Fears for Buddha's branch of faith

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.

The Dali Lama is supposedly the 69th (or so) reincarnation of Buddha.

Respectfully, that is not true. The Dalai Lama is the 14th incarnation of ... some lama (I forget who) but the Buddha Shakyamuni reached parinirvana and has not and will not reincarnate.

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.

I would say that is only partially true. Tibetan Buddhism, of which there are four major schools, are all more precisely classified as Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism which are far different than other types of Buddhist practices completely apart from cultural influences. There is also the Bon religion of Tibet sometimes called the fifth major school although it is not really Buddhist. But Bon does employ the Tantric methods of Vajrayana practice and follows the precepts of Mahayana Buddhism to train the mind to be able to. Mongolia also has its own strain of Tantric Buddhism as does Japan and a few other places.

It is difficult for Westerners to separate tantric ritual practices from cultural affectations even after years of study and practice. But there is a difference.

I would also say that the Dalai Lama says some really strange things sometimes.

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