The Bodhi tree that towers tall

is a symbol of wisdom,

the sacred tree beneath whose boughs

Shakyamuni attained enlightenment.

Since the remote past

the Indian people have called this tree

the “king of the forest”.

Some Buddhist scriptures state

that the Bodhi tree emits a mystic music

when breezes pass through its branches

and that by simply hearing this sound

one can attain spiritual awakening.

The Daishonin wrote:

“One is the mother of ten thousand.”

Ten thousand, like any great number,

begins with one.

The shade of the Bodhi tree offers protection

from the harsh rays of the sun.

But its thousands of branches,

tens of thousands of leaves,

all stem from a single trunk.

A single person of wisdom

firmly rooted in society

has a value and significance

equivalent to a thousand

or even ten thousand people.