Saving Fish from Drowning - Heal Burma

SAVING FISH FROM DROWNING
pounded the gold repeatedly, until it turned into a layer as fine as
skin. Often the merit-seekers were also poor men, and to buy the
gold, they and their families had to sacrifice a few necessities of life.
But they did this gladly. For how else would they advance themselves
in the next life, if not by doing this? Merit was better than food.
Merit was hope.
Saskia waved from the other side of the vestibule, and Harry
waved back. She threaded her way through the crowd, the two dogs
following. When they were reunited, Harry bent down and gave the
dogs hearty slaps on their rumps and scratches behind their ears.
The cameras started to record, and Harry was aware of this. “Hello,
love,” he cooed to Lush. “Tell old Harry where you’ve been and what
you’ve seen.” The dog thumped her tail in response. “Hey, mate,”
Harry called to Topper. He pointed to his watch and the Lab directed
his nose that way. “What say you give me another ten minutes, and
then we’ll go for a game of seek. How’s that?” The dog emitted a
throaty gurgle in response. Harry looked up at the face of the Bud­
dha, so the camera crew could get a shot before he explained where
he was.
A soused old man with a bent back watched all this. He had once
pounded the gold all day until it shook loose his bones and caused
them to crumble. He went up to the movie star and looked him right
in the face, trying to get his attention, but to no avail. Harry was
busy expressing wonderment as he stared up at the Buddha’s down­
cast eyes. Ah, the gold-pounder said to himself, the foreign man is so
mesmerized by the manifestation of Buddha that he is unable to see
another person. He had seen many do that when he was standing
next to the Buddha. The tourists never saw him. He turned toward
the statue and stood side by side with Harry.
“I see you are a rich and famous man,” he mumbled in Burmese.
“And you can see I am a poor man. I have no shoes to take off before
entering this pagoda. But I washed my feet today, so the Buddha
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