The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-05-29

the smaller ~pagodas. viewed from the
~centtal one. present an imposing spec
tacle. These %pagodas are well kept.
and all the buildings are snowy white.
/ emphasize the fact that these are n
good repair. because 50 many OF the
Buddhist pagodas il monastcrieS ave
in a state Of decay. Whether this IS
due to decrease i'll the zeal Of the fol
lowers Of Budha. or 10 the fact that
the Burmese king. ThebaW. has for
more han 20 years been a political
prisoner on the west coast Of India. |
do not know. \. writer for one Of the
RangOOn newspapers. naively deScrib-
ed the annexation Of Burma by the
English as necessary n this me-
cessity" has deprived the Buddhist
buildings Of the governmental patron
age which they formerly enjoyed.
About six miles above MandaIay.
near the Irrawaddy, stands the foun-
dalton of a pagoda which its builder
intended should be the largest in the
wocld. 1t was begun by King BOdo-
paya in 1890. after an unsuccessful
campaign against Siam. In his disap-
pointment his mind turned to religion
and he hoped TO acquire merit as
the BudhistS say. By the erection of
q temple.
The structure begins with -four gal
tICflGE. the nrSt Is Dbb 1eGt square. ana
each succeeding one is a little higher.
but 50 feet less in diameter. Then he
base of the pagoda roper. about $50
feet. The entire building as planned.
feet. The entire building as pltnned,
would have reached to a height of 500
feet, but The labor expended had be-
Tonne so great that the people COM
planned and he was compelled to
abandon his enterprise. He was warn
ed by the experience of a former king.
whose extravaganza gave rise to the
proverb, 'The pagoda is finished and
the country is ruined" King Bodo-
paya is not the only captain of in
dustry' who has attempted TO "ac-
quire merit by constructing monu-
nental buildings with the labor Of
others. but he was not SO successful
as some of our trust magnatcS have
been.
To match this great pagoda a bell
was cast, Weighing 80 tons. said to
be the largest sound bell in the world.
The great bell of Moscow is larger.
but is cracked, The Mingoon bell. as
this one near Mandaly is called, is IS
foot in diameter at the base, nine feet
at the top, and 81 feet in height to
the top Of the shacklc. 1t was form
erIy supported on immense teak wood
beams. but the foundation of one Of
these gave way and for years one
side Of the bell rested on the grouK,d.
Lord Curzon. while viceroy of India.
caused the bell to be suspended from
iron beams and put a roof over it.
The Buddhist priests seem to have
made M~andalay their mecca. for of tie"
1000 in Burma more than 1000 re-.
side there. The Buddhist priesthood is
the greatest mendicant order in the
world. the members of it being pledg-
ed to live by begging. Having occa-
sion to ride out early one morning We
saw 100 or more, b~areheaded, bare
footed. their only garb being a yelolw
robe, carrying their rice bowls from
door to door. They cannot ask for
food by word of mouth. they simply
hold out the bowl and if food is de
MED. they move silently to another
house. They are permitted to own no
property except a robe, a bowl, a
leather mat, a razor, a needle. a fan
and 4 filter-cup. They must live un-
der a tree unless some one furnishes
them a house, and must live on roots
and herbs unless better food is given
them. They have no parishes or con-
gregations. but are expected to spend
their lives in meditation, free from all
worldly cares, except when engaged
in eXpounding Budhistic writing, or
in teaching the young. They live. IS
q rule, in mOnasterieS. built for them
by pious Budhists. and from what we
NdN VI titSe DulltiiSS, ho oit Npulb
ccuse them of being surrounded by
luxury. These monasteries rest upon
posts some distance above the ground
and each room has an outside door
about large enough for one to enter
upon his hands and knees.
| visited one of these mOnaSteries at
Rangoon in company with a native
Christian whose father was half Chi
neSe. To my surprise the first priest
whom | met was an Englishman, who
turned Buddhist five years g and
donned the yellow robe. While |
waited for the native priest. to whom
! had a letter, this Englishman gave
me something Of his history a
brief defense of his new faith. He
came from London six years g as a
ship carpented and a year after adopt
ed Buddhism. which, he explained to
me, does not require one to believe
anything. While his parents We're
members of the Church Of England he
bad never connected himself With any
church and. being an agnostic. the
doctrines of Buddha appealed to him.
He described his adopted religion as
one of works rather than of faith and
declared that the Sums Of Christen-
dom had no counterpart in Burma.
The visitor. however. sees everywhere
poverty and squalor which can only be
raralleled in the most destitute por-
tons of our great cities. n nowhere
the comfort n refinement which are
general in the United States.
Buddhism is reformed Hinduism and
in its teachings presents a higher sys-
tenn Of ethics than the religion from
which it sprung. Cautama. called the
Buddha or the Enlightened. was born
between 500 and 500 years before
Christ, and was of the Brahmin caste.
Not satisfied with the teachings of the
Hindu philosopher concerning life. he
went into SecluSion at the age of -
and deNOted himself to meditation. Six
years later he announced his doctrines.
destined to impress SO profoundly the
thought Of the Orient. Accepting the
Hindu theory that the soul passes
from person to person. and even from
the human being to the animal and
back. he offered NirVana as a final re-
lease from this tiresome and endless
change-Niryana. a state of uncon-
seriousness which follows the ebsorp-
ton of the individual sou in the soul
of The universe. This was the end 10 /