I still don't get a reason why Siddhhartha Gautama (Gautama Buddha) sat under a pipal tree to get enlightened. He believed that by meditation he can find the truth. The question is, what truth? When you are unable to see what is right and what is wrong when your eyes are open then what can you see when your eyes are closed?
What is the point in praying Siddhartha Gautama? Because he meditated for 6 straight years and gave speeches on truth? What one has to understand is he did for himself and he believed that he committed sin and for that reason he practiced self-mortification. Now ask yourself, will you practice self-mortification?
Considering Gautama as sage:
So one fine morning, there was a gathering and Gautama was addressing them. A man arrived and stood under a shadow of a tree. And he is a devotee of Ram and he has invested his total life to his God (please don't be a typical Indian here... because there are many Gods in India. Some are male and some are female and when I say God, you can take any) and one day he gets a doubt in his mind. What if God doesn't exist? His entire life would just be waste of doing nothing than pronouncing Rama.. Rama. So he asked Gautama, "Is there God?" and Gautama said in a clear voice, "NO".
In the evening, another man came and stood in the shadows. This man is charvaka (charvakas are materialistic people, they believe what they see and nothing else). I would like to say something here. True democracy - in India you have right to spread a message that God doesn't exist and you have also right to spread a message that He exists. So he proved thousands of people that there is no God. But one day, in his mind he has got a doubt. What if God exists? He would torture him more than anyone else for what he did. So he want to confirm that is there an enlightenment here? He wanted to confirm this and asked Gautama, "Is there God?" and Gautama said in a clear voice, "YES".
So what is there on Gautama's mind? In the morning he said there is no God and in the evening he said there is God. See, you are believing something that you do not know and you have the right to believe in anything which is not related to reality itself.
Okay let's come into reality.
I woke up in the morning and my clock said that it is 6 am. Next day it showed 7 am and the other day it showed 5 am. Before or after, I have to pass 6 O'clock in between. Even though the clock alarms same music at 6 O'clock, hour hand points at 6 and minutes hand at 12, I felt that it's not the same shadow that I have been under yesterday, today and the next day.
So, I thought to sit under a tree as Gautama did and started thinking about trees that I prefer.
The first one I thought of is the Papaya tree. Strange thing about this tree is, its root is not hollow while the stem is hollow. Even though it provides shadow and its leaves are more or less have same outfit as pipal tree, what if a heavy winds blows? So thought of alternative.
Second one that I thought of is Banana tree. Strange thing about this tree is, when you are required to keep one, its root will provide you with multiple options and you have to choose one that you think has the strong stem. And its stem is even more interesting because it's wrapped by layer by layer. If you remove one then you'll find another.
Wait, why am I talking about trees here? Why am I talking about its stem and all? Is there a relation between trees and people's mind? Am I thinking to seek truth or practice self-mortification? Do I get anything if I practice? Do you want me to sit under a tree.. which tree? And should I call that tree as what..?? (Bo-Tree is already taken)
