Human Flower Project

Friday, July 10, 2009

Divinity in Bud

The EarthScholars, invited to address wetland scientists in Cambodia, followed their noses to a stunning floral tradition of Theravada Buddhism.

Jasminum sambac buds
Photo:  Flickr

By James H. Wandersee and Renee M. Clary
EarthScholars™ Research Group

By pure serendipity, we were in Cambodia at the annual peak of jasmine picking season: June. With their pervasive “celestial” fragrance and milky petals, glistening and pure, jasmine buds are made into offerings to Buddha in this part of the world. About 14 million Cambodians (96.5%) are Buddhists, so there is steady demand for these modestly priced floral products.

Theravada Buddhism was abolished during the despotic Pol Pot regime, but today is Cambodia’s official religion, practiced also in Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. King Jayavarman VII introduced the faith nine centuries ago to Cambodia, where it came to replace Hinduism, a spiritual transition evident at the grand temple of Angkor Wat: here, Buddhist statues sit atop Hindu plinths.

Small Cambodian jasmine farms, with rows of plants trimmed to form bushes after about 4 years’ growth, provide families with basic income and employment. Farmers receive about $0.45 per pound of buds in June, the rainy season, when the jasmine is plentiful. During the cold season, December to February, those same bushes are less productive and the price for jasmine buds ascends to $11 per pound.  Buds are picked in the early hours of the day, well before the flowers open, and then taken to the marketplaces. (The unanimous definition of “a lazy person” in Cambodia is anyone who sleeps past sunrise!)

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