PALM-LEAF SCRIPTURES: PHILOSOPHY OF ETHICAL EDUCATION FOR THE KHMER COMMUNITY’S SPIRITUAL LIFE IN THE SOUTH OF VIETNAM

Abstract

There is an system of extremely unique traditional cultural heritages maintained in the artistic and cultural treasure of the Khmer community in the South, among which Palm-leaf manuscripts are unique art works written on leaves for the purpose of recording Buddhist scriptures or customary laws and teachings for the Khmer. Palm-leaf scriptures are considered a great heritage with a strong influence on religious life, as well as being a profound source of the human spirituality. This form of heritage plays an important role in contributing to the regulation of social appearance and ethnic lifestyle of the Khmer communities during the long-term settlement and living in the Southern region. The study of the Palm-leaf scriptures does not only preserve and promote their influence on the spiritual and cultural life, but also honors the noble and humane values in building the Khmer society into a harmonious combination of tradition and modernity.