Bodhi Tree
24°41′45.29″N 84°59′29.29″E / 24.6959139°N 84.9914694°E The Bodhi Tree ("tree of awakening"[1]), also called the Mahabodhi Tree, Bo Tree,[2] is a large sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosa)[1][3] located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India. Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher who became known as the Buddha, is said to have attained enlightenment or buddhahood circa 500 BCE under this tree.[4] In religious iconography, the Bodhi Tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed.[5]
The original tree under which Siddhartha Gautama sat is no longer living, but the term "bodhi tree" is also applied to existing
Other holy bodhi trees with great significance in the history of Buddhism are the
The Forest Research Institute of India assists in the upkeep of the tree since 2007.[8][9][10] Cloning has been considered in 2008.[11] Its sacred leaves can also be bought by pilgrims as mementos.[11] Religious offerings, which would draw insects, were shifted to some distance from the tree.[11]
Origin and descendants
Bodh Gaya
The Bodhi tree at the
The spot was used as a shrine even in the lifetime of the Buddha. Emperor
In the 7th century AD, Chinese traveler Xuanzang wrote of the tree in detail.
Every time the tree was destroyed, a new tree was planted in the same place.[17]
In 1862 British archaeologist Alexander Cunningham wrote of the site as the first entry in the first volume of the Archaeological Survey of India:
The celebrated Bodhi tree still exists, but is very much decayed; one large stem, with three branches to the westward, is still green, but the other branches are barkless and rotten. The green branch perhaps belongs to some younger tree, as there are numerous stems of apparently different trees clustered together. The tree must have been renewed frequently, as the present Pipal is standing on a terrace at least 30 feet above the level of the surrounding country. It was in full vigour in 1811, when seen by Dr. Buchanan (Hamilton), who describes it as in all probability not exceeding 100 years of age.[18]
However, the tree decayed further and in 1876 the remaining tree was destroyed in a storm. Cunningham says young scion of the parent tree were already in existence to take its place. same site.[19][20]
To Jetavana, Sravasti
It is said that in the ancient Buddhist texts
To Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
King Asoka's daughter, Sanghamitta, brought a piece of the tree with her to Sri Lanka where it is continuously growing to this day in the island's ancient capital, Anuradhapura.[19] This Bodhi tree was originally named
The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi is also known to be the most sacred Bodhi tree. This came upon the Buddhists who performed rites and rituals near the Bodhi tree. The Bodhi tree was known to cause rain and heal the ill. When an individual became ill, one of his or her relatives would visit the Bodhi tree to water it seven times for seven days and to vow on behalf of the sick for a speedy recovery.[24]
To Honolulu, Hawaii
In 1913,
To Chennai, India
In 1950,
To Trấn Quốc, Hanoi, Vietnam
In 1959, to mark the visit of the first President of India, Shri Rajendra Prasad, a cutting of the original tree in Bodh Gaya was gifted and presently it stands as the Bodhi tree on the grounds of the Trấn Quốc pagoda[27].
To Thousand Oaks, California, USA
In 2012, Brahmanda Pratap Barua, Ripon, Dhaka, Bangladesh, took a sapling of Bodhi tree from Buddha Gaya, Maha Bodhi to Thousand Oaks, California, where he presented it to his benefactor, Anagarika Glenn Hughes, who had funded much Buddhist work and teaches Buddhism in the USA.[28] He and his students received the sapling with a great thanks, later they planted the sapling in the ground in a nearby park.
To Nihon-ji, Japan
In 1989, the government of India presented Nihon-ji with a sapling from the Bodhi Tree as a gesture of world peace.[citation needed]
To Deekshabhoomi, Nagpur
This Bodhi Tree was planted at
To Quezon City, Philippines
The sapling of the Sacred Bodhi tree from Anuradhapura Sri Lanka was planted on 15 May 2011, at Wisdom Park 14 Broadway Avenue, New Manila, Quezon City, Philippines by D. M. Jayaratne, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, and Mariano S. Yupitun, the founder of Universal Wisdom Foundation Inc.
To Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
A sapling of the Sacred Bodhi tree from Anuradhapura Sri Lanka was planted in April 2008 at Kurilpa Point, the site of the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), by the artist Lee Mingwei, as the centerpiece to his 'Bhodi Tree Project' which is described as an ambitious living artwork.
Mahabodhi trees of other Buddhas
Following is a list of the various Mahabodhi trees under which all of the Buddhas known to Theravada Buddhism attained buddhahood.[29]
Celebrations
Bodhi Day
On 8 December,
Bodhi Tree & Bihar Emblem
The Bo tree is the main part of the Bihar State emblem. During British rule, the State Reorganisation Act of 1935 adopted the Bo tree symbol in the state emblem, following a recommendation to that effect being forwarded to the Royal Society. [33][34]
Bodhi Puja
Bodhi Puja, meaning "the veneration of Bodhi-tree" is the ritual to worship the Bodhi tree and the deity residing on it (Pali: rukkhadevata; Sanskrit; vrikshadevata). It is done by giving various offerings such as food, water, milk, lamps, incense, etc. and chanting the verses of glory of Bodhi tree in Pali. The most common verse is:
"Ime ete mahabodhi lokanathena pujita ahampi te namassami bodhi raja namatthu te."
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-289223-2.
- ^ "Buddhism Fast Facts". CNN. 11 November 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
- ISBN 978-967-57190-6-6
- ^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 176.
- ^ "Ficus religiosa – Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
- ^ "Botanic Notables: The Bodhi Tree – Garden Design". GardenDesign.com. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
- ^ Kazmi, S M A (7 August 2007). "Forest institute suggests methods to save Bodhi tree – Indian Express". The Indian Express Archives. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ Qadir, Abdul (31 August 2017). "Two Forest Research Institute scientists examine Bodhi tree, collect sample". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ Sahay, Anand Mohan (25 October 2007). "Branch of bodhi tree was cut 3 years ago: Report". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ a b c Bedi, Rahul (9 April 2008). "Scientists turn to cloning in attempt to save Buddhism's holiest tree for posterity". The Irish Times. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ A small Hindu temple beneath a banyan tree, Bodhgaya British Library.
- ISBN 978-81-206-1823-7– via Google Books.
- ^ a b "CHAPTER XVII_The Arrival Of The Relics". Mahavamsa, chap. 17, 17.
- ^ "CHAPTER XX_The Nibbana Of The Thera". Mahavamsa, chap. 20, 4f.
- ^ "CHAPTER XXIX_The Beginning Of The Great Thupa". Mahavamsa, chap. 29, 41.
- ISBN 978-1-59884-204-3.
- ^ Archaeological Survey of India, Volume 1, Four Reports Made During the Years 1862-63-64-66
- ^ a b "Buddhist Studies: Bodhi Tree". Buddhanet.net. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ Mahâbodhi, or the great Buddhist temple under the Bodhi tree at Buddha-Gaya, Alexander Cunningham, 1892: "I next saw the tree in 1871 and again in 1875, when it had become completely decayed, and shortly afterwards in 1876 the only remaining portion of the tree fell over the west wall during a storm, and the old pipal tree was gone. Many seeds, however, had been collected and the young scion of the parent tree were already in existence to take its place."
- ^ Luders, Heinrich (1963). Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum Vol.2 Pt.2 Bharhut Inscriptions. p. 95.
- ^ "Guide to Buddhism a to Z".
- ^ K.H.J. Wijayadasa. "Śrī Maha Bodhi". Srimahabodhi.org. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ "Rain-makers: The Sacred Bodhi Tree Part 2". Srimahabodhi.org. 24 April 2003. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ Waikiki’s “Central Park” – Fort DeRussy Armed Forces Reserve waikikioutdoorcircle.org
- ^ Madhavan, Chitra. "Buddhist shrine in Adyar". Madras Musings. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
- ^ "Statement by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee to the media on board the special aircraft on his way back from his state visit to the socialist republic of Vietnam". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ See "Navel in Buddha" on Academia.edu https://www.academia.edu/43042460/Navel_in_Buddha. Text is quoted verbatim. Multiple internet sites show the same text, but only this one appears to be a more reliable source.
- ^ Sayadaw, Mingun, ed. (1992). "Appendix: List of the Mahabodhi Trees of 24 Buddhas". The Great Chronicle of Buddhas. Vol. 1, Part 2. Yangon, Myanmar: Ti=Ni Press. pp. 316–317, 322.
- ^ "Cakkavatti Sutta: The Wheel-turning Emperor". www.accesstoinsight.org.
- ^ "University of Hawaii".[dead link]
- ISBN 978-81-223-0963-8.
- ^ "All The State Emblems and Their Meaning - NLC Bharat". National Legislators Conference. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ "Bihar digging into history to discover roots of its emblem". Hindustan Times. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
Further reading
- "Sacred Bodhi tree's journey to Oz 2300 years in the making". Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. Australian Government. 25 August 2021.
- "India's gift to South Korea: A sacred Bodhi Tree sapling". NDTV. Indo-Asian News Service. 8 March 2022.
- Kalam, Farhana (8 November 2018). "Steps taken to protect sacred Bodhi tree". Telegraph India.
- Khan, Zeyad Masroor (4 May 2018). "The Bodhi Tree the Buddha Sat Under is Dead. Meet the scientist who keeps its sacred descendant alive". Vice.
- Kalam, Farhana (1 December 2018). "Pruning to help Bodhi tree shed weight". Telegraph India.
- Krishnan, D. (3 April 2017). "Under the Bodhi tree". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X.
- Lam, Raymond (31 August 2021). "Sacred Bodhi Sapling in Australian Quarantine to Be Released in May 2022". Buddhistdoor Global.