With Enlightenment being one of the central pillars of Vesak, there is significant interest in worshipping the Sri Maha Bodhi, a sapling of the original Bo tree under which the Buddha gained that sublime state.
Not only in India and Sri Lanka, but in all places of worship across the world Buddhists consider it essential to enshrine a sapling of the original Bodhi tree for daily veneration. This practice is the basis for the Bodhi tree gaining respect globally even among non-Buddhist communities.
While Australia is considered a non Buddhist country, there are many Sri Lankans who have now made Australia their permanent home and there are many Buddhists among them. Most Buddhist temples in Australia have a Bodhi tree.
However, the present story is about a Buddhist Temple in Australia that was constructed by the sole effort of Australians and the significance of having sapling of the sacred Shri Maha Bodhi there.
Ian Green is a pioneering Australian who was instrumental in promoting Buddhism in Australia in the 1970s. Later he allocated an area of 220 acres for the practice and promotion of Buddhism, in the region of Bendigo, which is a gold-mine city 130 kilometers off Melbourne and considered the second largest city in the state of Victoria.
The Buddhist Compound in Bendigo has its significance for Buddhists as the site with the largest Buddhist stupa in the Southern Hemisphere, which also enshrines the world’s largest Buddha statue made of gemstones. This unique Buddha statue was open for public viewing and veneration in 120 cities in 38 countries and it was brought to Sri Lanka in 2012. Following that Ian Green and his group of Buddhists demarcated a portion of the same compound to carry out Theravada Buddhist practices. Thus the Bendigo Bodhidhamma Viharaya (Temple) was born. A large number of Buddhists and non-Buddhists the world over visited the Bendigo Bodhidhamma Viharaya after that.
A sapling of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi was planted at the Bendigo Bodhidhamma Vihara compound in October 2019, promoting it as an international Buddhist Centre. Considering Australia’s strict bio safety laws and norms, the introduction of the Bodhi sapling to Australia was a considerable task. When the Australian public came to know that the sapling brought to Australia was from a tree that was protected for 2500 years by Sri Lankan, they were surprised and then took great pride in such a tree being introduced to Australia.
The sapling of the venerable Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, which was so valuable, was taken care of by the Australian agricultural specialists for a year. Now the sapling has grown and reached the stage where it could be planted on the ground. For that, a diplomatic level event has been organized with the participation of dignitaries from both countries.
Engineers, biologists, botanists and many other respective experts are assisting in the task of re-planting the sapling. Considering that the Bodhidhamma Viharaya is expected to be visited and worshiped by more than 100,000 Buddhists a year, artworks depicting Buddhist motifs etc would be installed in the Viharaya premises for the benefit of the many visitors.
Bendigo is home to about 50 Sri Lankan families, and Sri Lankans living in Melbourne are also extending their support to the viharaya.
The historic event of planting the sapling of the venerable Jaya Sria Maha Bodhi at the Bendigo Bodhidhamma Viharaya will take place on June 9. The historic event will be ceremonially attended by leading Buddhist dignitaries from Sri Lanka, and other Buddhist countries such as Vietnam, China, Thailand and Laos, along with state officials.
sunday observer
