Tilia Miqueliana Maxim 菩提樹

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

They're the fruits of tilia miqueliana Maxim in Koishikawa Botanical Garden. Their green color and roundness is so beautiful and cute!

The problem is, however, that tilia miqueliana Maxim is called "Bodaiju" in Japanese, meaning "ficus religiosa" or "sacred fig," under which Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment.

This confusion occurred due to the mistaking of a tilia miqueliana Maxim tree for a sacred fig tree by Myōan Eisai (1141 - 1215), a Japanese Buddhist priest, and as a result, many temples across Japan have planted tilia miqueliana Maxim trees, calling them "sacred fig trees." But Eisai is believed to have also brought the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism and green tea from China to Japan. This offsets his misunderstanding!😊 

 

Tilia miqueliana Maxim 菩提樹

Tilia miqueliana Maxim ボダイジュ

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小石川植物園の菩提樹の実です。色がきれいで形もとってもカワイイです。でも菩提樹ってホントは菩提樹ではないそうです。つまり菩提樹というと、その下で仏陀が悟りを開いた木として知られていますが、それとは別物。栄西がこの木を菩提樹と間違っちゃったようです。でも栄西って臨済宗と茶も日本に持ち帰ったから、まっいいか😊

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