พักที่ป่า

"Forest for Rest”

There is a saying that forest is water, life, food, air, knowledge and essential sources. The forest is a group of living things which is original for birth of things. It came from the sea life then evolved to the land and became plants. It had spent many millions years to develop and survive on the land because the world is full fertilization and abundance. The first group of living things is plant which run on the world for millions years.

After that time all creatures and insects following to live on the land so they run parallel to each other. They have relationship profoundly and controlled each other in turn. For human beings are who born afterward so far we are very young if compare them. But we can control them totally as if they are objects without any right. All attributes of forest are giving fresh air, water, food and dweller for animals and men. Whenever we go into the thick forest or woods we felt that the weather is very cool and fresh air suddenly.

It seems that the rain falls always time. Do we wonder that where the waterfall comes from? All of trees contain with water and let it flows down as the waterfall. The water is essential source of food for small plants and insects and including men too. Plants produce fruits and flower with sweet that insects need. They are dweller or shelter for animals living on, sleeping, mating and breeding. When I was a boy I followed my mom to forest for finding foods, mushroom, fruits, insects and top-cutted plants.

The ancient house’s wall in local area was used by leafs and the trunks of tree were made the pole of houses. In ecological system, forest is a first cause to be water, then the water evaporates to fog and then it becomes cloud to rain. The diversity comes from the forest and becomes balancing as ecology. All of us must depend on this forest even if all systems of the world also rely on it as well. No doubt that the forest is very important for us since birth to die. When the weather is hot we must find the shadow of tree for rest.

We see that almost house has a kind of tree in it because it can give the oxygen us and block the strong sunlight. For Buddhism, practiced monks who liked in the thick forest used the woods and its salience and shadow to be peaceful for mind. Even if Buddha went to the forest for seek for enlightenment. In psychological health, when our health is worse or ill, we need the rest with plants or flower for reviving. When we see all greens of forest our eyes feel relaxed with the green.

Basically our lungs need the fresh air, oxygen from trees whereas the trees need carbon dioxide from men. Besides, forest is full with medicines and other substances for remedy our diseases. If we turn around us we will see that the green of tree is very important for prevention our lives. For food that is made with vegetable or any plant it will help us stomach and intestine going smoothly. Nowadays we can see a person who eats meat a lot that can be cancer or a problem of health.

At the present, there is a great deal of problems from deforestation in countries, especially Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Lao and Indonesia. The aftermath is the weather becomes hot abnormal, drought and natural disasters which kills many thousand persons in each country. All persons in the town have felt painful of heat but they don’t realize the real effect as they live with air-conditions. When calamity comes that where we find the peaceful shadow of forest, then the time all of us will call for forest for rest nervously and totally. What do you hide under shadow?

By Sor. Ratanapak-2013