What is the speaking tree speaking? How is it relevant to
enlightenment and spirituality? The value of the
speaking tree came to prominence only after
Buddha. It derived its significance and meaning after Buddha’s enlightenment under the
Bodhi Tree. The whole credit goes to
Buddha. It seems as if existence itself wants to speak. The whole existence itself expresses something through all its expressions - trees, birds, mountains, etc. The whole of the existence wants to speak to us. May be we do not understand the true meaning hidden in all its expressions. In the last Tsunami the maximum destruction happened to people and their properties and least damage has happened to the animals. The damage that happened to the animals was almost negligible. The reason was very simple and natural that the animals moved to mountains and other places of higher altitude because they could feel the Tsunami much in advance. That means the existence emits signals just like our mobile phone signals. The animals could feel and know this in advance because they are very closer to the nature unlike the human beings. As we are advancing in science and technology we are moving away from the nature. The blockbuster english movie
Avatar is somewhat on these lines. The existential truth is that the existence is our first
Guru.
Let us move now to the
Speaking Tree or the
Bodhi Tree. The legend is that
Buddha used to meditate under the
Bodhi Tree. One day he looked at the
Bodhi Tree. As he moved deeper, it was a great amazement. He was not able to make out the beginning and the end of the tree. This is a speciality and mystery of the
Bodhi Tree. When the
Bodhi Tree grows older and older its roots travel from the ground to the top of the tree to various branches and from the top again to beneath the ground. It does not stop there. The roots from top and bottom also surround the trunk. Separate roots go from the ground to the branches and some other from the branches to the ground. Over a period of time they become thicker and thicker. The hanging roots sometimes appear more bigger than the trunk. In an age-old tree it becomes very difficult to recognize which is a trunk and which are the roots. Some
Bodhi Trees are hundreds of years old. The biggest confusion that arises is, which is a trunk and which are its roots? The biggest confusion is, where is the beginning and where is the end? To
Buddha this was the first glimpse into the nature of the Universe that it is beginningless and endless. This was a first insight to him of the nature of
Brahma. That it is ever expanding, infinite, and beginningless and endless.
Buddha resolved in that moment that he will get up from his
Dhyana or Meditation only after knowing this
truth and not before. He went deeper into meditation and attained to
Buddhahood. And this was the beginning of his
enlightenment. He attained and again became natural. His innocence is reclaimed. He arrived and it was a great home-coming. He became absolutely natural and started living in tune with nature. He became one with the Cosmos. His heartbeat started beating in tune with the heartbeat of the whole Universe. He became absolutely one with the whole. For the first time in his
life he became whole and holy. This was the greatest truth that the existence has revealed to him.
The insight of the quantum physics today is that the Universe is an unbroken wholeness. The Universe is neither discrete nor continuous. We are all an integrated parts of one whole and one entity. The quantum physics has for the first time revealed a far greater and deeper truth that we can never behave as distinct and separate entities. The separation and silos only speak of our very narrow and rigid view. This only indicates that we are not moving, changing, expanding, and growing. According to the quantum physicists the Universe is now called a participative Universe. It is an interdependent, inter-twined, interrelated, and interconnected Universe.
We must all take a quantum leap and understand that transcendental truth.
Let us bow down to the
Speaking Tree. Let us bow down to the
Bodhi Tree. Let us bow down to the nature. Let us bow down to the existence. Let us pray and seek the deeper insights. Let us bow down to the eternal
Guru. Let us be the true seekers. Let this be our prayer. Let this be our true
Karma. And let this be our true
Dharma.
This is my blog on the Speaking Tree published on 20-March-2011.
The following are some of the replies to the COMMENTS on the blog:
There is no nature of Brahma. Brahma itself is nature. Nature means Brahma. Existence means Brahma. There is no separate Brahma. Nature and Brahma are not two separate things. When we become natural, we become Brahmic or Nirvanic.
The second part, that is, bowing down to God and not the
Bodhi Tree. I have come across a beautiful
Sufi proverb. It says,
“I searched for God and found only myself. I searched for myself and found only God”. If we are this end then God is the other end. You are saying why should we bow down to the tree. We should actually bow down to God. But we don’t know the other end. Where is God? Who is God? How is He? How to pray or bow down to Him? There is no map. There is no address. There is no landline number. There is no fax number. There is no mobile number. There is no email. There is no website of God. How to reach? This is a big problem.
Buddha used to say that our
Body is a door to our
Buddhahood. We can see our body. We can see and feel our thoughts and emotions. We can feel the stillness of our mind. We can know the bliss of our inner silence. So, this end is easy to see. By knowing this end we may know the other end, who knows? By knowing ourselves we may know
God.
To me the best thing is to start from the known. Known to unknown, and then to the unknowable is the life journey. Thanks :)
21-March-2011
