File:Shans at home. With two chapters on Shan history and literature (1910) (14763935412).jpg

Identifier: shansathomewitht00miln (find matches)
Title: Shans at home. With two chapters on Shan history and literature
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Milne, Leslie, Mrs., 1860-1952 Cochrane, Wilbur Willis
Subjects: Shan (Asian people)
Publisher: London : John Murray
Contributing Library: University of British Columbia Library
Digitizing Sponsor: University of British Columbia Library

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fe.He had lost his teeth, and could not enjoy his food;his eyes were dim, he could not see; but now heis with the good spirits on the spirit mountain, orwill soon be reborn a happy human baby. If wegrieve too much for him, people will say that wethink that he has gone to a place of torment!I remember a very old man whose son cared for himas for a little child. One day, on asking if he werewell, the son replied : ** I am glad to be able to tellyou that my father is dead. It seemed to me astrange answer, as I knew that he had been a goodson, loving the old man and caring for him. He said,He was such a good old man, he will soon be veryhappy again ; I greatly feared that I should die first,leaving him to the care of strangers. There is muchmore sorrow when a baby dies; each mother is surethat she is the best mother that her baby can have, Iand it is no consolation to her to feel that anothermother may be good to the child when its spiritagain takes a human form. See footnote on p. io6, 4
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II DEATH AS A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION 89 There is often real sorrow when husbands andwives and brothers and sisters are separated bydeath, and friends lament the loss of friends; butafter the first sorrow is over they generally accepttheir loss in a philosophical spirit. This is notalways the case, for the eyes of a Shan womansometimes fill with tears when she speaks of herchild, though years have passed since she lost itin death. There is no great fear of death; they allfeel that they have already lived and died so often.Death and its mystery is not talked of in a whisper,but is a favourite topic of discussion in Shan homes.They do not think of death as of a calamity thatonly comes once to change the whole course ofexistence; they think of dying as an incident in life,a change from one life to another, an event that hasalready happened to them all many times. Thereare places of punishment—fiery hells for the expiationof sins committed on earth ; but there is no everlastingpunishment,

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