Under The Peepal Tree

 A few days ago, when I was working in the Brisbane CBD, I took a walk after lunch in the nearby City Botanic Gardens. I saw a few people gathered around a table under a giant peepal tree. The scenery was very familiar to me, as if I had encountered this view before. I then remembered that I saw a picture called "Under the Jacaranda" in the state museum. That historically famous painting was about a few people gathering under a jacaranda tree. After I came home in the evening, I couldn't help but paint a watercolour painting called "Under the Peepal Tree".

I've known this giant tree since I studied at QUT in 2009. At first, I didn't know the name of the species. During the summer holiday, when I was developing C-YAWL in the BPM team, a friend told me that it was, in fact, a peepal tree.

"Do you know that the peepal tree is very special?" he asked.

"I don't know much, but I have heard the name in many Buddhist stories," I said.

"Yes, Buddha was enlightened while he was meditating under a peepal tree. But from a biological point of view, it is also very special. See the shape of the leaves? All other plants with leaves in this shape grow in a vine form, and the peepal tree is the only species that has leaves like that but grows in a canopy tree form. Next time you don't know how to write a paper, try coming here!"

I'm not sure whether the tree can enlighten me when I have puzzles. But this is one of the biggest trees that I have ever seen, and reading in its shadow is very enjoyable.