The Rice Field............

March 8, 2008

There are many rice fields, but no padi fields are the same. I bought

this photograph titled : Pastoral by Asia's revered humanist

photographer Eric Peris. When the first time I laid eyes on this

particular work of his it immediately it strike a cord. This whole

image of a house in the middle of the paddy field just capture my

imagination. Rice has been the staple of many Asian civilizations and

considered as God, Mae Posop for Thai, Tisnawati for Indonesian,

Inkapati for Philippine or Ninigino-mikota for Japanese, Annapurna in

India. Many Asian festivals are centered around rice harvest time and

whole villages gather to sing, dance and offer prayers. Rice is also

a symbol of fertility in many cultures. Rice and food are the same in

many Asian languages, for example, " shi fan " in Chinese or " kin khao "

in Thai.

I am reminded of the ancient malay proverbs which goes as

follows : " Ikutlah resmi padi, semakin berisi semakin tunduk. " .

Translated : Follow the way of the padi, as you mature or becoming

knowledgeable, you bow low. Another Chinese verse come into mind " the

purpose of education was not merely the acquirement of knowledge or

skills, however important that might be. The real purpose was the

cultivation of virtues and the purification of personal character "

Just like the lotus flower painting, the influence of the Pastoral is

to open us up to the beauty of Nature. It's so wonderful when nature

itself opens up and embraces us with teachings so complete and

powerful. Why need to look elsewhere when its there before you. All

you need to do is to be aware of them " . Pastoral too act as a

reminder to the virtue of simplicity and humility. When communicated

at the spiritual level, it acts as both spiritual and practical

understanding of our place in the world around us.

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