the blacksmith  
arrived1 and he was immediately seized  
and thrown into prison to await his     
trial4  ,when the queen saw that she had
 been deceived1 she was in despair4 ,she
 tried by every way1 by tears and       
entreaties and caresses1 to move the    
king1 but all without avail4 ,then she  
tried by plotting and bribery to gain   
her brother's release1 but it was all in
 vain4 ,the day for trial came quickly1 
and the blacksmith was tried1 and he was
 condemned and sentenced to be burnt    
alive by the river on the following day4
  ,on the evening of the day of trial   

the queen sent a message to the king to 
come to her2 and when the king came     
reluctantly1 fearing a renewal of       
entreaties1 expecting a woman made of   
tears and sobs1 full of grief1 he found 
instead that the queen had dried her    
eyes and dressed herself still more     
beautifully than ever1 till she seemed  
to the king the very pearl among women4 
,and she told the king that he was      
right1 and she was wrong4 ,she said1    
putting her arms about him and caressing
 him1 that she had discovered that it   
was true that her brother had been      
plotting against the king1 and therefore
 his death was necessary4 ,it was       
terrible1 she said1 to find that her    
brother1 whom she had always held as a  
pattern1 was no better than a traitor2  
but it was even so1 and her king was the
 wisest of all kings to find it out4    
,the king was delighted to find his     
queen in this mood1 and he soothed her  
and talked to her kindly and sweetly1   
for he really loved her1 though he had  

given in to bad advice about the        
brother4 ,and when the king's suspicions
 were lulled1 the queen said to him that
 she had now but one request to make1   
and that was that she might have        
permission to go down with her maids to 
the river-shore in the early morning1   
and see herself the execution of her    
traitor brother4 ,the king1 who would   
now have granted her anything--anything 
she asked1 except just that one thing1  
the life of her brother--gave           
permission2 and then the queen said that
 she was tired and wished to rest after 
all the trouble of the last few days1   
and would the king leave her4 ,so the   
king left her to herself1 and went away 
to his own chambers4  ,very early in the
 morning1 ere the crimson flush upon the
 mountains had faded in the light of    
day1 a vast crowd was gathered below the
 city1 by the shore of the great river4 
,very many thousands were there1 of many
 countries and peoples1 crowding down to
 see a man die1 to see a traitor burnt  

to death for his sins1 for there is     
nothing men like so much as to see      
another man die4  ,upon a little        
headland jutting out into the river the 
pyre was raised1 with brushwood and     
straw1 to burn quickly1 and an iron post
 in the middle to which the man was to  
be chained4 ,at one side was a place    
reserved1 and presently down from the   
palace in a long procession came the    
queen and her train of ladies to the    
place kept for her4 ,guards were put all
 about to prevent the people crowding2  
and then came the soldiers1 and in the  
midst of them the blacksmith2 and amid  
many cries of ',traitor1 traitor6' and  
shouts of derision1 he was bound to the 
iron post within the wood and the straw1
 and the guards fell back4  ,the queen  
sat and watched it all1 and said never a
 word4 ,fire was put to the pyre1 and it
 crept rapidly up in long red tongues   
with coils of black smoke4 ,it went very
 quickly1 for the wood was very dry1 and
 a light breeze came laughing up the    

river and helped it4 ,the flames played 
about the man chained there in the      
midst1 and he made never a sign2 only he
 looked steadily across at the purple   
mountain where his home lay1 and it was 
clear that in a few more moments he     
would be dead4 ,there was a deep silence
 everywhere4  ,then of a sudden1 before 
anyone knew1 before a hand could be held
 out to hinder her1 the queen rose from 
her seat and ran to the pyre4 ,in a     
moment she was there and had thrown     
herself into the flames1 and with her   
arms about her brother's neck she turned
 and faced the myriad eyes that glared  
upon them--the queen1 in all the glory  
of her beauty1 glittering with gems1 and
 the man with great shackled bare limbs1
 dressed in a few rags1 his muscles     
already twisted with the agony of the   
fire4 ,a great cry of horror came from  
the people1 and there was the movement  
of guards and officers rushing to stop  
the fire2 but it was all of no use4 ,a  
flash of red flames came out of the     

logs1 folding these twain like an       
imperial cloak1 a whirl of sparks       
towered into the air1 and when one could
 see again the woman and her brother    
were no longer there4 ,they were dead   
and burnt1 and the bodies mingled with  
the ashes of the fire4 ,she had cost her
 brother his life1 and she went with him
 into death4   ,some days after this a  
strange report was brought to the       
palace4 ,by the landing-place near the  
spot where the fire had been was a great
 fig-tree4 ,it was so near to the       
landing-place1 and was such a           
magnificent tree1 that travellers coming
 from the boats1 or waiting for a boat  
to arrive1 would rest in numbers under  
its shade4 ,but the report said that    
something had happened there4 ,to       
travellers sleeping beneath the tree at 
night it was stated that two ,nats had  
appeared1 very large and very beautiful1
 a man ,nat and a woman ,nat1 and had   
frightened them very much indeed4       
,noises were heard in the tree1 voices  

and cries1 and a strange terror came    
upon those who approached it4 ,nay1 it  
was even said that men had been struck  
by unseen hands and severely hurt1 and  
others1 it was said1 had disappeared4   
,children who went to play under the    
tree were never seen again3 the ,nats   
took them1 and their parents sought for 
them in vain4 ,so the landing-place was 
deserted1 and a petition was brought to 
the king1 and the king gave orders that 
the tree should be hewn down4 ,so the   
tree was cut down1 and its trunk was    
thrown into the river2 it floated away  
out of sight1 and nothing happened to   
the men who cut the tree1 though they   
were deadly afraid4  ,the tree floated  
down for days1 until at last it stranded
 near a landing-place that led to a     
large town1 where the governor of these 
parts lived2 and at this landing-place  
the portents that had frightened the    
people at the great city reappeared and 
terrified the travellers here too1 and  
they petitioned the governor4  ,the     

governor sought out a great monk1 a very
 holy man learned in these matters1 and 
sent him to inquire1 and the monk came  
down to the tree and spoke4 ,he said    
that if any ,nats lived in the tree1    
they should speak to him and tell him   
what they wanted4 ',it is not fit1' he  
said1 'for great ,nats to terrify the   
poor villagers at the landing-place4    
,let the ,nats speak and say what they  
require4 ,all that they want shall be   
given4' ,and the ,nats spake and said   
that they wanted a place to live in     
where they could be at peace1 and the   
monk answered for the governor that all 
his land was at their disposal4 ',let   
the ,nats choose1' he said2 'all the    
country is before them4' ,so the ,nats  
chose1 and said that they would have    
,popa ,mountain1 and the monk agreed4   
,the ,nats then left the tree and went  
away1 far away inland1 to the great     
,popa ,mountain1 and took up their abode
 there1 and all the people there feared 
and reverenced them1 and even made to   

their honour two statues with golden    
heads and set them up on the mountain4  
,this is the story of the ,popa ,nats1  
the greatest ,nats of all the country of
 ,burma1 the guardian spirits of the    
mysterious mountain4 ,the golden heads  
of the statues are now in one of our    
treasuries1 put there for safe custody  
during the troubles1 though it is       
doubtful if even then anyone would have 
dared to steal them1 so greatly are the 
,nats feared4 ,and the hunters and the  
travellers there must offer to the ,nats
 little offerings1 if they would be safe
 in these forests1 and even the young   
man must obtain permission from the     
,nats before he marry4  ,i think these  
stories that ,i have told1 stories      
selected from very many that ,i have    
heard1 will show what sort of spirits   
these are that the ,burmese have peopled
 their trees and rivers with2 will show 
what sort of religion it is that        
underlies1 without influencing1 the     
creed of the ,buddha that they follow4  

,it is of the very poetry of            
superstition1 free from brutality1 from 
baseness1 from anything repulsive1      
springing1 as ,i have said1 from their  
innate sympathy with ,nature and        
recognition of the life that works in   
all things4 ,it always seems to me that 
beliefs such as these are a great key to
 the nature of a people1 are1 apart from
 all interest in their beauty1 and in   
their akinness to other beliefs1 of     
great value in trying to understand the 
character of a nation4  ,for to beings  
such as ,nats and fairies the people who
 believe in them will attribute such    
qualities as are predominant in         
themselves1 as they consider admirable2 
and1 indeed1 all supernatural beings are
 but the magnified shadows of man cast  
by the light of his imagination upon the
 mists of his ignorance4  ,therefore1   
when you find that a people make their  
spirits beautiful and fair1 calm and    
even tempered1 loving peace and the     
beauty of the trees and rivers1         

shrinkingly averse from loud words1 from
 noises1 and from the taking of life1 it
 is because the people themselves think 
that these are great qualities4 ,if no  
stress be laid upon their courage1 their
 activity1 their performance of great   
deeds1 it is because the people who     
imagine them care not for such things4  
,there is no truer guide1 ,i am sure1 to
 the heart of a young people than their 
superstitions2 these they make entirely 
for themselves1 apart from their        
religion1 which is1 to a certain extent1
 made for them4 ,that is why ,i have    
written this chapter on ,nats3 not      
because ,i think it affects ,buddhism   
very much one way or another1 but       
because it seems to me to reveal the    
people themselves1 because it helps us  
to understand them better1 to see more  
with their eyes1 to be in unison with   
their ideas--because it is a great key  
to the soul of the people4     ,,chapter
 ,,xxii  ,,death1 ,,the ,,deliverer     
',the end of my life is near at hand2   

seven days hence1 like a man      who   
rids himself of a heavy load1 ,i shall  
be free from the burden      of my      
body4'--,death of the ,buddha4   ,there 
is a song well known to all the         
,burmese1 the words of which are taken  
from the sacred writings4 ,it is called 
the story of ,ma ,pa ,da1 and it was    
first told to me by a ,burmese monk1    
long ago1 when ,i was away on the       
frontier4  ,it runs like this3  ,in the 
time of the ,buddha1 in the city of     
,thawatti1 there was a certain rich man1
 a merchant1 who had many slaves4       
,slaves in those days1 and1 indeed1     
generally throughout the ,east1 were    
held very differently to slaves in      
,europe4 ,they were part of the family1 
and were not saleable without good      
reason1 and there was a law applicable  
to them4 ,they were not hors de la loi1 
like the slaves of which we have        
conception4 ,there are many cases quoted
 of sisters being slaves to sisters1 and
 of brothers to brothers1 quoted not for

 the purpose of saying that this was an 
uncommon occurrence1 but merely of      
showing points of law in such cases4    
,one day in the market the merchant     
bought another slave1 a young man1      
handsome and well mannered1 and took him
 to his house1 and kept him there with  
his family and the other slaves4 ,the   
young man was earnest and careful in his
 work1 and the merchant approved of him1
 and his fellow-slaves liked him4 ,but  
,ma ,pa ,da1 the merchant's daughter1   
fell in love with him4 ,the slave was   
much troubled at this1 and he did his   
best to avoid her2 but he was a slave   
and under orders1 and what could he do8 
,when she would come to him secretly and
 make love to him1 and say1 ',let us    
flee together1 for we love each other1' 
he would refuse1 saying that he was a   
slave1 and the merchant would be very   
angry4 ,he said he could not do such a  
thing4 ,and yet when the girl said1     
',let us flee1 for we love each other1' 
he knew that it was true1 and that he   

loved her as she loved him2 and it was  
only his honour to his master that held 
him from doing as she asked4  ,but      
because his heart was not of iron1 and  
there are few men that can resist when a
 woman comes and woos them1 he at last  
gave way2 and they fled away one night1 
the girl and the slave1 taking with them
 her jewels and some money4 ,they       
travelled rapidly and in great fear1 and
 did not rest till they came to a city  
far away where the merchant would never1
 they thought1 think of searching for   
them4  ,here1 in this city where no one 
knew of their history1 they lived in    
great happiness1 husband and wife1      
trading with the money they had with    
them4  ,and in time a little child was  
born to them4  ,about two or three years
 after this it became necessary for the 
husband to take a journey1 and he       
started forth with his wife and child4  
,the journey was a very long one1 and   
they were unduly delayed2 and so it     
happened that while still in the forest 

the wife fell ill1 and could not go on  
any further4 ,so the husband built a hut
 of branches and leaves1 and there1 in  
the solitude of the forest1 was born to 
them another little son4  ,the mother   
recovered rapidly1 and in a little time 
she was well enough to go on4 ,they were
 to start next morning on their way     
again2 and in the evening the husband   
went out1 as was his custom1 to cut     
firewood1 for the nights were cold and  
damp4  ,ma ,pa ,da waited and waited for
 him1 but he never came back4  ,the sun 
set and the dark rose out of the ground1
 and the forest became full of whispers1
 but he never came4 ,all night she      
watched and waited1 caring for her      
little ones1 fearful to leave them      
alone1 till at last the gray light came 
down1 down from the sky to the branches1
 and from the branches to the ground1   
and she could see her way4 ,then1 with  
her new-born babe in her arms and the   
elder little fellow trotting by her     
side1 she went out to search for her    

husband4 ,soon enough she found him1 not
 far off1 stiff and cold beside his     
half-cut bundle of firewood4 ,a snake   
had bitten him on the ankle1 and he was 
dead4  ,so ,ma ,pa ,da was alone in the 
great forest1 but a girl still1 with two
 little children to care for4  ,but she 
was brave1 despite her trouble1 and she 
determined to go on and gain some       
village4 ,she took her baby in her arms 
and the little one by the hand1 and     
started on her journey4  ,and for a time
 all went well1 till at last she came to
 a stream4 ,it was not very deep1 but it
 was too deep for the little boy to     
wade1 for it came up to his neck1 and   
his mother was not strong enough to     
carry both at once4 ,so1 after          
considering for a time1 she told the    
elder boy to wait4 ,she would cross and 
put the baby on the far side1 and return
 for him4  ',be good1' she said2 'be    
good1 and stay here quietly till ,i come
 back2' and the boy promised4  ,the     
stream was deeper and swifter than she  

thought2 but she went with great care   
and gained the far side1 and put the    
baby under a tree a little distance from
 the bank1 to lie there while she went  
for the other boy4 ,then1 after a few   
minutes' rest1 she went back4  ,she had 
got to the centre of the stream1 and her
 little boy had come down to the margin 
to be ready for her1 when she heard a   
rush and a cry from the side she had    
just left2 and1 looking round1 she saw  
with terror a great eagle sweep down    
upon the baby1 and carry it off in its  
claws4 ,she turned round and waved her  
arms and cried out to the eagle1 ',he6  
he6' hoping it would be frightened and  
drop the baby4 ,but it cared nothing for
 her cries or threats1 and swept on with
 long curves over the forest trees1 away
 out of sight4  ,then the mother turned 
to gain the bank once more1 and suddenly
 she missed her son who had been waiting
 for her4 ,he had seen his mother wave  
her arms2 he had heard her shout1 and he
 thought she was calling him to come to 

her4 ,so the brave little man walked    
down into the water1 and the black      
current carried him off his feet at     
once4 ,he was gone1 drowned in the deep 
water below the ford1 tossing on the    
waves towards the sea4  ,no one can     
write of the despair of the girl when   
she threw herself under a tree in the   
forest4 ,the song says it was very      
terrible4  ,at last she said to herself1
 ',i will get up now and return to my   
father in ,thawatti2 he is all ,i have  
left4 ,though ,i have forsaken him all  
these years1 yet now that my husband and
 his children are dead1 my father will  
take me back again4 ,surely he will have
 pity on me1 for ,i am much to be       
pitied4'  ,so she went on1 and at       
length1 after many days1 she came to the
 gates of the great city where her      
father lived4  ,at the entering of the  
gates she met a large company of people1
 mourners1 returning from a funeral1 and
 she spoke to them and asked them3      
',who is it that you have been burying  

to-day so grandly with so many          
mourners8'  ,and the people answered    
her1 and told her who it was4 ,and when 
she heard1 she fell down upon the road  
as one dead3 for it was her father and  
mother who had died yesterday1 and it   
was their funeral train that she saw4   
,they were all dead now1 husband and    
sons and father and mother2 in all the  
world she was quite alone4  ,so she went
 mad1 for her trouble was more than she 
could bear4 ,she threw off all her      
clothes1 and let down her long hair and 
wrapped it about her naked body1 and    
walked about raving4  ,at last she came 
to where the ,buddha was teaching1      
seated under a fig-tree4 ,she came up to
 the ,buddha1 and told him of her       
losses1 and how she had no one left2 and
 she demanded of the ,buddha that he    
should restore to her those that she had
 lost4 ,and the ,buddha had great       
compassion upon her1 and tried to       
console her4  ',all die1' he said2 'it  
comes to everyone1 king and peasant1    

animal and man4 ,only through many      
deaths can we obtain the ,great ,peace4 
,all this sorrow1' he said1 'is of the  
earth4 ,all this is passion which we    
must get rid of1 and forget before we   
reach heaven4 ,be comforted1 my         
daughter1 and turn to the holy life4    
,all suffer as you do4 ,it is part of   
our very existence here1 sorrow and     
trouble without any end4'  ,but she     
would not be comforted1 but demanded her
 dead of the ,buddha4 ,then1 because he 
saw it was no use talking to her1 that  
her ears were deaf with grief1 and her  
eyes blinded with tears1 he said to her 
that he would restore to her those who  
were dead4  ',you must go1' he said1 'my
 daughter1 and get some mustard-seed1 a 
pinch of mustard-seed1 and ,i can bring 
back their lives4 ,only you must get    
this seed from the garden of him near   
whom death has never come4 ,get this1   
and all will be well4'  ,so the woman   
went forth with a light heart4 ,it was  
so simple1 only a pinch of mustard-seed1

 and mustard grew in every garden4 ,she 
would get the seed and be back very     
quickly1 and then the ,lord ,buddha     
would give her back those she loved who 
had died4 ,she clothed herself again and
 tied up her hair1 and went cheerfully  
and asked at the first house1 ',give me 
a pinch of mustard-seed1' and it was    
given readily4 ,so with her treasure in 
her hand she was going forth back to the
 ,buddha full of delight1 when she      
remembered4  ',has ever anyone died in  
your household8' she asked1 looking     
round wistfully4  ,the man answered     
',yes1' that death had been with them   
but recently4 ,who could this woman be1 
he thought1 to ask such a question8 ,and
 the woman went forth1 the seed dropping
 from her careless fingers1 for it was  
of no value4 ,so she would try again and
 again1 but it was always the same4     
,death had taken his tribute from all4  
,father or mother1 son or brother1      
daughter or wife1 there was always a gap
 somewhere1 a vacant place beside the   

meal4 ,from house to house throughout   
the city she went1 till at last the new 
hope faded away1 and she learned from   
the world1 what she had not believed    
from the ,buddha1 that death and life   
are one4  ,so she returned1 and she     
became a nun1 poor soul6 taking on her  
the two hundred and twenty-seven vows1  
which are so hard to keep that nowadays 
nuns keep but five of them4#a   ,this is
 the teaching of the ,buddha1 that death
 is inevitable2 this is the consolation 
he offers1 that all men must know death2
 no one can escape death2 no one can    
escape the sorrow of the death of those 
whom he loves4 ,death1 he says1 and life
 are one2 not antagonistic1 but the     
same2 and the only way to escape from   
one is to escape from the other too4    
,only in the ,great ,peace1 when we have
 found refuge from the passion and      
tumult of life1 shall we find the place 
where death cannot come4 ,life and death
 are one4  ,this is the teaching of the 
,buddha1 repeated over and over again to

 his disciples when they sorrowed for   
the death of ,thariputra1 when they were
 in despair at the swift-approaching end
 of the great teacher himself4 ,hear    
what he says to ,ananda1 the beloved    
disciple1 who is mourning over          
,thariputra4  ',ananda1' he said1 'often
 and often have ,i sought to bring      
shelter to your soul from the misery    
caused by such grief as this4 ,there are
 two things alone that can separate us  
from father and mother1 from brother and
 sister1 from all those who are most    
cherished by us1 and those two things   
are distance and death4 ,think not that 
,i1 though the ,buddha1 have not felt   
all this even as any other of you2 was  
,i not alone when ,i was seeking for    
wisdom in the wilderness8  ',and yet    
what would ,i have gained by wailing and
 lamenting either for myself or for     
others8 ,would it have brought to me any
 solace from my loneliness8 ,would it   
have been any help to those whom ,i had 
left8 ,there is nothing that can happen 

to us1 however terrible1 however        
miserable1 that can justify tears and   
lamentations and make them aught but a  
weakness4'  ,and so1 we are told1 in    
this way the ,buddha soothed the        
affliction of ,ananda1 and filled his   
soul with consolation--the consolation  
of resignation4  ,for there is no other 
consolation possible but this1          
resignation to the inevitable1 the      
conviction of the uselessness of sorrow1
 the vanity and selfishness of grief4   
,there is no meeting again with the     
dead4 ,nowhere in the recurring         
centuries shall we meet again those whom
 we have loved1 whom we love1 who seem  
to us to be parts of our very soul4     
,that which survives of us1 the part    
which is incarnated again and again1    
until it be fit for heaven1 has nothing 
to do with love and hate4  ,even if in  
the whirlpool of life our paths should  
cross again the paths of those whom we  
have loved1 we are never told that we   
shall know them again and love them4  ,a

 friend of mine has just lost his       
mother1 and he is very much distressed4 
,he must have been very fond of her1 for
 although he has a wife and children1   
and is happy in his family1 he is in    
great sorrow4 ,he proposes even to build
 a pagoda over her remains1 a testimony 
of respect which in strict ,buddhism is 
reserved to saints4 ,he has been telling
 me about this1 and how he is trying to 
get a sacred relic to put in the pagoda1
 and ,i asked him if he never hoped     
again to meet the soul of his mother on 
earth or in heaven1 and he answered3    
',no4 ,it is very hard1 but so are many 
things1 and they have to be borne4 ,far 
better it is to face the truth than to  
escape by a pleasant falsehood4 ,there  
is a ,burmese proverb that tells us that
 all the world is one vast              
burial-ground2 there are dead men       
everywhere4'  ',one of our great men has
 said the same1' ,i answered4  ,he was  
not surprised4  ',as it is true1' he    
said1 ',i suppose all great men would   

see it4'  ,thus there is no escape1 no  
loophole for a delusive hope1 only the  
cultivation of the courage of sorrow4   
,there are never any exceptions to the  
laws of the ,buddha4 ,if a law is a law1
 that is the end of it4 ,just as we know
 of no exceptions to the law of         
gravitation1 so there are no exceptions 
to the law of death4  ,but although this
 may seem to be a religion of despair1  
it is not really so4 ,this sorrow to    
which there is no relief is the         
selfishness of sorrow1 the grief for our
 own loneliness2 for of sorrow1 of fear1
 of pity for the dead1 there is no need4
 ,we know that in time all will be well 
with them4 ,we know that1 though there  
may be before them vast periods of      
suffering1 yet that they will all at    
last be in ,nebhan with us4 ,and if we  
shall not know them there1 still we     
shall know that they are there1 all of  
them--not one will be wanting4 ,purified
 from the lust of life1 white souls     
steeped in the ,great ,peace1 all living

 things will attain rest at last4       
,there is this remarkable fact in       
,buddhism1 that nowhere is any fear     
expressed of death itself1 nowhere any  
apprehension of what may happen to the  
dead4 ,it is the sorrow of separation1  
the terror of death to the survivors1   
that is always dwelt upon with          
compassion1 and the agony of which it is
 sought to soothe4  ,that the dying man 
himself should require strengthening to 
face the ,king of ,terrors is hardly    
ever mentioned4 ,it seems to be taken   
for granted that men should have courage
 in themselves to take leave of life    
becomingly1 without undue fears4        
,buddhism is the way to show us the     
escape from the miseries of life1 not to
 give us hope in the hour of death4  ,it
 is true that to all ,orientals death is
 a less fearful thing than it is to us4 
,i do not know what may be the cause of 
this1 courage certainly has little to do
 with it2 but it is certain that the    
purely physical fear of death1 that     

horror and utter revulsion that seizes  
the majority of us at the idea of death1
 is absent from most ,orientals4 ,and   
yet this cannot explain it all4 ,for    
fear of death1 though less1 is still    
there1 is still a strong influence upon 
their lives1 and it would seem that no  
religion which ignored this great fact  
could become a great living religion4   
,religion is made for man1 to fit his   
necessities1 not man for religion1 and  
yet the faith of ,buddhism is not       
concerned with death4  ,consider our    
faith1 how much of its teaching consists
 of how to avoid the fear of death1 how 
much of its consolation is for the      
death-bed4 ,how we are taught all our   
lives that we should live so as not to  
fear death2 how we have priests and     
sacraments to soothe the dying man1 and 
give him hope and courage1 and how the  
crown and summit of our creed is that we
 should die easily4 ,and consider that  
in ,buddhism all this is absolutely     
wanting4 ,buddhism is a creed of life1  

of conduct2 death is the end of that    
life1 that is all4  ,we have all seen   
death4 ,we have all of us watched those 
who1 near and dear to us1 go away out of
 our ken4 ,there is no need for me to   
recall the last hours of those of our   
faith1 to bring up again the fading eye 
and waning breath1 the messages of hope 
we search for in our ,scriptures to give
 hope to him who is going1 the          
assurances of religion1 the cross held  
before the dying eyes4  ,many men1 we   
are told1 turn to religion at the last  
after a life of wickedness1 and a man   
may do so even at the eleventh hour and 
be saved4  ,that is part of our belief2 
that is the strongest part of our       
belief2 and that is the hope that all   
fervent ,christians have1 that those    
they love may be saved even at the end4 
,i think it may truly be said that our  
,western creeds are all directed at the 
hour of death1 as the great and final   
test of that creed4  ,and now think of  
,buddhism2 it is a creed of life4 ,in   

life you must win your way to salvation 
by urgent effort1 by suffering1 by      
endurance4 ,on your death-bed you can do
 nothing4 ,if you have done well1 then  
it is well2 if ill1 then you must in    
future life try again and again till you
 succeed4 ,a life is not washed1 a soul 
is not made fit for the dwelling of     
eternity1 in a moment4  ,repentance to a
 ,buddhist is but the opening of the    
eyes to see the path to righteousness2  
it has no virtue in itself4 ,to have    
seen that we are sinners is but the     
first step to cleansing our sin2 in     
itself it cannot purify4  ,as well ask a
 robber of the poor to repent1 and      
suppose thereby that those who have     
suffered from his guilt are compensated 
for the evil done to them by his        
repentance1 as to ask a ,buddhist to    
believe that a sinner can at the last   
moment make good to his own soul all the
 injuries caused to that soul by the    
wickedness of his life4  ,or suppose a  
man who has destroyed his constitution  

by excess to be by the very fact of     
acknowledging that excess restored to   
health4  ,the ,buddhist will not have   
that at all4 ,a man is what he makes    
himself2 and that making is a matter of 
terrible effort1 of unceasing endeavour 
towards the right1 of constant          
suppression of sin1 till sin be at last 
dead within him4 ,if a man has lived a  
wicked life1 he dies a wicked man1 and  
no wicked man can obtain the perfect    
rest of the sinless dead4 ,heaven is    
shut to him4 ,but if heaven is shut it  
is not shut for ever2 if hell may       
perhaps open to him it is only for a    
time1 only till he is purified and      
washed from the stain of his sins2 and  
then he can begin again1 and have       
another chance to win heaven4 ,if there 
is no immediate heaven there is no      
eternal hell1 and in due time all will  
reach heaven2 all will have learnt1     
through suffering1 the wisdom the       
,buddha has shown to us1 that only by a 
just life can men reach the ,great      

,peace even as he did4  ,so that if     
,buddhism has none of the consolation   
for the dying man that ,christianity    
holds out1 in the hope of heaven1 so it 
has none of the threats and terrors of  
our faith4 ,there is no fear of an angry
 ,judge--of a ,judge who is angry4  ,and
 yet when ,i came to think over the     
matter1 it seemed to me that surely     
there must be something to calm him in  
the face of death4 ,if ,buddhism does   
not furnish this consolation1 he must go
 elsewhere for it4 ,and ,i was not      
satisfied1 because ,i could find nothing
 in the sacred books about a man's      
death1 that therefore the creed of the  
people had ignored it4 ,a living creed  
must1 ,i was sure1 provide for this     
somehow4  ,so ,i went to a friend of    
mine1 a ,burman magistrate1 and ,i asked
 him3  ',when a man is dying1 what does 
he try to think of8 ,what do you say to 
comfort him that his last moments may be
 peace8 ,the monks do not come1 ,i      
know4'  ',the monks6' he said1 shaking  

his head2 'what could they do8'  ,i did 
not know4  ',can you do anything1' ,i   
asked1 'to cheer him8 ,do you speak to  
him of what may happen after death1 of  
hopes of another life8'  ',no one can   
tell1' said my friend1 'what will happen
 after death4 ,it depends on a man's    
life1 if he has done good or evil1 what 
his next existence will be1 whether he  
will go a step nearer to the ,peace4    
,when the man is dying no monks will    
come1 truly2 but an old man1 an old     
friend1 father1 perhaps1 or an elder of 
the village1 and he will talk to the    
dying man4 ,he will say1 ,think of your 
good deeds2 think of all that you have  
done well in this life4 ,think of your  
good deeds4'  ',what is the use of      
that8' ,i asked4 ',suppose you think of 
your good deeds1 what then8 ,will that  
bring peace8'  ,the ,burman seemed to   
think that it would4  ',nothing1' he    
said1 'was so calming to a man's soul as
 to think of even one deed he had done  
well in his life4'  ,think of the man   

dying4 ,the little house built of bamboo
 and thatch1 with an outer veranda1     
where the friends are sitting1 and the  
inner room1 behind a wall of bamboo     
matting1 where the man is lying4 ,a pot 
of flowers is standing on a shelf on one
 side1 and a few cloths are hung here   
and there beneath the brown rafters4    
,the sun comes in through little chinks 
in roof and wall1 making curious lights 
in the semi-darkness of the room1 and it
 is very hot4  ,from outside come the   
noises of the village1 cries of children
 playing1 grunts of cattle1 voices of   
men and women clearly heard through the 
still clear air of the afternoon4 ,there
 is a woman pounding rice near by with a
 steady thud1 thud of the lever1 and    
there is a clink of a loom where a girl 
is weaving ceaselessly4 ,all these      
sounds come into the house as if there  
were no walls at all1 but they are      
unheeded from long custom4  ,the man    
lies on a low bed with a fine mat spread
 under him for bedding4 ,his wife1 his  

grown-up children1 his sister1 his      
brother are about him1 for the time is  
short1 and death comes very quickly in  
the ,east4 ,they talk to him kindly and 
lovingly1 but they read to him no sacred
 books2 they give him no messages from  
the world to which he is bound2 they    
whisper to him no hopes of heaven4 ,he  
is tortured with no fears of everlasting
 hell4 ,yet life is sweet and death is  
bitter1 and it is hard to go2 and as he 
tosses to and fro in his fever there    
comes in to him an old friend1 the      
headman of the village perhaps1 with a  
white muslin fillet bound about his kind
 old head1 and he sits beside the dying 
man and speaks to him4  ',remember1' he 
says slowly and clearly1 'all those     
things that you have done well4 ,think  
of your good deeds4'  ,and as the sick  
man turns wearily1 trying to move his   
thoughts as he is bidden1 trying to     
direct the wheels of memory1 the old man
 helps him to remember4  ',think1' he   
says1 'of your good deeds1 of how you   

have given charity to the monks1 of how 
you have fed the poor4 ,remember how you
 worked and saved to build the little   
rest-house in the forest where the      
traveller stays and finds water for his 
thirst4 ,all these are pleasant things1 
and men will always be grateful to you4 
,remember your brother1 how you helped  
him in his need1 how you fed him and    
went security for him till he was able  
again to secure his own living4 ,you did
 well to him1 surely that is a pleasant 
thing4'  ,i do not think it difficult to
 see how the sick man's face will       
lighten1 how his eyes will brighten at  
the thoughts that come to him at the old
 man's words4 ,and he goes on3          
',remember when the squall came up the  
river and the boat upset when you were  
crossing here2 how it seemed as if no   
man could live alone in such waves1 and 
yet how you clung to and saved the boy  
who was with you1 swimming through the  
water that splashed over your head and  
very nearly drowned you4 ,the boy's     

father and mother have never forgotten  
that1 and they are even now mourning    
without in the veranda4 ,it is all due  
to you that their lives have not been   
full of misery and despair4 ,remember   
their faces when you brought their      
little son to them saved from death in  
the great river4 ,surely that is a      
pleasant thing4 ,remember your wife who 
is now with you2 how you have loved her 
and cherished her1 and kept faithful to 
her before all the world4 ,you have been
 a good husband to her1 and you have    
honoured her4 ,she loves you1 and you   
have loved her all your long life       
together4 ,surely that is a pleasant    
thing4'  ,yes1 surely these are pleasant
 things to have with one at the last4   
,surely a man will die easier with such 
memories as these before his eyes1 with 
love in those about him1 and the calm of
 good deeds in his dying heart4 ,if it  
be a different way of soothing a man's  
end from those which other nations use1 
is it the worse for that8  ,think of    

your good deeds4 ,it seems a new idea to
 me that in doing well in our life we   
are making for ourselves a pleasant     
death1 because of the memory of those   
things4 ,and if we have none8 or if evil
 so outnumbered the good deeds as to    
hide and overwhelm them1 what then8 ,a  
man's death will be terrible indeed if  
he cannot in all his days remember one  
good deed that he has done4  ',all a    
man's life comes before him at the hour 
of death1' said my informant2 'all1 from
 the earliest memory to the latest      
breath4 ,like a whole landscape called  
by a flash of lightning out of the dark 
night4 ,it is all there1 every bit of   
it1 good and evil1 pleasure and pain1   
sin and righteousness4'  ,a man cannot  
escape from his life even in death4 ,in 
our acts of to-day we are determining   
what our death will be2 if we have lived
 well1 we shall die well2 and if not1   
then not4 ,as a man lives so shall he   
die1 is the teaching of ,buddhism as of 
other creeds4  ,so what ,buddhism has to

 offer to the dying believer is this1   
that if he live according to its tenets 
he will die happily1 and that in the    
life that he will next enter upon he    
will be less and less troubled by sin1  
less and less wedded to the lust of     
life1 until sometime1 far away1 he shall
 gain the great ,deliverance4 ,he shall 
have perfect ,peace1 perfect rest1      
perfect happiness1 he and his1 in that  
heaven where his teacher went before him
 long ago4  ,and if we should say that  
this ,deliverance from life1 this ,great
 ,peace1 is ,death1 what matter1 if it  
be indeed ,peace8  ,,footnote3  #a      
,these five vows are3       #a4 ,not to 
take life4      #b4 ,to be honest4      
#c4 ,to tell the truth4      #d4 ,to    
abstain from intoxicants4      #e4      
,chastity4     ,,chapter ,,xxiii  ,,the 
,,potter',s ,,wheel       ',life is like
 a great whirlpool wherein we are dashed
 to and fro by      our                 
passions4'--,saying of the ,buddha4     
,it is a hard teaching1 this of the     

,buddha about death4 ,it is a teaching  
that may appeal to the reason1 but not  
to the soul1 that when life goes out1   
this thing which we call ',i' goes out  
with it1 and that love and remembrance  
are dead for ever4  ,it is so hard a    
teaching that in its purity the people  
cannot believe it4 ,they accept it1 but 
they have added on to it a belief which 
changes the whole form of it1 a belief  
that is the outcome of that weakness of 
humanity which insists that death is not
 and cannot be all4  ,though to the     
strict ,buddhist death is the end of all
 worldly passion1 to the ,burmese       
villager that is not so4 ,he cannot     
grasp1 he cannot endure that it should  
be so1 and he has made for himself out  
of ,buddhism a belief that is opposed to
 all ,buddhism in this matter4  ,he     
believes in the transmigration of souls1
 in the survival of the ',i4' ,the      
teaching that what survives is not the  
',i1' but only the result of its action1
 is too deep for him to hold4 ,true1 if 

a flame dies the effects that it has    
caused remain1 and the flame is dead for
 ever4 ,a new flame is a new flame4 ,but
 the ',i' of man cannot die1 he thinks2 
it lives and loves for all time4  ,he   
has made out of the teaching a new      
teaching that is very far from that of  
the ,buddha1 and the teaching is this3  
,when a man dies his soul remains1 his  
',i' has only changed its habitation4   
,still it lives and breathes on earth1  
not the effect1 but the soul itself4 ,it
 is reborn among us1 and it may even be 
recognised very often in its new abode4 
,and that we should never forget this1  
that we should never doubt that this is 
true1 it has been so ordered that many  
can remember something of these former  
lives of theirs4 ,this belief is not to 
a ,burman a mere theory1 but is as true 
as anything he can see4 ,for does he not
 daily see people who know of their     
former lives8 ,nay1 does he not himself1
 often vaguely1 have glimpses of that   
former life of his8 ,no man seems to be 

quite without it1 but of course it is   
clearer to some than others4 ,just as we
 tell stories in the dusk of ghosts and 
second sight1 so do they1 when the day's
 work is over1 gossip of stories of     
second birth2 only that they believe in 
them far more than we do in ghosts4  ,a 
friend of mine put up for the night once
 at a monastery far away in the forest  
near a small village4 ,he was travelling
 with an escort of mounted police1 and  
there was no place else to sleep but in 
the monastery4 ,the monk was1 as usual1 
hospitable1 and put what he had1 bare   
house-room1 at the officer's disposal1  
and he and his men settled down for the 
night4  ,after dinner a fire was built  
on the ground1 and the officer went and 
sat by it and talked to the headman of  
the village and the monk4 ,first they   
talked of the dacoits and of crops1     
unfailing subjects of interest1 and     
gradually they drifted from one subject 
to another till the ,englishman remarked
 about the monastery1 that it was a very

 large and fine one for such a small    
secluded village to have built4 ,the    
monastery was of the best and           
straightest teak1 and must1 he thought1 
have taken a very long time and a great 
deal of labour to build1 for the teak   
must have been brought from very far    
away2 and in explanation he was told a  
curious story4  ,it appeared that in the
 old days there used to be only a bamboo
 and grass monastery there1 such a      
monastery as most jungle villages have2 
and the then monk was distressed at the 
smallness of his abode and the little   
accommodation there was for his         
school--a monastery is always a school4 
,so one rainy season he planted with    
great care a number of teak seedlings   
round about1 and he watered them and    
cared for them4 ',when they are grown   
up1' he would say1 'these teak-trees    
shall provide timber for a new and      
proper building2 and ,i will myself     
return in another life1 and with those  
trees will ,i build a monastery more    

worthy than this4' ,teak-trees take a   
hundred years to reach a mature size1   
and while the trees were still but      
saplings the monk died1 and another monk
 taught in his stead4 ,and so it went   
on1 and the years went by1 and from time
 to time new monasteries of bamboo were 
built and rebuilt1 and the teak-trees   
grew bigger and bigger4 ,but the village
 grew smaller1 for the times were       
troubled1 and the village was far away  
in the forest4 ,so it happened that at  
last the village found itself without a 
monk at all3 the last monk was dead1 and
 no one came to take his place4  ,it is 
a serious thing for a village to have no
 monk4 ,to begin with1 there is no one  
to teach the lads to read and write and 
do arithmetic2 and there is no one to   
whom you can give offerings and thereby 
get merit1 and there is no one to preach
 to you and tell you of the sacred      
teaching4 ,so the village was in a bad  
way4  ,then at last one evening1 when   
the girls were all out at the well      

drawing water1 they were surprised by   
the arrival of a monk walking in from   
the forest1 weary with a long journey1  
footsore and hungry4 ,the villagers     
received him with enthusiasm1 fearing1  
however1 that he was but passing        
through1 and they furbished up the old  
monastery in a hurry for him to sleep   
in4 ,but the curious thing was that the 
monk seemed to know it all4 ,he knew the
 monastery and the path to it1 and the  
ways about the village1 and the names of
 the hills and the streams4 ,it seemed1 
indeed1 as if he must once have lived   
there in the village1 and yet no one    
knew him or recognised his face1 though 
he was but a young man still1 and there 
were villagers who had lived there for  
seventy years4 ,next morning1 instead of
 going on his way1 the monk came into   
the village with his begging-bowl1 as   
monks do1 and went round and collected  
his food for the day2 and in the        
evening1 when the villagers went to see 
him at the monastery1 he told them he   

was going to stay4 ,he recalled to them 
the monk who had planted the teak-trees1
 and how he had said that when the trees
 were grown he would return4 ',i1' said 
the young monk1 'am he that planted     
these trees4 ,lo1 they are grown up1 and
 ,i am returned1 and now we will build a
 monastery as ,i said4'  ,when the      
villagers1 doubting1 questioned him1 and
 old men came and talked to him of      
traditions of long-past days1 he        
answered as one who knew all4 ,he told  
them he had been born and educated far  
away in the ,south1 and had grown up not
 knowing who he had been2 and that he   
had entered a monastery1 and in time    
became a ,pongyi4 ,the remembrance came 
to him1 he went on1 in a dream of how he
 had planted the trees and had promised 
to return to that village far away in   
the forest4  ,the very next day he had  
started1 and travelled day after day and
 week upon week1 till at length he had  
arrived1 as they saw4 ,so the villagers 
were convinced1 and they set to work and

 cut down the great boles1 and built the
 monastery such as my friend saw4 ,and  
the monk lived there all his life1 and  
taught the children1 and preached the   
marvellous teaching of the great        
,buddha1 till at length his time came   
again and he returned2 for of monks it  
is not said that they die1 but that they
 return4  ,this is the common belief of 
the people4 ,into this has the mystery  
of ,dharma turned1 in the thoughts of   
the ,burmese ,buddhists1 for no one can 
believe the incomprehensible4 ,a man has
 a soul1 and it passes from life to     
life1 as a traveller from inn to inn1   
till at length it is ended in heaven4   
,but not till he has attained heaven in 
his heart will he attain heaven in      
reality4  ,many children1 the ,burmese  
will tell you1 remember their former    
lives4 ,as they grow older the memories 
die away and they forget1 but to the    
young children they are very clear4 ,i  
have seen many such4  ,about fifty years
 ago in a village named ,okshitgon were 

born two children1 a boy and a girl4    
,they were born on the same day in      
neighbouring houses1 and they grew up   
together1 and played together1 and loved
 each other4 ,and in due course they    
married and started a family1 and       
maintained themselves by cultivating    
their dry1 barren fields about the      
village4 ,they were always known as     
devoted to each other1 and they died as 
they had lived--together4 ,the same     
death took them on the same day2 so they
 were buried without the village and    
were forgotten2 for the times were      
serious4  ,it was the year after the    
,english army had taken ,mandalay1 and  
all ,burma was in a fury of             
insurrection4 ,the country was full of  
armed men1 the roads were unsafe1 and   
the nights were lighted with the flames 
of burning villages4 ,it was a bad time 
for peace-loving men1 and many such1    
fleeing from their villages1 took refuge
 in larger places nearer the centres of 
administration4  ,okshitgon was in the  

midst of one of the worst of all the    
distressed districts1 and many of its   
people fled1 and one of them1 a man     
named ,maung ,kan1 with his young wife  
went to the village of ,kabyu and lived 
there4  ,now1 ,maung ,kan's wife had    
born to him twin sons4 ,they were born  
at ,okshitgon shortly before their      
parents had to run away1 and they were  
named1 the eldest ,maung ,gyi1 which is 
,brother ,big-fellow1 and the younger   
,maung ,ng1 which means ,brother        
,little-fellow4 ,these lads grew up at  
,kabyu1 and soon learned to talk2 and as
 they grew up their parents were        
surprised to hear them calling to each  
other at play1 and calling each other1  
not ,maung ,gyi and ,maung ,ng1 but     
,maung ,san ,nyein and ,ma ,gywin4 ,the 
latter is a woman's name1 and the       
parents remembered that these were the  
names of the man and wife who had died  
in ,okshitgon about the time the        
children were born4  ,so the parents    
thought that the souls of the man and   

wife had entered into the children1 and 
they took them to ,okshitgon to try     
them4 ,the children knew everything in  
,okshitgon2 they knew the roads and the 
houses and the people1 and they         
recognised the clothes they used to wear
 in a former life2 there was no doubt   
about it4 ,one of them1 the younger1    
remembered1 too1 how she had borrowed   
two rupees once of a woman1 ,ma ,thet1  
unknown to her husband1 and left the    
debt unpaid4 ,ma ,thet was still living1
 and so they asked her1 and she         
recollected that it was true she had    
lent the money long ago4  ,shortly      
afterwards ,i saw these two children4   
,they are now just over six years old4  
,the elder1 into whom the soul of the   
man entered1 is a fat1 chubby little    
fellow1 but the younger twin is smaller1
 and has a curious dreamy look in his   
face1 more like a girl than a boy4 ,they
 told me much about their former lives4 
,after they died they said they lived   
for some time without a body at all1    

wandering in the air and hiding in the  
trees4 ,this was for their sins4 ,then1 
after some months1 they were born again 
as twin boys4 ',it used1' said the elder
 boy1 'to be so clear1 ,i could remember
 everything2 but it is getting duller   
and duller1 and ,i cannot now remember  
as ,i used to do4'  ,of children such as
 this you may find any number4 ,only you
 have to look for them1 as they are not 
brought forward spontaneously4 ,the     
,burmese1 like other people1 hate to    
have their beliefs and ideas ridiculed1 
and from experience they have learned   
that the object of a foreigner in       
inquiring into their ways is usually to 
be able to show by his contempt how very
 much cleverer a man he is than they    
are4 ,therefore they are very shy4 ,but 
once they understand that you only      
desire to learn and to see1 and that you
 will always treat them with courtesy   
and consideration1 they will tell you   
all that they think4  ,a fellow officer 
of mine has a ,burmese police orderly1 a

 young man about twenty1 who has been   
with him since he came to the district  
two years ago4 ,yet my friend only      
discovered accidentally the other day   
that his orderly remembers his former   
life4 ,he is very unwilling to talk     
about it4 ,he was a woman apparently in 
that former life1 and lived about twenty
 miles away4 ,he must have lived a good 
life1 for it is a step of promotion to  
be a man in this life2 but he will not  
talk of it4 ,he forgets most of it1 he  
says1 though he remembered it when he   
was a child4  ,sometimes this belief    
leads to lawsuits of a peculiarly       
difficult nature4 ,in #ahhc1 two years  
before the annexation of ,upper ,burma1 
there was a case that came into the     
local ,court of the oil district1 which 
depended upon this theory of            
transmigration4  ,opposite ,yenangyaung 
there are many large islands in the     
river4 ,these islands during the low    
water months are joined to the mainland1
 and are covered with a dense high grass

 in which many deer live4  ,when the    
river rises1 it rises rapidly1          
communication with the mainland is cut  
off1 and the islands are for a time1 in 
the higher rises1 entirely submerged4   
,during the progress of the first rise  
some hunters went to one of these       
islands where many deer were to be found
 and set fire to the grass to drive them
 out of cover1 shooting them as they    
came out4 ,some deer1 fleeing before the
 fire1 swam across and escaped1 others  
fell victims1 but one fawn1 barely half 
grown1 ran right down the island1 and in
 its blind terror it leaped into a boat 
at anchor there4 ,this boat was that of 
a fisherman who was plying his trade at 
some distance1 and the only occupant of 
the boat was his wife4 ,now this woman  
had a year or so before lost her son1   
very much loved by her1 but who was not 
quite of the best character1 and when   
she saw the deer leaping into the boat1 
she at once fancied that she saw the    
soul of her erring son looking at her   

out of its great terrified eyes4 ,so she
 got up and took the poor panting beast 
in her arms and soothed it1 and when the
 hunters came running to her to claim it
 she refused4 ',he is my son1' she said1
 'he is mine4 ,shall ,i give him up to  
death8' ,the hunters clamoured and      
threatened to take the deer by force1   
but the woman was quite firm4 ,she would
 never give him up except with her life4
 ',you can see1' she said1 'that it is  
true that he is my son4 ,he came running
 straight to me1 as he always did in his
 trouble when he was a boy1 and he is   
now quite quiet and contented1 instead  
of being afraid of me as an ordinary    
deer would be4' ,and it was quite true  
that the deer took to her at once1 and  
remained with her willingly4 ,so the    
hunters went off to the court of the    
governor and filed a suit for the deer4 
,the case was tried in open court1 and  
the deer was produced with a ribbon     
round its neck4 ,evidence there was     
naturally but little4 ,the hunters      

claimed the deer because they had driven
 it out of the island by their fire4    
,the woman resisted the claim on the    
ground that it was her son4  ,the       
decision of the court was this3  ',the  
hunters are not entitled to the deer    
because they cannot prove that the      
woman's son's soul is not in the animal4
 ,the woman is not entitled to the deer 
because she cannot prove that it is4    
,the deer will therefore remain with the
 court until some properly authenticated
 claim is put in4'  ,so the two parties 
were turned out1 the woman in bitter    
tears1 and the hunters angry and vexed1 
and the deer remained the property of   
the judge4  ,but this decision was      
against all ,burmese ideas of justice4  
,he should have given the deer to the   
woman4 ',he wanted it for himself1' said
 a ,burman1 speaking to me of the       
affair4 ',he probably killed it and ate 
it4 ,surely it is true that officials   
are of all the five evils the greatest4'
 ,then my friend remembered that ,i was 

myself an official1 and he looked       
foolish1 and began to make complimentary
 remarks about ,english officials1 that 
they would never give such an iniquitous
 decision4 ,i turned it off by saying   
that no doubt the judge was now         
suffering in some other life for the    
evil wrought in the last1 and the       
,burman said that probably he was now   
inhabiting a tiger4  ,it is very easy to
 laugh at such beliefs2 nothing is1     
indeed1 easier than to be witty at the  
expense of any belief4 ,it is also very 
easy to say that it is all              
self-deception1 that the children merely
 imagine that they remember their former
 lives1 or are citing conversation of   
their elders4  ,how this may be ,i do   
not know4 ,what is the explanation of   
this1 perhaps the only belief of which  
we have any knowledge which is at once a
 living belief to-day and was so as far 
back as we can get1 ,i do not pretend to
 say4 ,for transmigration is no theory  
of ,buddhism at all1 but was a leading  

tenet in the far older faith of         
,brahmanism1 of which ,buddhism was but 
an offshoot1 as was ,christianity of    
,judaism4  ,i have not1 indeed1 always  
attempted to reach the explanation of   
things ,i have seen4 ,when ,i have      
satisfied myself that a belief is really
 held by the people1 that ,i am not the 
subject of conscious deception1 either  
by myself or others1 ,i have conceived  
that my work was ended4  ,there are     
those who1 in investigating any foreign 
customs and strange beliefs1 can put    
their finger here and say1 ',this is    
where they are right'2 and there and    
say1 ',this belief is foolishly wrong   
and idiotic4' ,i am not1 unfortunately1 
one of these writers4 ,i have no such   
confident belief in my own infallibility
 of judgment as to be able to sit on    
high and say1 ',here is truth1 and here 
is error4'  ,i will leave my readers to 
make their own judgment1 if they desire 
to do so2 only asking them 7as they     
would not like their own beliefs to be  

scoffed and sneered at7 that they will  
treat with respect the sincere beliefs  
of others1 even if they cannot accept   
them4 ,it is only in this way that we   
can come to understand a people and to  
sympathize with them4  ,it is hardly    
necessary to emphasize the enormous     
effect that a belief in transmigration  
such as this has upon the life and      
intercourse of the people4 ,of their    
kindness to animals ,i have spoken      
elsewhere1 and it is possible this      
belief in transmigration has something  
to do with it1 but not1 ,i think1 much4 
,for if you wished to illtreat an       
animal1 it would be quite easy1 even    
more easy1 to suppose that an enemy or a
 murderer inhabited the body of the     
animal1 and that you were but carrying  
out the decrees of fate by ill-using it4
 ,but when you love an animal1 it may   
increase that love and make it          
reasonable1 and not a thing to be       
ashamed of2 and it brings the animal    
world nearer to you in general1 it      

bridges over the enormous void between  
man and beast that other religions have 
made4 ,nothing humanizes a man more than
 love of animals4  ,i do not know if    
this be a paradox1 ,i know that it is a 
truth4  ,there was one point that       
puzzled me for a time in some of these  
stories of transmigration1 such as the  
one ,i told about the man and wife being
 reborn twins4 ,it was this3 ,a man dies
 and leaves behind children1 let us say1
 to whom he is devoutly attached4 ,he is
 reborn in another family in the same   
village1 maybe4 ,it would be natural to 
suppose that he would love his former   
family as much as1 or even more than1   
his new one4 ,complications might arise 
in this way which it is easy to conceive
 would cause great and frequent         
difficulties4  ,i explained this to a   
,burman one day1 and asked him what     
happened1 and this is what he said3     
',the affection of mother to son1 of    
husband to wife1 of brother to sister1  
belongs entirely to the body in which   

you may happen to be living4 ,when it   
dies1 so do these affections4 ,new      
affections arise from the new body4 ,the
 flesh of the son1 being of one with his
 father1 of course loves him2 but as his
 present flesh has no sort of connection
 with his former one1 he does not love  
those to whom he was related in his     
other lives4 ,these affections are as   
much a part of the body as the hand or  
the eyesight2 with one you put off the  
other4'  ,thus all love1 to the learned1
 even the purest affection of daughter  
to mother1 of man to his friend1 is in  
theory a function of the body--with the 
one we put off the other2 and this may  
explain1 perhaps1 something of what my  
previous chapter did not make quite     
clear1 that in the hereafter#b of       
,buddhism there is no affection4  ,when 
we have put off all bodies1 when we have
 attained ,nirvana1 love and hate1      
desire and repulsion1 will have fallen  
from us for ever4  ,meanwhile1 in each  
life1 we are obliged to endure the      

affections of the body into which we may
 be born4 ,it is the first duty of a    
monk1 of him who is trying to lead the  
purer life1 to kill all these           
affections1 or rather to blend them into
 one great compassion to all the world  
alike4 ',gayna1' compassion1 that is the
 only passion that will be left to us4  
,so say the learned4  ,i met a little   
girl not long ago1 a wee little maiden  
about seven years old1 and she told me  
all about her former life when she was a
 man4 ,her name was ,maung ,mon1 she    
said1 and she used to work the dolls in 
a travelling marionette show4 ,it was   
through her knowledge and partiality for
 marionettes that it was first          
suspected1 her parents told me1 whom she
 had been in her former life4 ,she could
 even as a sucking-child manipulate the 
strings of a marionette-doll4 ,but the  
actual discovery came when she was about
 four years old1 and she recognised a   
certain marionette booth and dolls as   
her own4 ,she knew all about them1 knew 

the name of each doll1 and even some of 
the words they used to say in the plays4
 ',i was married four times1' she told  
me4 ',two wives died1 one ,i divorced2  
one was living when ,i died1 and is     
living still4 ,i loved her very much    
indeed4 ,the one ,i divorced was a      
dreadful woman4 ,see1' pointing to a    
scar on her shoulder1 'this was given me
 once in a quarrel4 ,she took up a      
chopper and cut me like this4 ,then ,i  
divorced her4 ,she had a dreadful       
temper4'  ,it was immensely quaint to   
hear this little thing discoursing like 
this4 ,the mark was a birth-mark1 and ,i
 was assured that it corresponded       
exactly with one that had been given to 
the man by his wife in just such a      
quarrel as the one the little girl      
described4  ,the divorced wife and the  
much-loved wife are still alive and not 
yet old4 ,the last wife wanted the      
little girl to go and live with her4 ,i 
asked her why she did not go4  ',you    
loved her so much1' ,i said4 ',she was  

such a good wife to you4 ,surely you    
would like to live with her again4'     
',but all that1' she replied1 'was in a 
former life4'  ,now she loved only her  
present father and mother4 ,the last    
life was like a dream4 ,broken memories 
of it still remained1 but the loves and 
hates1 the passions and impulses1 were  
all dead4  ,another little boy told me  
once that the way remembrance came to   
him was by seeing the silk he used to   
wear made into curtains1 which are given
 to the monks and used as partitions in 
their monasteries1 and as walls to      
temporary erections made at festival    
times4 ,he was taken when some three    
years old to a feast at the making of a 
lad1 the son of a wealthy merchant1 into
 a monk4 ,there he recognised in the    
curtain walling in part of the bamboo   
building his old dress4 ,he pointed it  
out at once4  ,this same little fellow  
told me that he passed three months     
between his death and his next          
incarnation without a body4 ,this was   

because he had once accidentally killed 
a fowl4 ,had he killed it on purpose1 he
 would have been punished very much more
 severely4 ,most of this three months he
 spent dwelling in the hollow shell of a
 palm-fruit4 ,the nuisance was1 he      
explained1 that this shell was close to 
the cattle-path1 and that the lads as   
they drove the cattle afield in the     
early morning would bang with a stick   
against the shell4 ,this made things    
very uncomfortable for him inside4  ,it 
is not an uncommon thing for a woman    
when about to be delivered of a baby to 
have a dream1 and to see in that dream  
the spirit of someone asking for        
permission to enter the unborn child2   
for1 to a certain extent1 it lies within
 a woman's power to say who is to be the
 life of her child4  ,there was a woman 
once who loved a young man1 not of her  
village1 very dearly4 ,and he loved her1
 too1 as dearly as she loved him1 and he
 demanded her in marriage from her      
parents2 but they refused4 ,why they    

refused ,i do not know1 but probably    
because they did not consider the young 
man a proper person for their daughter  
to marry4 ,then he tried to run away    
with her1 and nearly succeeded1 but they
 were caught before they got clear of   
the village4  ,the young man had to     
leave the neighbourhood4 ,the attempted 
abduction of a girl is an offence       
severely punishable by law1 so he fled2 
and in time1 under pressure from her    
people1 the girl married another man2   
but she never forgot4 ,she lived with   
her husband quite happily2 he was good  
to her1 as most ,burmese husbands are1  
and they got along well enough together4
 ,but there were no children4  ,after   
some years1 four or five1 ,i believe1   
the former lover returned to his        
village4 ,he thought that after this    
lapse of time he would be safe from     
prosecution1 and he was1 moreover1 very 
ill4  ,he was so ill that very soon he  
died1 without ever seeing again the girl
 he was so fond of2 and when she heard  

of his death she was greatly distressed1
 so that the desire of life passed away 
from her4 ,it so happened that at this  
very time she found herself enceinte    
with her first child1 and not long      
before the due time came for the child  
to be born she had a dream4  ,she dreamt
 that her soul left her body1 and went  
out into space and met there the soul of
 her lover who had died4 ,she was       
rejoiced to meet him again1 full of     
delight1 so that the return of her soul 
to her body1 her awakening to a world in
 which he was not1 filled her with      
despair4 ,so she prayed her lover1 if it
 was now time for him again to be       
incarnated1 that he would come to       
her--that his soul would enter the body 
of the little baby soon about to be     
born1 so that they two might be together
 in life once more4  ,and in the dream  
the lover consented4 ,he would come1 he 
said1 into the child of the woman he    
loved4  ,when the woman awoke she       
remembered it all1 and the desire of    

life returned to her again1 and all the 
world was changed because of the new    
life she felt within her4 ,but she told 
no one then of the dream or of what was 
to happen4  ,only she took the greatest 
care of herself2 she ate well1 and went 
frequently to the pagoda with flowers1  
praying that the body in which her lover
 was about to dwell might be fair and   
strong1 worthy of him who took it1      
worthy of her who gave it4  ,in due time
 the baby was born4 ,but alas and alas  
for all her hopes6 ,the baby came but   
for a moment1 to breathe a few short    
breaths1 to cry1 and to die2 and a few  
hours later the woman died also4 ,but   
before she went she told someone all    
about it1 all about the dream and the   
baby1 and that she was glad to go and   
follow her lover4 ,she said that her    
baby's soul was her lover's soul1 and   
that as he could not stay1 neither would
 she2 and with these words on her lips  
she followed him out into the void4     
,the story was kept a secret until the  

husband died1 not long afterwards2 but  
when ,i came to the village all the     
people knew it4  ,i must confess that   
this story is to me full of the deepest 
reality1 full of pathos4 ,it seems to me
 to be the unconscious protestation of  
humanity against the dogmas of religion 
and of the learned4 ,however it may be  
stated that love is but one of the      
bodily passions that dies with it2      
however1 even in some of the stories    
themselves1 this explanation is used to 
clear certain difficulties2 however     
opposed eternal love may be to one of   
the central doctrines of ,buddhism1 it  
seems to me that the very essence of    
this story is the belief that love does 
not die with the body1 that it lives for
 ever and ever1 through incarnation     
after incarnation4 ,such a story is the 
very cry of the agony of humanity4      
',love is strong as death2 many waters  
cannot quench love2' ay1 and love is    
stronger than death4 ,not any dogmas of 
any religion1 not any philosophy1       

nothing in this world1 nothing in the   
next1 shall prevent him who loves from  
the certainty of rejoining some time the
 soul he loves4  ,,footnote3  #b ,the   
hereafter  the state to which we attain 
when we have done with earthly things4  
,,chapter ,,xxiv  ,,the ,,forest ,,of   
,,time       ',the gate of that forest  
was ,death4'   ,there was a great       
forest4 ,it was full of giant trees that
 grew so high and were so thick overhead
 that the sunshine could not get down   
below4 ,and there were huge creepers    
that ran from tree to tree climbing     
there1 and throwing down great loops of 
rope4 ,under the trees1 growing along   
the ground1 were smaller creepers full  
of thorns1 that tore the wayfarer and   
barred his progress4 ,the forest1 too1  
was full of snakes that crept along the 
ground1 so like in their gray and yellow
 skins to the earth they travelled on   
that the traveller trod upon them       
unawares and was bitten2 and some so    
beautiful with coral red and golden bars

 that men would pick them up as some    
dainty jewel till the snake turned upon 
them4  ,here and there in this forest   
were little glades wherein there were   
flowers4 ,beautiful flowers they were1  
with deep white cups and broad glossy   
leaves hiding the purple fruit2 and some
 had scarlet blossoms that nodded to and
 fro like drowsy men1 and there were    
long festoons of white stars4 ,the air  
there was heavy with their scent4 ,but  
they were all full of thorns1 only you  
could not see the thorns till after you 
had plucked the blossom4  ,this wood was
 pierced by roads4 ,many were very      
broad1 leading through the forest in    
divers ways1 some of them stopping now  
and then in the glades1 others avoiding 
them more or less1 but none of them were
 straight4 ,always1 if you followed     
them1 they bent and bent until after    
much travelling you were where you      
began2 and the broader the road1 the    
softer the turf beneath it2 the sweeter 
the glades that lined it1 the quicker   

did it turn4  ,one road there was that  
went straight1 but it was far from the  
others4 ,it led among the rocks and     
cliffs that bounded one side of the     
valley4 ,it was very rough1 very far    
from all the glades in the lowlands4 ,no
 flowers grew beside it1 there was no   
moss or grass upon it1 only hard sharp  
rocks4 ,it was very narrow1 bordered    
with precipices4  ,there were many      
lights in this wood1 lights that flamed 
out like sunsets and died1 lights that  
came like lightning in the night and    
were gone4 ,this wood was never quite   
dark1 it was so full of these lights    
that flickered aimlessly4  ,there were  
men in this wood who wandered to and    
fro4 ,the wood was full of them4  ,they 
did not know whither they went2 they did
 not know whither they wished to go4    
,only this they knew1 that they could   
never keep still2 for the keeper of this
 wood was ,time4 ,he was armed with a   
keen whip1 and kept driving them on and 
on2 there was no rest4  ,many of these  

when they first came loved the wood4    
,the glades1 they said1 were very       
beautiful1 the flowers very sweet4 ,they
 wandered down the broad roads into the 
glades1 and tried to lie upon the moss  
and love the flowers2 but ,time would   
not let them4 ,just for a few moments   
they could have peace1 and then they    
must on and on4 ,but they did not care4 
',the forest is full of glades1' they   
said2 'if we cannot live in one1 we can 
find another4' ,and so they went on     
finding others and others1 and each one 
pleased them less4  ,some few there were
 who did not go to the glades at all4   
',they are very beautiful1' they said1  
'but these roads that pass through them1
 whither do they lead8 ,round and round 
and round again4 ,there is no peace     
there4 ,time rules in those glades1     
,time with his whip and goad1 and there 
is no peace4 ,what we want is rest4 ,and
 those lights1' they said1 'they are    
wandering lights1 like the summer       
lightning far down in the ,south1 moving

 hither and thither4 ,we care not for   
such lights4 ,our light is firm and     
clear4 ,what we desire is peace2 we do  
not care to wander for ever round this  
forest1 to see for ever those shifting  
lights4'  ,and so they would not go down
 the winding roads1 but essayed the path
 upon the cliffs4 ',it is narrow1' they 
said1 'it has no flowers1 it is full of 
rocks1 but it is straight4 ,it will lead
 us somewhere1 not round and round and  
round again--it will take us somewhere4 
,and there is a light1' they said1      
'before us1 the light of a star4 ,it is 
very small now1 but it is always steady2
 it never flickers or wanes4 ,it is the 
star of ,truth4 ,under that star we     
shall find that which we seek4'  ,and so
 they went upon their road1 toiling upon
 the rocks1 falling now and then1       
bleeding with wounds from the sharp     
points1 sore-footed1 but strong-hearted4
 ,and ever as they went they were       
farther and farther from the forest1    
farther and farther from the glades and 

the flowers with deadly scents2 they    
heard less and less the crack of the    
whip of ,time falling upon the          
wanderers' shoulders4  ,the star grew   
nearer and nearer1 the light grew       
greater and greater1 the false lights   
died behind them1 until at last they    
came out of the forest1 and there they  
found the lake that washes away all     
desire under the sun of ,truth4  ,they  
had won their way4 ,time and ,life and  
,fight and ,struggle were behind them1  
could not follow them1 as they came1    
weary and footsore1 into the ,great     
,peace4  ,and of those who were left    
behind1 of those who stayed in the      
glades to gather the deadly flowers1 to 
be driven ever forward by the whip of   
,time--what of them8 ,surely they will  
learn4 ,the kindly whip of ,time is     
behind3 he will never let them rest in  
such a deadly forest2 they must go ever 
forward2 and as they go they grow more  
and more weary1 the glades are more and 
more distasteful1 the heavy-scented     

blossoms more and more repulsive4 ,they 
will find out the thorns too4 ,at first 
they forgot the thorns in the flowers4  
',the blossoms are beautiful1' they     
said2 'what care we for the thorns8     
,nay1 the thorns are good4 ,it is a     
pleasure to fight with them4 ,what would
 the forest be without its thorns8 ,if  
we could gather the flowers and find no 
thorns1 we should not care for them4    
,the more the thorns1 the more valuable 
the blossoms4'  ,so they said1 and they 
gathered the blossoms1 and they faded4  
,but the thorns did not fade2 they were 
ever there4 ,the more blossoms a man had
 gathered1 the more thorns he had to    
wear1 and ,time was ever behind him4    
,they wanted to rest in the glades1 but 
,time willed that ever they must go     
forward2 no going back1 no rest1 ever   
and ever on4 ,so they grew very weary4  
',these flowers1' they said at last1    
'are always the same4 ,we are tired of  
them2 their smell is heavy2 they are    
dead4 ,this forest is full of thorns    

only4 ,how shall we escape from it8     
,ever as we go round and round we hate  
the flowers more1 we feel the thorns    
more acutely4 ,we must escape6 ,we are  
sick of ,time and his whip1 our feet are
 very1 very weary1 our eyes are dazzled 
and dim4 ,we1 too1 would seek the       
,peace4 ,we laughed at those before who 
went along the rocky path2 we did not   
want peace2 but now it seems to us the  
most beautiful thing in the world4 ,will
 ,time never cease to drive us on and   
on8 ,will these lights never cease to   
flash to and fro8'  ,each man at last   
will turn to the straight road4 ,he will
 find out4 ,every man will find out at  
last that the forest is hateful1 that   
the flowers are deadly1 that the thorns 
are terrible2 every man will learn to   
fear ,time4  ,then1 when the longing for
 peace has come1 he will go to the      
straight way and find it2 no man will   
remain in the forest for ever4 ,he will 
learn4 ,when he is very1 very weary1    
when his feet are full of thorns1 and   

his back scarred with the lashes of     
,time--great1 kindly ,time1 the         
schoolmaster of the world--he will      
learn4  ,not till he has learnt will he 
desire to enter into the straight road4 
,but in the end all men will come4 ,we  
at the last shall all meet together     
where ,time and ,life shall be no more4 
,this is a ,burman allegory of          
,buddhism4 ,it was told me long ago4 ,i 
trust ,i have not spoilt it in the      
retelling4     ,,chapter ,,xxv          
,,conclusion   ,this is the end of my   
book4 ,i have tried always as ,i wrote  
to remember the principles that ,i laid 
down for myself in the first chapter4   
,whether ,i have always done so ,i      
cannot say4 ,it is so difficult1 so very
 difficult1 to understand a people--any 
people--to separate their beliefs from  
their assents1 to discover the motives  
of their deeds1 that ,i fear ,i must    
often have failed4  ,my book is short4  
,it would have been easy to make a book 
out of each chapter1 to write volumes on

 each great subject that ,i have touched
 on2 but ,i have not done so--,i have   
always been as brief as ,i could4  ,i   
have tried always to illustrate only the
 central thought1 and not the           
innumerable divergencies1 because only  
so can a great or strange thought be    
made clear4 ,later1 when the thought is 
known1 then it is easy to stray into the
 byways of thought1 always remembering  
that they are byways1 wandering from a  
great centre4  ,for the ,burman's life  
and belief is one great whole4  ,i      
thought before ,i began to write1 and ,i
 have become more and more certain of it
 as ,i have taken up subject after      
subject1 that to all the great          
differences of thought between them and 
us there is one key4 ,and this key is   
that they believe the world is governed 
by eternal laws1 that have never        
changed1 that will never change1 that   
are founded on absolute righteousness2  
while we believe in a personal ,god1    
altering laws1 and changing moralities  

according to ,his will4  ,if ,i were to 
rewrite this book1 ,i should do so from 
this standpoint of eternal laws1 making 
the book an illustration of the         
proposition4  ,perhaps it is better as  
it is1 in that ,i have discovered the   
key at the end of my work instead of at 
the beginning4 ,i did not write the book
 to prove the proposition1 but in       
writing the book this truth has become  
apparent to me4  ,the more ,i have      
written1 the clearer has this teaching  
become to me1 until now ,i wonder that  
,i did not understand long ago--nay1    
that it has not always been apparent to 
all men4  ,surely it is the beginning of
 all wisdom4  ,not until we had         
discarded ,atlas and substituted        
gravity1 until we had forgotten         
,enceladus and learned the laws of heat1
 until we had rejected ,thor and his    
hammer and searched after the laws of   
electricity1 could science make any     
strides onward4  ,an irresponsible      
spirit playing with the world as his toy

 killed all science4  ,but now science  
has learned a new wisdom1 to look only  
at what it can see1 to leave vain       
imaginings to children and idealists1   
certain always that the truth is        
inconceivably more beautiful than any   
dream4  ,science with us has gained her 
freedom1 but the soul is still in bonds4
  ,only in ,buddhism has this           
soul-freedom been partly gained4 ,how   
beautiful this is1 how full of great    
thoughts1 how very different to the     
barren materialism it has often been    
said to be1 ,i have tried to show4  ,i  
believe myself that in this teaching of 
the laws of righteousness we have the   
grandest conception1 the greatest       
wisdom1 the world has known4  ,i believe
 that in accepting this conception we   
are opening to ourselves a new world of 
unimaginable progress1 in justice1 in   
charity1 in sympathy1 and in love4  ,i  
believe that as our minds1 when freed   
from their bonds1 have grown more and   
more rapidly to heights of thought      

before undreamed of1 to truths eternal1 
to beauty inexpressible1 so shall our   
souls1 when freed1 as our minds now are1
 rise to sublimities of which now we    
have no conception4  ,let each man but  
open his eyes and see1 and his own soul 
shall teach him marvellous things4      
,,the ,,end4   ,,billing ,,and ,,sons1  
,,printers1 ,,guildford4