TODAY

Speaking of trees, one should not forget the Pade-tha Tree. The tree grew on earth at the beginning of the world to fulfil the needs of the humans. It was a wonder tree laden with all the things that the human heart could wish for. If you had a longing for a rare succulent dish, it was there on the tree within your reach. If you wanted an exotic dress for an important date, there it was hanging on the branches. Everything you could wish was right there, yours for the taking.

         But where had the tree gone and why had it disappeared form the earth? It happened like this: one rule that the humans must observe in plucking things from the tree was that they must not take more thatn tey could use for the ay. Things went well so long as people trusted one another and lived in the faith that the tree would go on giving them everything–fruits of human goodness, kindness and love.

However, such a beautiful thing was too good to last. Someone started taking more than he could use for the day. ‘Others might take away all the goodies and nothing would be left tomorrow–’ This sort of thinking led to mistrust and ill wil.

It was not long before people began plucking as much as they could and stocking things. When one began, others following suit. There were quarrels and acts of violence. All the happiness, love and contentment vanished; instead there reigned only anger and hatred. Finally the Tree itself was destroyed never to come up again.

Never to come up again? No, not quite, for there is time, in this month of Tazaungmon (November), when Pade-tha Trees are back on earth. Go anywhere in town, market places, suburban quarters, streets and lanes you see them in clusters and groves. One feature in the month’s festival, the offering of kahtein robes for monks, is a row of triangular wooden structures gaily decorated with coloured paper and hung with packets of gifts, robes, towels, napkins, cups, patent medicine phials–all the things that the reverend monks might need. Such structures are called Pad-tha Trees, because all good things grow on them. Somethings, the tree is laden with new crisp currency notes artistically arranged in beautiful patterns.

Those Pade-tha trees are offerings for monks, who after staying in seclusion in seclusion in the monastery for lent, may be going to their home towns or on missionary tours. The ban on travelling is lifted at the end of the lent. It is the time when they will need robes and other useful things.

All the gifts are arranged in the traditional Padetha tree style, and they are given a grand send-off with the fanfare of music troupes, folkdances and processions of gaily dressed people. It is a gala occasinon for Buddhists, because this offering of robes has a special significance.

It all began during the time of the Buddha, when a group of monks arrived from faraway places to pay respects to the Buddha. The monks had a hard journey, travelling on foot through the jungles bearing the inclemencies of weather. They arrived with their robes torn and wet. The Buddha seeing their bedraggled condition established the tradition of offering robes at this particular time of the year.

One of the beauties of Kahtein offering ceremony is that it is a communal afair. Everyone contributes whatever he can, a kyat note, a cup, a napkin or a face towel: all these will go to make the fruits on the Padetha Tree. Shop-keepers of a market place, residents of the same street or quarter pool their resources to organize the offering ceremony.

Padetha is a Burmese idiom synonymous with inexhaustible plenty. A departmental store is called a Padetha shop. Give a gift or donation, the recipient will bles you with the prayer: ”May you have a Padetha Tree right on your door step.” It is not merely a wishful thought. The seeds of the padetha Tree can actually be sown by acts of generosity, good will and love.

Khin Myo Chit