and even beyond the grave his success would continue. according to Buddist belief, those who have done evil in their lives will spend the next incarnation in the shape of a rat, a frog or some other low animal. u po Kyin was a good Buddhist and intended to provide against this danger. He would devote his closing years to good works, which would pile up enough merit to outweigh the rest of his life. Probably his good works would take the form of building pagodas. Four pagodas, five, six, seven--the priests would tell him how many--with carves stonework, gilt umbrellas and little bells that tinkled in the wind,every tinkle a prayer. And he would return to the earth in male human shape--for a woman ranks at about the same level as a rat or a frog--or at best as some dignified beast such as an elephant.