The sacred Bodhi tree: A miraculous appearance amid the pine forest
This is the sacred Bodhi tree. If you aspire for a peaceful and happy life, to be protected and blessed with good things, to transform ingratitude from others, and to cultivate the conditions for attaining Supreme Perfect Enlightenment in the future, respectfully pay homage to the Bodhi tree.
As part of the Ba Vang Pagoda complex design, a Great Stupa will be constructed on the mountaintop to enshrine Buddhist sutras and Buddha relics. Its shape will be modeled after the original Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in India, the sacred site of the Buddha's enlightenment.
On November 22, 2014, Ba Vang Pagoda laid a foundation stone to start the construction of the Great Stupa. Miraculously, at 3:15 a.m. on April 8, 2015, a Bodhi sapling sprouted naturally from the soil near the foundation stone, amid the pine forest. The monks of Ba Vang Pagoda, due to their meditation ability, recognized this extraordinary event. From then on, monks, nuns, and lay people referred to the tree as “the Bodhi tree planted by devas” and the mountain as “Bodhi Mountain.”
This is no mere coincidence: the Mahabodhi Temple in India was established to commemorate the Buddha's enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. Similarly, as Ba Vang Pagoda prepared to construct the Great Stupa, inspired by the Mahabodhi Temple, a Bodhi sapling emerged in this sacred location. The Bodhi tree is a symbol of the Buddha's appearance and enlightenment. As such, the miracles of the Buddha Dharma are inconceivable.
The Buddha taught that there are three objects that symbolize his presence in the world: the Bodhi tree, representing his enlightenment; the alms bowl, an item of the Buddha; and the Buddha's relics, crystallized from his Paramita virtues. Therefore, whoever reverently makes prostrations and offerings to these things will get extraordinary blessings at present and create opportunities for diligent Dharma practice and liberation in the future.
Truly as the Buddha taught, many people have experienced positive transformations in their lives thanks to sincerely prostrating to the Bodhi tree at Ba Vang Pagoda.
Ms. Ngo Thi Tuyen, who lives in Binh Phuoc Province, Vietnam, suffered from arthritis, causing pain in both her legs. Once when she visited Ba Vang Pagoda, thinking that she had few opportunities to come here again, she made a vow with determination to climb the mountain and pay homage to the Bodhi tree. Her sincere reverence led to a miraculous easing of her leg pain. Furthermore, after circumambulating three times and making prostrations and offerings to the Bodhi tree, a miracle happened to her. From the moment she descended the mountain and returned home, her leg pain completely disappeared, and she has since been able to run five kilometers daily.
