buddhist, Buddhism, sal tree

 Later that afternoon, I strolled through the sprawling university campus, with its simple concrete buildings and rows of sal trees. In the art studios, students’ work was on display: intricate bas-reliefs of Hindu goddesses, a sculpture made from a bicycle rickshaw.

Queen Māyā giving birth to the Buddha

Sarai Tree in Chhattisgarh, India

Sal tree

娑羅樹（學名：Shorea robusta shorea guiso），又名沙羅雙樹、缽羅叉樹、波羅叉樹，摩訶娑羅樹、沙羅樹、鶴林、鵠樹、無憂樹，為龍腦香科娑羅屬植物，產於印度及馬來半島等南亞雨林之中。屬多年生喬木。樹身高大，葉為長卵形而尖，表面光滑，花淡黃色，萼及花瓣外有灰色剛毛。因為氣味芳香，木材堅固，可以用來製作傢具或建材，又可供作藥用或香料。佛教視之為聖樹之一。 印 順《印度之佛教》：「摩耶夫人四十四歲時，夢白象入胎而有妊。翌年，分娩期近，乃從俗歸寧。途經嵐毘尼園，少憩，遂誕生太子於無憂樹（或作娑羅樹、缽羅叉 樹）下。園去迦毗羅衛東四十里，為拘利城主善覺妃嵐毗尼之別墅，在今尼泊爾之蘭冥帝，時距今二干四百零九年前之四月八日日出時也。」

buddhist
n.
One who accepts the teachings of Buddhism.
Bud·dhist
a.
Of or pertaining to Buddha, Buddhism, or the Buddhists.