The Tiger, The Monkeys and the Jungle

7/29/2019 The Tiger, The Monkeys and the Jungle

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The Lion, The Monkeys and The Jungle A long time ago, the vassals of the ancient kingdom, had disintegrated as peoplewho would honor their land, culture, and monarch. Hard times had passed and theAngkor Wat in Cambodia was left desolate, inhabited by the locals and the tropicalweather that had forcefully invaded into nature. The birds had twittered, the macaqueshad screeched, and the owls had hooted only to alert the passers- by of the break ofspring. Colorful butterflies were in business as the mid of March had arrived, and therewas Ton-tek deeply pondering about what may happen to his ancestral property thatnow lay threatened. It was rumored that his village was in for an invasion by the taxcollectors. These greedy puppets of the government were let loose to grab land andmoney. One cool but sunny day, Ton-tek, a young student only a dozen years old wasgoing to school in a silver sarong, a loose-fitting lower body garment, a white shirt, anda krama, a scarf. Traditional clothing gave attraction to his dark features, black hair, andhis short structure. He looked scholarly just like the elders in his small village by theriver. Nothing was bothersome to his open mind. Overall, he was a likeable person. Yet,something nagged at him, deep inside. He just wanted know what was eating him fromthe interior. Several questions had swelled up in his heart and his mind was aching totrash them. Joohm ree-up soo a, hello! called out his peer at school. But, Ton-tek was toobusy thinking about what would happen between his father and him by the riverside thatevening. Each word and every sentence by his mentor meant more than the worth ofgold for Ton-tek. Words of wisdom were all that he cared for. Turning to his classmate,

he gave his salutations in return, Tiveaj sous-dei, good afternoon. Then, he quicklyhurried off to learn and for the sake of honor the squires reputation. His father, Ton-thumpan was a squire, the wise, the kind and the talented. Khrew, teacher, forgive me for the interruption, but who could the samdech, theking, of the jungle be?

The lion is, of course.Who are the most rowdy?The monkeys are.Then, who or what could be in the middle?To this the teacher kept silent. Then he retorted, Ton-tek that is enough! Just get

back home, you good for nothing! Obediently, Ton-tek retreated. His father stood at the gateway surprised at his

early arrival. With quick steps, the young boy sank into his fathers arms. He cried andspoke his mind. The father embraced his son and led him to the other side of thecourtyard to enter into a deep and significant discussion. This is how it all began: Once there was the king, Jayavarman, the Lion of the

jungle. Then, there were his subjects, half of whom supported his policies, and half who


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were disloyal to him, the rowdy and the anarchical people. They had flittered around theLion, wanting favors in return and colluding with the kings nearby. Despite Jayavarmansfairness for all, he sometimes favored the wise over the others. He believed that onlythe wise knew of all things. Surprisingly, no one could tell what fell in the Middle. Asmuch as the king was confused so were his courtiers. The most perplexed were the

wise themselves. Time had passed since then in search of answers. One king hadcome and the other gone while finally the empire had ended with Angkor Wat left behindas a reminder of those magnificent days. Silently, the squire, Ton-thampan, backedaway and went into the chambers leaving Ton-tek happy though not fully satisfied. Ton-tek left home and strolled towards the jungle. It was here he found the peace and thesilence.

A month passed, the news of the tax collectors arrival spread like wild fire. Ton-

teks village already was on the tip of collapse: the system, the peace and the security init. Now, what good was the tax collector going to do anyhow? The villagers had decidedto chase him away. That very day, as the collector arrived, he was chased by an angrymob armed with sickles and wooden shovels. Off he went, straight to the squireshouse. Strangely, the family gave him refuge without thought. Or perhaps, was it


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intended? Ton-tek was asked to bring him a plate of saich, rice, and stew followed bylotus stem dessert. By nightfall, Ton-tek sneaked into the guests chamber wanting toask questions about what the purpose of the tax collection was finally going to be. Withcourage and stealing an eye away from his father, Ton-tek began his interrogation.

Nay-uk, brother, what do you think lies between the King and his subjects? With thoughtful beady eyes, the collector answered, It must be what or whobetween the Lion and the Monkeys. Ton tek was astonished at the similarity he used inhis reply. indent for paragraphs

What is the Who, and the Who is the What, the collector went on munching onthe savory stew. He continued the intake as if satisfied with the shelter and food hereceived. All of a sudden, Ton-tek was enlightened. He understood the Who and theWhat of all situations. Like a little Buddha, he half closed his eyes too and smiling,walked out leaving the greed behind. Ton-tek was convinced that all was going to beokay by morning.

With the rising sun, the villagers had collected around Ton-thumpans housethumping rudely on the wooden door at the entrance yelling for the officer. With courage

and a ready posture, Ton-thumpan had answered. Ton-tek stood behind his father as ifto give him cover.

Do not bother, it will be only momentary, calmly replied Ton-thumpan.NO NO, hand him over to us, demanded the angry crowd. It wont be necessary because we know what to do with him, Ton-thampan said

convincingly. Taking his words seriously, the crowd gradually dispersed, though notquite contented. Ton-tek followed his father into their home. The wooden gate wasclosed back again and the family went back to their own business.

Before dawn, the two men of the family along with the tax collector left for a notso common destination. They were heading for the Angkor Wat, a Hindu templeoriginally bequeathed to the Buddhists some years later in the mid-century. It had

become a total wilderness by such time, with the gigantic forest greens overtaking themassive lands. No one lived there, and the trio were the only ones walking in this denseforest with a specific purpose. Ton-thumpan stopped to take a gulp of water, and offeredthe same to the officer. Ton-tek noticed how his father was treating the official with suchrespect and calm.

Do you see the Mountain? Ton-thumpan asked the representative clothed inkhaki.

No, I dont, he simply replied.It is everywhere. This is the abode of Shiva. Do you not see anything?

questioned Ton-thumpan as Ton-tek stood beside half smiling and half in awe.I do and I dont. What is that you propose to do with me? Are you going to make

a release or a kill? asked the official in khaki. I have no such intentions. I only want to know if you and your people can see or

feel Mount Meru. If you cannot, then you probably would not have understood how wiseit sometimes is to leave things as they are. This is to avoid conflict, concern andirritation to what already is, spoke Ton-thumpan wisely. In this silence and desolationlay all the answers.


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Why do we need to undo what is already there, and that which is so beautiful?continued Ton-thumpan looking straight into the eyes of the man.

In silence, the tax collector more or less took home the meaning of those words.He knew that Ton-thumpan wasnt fighting

him on for defeat.Suddenly, feeling peacein his heart, he boweddown and set himself ina meditating pose,followed by Ton-thumpanand Ton-tek. Theymeditated for a while,and later ate the ricedumplings carefullymade by the lady of the

house. The quietness ofthe forest took over, andthe fire raging in theheart of the officialbacked up. It was notmeant to be a defeat, buta victory. No one couldsee Mount Meru. It wasimagined by JayavarmanII, who had built theAngkor Wat. Meru did

exist for the believers forgenerations to come.Just the way the lion andthe monkeys stayed inthe very same jungle,and it was the forest thatwas in between the two.The jungle was theirhome enlarging theirpurpose of survival andliving. Likewise, if the

order could remain, thelocals with their ancient lifestyles could exist with the arrogant. Ton-thumpan wanted toshow that there was no need to build conflict. Also, he wanted to demonstrate how therewas no need to break the peaceful environment. After all, the lion, the monkeys and the

jungle itself are all one.


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GLOSSARYsarong: a loose fitting lower garmentkrama: a scarf you can wrap around your face, neck or head

joohm ree-up sooa: hellotiveaj sous-dei: good afternoonkhrew:teachersamdech:kingsaich: ricenay-uk: brother


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About The Author Min Jae Kim is a Korean student that now lives in New Delhi, India and attends

the American Embassy School. She was born in seoul in 2000. Min Jae has lived inKorea before she came to India in 2004. She did not publish but she wrote many poemsas it is her hobby to write poems. She wrote, Balloons, Happy Birthday Dad, The NewYear, The Artist, Anger, Teachers, Color, Memories, Emotions, A Doll, Out & In, TheCamel Long, A Rattle Snake, Atop the Mountain, and many more. The first folktale MinJae ever wrote, The Lion, The Monkeys and The Jungle is a deep thought folktale overa long period of research and it is now finished with effort. Min Jae Kim and her familyvisits Korea every summer vacation to enjoy lots of healthy and delicious foods of herhome.


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Physical Map of Cambodia

Citation: "Cambodia Physical Map." By Maps.com from Maps.com. Maps.com, 2013.Web. 21 Mar. 2013. .


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Review"I love the way Min Jae showed the character traits. It makes me think that

the main character is a little Budha or something! I also love the way the

character thinks about the tiger the monkey and the forest and then

connects it back to political ideas and parties! I think that is one of the

things that really tie the story all together. Over all, I really loved this pieceand think the author did an amazing job!"

-Tsiala Corboz Werntz"A very interesting folktale. Amazing characters and stunning plot."

-Boa"The story is carried out with interesting dialogues and you can clearly see

the characteristics of different characters. I love the way the wisdom is so

mind boggling, but there is a really deep meaning to it."-New York Times

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The Tiger, The Monkeys and the Jungle