Speaker Series – Dr. Cristina Bertrand

Learning from Nature

Learning from Nature is a new way of understanding the place of human beings in the world.  It is also the first step for inquiring about the laws of the material world, the interrelation of these laws with the human world and its practical application to daily life. Nature, then, will be the Master and its knowledge will give human beings the wisdom they need to be successful in their lives and at the same time, to respect and protect Nature. Nature is the root of Mongolian primitive beliefs.  The connection with Nature is direct, and without an understanding it, life would be impossible in the harsh conditions of Mongolia’s deserts, steppes and mountains.

In the beginning, human beings contemplated the Heaven above and the Earth below.  They were in the middle. This represents by itself a cosmology which we can also be found in the Chinese book of wisdom, the “Yi Jing”.  The methodology of the Yi Jing can be applied to Mongolian Nature to try to understand its hidden laws which offer a gift of wisdom.  With my paintings of Mongolian landscapes, I will try to make this wisdom accessible to all who want to learn from Nature.