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tree, from the foliage of which drops the life-giving Soma, is 

 sometimes characterised as the Hindu Moon-Tree. Out of this 

 cosmogonic tree the immortals shaped the heaven and the earth. 

 It is the Tree of Intelligence, and grows in the third heaven, over 

 which it spreads its mighty branches ; beneath it Yama and the 

 Pitris dwell, and quaff the immortalising Soma with the gods. At 

 its foot grow plants of all healing virtue, incorporations of the 

 Soma. Two birds sit on its top, one of which eats Figs, whilst 

 the other simply watches. Other birds press out the Soma juice 

 from its branches. This ambrosial tree, besides dropping the 

 precious Soma, bears fruit and seed of every kind known in the 

 world. 



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The Sacred Tree of Buddha is in the complex theology of his 

 followers represented under different guises : it is cosmogonic, it 

 imparts wisdom, it produces the divine ambrosia or food of im- 

 mortality, it yields the refreshing and life-inspiring rain, and it 

 affords an abiding-place for the souls of the blessed. 



The supernatural and sacred Tree of Buddha, the cloud-tree, 

 the Tree of Knowledge, the Tree of Wisdom, the Ambrosia-tree, 

 is covered with divine flowers ; it glows and sparkles with the 

 brilliance of all manner of precious stones ; the root, the trunk, the 

 branches, and the leaves are formed of gems of the most glorious 

 description. It grows in soil pure and delightfully even, to which 

 the rich verdure of grass imparts the tints of a peacock's neck. It 

 receives the homage of the gods ; and the arm of Maya (the mother 

 of Buddha) when she stretches it forth to grasp the bough which 

 bends towards her, shines as the lightning illumines the sky. 

 Beneath this sacred tree, the Tree of Knowledge, Buddha, at whose 

 birth a flash of light pierced through all the world, sat down with 

 the firm resolve not to rise until he had attained the knowledge 

 which " maketh free." Then the Tempter, Mara, advanced with 

 his demoniacal forces : encircling the Sacred Tree, hosts of demons 

 assailed Buddha with fiery darts, amid the whirl of hurricanes, 

 darkness, and the downpour of floods of water, to drive him from 

 the Tree. Buddha, however, maintained his position unmoved ; 

 and at length the demons were compelled to fly. Buddha had 

 conquered, and in defeating the Tempter Mara, and obtaining 

 possession of his Tree of Knowledge, he had also obtained pos- 

 session of deliverance. Prof. De Gubernatis, in explaining this 

 myth, charadterises the tree as the cloud-tree : in the clouds the 

 heavenly flame is stored, and it is guarded by the dark demons. 

 In the Vedic hymns, the powers of light and darkness fight their 

 great battle for the clouds, and the ambrosia which they contain ; 

 this is the identical battle of Buddha with the hosts of Mara, In 

 the cloud-battle the ambrosia (amvita) which is in the clouds is 

 won ; the enlightenment and deliverance which Buddha wins are 



