THE CHINESE HEAVEN.

Observer, Volume XL, Issue 12, 22 November 1919, Page 13

THE CHINESE HEAVEN.

The Chinese believe that in the Paradise to which their dead are borne there is a pagoda 33 storeys in height, and in the highest Buddha dwells, seated on a lotus, and looking down upon the world. In common with most other creeds, Christian as well as pagan, their Paradise is decorated with gold and precious stones. This mystic land of theirs is all of gleaming gold, and the palaces are adorned with the seven orders of jewels, there are seven bands of trees, seven rows of begemmed network, and seven fences or pallisades. In the midst of these there are seven towers of precious stones, seven flights of pearl stairs, seven bridges of mother Jo-pearl, seven species of lotus, and seven rainbows over all. This seems to indicate a similar belief to the one contained in the beautiful Irish legend, which states that prayers said under the sevencoloured arch go straight to the ear of God. It is a remarkably curious fact that in the Scriptures and the legendary lore of most raoes, the numeral seven is always endowed with a mystical significance.