King Asoka and Buddhism - Urban Dharma

somewhat regained consciousness, he said, sobbing: “When Ilooked at the king of trees, I knew that even now I was lookingat the Self-existent Master. If the tree of the Lord comes to die,I too shall surely expire!”Now Tiṣyarakṣitā saw the king afflicted with sorrow andsaid: “My Lord, if Bodhi should happen to die, I will bring aboutyour pleasure!”“Bodhi is not a woman,” said the king, “but a tree; it is wherethe Blessed One attained complete unsurpassed enlightenment.”Tiṣyarakṣitā now realized her mistake. She summoned theMātanga woman and asked whether it was possible to restorethe Bodhi Tree to its previous healthy condition.“If there is still some life left in it,” said the sorceress, “I shall beable to revive it.” She then untied the thread, dug up the groundall around the tree, and watered it with a thousand pitchers ofmilk a day. After some time, it grew to be as it was before. Theking’s men quickly told Aśoka: “Rejoice, your majesty, the treehas returned to its previous state!” 32Much the same episode is referred to in the Mahāvaṃsa with,however, a rather different denouement. For in the Sri Lankantradition, Tissarakkhā is successful in her attempt to destroy‘the Bodhi Tree at Bodhgaya; it perishes soon after she piercesit with a maṇḍu thorn. 33Some scholars have interpreted this Sri Lankan storyas recalling the actual death of the Bodhi Tree at Bodhgaya.Whether or not this be the case, it is important to note thatin the Mahāvaṃsa this episode occurs right after the chapterdescribing the glorious transference and successful transplantingof the southern branch of that Bodhi Tree to Sri Lanka.The implication of the story is thus clear: what has died inIndia still thrives at Anuradhapura; Sri Lanka is now in solepossession of the living Tree of Enlightenment.153