Every tree is a Bodhisattva

Every tree is a Bodhisattva

Dr. Durgaprasada Rao Chilakamarthi

dr.cdprao@gmail.com

The state of Bodhisattva is a pen-ultimate one to attain Buddha-hood. This concept is found in the Mahayana school of Buddhism. Its ideal saint is Bodhisattva who is an embodiment of love and who has wonderful spiritual energy to work for the salvation of the entire universe. He is a person who has attained enlightenment, but who postpones Nirvana, in order to help others to attain enlightenment.   He is a person who comes forward even to suffer gladly to keep others happy like Budddha, who declares that all the miseries and sins of the world fall upon my shoulders, so that all the beings may be liberated from them. (कलिकलुषकृतानि यानि लोके मयि तानि प्रपतन्तु विमुच्यतां हि लोक: )

Trees, like good people, despite being suffered from heat, cold and all types of diseases, sacrifice everything of them for the benefit of every living being in general and the entire man-kind in particular.   Here a poet praises the trees by comparing them with Bodhisattva .

          O tree! You are serving others with all the limbs of your body. You serve the air with your fragrance; animals with your hanging tender leaves; ascetics with  your bark; honey bees with your flowers; birds with your sweet juicy fruits; living beings with your shadow; elephants with your branches ( some times the elephants rub their cheek against branches to remove their itching caused by bees which are attracted by  rut). In this way every part of your body is helpful to others. You are indeed attained the supreme state of Bodhisattva. You are very fortunate. All the other creatures indeed, are inferior to you.

आमोदैर्मरुतो मृगा: किसलयैर्लंम्बैस्त्वचा तापसा:

पुष्पै: षटचरणा: फलै: शकुनय: घर्मार्दिता: छायया |

स्कन्धैर्गन्धगजाश्च विश्रमरुजा: शश्वद्विभक्तास्त्वया

प्राप्तस्त्वं द्रुत बोधिसत्वपदवीं सत्यं कुजाता: परे ||

 (Subhashitavali of Vallabhadeva of Kashmir—823)

Save Trees. Save Humanity. Save Environment