Another funeral scene. It is that of a Buddhist monk in Burma--a
_Hpongyi_. The whole countryside is present. In clothing of exquisite
silk, resembling a brilliant swarm of butterflies, the people surround
the great catafalque, blazing with tinsel and gold leaf, on which lies
the embalmed body of the monk. After a time the coffin is taken down
and a programme of merry-making begins. The young bloods of the
village to which the monk has belonged, range themselves in two
carefully picked teams on either side of it. Then begins a tug-of-war
with the body in its coffin, the victorious team treating the defeated
to drinks, and to side shows at the little booths which cluster round,
awaiting custom. These and other contests make a glad and joyful scene
at which all the people rejoice, for has not the good man been
released from this transient life (which, nevertheless, is good and
satisfying while blood is hot and youth endures)? Has he not returned
to a life of glory, and won much merit for his own folk and for all
the faithful?
In due time the body is restored to its resting place on the funeral
pyre, the fire is lighted, and the whole mass flares up in flame and
smoke, consuming not only the body, but along with it the decorations,
including paintings of numerous demons, among whom may be an
Englishman with a gun! Only demons could kill for sport! When it is
consumed, the crowd disperses with shouts of merriment, well content,
not least among the others the relatives of the departed. A good show
has been staged, the dead has been honoured, the family name has been
distinguished, and everybody is satisfied. If for the next year or
more the family exchequer has been sorely depleted, still "it is the
custom," and every one expects to follow it. Some one has well said
that Buddhism in Burma is a cheery and social affair, "from festive
marriages to no less festive funerals." I confess to an admiration for
this cheerful view of death, even if some of its expressions are
bizarre! It is less pagan than our "blacks, and funeral obsequies."