The tree of life

The tree of life has consumed all my attention ever since I saw a version of it in (of all places) a calm colouring book recently. Different from the ones I had seen earlier, I began to wonder, “Is it a real tree? Or is it more of a concept or an archetype? And what does it tell us? Varied interpretations have contributed in their own way to one’s understanding of it.

According to the Christian faith (Book of Genesis), the tree of life is in the centre of the Garden of Eden in Paradise. And there was the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which was nearby. Most of us have heard the story of how Adam and Eve committed the cardinal sin of eating the forbidden fruit from the latter (they were allowed to eat from the other trees in the garden). As a result of this transgression, they were sent out of the Garden of Eden.

So, were there no rules spelled out by God about the Tree of Life? A friend who is into Biblical studies explained that the Tree of Life is a metaphor for creation, for the source of all sustenance, and for God himself. There is no physical tree, according to the earliest versions of the Bible. There are references to a tree whose leaves do not wither, which sums up what the Tree of Life stands for. It is also an everlasting symbol of the relationship between God and man and their articles of faith.

The Kabbalah’s depiction of the tree of life is a geometric diagram with nodes and connecting paths.

The nodes represent different spheres where angels, deities, celestial bodies/
planets reside, and the connecting paths represent the relationship between them. The diagram also depicts
how the universe came to be created by God.

In different cultures and faiths, trees mean different things. Celtics consider trees a link to where one comes from and regard them as ancestors.

In Hinduism, trees are worshipped for fertility and marriage. The Bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment is venerated by Buddhists. In Islam, planting trees is considered an act of charity.

At a deeper level, the tree of life represents life itself: sprouting from a seed, growing, sheltering, and sustaining. And reminds us never to forget the source that gave us the
gift of life.