--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think this is a bodhi tree,” I said…" description: "\"“I think this is a bodhi tree,” I said, “just like Buddha sat under! It’s so exciting. I’m feeling sort of enlightened just standing here. Really, I ca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/christopher-moore-353_trees_i-think-this-is-a-bodhi-tree-i-said-just_1342317.jpg" --- # I think this is a bodhi tree,” I said, “just like Buddha… ![“I think this is a bodhi tree,” I said, “just like Buddha sat under! It’s so exciting. I’m feeling sort of enlightened just standing here. Really, I can feel ripe bodhies squishing between my toes.” Joshua looked at my feet. “I don’t think those are bodhies. There was a cow here before us.” I…” quote by Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/christopher-moore-353_trees_i-think-this-is-a-bodhi-tree-i-said-just_1342317.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/christopher-moore-353_trees_i-think-this-is-a-bodhi-tree-i-said-just_1342317.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/christopher-moore-353_trees_i-think-this-is-a-bodhi-tree-i-said-just_1342317.jpg) > ““I think this is a bodhi tree,” I said, “just like Buddha sat under! It’s so exciting. I’m feeling sort of enlightened just standing here. Really, I can feel ripe bodhies squishing between my toes.” Joshua looked at my feet. “I don’t think those are bodhies. There was a cow here before us.” I lifted my foot out of the mess. “Cows are overrated in this country. Under the Buddha’s tree too. Is nothing sacred?”” [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator humorously confuses a cow’s excrement with sacred relics, questioning what we deem holy. **In simple terms:** Confusing sacred with mundane leads to absurd reverence. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about what is sacred. Themes humor absurdity spirituality Mood playful ironic thoughtful Type satirical anecdotal When to use this quote - tourist sites - religious pilgrimages - personal epiphanies Key Concepts Satire cultural critique Questions to Reflect On - What do you consider truly sacred? - How does humor affect reverence? A Different Perspective The joke may trivialize genuine spiritual experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) ## Related quotes > [“This (liberation) isn't something I can help you with. I can tell you what you need to do, but you have to do it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/this-liberation-isn-t-something-i-can-help-you-with-i-can-tell-you/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [“Buddha sitting under the Bodhi tree and Jesus wrestling with demons in the desert are symbolic of the same drama of the soul that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/buddha-sitting-under-the-bodhi-tree-and-jesus-wrestling-with-demons/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“In what is now known as Bodh Gaya…a Buddhist temple stands beside an ancient pipal, descended from that bodhi tree, or “enlightenment tree,” and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/in-what-is-now-known-as-bodh-gaya-a-buddhist-temple-stands-beside-an/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [According to accounts of the Buddha's life, it would seem that he had a very deep relationship with nature. He was not born in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/according-to-accounts-of-the-buddha-s-life-it-would-seem-that-he-had/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [There is no Bodhi tree, Nor stand of a mirror bright. Since all is void, Where can the dust alight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huineng/there-is-no-bodhi-tree-nor-stand-of-a-mirror-bright-since-all-is-void/) [Huineng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huineng/) > [“... they walked to the Mahamega grove in the centre of which was a sacred, thousand-five-hundred-year-old Bodhi tree. Bhikshus, devotees and many others were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalki/they-walked-to-the-mahamega-grove-in-the-centre-of-which-was-a-sacred/) Kalki > [“Patanjali, Buddha, Moses and Jesus did not go to workshops or seminars or even churches. They went directly to nature: sat under a Bodhi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-lachapelle/patanjali-buddha-moses-and-jesus-did-not-go-to-workshops-or-seminars/) [Dolores Lachapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-lachapelle/) > [“The Buddha achieved enlightenment as he sat under the spreading limbs of the Bodhi tree, breathing in and out in silence, as does a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-m-nadkarni/the-buddha-achieved-enlightenment-as-he-sat-under-the-spreading-limbs/) Nalini M. Nadkarni > [Kevin Eastman is like a Buddha, like the coolest thing in the world, like a rock star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-cipes/kevin-eastman-is-like-a-buddha-like-the-coolest-thing-in-the-world/) [Greg Cipes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-cipes/) > [Sometimes I come across a tree which seems like Buddha or Jesus: loving, compassionate, still, unambitious, enlightened, in eternal meditation, giving pleasure to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satish-kumar/sometimes-i-come-across-a-tree-which-seems-like-buddha-or-jesus/) [Satish Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satish-kumar/) > [I always say, don't be a Christian, be Christ-like. Don't be a Muslim, be Mohammed-like. Be Buddha-like. Emulate these great spiritual Masters and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/i-always-say-don-t-be-a-christian-be-christ-like-don-t-be-a-muslim-be/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“Like the Buddha and Jesus, who knew they couldn’t control our lives, but could infuse lives with their selves, we have been graced with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/like-the-buddha-and-jesus-who-knew-they-couldn-t-control-our-lives/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Don't be imitators. The mind is an imitator, because it is easier to play the game of imitation than to become authentically true. Many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/don-t-be-imitators-the-mind-is-an-imitator-because-it-is-easier-to/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Each person is born with a unique individuality, and each person has a destiny of his or her own. Imitation is crime, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/each-person-is-born-with-a-unique-individuality-and-each-person-has-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“In making a path like the Buddha, we discover our own capacities for relationship. Doing this is like feeling our way in the dark.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-epstein/in-making-a-path-like-the-buddha-we-discover-our-own-capacities-for/) [Mark Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-epstein/) ## More by Christopher Moore > [“Love them all," said Renoir. "That is the secret, young man. Love them all." The painter let go of his arm and shrugged. "Then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/love-them-all-said-renoir-that-is-the-secret-young-man-love-them-all/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“I tried cutting myself to express my heartbreak over Tommy (Lord Flood) rejecting me, but OMFG it hurts like flaming fuck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-tried-cutting-myself-to-express-my-heartbreak-over-tommy-lord-flood/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Canada is a myth people made up to entertain children, like the Tooth Fairy. There’s no such place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/canada-is-a-myth-people-made-up-to-entertain-children-like-the-tooth/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Sarcasm will make your tits fall off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/sarcasm-will-make-your-tits-fall-off/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“I hope you are not here to ask me to do my bawdy business- the monkey has a nosebleed and the circus, sir, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-hope-you-are-not-here-to-ask-me-to-do-my-bawdy-business-the-monkey/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [The prospect of change is a many-fanged beast, my dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/the-prospect-of-change-is-a-many-fanged-beast-my-dear/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“The night was crisp and the stars shone with a cold blue light like loneliness or infinity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/the-night-was-crisp-and-the-stars-shone-with-a-cold-blue-light-like/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Children see magic because they look for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/children-see-magic-because-they-look-for-it/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“Abby Von Normal - And I'm like, "Don't change the subject, Kung Pao, what I want to know is if you're ready to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/abby-von-normal-and-i-m-like-don-t-change-the-subject-kung-pao-what-i/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“You can't just go around blurting out the truth like a prophet with Tourette's syndrome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/you-can-t-just-go-around-blurting-out-the-truth-like-a-prophet-with/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [How could you deal with a creature as devious as woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/how-could-you-deal-with-a-creature-as-devious-as-woman/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“…turning your ankle hurts like hell, even if you're a superhero.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/turning-your-ankle-hurts-like-hell-even-if-you-re-a-superhero/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Lonliness evaporated off of them like the steam off dry ice, and by morning it was just a cloud on the ceiling of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/lonliness-evaporated-off-of-them-like-the-steam-off-dry-ice-and-by/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“Give us a call or you know, flash a searchlight in the sky with your logo on it, because we monitor everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/give-us-a-call-or-you-know-flash-a-searchlight-in-the-sky-with-your/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“it wasn't so much like the hands of time had stood still here, more like they'd been thrown in the air in exasperation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/it-wasn-t-so-much-like-the-hands-of-time-had-stood-still-here-more/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) [Explore all 591 Christopher Moore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) ## More Trees quotes > [I loved the game so much that even though our playing field was muddy and we had many trees on it, I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-clemente/i-loved-the-game-so-much-that-even-though-our-playing-field-was-muddy/) [Roberto Clemente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-clemente/) > [Sometimes it's about less is more. It's about the seed. Thinking about this gigantic tree that you think is so beautiful but it started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/sometimes-it-s-about-less-is-more-it-s-about-the-seed-thinking-about/) [Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/) > [“Sitting at the old patio table she’d cleared of leaves, she smiled and leaned back. The stars looked twisted in the limbs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/sitting-at-the-old-patio-table-she-d-cleared-of-leaves-she-smiled-and/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... What this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/a-tree-is-a-self-it-is-unseen-shaping-more-than-it-is-leaves-or-bark/) [Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/) > [Suddenly a mist of green on the trees, as quiet as thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-richardson/suddenly-a-mist-of-green-on-the-trees-as-quiet-as-thought/) [Dorothy Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-richardson/) > [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“Nevermore Tree was gargantuan, a word which here means 'having attained an inordinate amount of botanical volume.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/nevermore-tree-was-gargantuan-a-word-which-here-means-having-attained/) [Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/) > [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The problem with drinking and driving is that trees defend themselves very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-problem-with-drinking-and-driving-is-that-trees-defend-themselves/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [I liked climbing trees and could often be found up one reading a book. I played games with Dad and drew maps for him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhianna-pratchett/i-liked-climbing-trees-and-could-often-be-found-up-one-reading-a-book/) [Rhianna Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhianna-pratchett/) > [You never quite know what you do in life that leaves a seed behind that grows into an oak tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/you-never-quite-know-what-you-do-in-life-that-leaves-a-seed-behind/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [During my first years in the Sierra, I was ever calling on everybody within reach to admire them, but I found no one half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/during-my-first-years-in-the-sierra-i-was-ever-calling-on-everybody/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [He removed several pages of death certificates, which were picked up by another breeze and sent into the trees. Some would fall with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/he-removed-several-pages-of-death-certificates-which-were-picked-up/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) [Browse all 5,290 Trees quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I think this is a bodhi tree,” I said, “just like Buddha sat under! It’s so exciting. I’m feeling sort of enlightened just standing here. Really, I can feel ripe bodhies squishing between my toes.” Joshua looked at my feet. “I don’t think those are bodhies. There was a cow here before us.” I lifted my foot out of the mess. “Cows are overrated in this country. Under the Buddha’s tree too. Is nothing sacred?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Moore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-think-this-is-a-bodhi-tree-i-said-just-like-buddha-sat-under-it-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Trees" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-think-this-is-a-bodhi-tree-i-said-just-like-buddha-sat-under-it-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/christopher-moore-353_trees_i-think-this-is-a-bodhi-tree-i-said-just_1342317.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/christopher-moore-353_trees_i-think-this-is-a-bodhi-tree-i-said-just_1342317.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/christopher-moore-353_trees_i-think-this-is-a-bodhi-tree-i-said-just_1342317.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think this is a bodhi tree,” I said, “just like Buddha sat under! It’s so exciting. I’m feeling sort of…” — Christopher Moore", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Christopher Moore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I think this is a bodhi...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-think-this-is-a-bodhi-tree-i-said-just-like-buddha-sat-under-it-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-think-this-is-a-bodhi-tree-i-said-just-like-buddha-sat-under-it-s/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```