Buddha's Tree Putting Down Scottish Roots

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Byline: JIM MCBETH

IT is a mere sapling, a slender and vulnerable plant recovering from a journey that began 2,500 years ago.

Its weakened roots, which date from the time of Buddha, hardly break the soil in which they are growing.

But with ancient prayers and modern botanical care, the most sacred twig in the world is creating its own history in Scotland.

Glasgow has become one of only a handful of places in the world to receive a cutting from the Bodhi - the tree of enlightenment. It was while sitting under the original tree, in Northern India, that Gautama Buddha realised with utter clarity how he might change the world.

Buddha's tree …