Gautama Siddhartha, the historical man who became the Buddha, or "Awakened One",  achieved enlightenment while sitting under a bodhi tree in northern India. It is believed that descendents of that very tree still exist today in Sri Lanka and Bodh Gaya, India. The bodhi tree is venerated in many parts of southeast Asia.

The Latin name of the bodhi tree is Ficus religiosa Linnaeus. (No, Virginia, this is not a link. Scientific convention asks that genus and species names be underlined, regardless of what www needs.) It is also known as the bo-tree or pipal (peepal) tree. It is one of many species of ficus, or fig, and is part of the Moraceae, or Mulberry family. This family oozes milky sap when cut or bruised; the fig best known for this characteristic is the rubber tree. Some of its botanical mulberry cousins are breadfruit, jackfruit, hops and cannabis. Another interesting fact about the bodhi tree--it is the main habitat of an insect called Coccus lacca which secretes a resinous substance that is collected and processed into shellac. (Did you know that shellac has excellent insulating properties? Perhaps that's one of the reasons why old violins had such wonderful sound...)

On Buddhism and forestry... It tickles my funnybone when I find myself in the zone overlapped by both Buddhism and forestry. Perhaps the best example is the bodhi leaf, which seemed the obvious choice for a graphic on the home page. As a symbol, the leaf integrates my background and interest in trees, dendrology and forestry with spiritual practice and the mind.

There are many places where I relish the overlap, having spent considerable time in many forests. The historical Buddha first sent monks and nuns to practice meditation out in the forests. He started monasteries in the forest. In Asia today there are still many "forest monasteries." And there are five sacred trees in Asia, one for each of the five Buddhas.

Dharma stories are full of forest anecdotes. For example, one teacher would send the newest monks to the far edges of the monastery to meditate, deep into the forest. There they would be more vulnerable to marauding tigers; fear would help them to stay alert at night! (While I've never worked in tiger-infested forests, I have experienced fear while working in black bear and grizzly territory.) Another example is a Thai monk and teacher who taught about "the heartwood of the bodhi tree." This is a teaching about Nothingness, because a bodhi tree does not have any heartwood! I learned many years ago, in Dendrology, that trees always have sapwood and sometimes have heartwood. Figs never have heartwood. At the time, I didn't know that I was learning a deep philosophical lesson about Nothingness/Voidness. I didn't recognize that the Faculty of Forestry was teaching dharma. Dharma is everywhere.