THE VALUE OF THE TRADITIONAL ETHICS OF THE SOUTH KHMER COMMUNITY THROUGH THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE

The Khmer community is one of the ethnic groups with a long process of settling and living in the Southern region. They are agricultural residents with a secluded lifestyle based on the main method of wet rice cultivation. Khmer people have a long tradition of agricultural production, which is a self-sufficient economy and much dependent on the natural environment. In the process of settling and living, the Khmer community in Southern region always considers nature and supernatural forces as the supreme creators who always protect them in their spiritual life. Because of that reason together with the concept of the three-combination "Thien - Dia - Nhan", which means heaven - earth - human is the one, Khmer community has not only promoted physical production activities but also created and built their living space to become unique and mysterious. That existence process which has formed noble qualities in relation to nature has bequeathed lasting and sustainable values so far