The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-03-21

ding ring. fThe lower part OF the ST. IL
ture is much like a beehive. II Ia ter
raced around as it goes upward, grow
ing smaller and smaller until it ends in
the spire.
Eight Holy Hairs of the Prophet
The monument stands over certain
relics of Buddha. including eight hairs
which the prophet pulled from his head,
and gave to the two Burmese brothers
who planted them here. That was many
years ago, and since then the followers
of Buddha have come here to worship.
The first pagoda was crested on the site
5SS years before Christ was born, and the
present structure was already IN place
100 years before Boston was founded.
Today the Buddhists consider 1t an al
most sure passport to heaven to erect
small pagoda about the base Of the great
Shwe Dagon; and now there are nun
dreds of little temples. most exquisitely
carved and often plated With gold, run
ming clear around the great monument.
These are on the average, l should say,
something like 30 feet high. ending
In spires plated with gold. They are
much like chapels. and inside each or
them is a sitting statue of Buddha, often
of more than life size. Some of these
statutes are gold plated. others are or
silver, and not few of alabaster or
marble. They hug the base of the
mighty pagoda. es.a- -
Third Biggest He'll of the World
; Round the edge of the platform. leav-
ing a court several hundred feet wide
between. are other temples of exquisite
carving. some of which have reclining
Buddhas a hundred or more feet In
length and at the back at one corner Is
the great Buddhist bell, which Is said to
be the tbrd largest Of its kind in the
world ItAkveighs AZ tons, and 1t would
take something like so horses to haul
1t if it could be put upon wheels and
dragged over the roads. 1t is so thick
that the yelow-gowned priest who acts
as my guide can just touch the In
side of the rim with his fingers while
the outside rests in the crook of his ell
bow He strikes 1t with deer horn and
the sound booms out on the air.
This bell was presented to Buddha by
a native king about 20 years ago. When
the English took the country they
decided to carry 1t off to London as
trophy. They got the bell down as far
as the Irawadi river. but in attempting
to load it on vessel it fell into the
stream and their engineers could not
raise il again. Upon this, some Burmans
came up and asked II they might have
the bell If they. could put 1t back in its
splace. The English with sneer. granted
their requests having no idea that they
could succeed The. Burfnans went at
once to work. They used no machinery,
but by means of thousands of men work.
ing together they lifted the great mass
up the banks and carried it back to
where it now stands on Pagoda Hill.
Buddhists Mt Prayer
But let us stroll around the pagoda plat
form and have a look at the people at
prayers. All the worshiping Is done In the
open. There are scores of men. women
and children kneeling on the bare bricks.
Their hands are folded and they look up
at the spire as they pray. They are
not idolaters. They do not worship the
spire nor the images. but come to this
holy place to renew their vows. to think
upon Buddha and repent of their sins.
Their worship is real. See this woman
kneeling here at my right. Her pink silk
gown is wrapped tightly about her body,
and her bare feet stick out behind. She
is rising and falling and counting her
beads as she sings out her prayers. She
has flowers in her hands, and as we watch
she rises and lays them the lap of
Buddha in one of the chapelss
On the other side of us are three Bud
dhist nuns. They are dressed in plain
yellow cotton and have little more than a
sheet of this stuff wrapped around them
Their heads are shaved =close. They hold
out cloths. upon which the people throw
offerings as they pass by. Each nun has
a rosary about her neck. and she tells her
beads as she prays.
Women and Their Sins
The Buddhist religion takes but small
account of women, and the rules are
such that monk cannot reside under
the. with MN Jo
travel in cart or boat with a woman
and one of the books of the law says
that he must not touch her. and that IL
any woman, even his mother, should fall
into a ditch. he must not offer his hand
to help her out. He may hold forth a
stick. but If she grasps it he must imag-
Inc he is pulling at log. of wood. Ac-
cording to q Buddhist saying the sins of
the worst man are 1000 times less than
those of the best woman that ever lived
Nevertheless there are numerous con-
vents all over this country, and nuns are
everywhere found.
We see many priests worshippine about
the pagoda. Here comes one now. He
must be 60 years old, and his brown face
is withered, his neck shrunken and his
thin legs seem to totter He is clad only
in two strips of bright yellow cotton
his right shoulder and arm being bare
In his left hand is a pair of old sandals
the sweaty outlines of his foot marked
on the yellow leather. and in his right
he carries a small bunch of roses He
kneels on the bricks with the tropical
sun beating down upon his shaved head
and holds up the flowers as he prays
After time he goes to chapel and lays
them on the knees of a great golden
Buddha ae
There are many family parties praying
men. women and children knee,ing to-
gether They all act as though their re-
ligion was one OF rejoicing. They laugh
and smoke on their way to and from
prayers. They hold their heads high and
are evidently proud of both Buddha and
Burma.
superstitious Worshipers
But what is this coming around the
corner from the other side of the great
golden spire. 1t is a middle-aged man.
alternately rising and falling He wears
a. turban and waist cloth, and his skin is
as dark as that of a negro. He is a
Buddhist from India and he must have
something of the Hindu in his religion.
for he is prostrating himself on the brick
platform and measuring the distance
around the pagoda with his half-naked
FORM, saying a prayer every time he
spreads himself out with his face to the
bricks He lies fiat on the floor and
puts his arms far out as he can reach,
stretching every muscle from the ends
OF his toes to the tips of his fingers. He
presses his fingers hard upon the bricks,
and marks the limit of, reach with a
| candle. He then rises and walks to this
candle. He picks 1t up and then pros
trates himself once more on his face and
prays. using the candle to mark the spot
where his finger-tips rest. He goes fast.
l,the whole circuit of the pagoda being
| covered in less than an hour. We watch