-13- Rare, Exotic Things to See

~ By Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu ~

This aspect has almost nothing to do with Dhamma. Among the exotic things we have here are the sala trees, which are grown in front of the Spiritual Theater. Try to study them. You may take one of their leaves back home as a memento. The sala is a tree that was closely related to the story of the Buddha: he was born and later died under a sala. There were incidents in his life that frequently involved the sala, and in some of his sermons, he liked to compare things to a sala tree. If you read the Tipiṭaka, you will find the word ‘sala’ most frequently mentioned. It is in the same family as the rang tree, which grows in the Northeast and the North of Thailand, but the two plants are not exactly the same. Some people notice that the so-called paochang tree is identical to the sala.

The sala trees planted here were directly adopted from India. You may take one of their leaves, press it under a piece of paper or cloth, or use an iron to press it dry, then frame it and keep it as a souvenir. Some people look at the sala trees and think of the Buddha. If you have not seen them or noticed where they are, you may go to take a look at them in front of the Spiritual Theater. We also planted one on the island in the Nalikae Pond.

Apart from being importantly related to the story of the Buddha, sala trees are very economically beneficial to India. The Indian people grow the trees commercially. They give hard wood, which is extremely good for making railroad ties; their barks give tannin, which is good for the tanning industry; oil pressed from their seeds is very expensive; above all, they can be used for firewood. When I went to India, I saw some uprooted sala trees sold in the market. Every part of them, even the root, was sold as firewood.

Sala trees should absolutely be planted in every monastery. They are not only good economically but also meaningful for Buddhism because they are associated with the Buddha. To speak frankly, they are better than the bodhi trees, which are considered sacred but worthless economically. The bodhi trees have no good use. People dislike them for their destruction of buildings: the trees grow on pagodas and uposatha (ordination hall) roofs. But sala trees do not cause such a problem. Anyway, we planted a bodhi tree together with the sala tree and the coconut tree on the Nalikae Pond’s island. The bodhi tree reminds us of the Buddha’s enlightenment, the coconut tree means nibbāna, and the sala tree is identified with the Buddha’s birth and death. The biggest sala tree in Suan Mokkh is in front of the Spiritual Theater.

In addition, we raise large-pad Victoria lilies, which are native to South America. And we have a red samet forest, which is brightly red and beautiful. Walking in it gives you unusual feelings.

All of these are exotic plants which you can see in Suan Mokkh.

(From "Benefits You Should Get from Coming to Suan Mokkh," a talk given by Tan Ajahn in December 1988 at the request of Tan Dusadee Bhikkhu, as translated from the Thai by Aj. Mongkol Dejnakarintra.)

- - ❖ - -

“24 Benefits of Suan Mokkh,” is a series of weekly posts published to commemorate the 88th anniversary of the foundation of Suan Mokkh in May 1932 in Chaiya, southern Thailand.

- - ❖ - -

For other Dhamma teachings by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu (audios, free ebooks, interviews, poems), please visit Suan Mokkh – The Garden of Liberation.

Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives collection (Ref. D-143)