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| SGI Around the World |
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[Courtesy, July 2005 SGI Quarterly] |
| India |
| Soka Bodhi Tree Garden |
By Hardyal Sharma, BSG
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The Soka Bodhi Tree Garden is situated on the outskirts of New Delhi, one hour's drive away from Delhi International Airport. The garden is spread over 170 acres of land enveloped by a 4.5-kilometer-long boundary wall.
The formal opening of the garden took place on September 12, 1993, with the planting of hundreds of bodhi, or peepul, trees. The garden is still being developed. So far approximately 2,500 trees have been planted, many of which have been named after various countries, cities and individuals, including friends of BSG (Bharat Soka Gakkai).
In the huge expanse of the garden, Renaissance Hall was the first building to be completed, with a 150-seat capacity. Subsequently, an Open Air Theatre was constructed which seats 2,500. A magnificent building designed by a well-known Indian architect was inaugurated in 1997 and named the BSG Ikeda Friendship Center. In February 2000, the Soka Bodhi Tree Auditorium, seating 800-900 people, was added, along with beautiful lawns and pavilions. The garden has also attracted many rare birds. There are more than 100 peacocks, ducks and pigeons who live there.
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| The Open Air Theatre |
Every year, BSG members hold many meetings and culture programs in the garden. The youth division has held their sports and friendship meets there on several occasions. Students from Soka University who were visiting India have held exchanges with the local schoolchildren.
The local community of villagers sincerely respect the activities of BSG. Every year a mustard seed crop is grown in the vacant land in the garden and the crop is donated to the local community, who by selling the crop generate funds up to the tune of Rs.120,000 (approx. US$2,800). This is used to provide communal facilities, such as building classrooms in the local village schools.
With the growing urban population, the green belt around New Delhi is reducing day by day, but the Soka Bodhi Tree Garden with so many bodhi trees blended with many other ornamental and fruit trees is a unique haven which each visitor marvels at.
The bodhi tree is highly respected in India. In praise of the bodhi tree, SGI President Daisaku Ikeda wrote in his poem "Dawn of India":
The peepul (Ficus Religiosa) is a large, fast-growing deciduous tree whose heart-shaped leaves have long, tapering tips. It usually begins life as an "epiphyte" (air plant), but develops roots in order to support its height of up to 90 feet. The peepul is the earliest recorded tree in India. A seal discovered at Mohenjodaro, one of the cities of the Indus Valley civilization (3,000 b.c.e to 1,700 b.c.e), showed the peepul being worshiped. Its bark is also used extensively in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. Various religious and folk traditions concerning the tree persist. It is considered a great sin to fell a peepul tree and the source of good fortune to plant one or water it.
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The Bodhi tree that towers tall
is a symbol of wisdom
the sacred tree beneath whose boughs
Shakyamuni attained enlightenment.
Since the remote past
the Indian people have called this tree
the "king of the forest."
Some Buddhist scriptures state
that the Bodhi tree emits a mystic music
when breezes pass through its branches
and that by simply hearing this sound
one can attain spiritual awakening.
Thousands of families who are not practicing Buddhism have visited the garden and experienced some feeling of awakening to their spiritual self. It is planned that the garden, when fully developed, will be open to people of all walks of life who can gather here from different parts of the world to talk of philosophy as Tagore did, and talk of peace as Gandhi did.
In his message on the occasion of theopening of the Soka Bodhi Tree Garden in 1993, SGI President Ikeda stated:
"I am positive that from among those who will come to visit this garden in the future--when the bodhi trees, that are saplings now, have grown tall and robust and are luxuriant with fresh green leaves--there will emerge great leaders. I am also confident that this Bodhi Tree Garden will become a training ground for capable people. It will be a place where leaders from various fields around the world will come to meet in order to cultivate and develop themselves, inspiring and stimulating each other's growth . . . "
We hope that this garden will be the center of many cultural and educational activities. Let us think of 100 years, 200 years into the future, when huge bodhi trees growing like a forest will embrace the many thousands who will come to the
garden.
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| BSG youth and their friends during a family festival held at the garden |
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BSG women members outside the Soka Bodhi Tree Auditorium |
BSG Website URL: http://bharatsokagakkai.org
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