451 



their servants in cooking the victuals of the Tata- 

 poins, is expiated by fresh alms and oblations 

 to the temple, by which means a constant su|>- 

 ply of provisions is ensured. 



The third moral precept embraces not only 

 fornication, and adultery, but also matrimony, 

 and the most secret emotions of the heart, and 

 the fifth forbids the slightest taste of any strong 

 drink. We see in these precepts no acknow- 

 ledgement of a Supreme Bein^, and indeed the 

 Buddhist, whilst he allows a God who governs 

 the world, maintain^ that there is no Creator, or 

 First Great Cause, but that the heaven and earth 

 with all things contained in them, are self-existent. 

 The Talapoins are therefore held in the greatest 

 reverence by the Siamese, no one being permit- 

 ted to be seated in their presence, and the king 

 himself* must bow down and perform the usual 

 act of adoration to a talapoin. 



The Siamese believe that there are twenty 

 four heavens* tilled with tewada^ or angels of dif- 

 ferent grades, and that the soul undergoes a va- 

 riety of transmigrations, until that of a really good 

 man is absorbed in the Divine essence, which is 

 reckoned by Buddhists to be the consuinmation 

 of felicity. They also believe in a variety of 

 hells, the last of which consists of ceaseless trans- 

 migrations, thereby preventing the soul ever en- 

 joying this absorption. 



Amongst the stiperstitions of the Siamese may 

 be mentioned that of " the gluttonous serpent of 

 the profound pit of the house of smoke,*' which 



* E«v. J TotoUii'i Jmunil »t Siam, p. GS. 



