The Bodhi-Tree or wisdom-tree is a sacred symbol in Buddhism for a number of reasons.
· It represents the place of the Buddha’s enlightenment, and is therefore sacred geographically.
· It is ancient. Some would say it is the mythical World Tree. Thus, it is sacred temporally.
· It represents growth towards liberation. Therefore, it is sacred developmentally.
· It was said to rain blossoms, and is thus sacred aesthetically.
In all these cases, the Bodhi-Tree’s symbolism gives access to the Dharmakaya, which is the most transcendent aspect of Buddhism. However, this access is not based on simple awareness. The access to the Dharmakaya comes via the Sambhogakaya, the pathways through the intermediate worlds of Tantric Buddhism, which have been mostly lost and forgotten.
