The Great Garden Temple at the Heart of the Buddhist World
The main links between Buddhism and gardens can be seen at the holiest temple in Buddhism, the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodhgaya in north-east India.
The Mahabodhi Temple
This temple is built at the actual place where, around 2,500 years ago, Buddha reached Enlightenment while sitting under the Bodhi Tree. While the Temple building itself is a huge stone spire, inside it is only a tiny Buddhist chapel. Almost all activity at the Temple takes place in the large garden surrounding this huge stone spire. This garden is full of tall, shady trees and little lawns, monuments and marigolds.
The holiest place at the Mahabodhi Temple is outdoors under a Bodhi Tree on the exact spot where Buddha experienced Enlightenment. This Bodhi Tree has been grown from cuttings from a series of earlier Bodhi Trees, which came from the original Bodhi Tree under which Buddha sat and meditated 2,500 years ago. Buddhists from all over the world come to this spot and feel gratitude for the religious teachings which have spread out from this place since so long ago.
Some people come and sit near the Bodhi Tree on their own and some come in groups of Buddhist pilgrims from the same country. Some bring flowers to lay down near the Bodhi Tree. The photo shows a group of monks in yellow, orange or red robes and nuns in white. Throughout the Mahabodhi Temple garden you see people worshipping in their own way. Some are in groups, singing hymns or listening to talks. Some are bowing or sitting quietly on their own and some are actually meditating. The Bodhi Tree itself is where all Buddhist meditation began.
Next to the Bodhi Tree you see the place where Buddha started ‘Walking Meditation’. This is slow walking where you concentrate on every step and it is one of the common types of Buddhist meditation. There is now a long low stone platform marked with stone lotus shapes to show where Buddha’s footprints would have been. All around the Mahabodhi Temple garden you see people practicing ‘Walking Meditation’ - walking slowly along the paths which lead round the Temple, always in a clockwise direction.
On the east side of the Temple is a beautiful new Meditation Park with many winding paths for walking meditation and little marble platforms covered with purple flowered creepers, where people can sit and meditate. This garden is filled with a lovely twittering sound from thousands of brown mynah birds.
On the south side of the Mahabodhi Temple is a large, rectangular Lotus Pool – as mentioned earlier the lotus flower is an important Buddhist symbol. In the centre of the pool is a statue of Buddha. The Lotus Pool is full of large catfish. Fish food is on sale so that, by feeding the catfish, Buddhist pilgrims can express the kindness towards other living creatures which is very important in Buddhism.
Continue reading: Common links between Buddhist ideas and gardens.
Other Sources of Information
More about the Mahabodhi Temple and Meditation Park.
www.mahabodhi.com/home.htm - Ground plans, photos, information.
www.buddhistpilgrimage.info/bodhgaya.htm - Aerial photos and information.