Posted on 05/14/2007 5:41:43 AM PDT by Zakeet
Concerns are mounting in India for the wellbeing of a sacred tree under which Lord Buddha first attained enlightenment more than 2500 years ago.
The Bodhi tree in Bihar state, eastern India, has been afflicted with a mystery ailment, causing it to shed its leaves.
The giant pipal, or Ficus religiosa, situated outside the Mahabodhi shrine is sacred to Buddhists, who make pilgrimages from around the world to worship at it.
Scientists are examining the tree, which began dropping large quantities of leaves late last month, raising fears that it was starting to die.
"We have taken soil and leaf samples which are currently undergoing laboratory analysis," said Dr A.K. Singh, of the Agricultural Research Institute in the nearby town of Patna. "The concern is that the new, young leaves are falling from the canopy."
The fate of the tree - which is 110 years old and is, the temple authorities say, the sixth regeneration of the original tree under which Lord Buddha sat - is a highly sensitive subject.
Last year rumours that a criminal gang had lopped off a branch to sell to Japanese pilgrims caused several countries, including Sri Lanka, Burma and Japan, to send high-level diplomatic delegations to investigate.
(Excerpt) Read more at smh.com.au ...
Last year rumours that a criminal gang had lopped off a branch to sell to Japanese pilgrims....
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Invasion of the Bodhi Snatchers!
Not to worry Buddhists. The tree of life lives on.
Do Buddist’s believe in reincarnation? Hindus do, but I’m not sure about Buddists.
That's one that truly deserves a bump.
Most do, but without the caste system of Hinduism.
Absolutely.
The Dali Lama is supposedly the 69th (or so) reincarnation of Buddha.
The whole purpose of Buddhism is to reach a state of freedom from the endless cycle of reincarnation (or in other words self-annihilation) through meditation.
Isn't that milk from dead cows???
sounds like when I ‘Brush-B-Gone’ the crappy foliage that leaks through my fence from the neigbors yard.
sounds like when I ‘Brush-B-Gone’ the crappy foliage that leaks through my fence from the neigbors yard.
“The whole purpose of Buddhism is to reach a state of freedom from the endless cycle of reincarnation (or in other words self-annihilation) through meditation.”
Well, at least its better than the purpose of Islam—to kill infidels.
Yes. As an ant.
I got a headline for these jokers. There is NO 2,500 year old ficus on the face of the earth.
Not this one, not any.
This tree may be a scion of the original Bodhi Tree, and it may well live on through it's shoots just as it has through the centuries. But the sad fact is that trees grow old and die just like all living things.
Buddhists know this.
The fate of the tree - which is 110 years old and is, the temple authorities say, the sixth regeneration of the original tree ...
Sloppy journalism.
That may be both the worst - and best - one liner I have ever seen. I don’t know whether to hate you or admire you for it.
Dammit, yes I do - I’m just jealous I didn’t think of it myself.
The whole purpose of Buddhism is to reach a state of freedom from the endless cycle of reincarnation (or in other words self-annihilation) through meditation.
I am confused. Does this mean Buddha has not escaped this cycle? If he has not, how does anyone else reasonably expect to?
The core of Buddhism is about understanding how the mind generates its own mental afflictions (dukkha) by feedback processes (samsara) that feed on themselves. The goal is to extinguish (nirvana) these feedback loops by understanding how they work and being on the lookout for them at all times (mindfulness/awareness).
This is not easy to explain and those trying to teach these principles use different "skillful means" (upaya)--i.e., various kinds of models, analogies, allegories and even mythologies that are tuned to what the learner already understands. In India and Tibet, samsara is explained using reincarnation as an analogy because this is what the local culture already understands and believes. In the U.S., one would liken samsara to the howling of a feedback loop in a P.A. system or the right brain integrating conscious thoughts from the left brain and reinjecting possibly bad thoughts back into the thought stream.
Core Buddhism is thus a technique for improving one's own mind and helping others do the same. It comes with no built-in culture or traditions and each local group that embraces it will fill these gaps with their own traditions. Nearly all of what one sees in the media about Buddhism is really just "local culture".
In fact, the Dalai Lama (HH14) once said Tibetan Buddhism is Buddhism + Tibetan culture, and that westerners who are studying Tibetan Buddhism should watch out for this and feel free to replace the Tibetan part with their own cultural inventions rather than merely copying Tibetan traditions.
Fortunately, people who miss the point of Buddhism and merely embrace the colorful culture of some quaint locale are (to borrow a phrase from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) mostly harmless.
very informative - thanks!
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