|
In a temple built
on the sides of Mount Lugh, lived in prayer the very holy Kittah Mun-Ha, great
Lama holy of holies, the one of which the God, Song Hio
himself, has braided his golden beard. Not a minute, not a glance, not a thought
of his life was not dedicated to the adoration, contemplation, and holy service
of Tsun Kyan-Kse, the Goddess with the sapphire eyes, the one who presided over
the transmigration of souls, the one who permits the Kittahs to live again in a
holy animal for the duration of its animal existence, before taking again a
haloed body with the full and holy perfection of the great priests. Near him was
meditating Sinh, his dear oracle, an all-white cat whose eyes were yellow,
yellow from the reflection of the golden whiskers of his master and from the
golden body of the Goddess wiht the heavenly eyes.... Sinh, the cat to advise,
whose ears, nose, tail and extremitites of his legs were dark like the colour of
the earth, mark of the stain and impurity of all that touches or can touch the
ground.
One night when
Mun-Has was praying before the golden goddess, Thai raiders attacked the temple
and the old priest was killed. Immediately, Sinh leapt upon the body of his
master, faced the statue, gazed into the sapphire eyes, and silently appealed to
the goddess who governed the transmutation of souls. As the priest's soul
entered Sinh, the white hair of the cat's body became golden like the old
priest's beard and its eyes became sapphire blue like thsoe of the goddess.
Sinh's face, tail and legs became brown like the earth except where the feet
rested on the slain priest, there they remained white, denoting purity.
Sinh's
transformation inspired the other priests to drive the raiders away. Seven days
later, Sinh died and carried into paradise the soul of Mun-Ha.The next morning
all the other white tempple cats had undergone the same transformation as Sinh.
Since then the priests have guarded their secret golden cats believing them to
have the souls of priests.
The veil of
mystery surrounding its initial background will probably never be removed. Only
the birman holds the key to this mystery, and if you question them the only
reply you will receive will be a discerning look from their inscrutable sapphire
blue eyes, and the secret will be eternally theirs. This is where the legends
ends and the actual history begins, but remember - legends usually carry certain
elements of truth.
|
|
