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| The Bodhi Tree, Phrae |
The sacred fig or Bo tree is relevant to the Buddhist faith because it is under the sweeping branches of the Bo tree that the spiritual leader Gautama Buddha received enlightenment after sitting for 49 days. The tree which can grow up to a hundred feet and with a circumference of up to nine feet, can often be seen planted near Buddhist monasteries.
When I visited Sangklaburi province, I saw another tree like this but with a different coloured flower. In near proximity, I was fascinated by its structure and odd features. It looks like someone is summoning me to look at its beauty.
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| The Bodhi Flower 1, Sangklaburi |
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| The Bodhi Flower 2, Sangklaburi |
The tree itself is very interesting to look at and study. I was fascinated by the drooping branches and lack of leaves during the blooming stage. I was intrigued by the petal compositions. I was humbled by its story.
In life, what with all the comings and goings, that we had been forgetting to stop. We are always busy and we miss many things around us that will probably give a significance to our daily living. The flowers remind me to look at things in a more positive way, not just the appearance, but its relevance. The tree, balding of its greens, seemed uninteresting to the human eyes. But the tree has a story that can remind us of three things: pause, meditate and experience awareness.
thats beautiful :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, it is.
DeleteVery beautiful and meaningful.
ReplyDeletebeautiful flowers, indeed!
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree... marami tayong na-mi-miss dahil sa kaabalahan sa buhay. Madalas kailangang huminto at pagmasdan ang mga simple subalit nakaka-inspire na mga bagay o saloobin!
Kaya pala Bodhi tree. :)
ReplyDeleteMinsan kasi masyado tayong busy sa daily routine natin that we tend to miss the little things and beauty around us. We should sometimes slow our movements down, and that's when we can appreciate some things we thought we have never seen before but was actually right there the whole time. ;)
wonders of nature, indeed.
ReplyDeletewonders of nature, indeed.
ReplyDeleteI like the last paragraph. I love how you used the tree and its flowers to share a life's lesson. :)
ReplyDeleteAng ganda. :)
ReplyDelete@ glentot - thanks. I thought people will look at the flowers in a different way because of its uncommon characteristic but I guess I am wrong.
ReplyDelete@ ric- I have not seen one of this kind in our country. Guess we should since they are beautiful flowers. Sabi nga, abala ang lahat in taking photographs that they do not see the details behind them.
@ pao- that's right, parang pag-ibig, nasa tabi na pala natin pero hindi pa rin napapansin ang kanilang kabutihan sa atin
Aaaw! Your closing paragraph hit me like a wake up call... " pause, meditate and experience awareness". I think I badly need these three right at this moment.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your posts such as this one Jonathan. You are giving us a free lesson on Thai culture and the likes. Dami ko nang natutunan sa blog mo.
Bodhi Tree this time :)
@ olivr - I also read that this tree is susceptible to water clogging. It doesn't need much water to grow. The only down side to this is that it is easily tumbled by storms because the roots are basically on top of the ground rather than going down under.
ReplyDelete@ geosef - I like the story behind the tree so I used it to make a point of being with nature, reflecting on things, and having a sense of awareness, be it words or actions in our everyday dealings.
@ umi - you should see the real one, and the colours,my mobile phone didn't give much justice.
@ms. balut - just like when you run, you get to focus on many things as you concentrate not only where you are heading but why you do your passion. I also like the idea of carrying a camera to capture great moments just like what you do.
pareho kayo ni tukayong Ric (lifencanvas). galing magrelate ng mga simple thing sa human life..
ReplyDeletehong kyut ng flower it's pink... i have not tried visiting a temple...
ReplyDeleteNapaka exotic ng sacred tree na ito..
ReplyDeleteWow, accdg kay wiki the buddha spent a whole week standing with unblinking eyes, gazing at it with gratitude!
Nakakamangha..
You're lucky na nakita mo ito personally..
@ Rix - dahil siguro serious kami sa buhay, ha,ha,ha. Magaling si Ric, at laging rhyming ang kanyang mga akda. Easy reading din for reflections.
ReplyDelete@ Senyor - you can try, hanggang church ka lang ba. I like visiting temples both Chinese and Thai. I do it especially during my birthday, to say thanks.
@ Gracie - hindi ko kaya yun ah, staring at it with unblinking eyes. May alam akong mga ganyan pero iba ang tinitignan, ha,ha,ha.
Bodhisattva - the divine soul who attained enlightenment while meditating under a Bodhi tree !
ReplyDeleteStop, and meditate. Parang di ko magawa un. Laging di mapakali utak ko. Is meditation something someone have to teach you? Cause I need it.
ReplyDelete@rajiv - I am guessing you have lots of this tree type in your country. Bodhisattva, I remember discussing this topic during my studies in religion.
ReplyDelete@ kamilkshake - there are websites teaching us how to do meditation. I can concentrate at many instances but I still want to experience and be in a meditation retreat. There are aplenty in Thailand.
nakakaappreciate ka tlaga ng ganda ng nature nu, angas naman talaga kasi nyan oks na oks din ang color
ReplyDeleteKahit naman siguro sino mamamangha sa kanyang itsura, kaya may post bigla, he,he,he. Musta na MEcoy haggard ba?
ReplyDeleteang ganda ng bulaklak.
ReplyDeletenice capture.. beautiful flowers
ReplyDelete@ lili - thanks at hindi lang maganda, kakaiba talaga!
ReplyDelete@ xander - yes, truly pretty! Thanks for the visit!
Nice reminder Jonathan:)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ms. Joy!
ReplyDelete