Hunting for the Tree of Life - A spiritual journey in the garden traditions - by Maria Teresa De Donato and Anneli Sinkko - Review by Fiori Picco

 Hunting for the Tree of Life

A spiritual journey in the garden traditions

by Maria Teresa De Donato and Anneli Sinkko

 

Review by Fiori Picco

 

 

 

"Hunting the Tree of Life - A spiritual journey in the garden traditions" by Maria Teresa De Donato and Anneli Sinkko is an analytical and profound text on the meaning of human existence and the eternal connection with God or Higher Intelligence.

Through an accurate and meticulous study, the authors have compared numerous passages of Genesis and sacred texts of ancient civilizations and cultures such as the Judaic, the Christian, and the Sumerian, highlighting the aspects in common, such as the concept of the Garden of Eden, a place idyllic and primordial in which man was closely in symbiosis with the Earth and with all the magnificence of Creation, and a place where our ancestors knew no pain or suffering, no disobedience, and selfishness.

The authors lead the reader on a journey of careful reflection on the questions of life and our origins. What broke the original and idyllic balance with Nature and the Whole, dragging the human being towards the abyss of self-destruction?

Free will has led man towards deleterious and regressive choices, and perhaps this is why our life span is now limited, and we have to face sickness and death. Are we the ones who have interrupted the cosmic, energetic, and vital breath that flowed through our bodies, making us longer-lived?

Why is man, defined as an "evolved animal endowed with intellect" and created in the image and likeness of God, biologically more fragile and precarious than other species of centenary creatures and even trees?

As a sinologist and anthropology scholar, I can state that, even in oriental culture, particularly in the Wa people of China, man originated in a heavenly place, on Mount Gongming, in a valley full of immense and luxuriant vineyards. On the top of the mountain, a gigantic pumpkin was found tied to a row of very sweet grapes. Danuogan, the progenitor of the Wa ethnic group, comparable to Adam, lived in harmony with the King of Frogs, and when he used his sword to open the gourd, the gourd split in two, and all the creatures of the world came out. Danuogan is also comparable to Noah in that he built a canoe, put a cow in it, and fled to survive a devastating flood. It was from that moment on that, on nights with a full moon, the wild beasts of the mountains attacked the villages, and the wooden buckets used by the women to sound the alarm and to draw water from the well broke, no longer allowing the tribe to quench the thirst.

The moment the serpent tempted her and ate the apple, Eve was condemned to give birth in pain.

There are different sources and cultures, different ways of telling about Creation, and the roots of humanity, but the similarities that demonstrate our brotherhood are strong.

Adam was molded of clay; Goddess Nüwa created Chinese civilization by forging figurines with Earth. Gardens are featured in the Old Testament, the Gospels, and Buddhism. Buddha Sākyamuni had enlightenment under the sacred ficus tree. His birth was announced by a white elephant to the mother Māyā, who received the child in her womb "without any impurity." Jesus was revealed to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel and was the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Clearly, a Superior Entity created the Whole by allowing people to decide their actions freely.

Valuable is the commitment of the authors in tackling such a complex and delicate topic which, to this day, still represents a mystery.

Man fails to codify these great enigmas because they transcend his knowledge of him, which is why he is a repeater of errors. The concept of original sin in Christianity is the root cause of all our suffering, but with redemption, we can aspire to a peaceful life in the afterlife.

In the East, original sin is linked to countless reincarnations, which, by repeating themselves, allow us to evolve and improve by undoing karmic knots. In Buddhism, Nirvana, and enlightenment do not concern only the human species but all living beings, which are an integral part of Creation.

This book represents a path the authors have defined as "exciting and difficult." Still, it has united them spiritually, regardless of religious belief, the culture of belonging, and geographical distance, in the diffusion of a universal message: we are all one big family.