>Wordless Wednesday #29: Buddhism and Forestry
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n.b.: Please excuse me, I know it is supposed to be wordless but I couldn’t help but explain the link between Buddhism, Cambodia’s religion, and the forests.
A lot of things has been said about the forests of Cambodia and one thing is for sure – the forests are rapidly disappearing with the country’s opening to a market-oriented economy. Here’s a section of what I wrote years ago:
Forest cover has decreased from over 70% in 1970 to around 35% today (depending on which source you are using), and many globally important mammals such as kouprey, tigers, and elephants are on the path to extinction. The forests, upon which local people depended for firewood, medicines, building materials, and religious or spiritual value, have been ruthlessly destroyed by logging companies.
Given the traditional prestige of Buddhist monks among the population and the natural ecological orientation of Buddhism as a belief system and way of life, monks are a prime target group for environmental education and awareness (EE) programs in Cambodia. They are capable of playing an important social role in guiding local populations in understanding, protecting, and improving the environment and in exerting moral pressure on those abusing the environment to change their behavior. A complementary relationship exists between pagodas (the wats and the watarams – the temples and their compounds) and their villages, instructing and providing guidance for the local populations on ethical and practical aspects of environmental protection, management, and enhancement.
To read more, you can find the whole post about my work with the Cambodian Buddhist monks here.
>Wordless Wednesday #26 – Rural skyscrapers
>Seen somewhere in China.
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>Litratong Pinoy #6: Luntian
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Muli po akong bumabalik sa Litratong Pinoy mula sa ilang buwang pagkawala.
Ang litrato sa itaas ay kuha sa bayan ng Kep sa Cambodia noong taong 2006 habang kami ng aking asawa ay papaakyat, patungo sa aming inuupahang. Tumira kami sa bayang ito ng halos limang buwan dahil sa aking trabaho. Kuha ito pasado alas singko ng hapon, ilang minuto bago pa lumubog ang haring araw. Nasa likuran namin ang araw, at, kung inyong mapapansin ang aming anino, ito’y pahaba na para bang kami’y mga matatangkad at payat. Sa tingin ko, dahil dito, nagsilbing panturo (pointer) ng direksyon ang anino namin patungo sa luntiang burol.
The photo above was taken in Kep town, Cambodia in September 2006, while my husband and I were walking up to our hillside guesthouse. We lived there for almost 5months because of my work. It was past 5pm and the sun was minutes away from setting. While we were walking, I noticed our shadows. The sun was behind us that our shadows were elongated, making us look taller and skinnier. Our shadows, it seems, is pointing us to the direction of the lush hills.
>Wordless Wednesday #20: The Himalayan Mountain Range
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I am in a conference now and the schedule is very hectic. For today’s WW, I am re-printing the picture I took and posted the other day. See story here. For other great photo contributions, go visit the Wordless Wednesday HQ. Happy WW!
>Photo Hunt #7 Long – Elongated shadows
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Hi. I am currently in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and will be here for 8 days to attend a series of workshop organized by IDRC as well as participate in the Global Knowledge conference. Luckily, there is free internet in the hotel where I am staying so I was able to post this week’s photo hunt entry even if it’s a little,err, late.
This photo was taken in Kep town, Cambodia in September 2006, while my husband and I were walking up to our hillside guesthouse. It was nearly 5pm and the sun was minutes away from setting. While we were walking, I noticed our shadows. The sun was behind us that our shadows were elongated, making us look taller and skinnier. I have been fascinated by shadows since I was little and loved the times I spent playing and stomping on shadows with my playmates. Ahh those were the times 🙂
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