Loyola Marymount University has brought to campus a physical link to an ancient sacred artifact and added an element to promote interreligious dialogue.
It all begins with seeds. And interpersonal connections. And interdepartmental cooperation. Buddha would smile at the relatedness of all these things.
LMU has been gifted a sprout from perhaps the fourth generation of the Bodhi Tree that stands at the spot under which Siddhartha practiced meditation to achieve enlightenment on his way to becoming Buddha.
“The Bodhi Tree represents remarkable botanic continuity, linking meditators with a living object whose DNA was in proximity when the Buddha attained Nirvana 2,500 years ago,” said Christopher Chapple, LMU’s Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology and director of Master of Arts in Yoga Studies. “LMU is blessed to have this amazing relic.”
Early in the pandemic, Kory Quon, a senior priest of the Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, was informed that several fellow religious made a pilgrimage to Nepal and brought back seed pods from the Ficus Religiosa – the genus and species of the Bodhi Tree – and gifted these to the temple, from which Quon grew saplings.
Unexpectedly, the tree outgrew its pot rather quickly. Because of the vigorous nature of the plant and its tendency to take over the area it’s planted, care must be taken in locating the tree. Quon sought a solution: He offered it to LMU through his friend L. Arik Greenberg, clinical assistant professor in interreligious dialogue for LMU.
“I think the path that led the tree here was an example of the Buddhist principle of the interrelatedness of all things, sometimes termed Dependent Origination, in which we are all connected,” Greenberg said. “Everything is connected — nothing happens alone. This tree was the product of many people’s lives and interactions, and through that, a little bit of the Buddha and early Buddhism have been brought here to our school. We need to acknowledge and celebrate our interconnectedness and employ that as a tool for peacemaking.”
Greenberg, who also teaches “World Religions,” has long been involved in interreligious dialogue and has enduring relationships with the Buddhist community in Los Angeles. He notes that LMU’s relationship with the Buddhist community was built on the work of Father James L. Fredericks, emeritus professor of theological studies and author of “Buddhists and Christians: Through Comparative Theology to Solidarity,” which argues for better communication and finding that God reveals the way to mutual comprehension and deeper solidarity.
Getting the Ficus Religiosa from the temple in Venice to the LMU campus was a yearlong effort involving Theological Studies, the Jesuit Community, Facilities Management, and the Hongwanji Temple. Alfredo Vasquez and Brittnee Wadlington in FM were, in Greenberg’s words, “tremendously helpful” throughout the project. John Sebastian, vice president of Mission and Ministry also played a crucial role, Greenberg said. “Without John’s guidance in putting me in touch with the right people, this would never have happened.” A ceremony to welcome and dedicate the tree is expected later in the spring semester with a Buddhist bishop invited to take part.
Once all the negotiations, approvals, and logistics were worked out, an FM crew loaded the tree into a van and brought it to its new home. Facilities Management will tend to the tree as it grows in its large planter on the grassy area between the Collins Center and the Interfaith Peace Garden. An outside arborist was brought in to consult on its placement and ongoing care.
In this way, the visitors who stop at the intersection of LMU Drive and Ignatian Way will also be, if momentarily, under the Bodhi Tree.
