Update today on the Buddha Boy..

[Guest guest]

It's beggining to sound fishy to me...do you think so bob?

 

The " Little Buddha " goes missing

Missing from his well-known meditation site-- at the lap of a peepal

tree in the forest of Rantapuri in the southern district of Bara--

for more than 24 hours, 16-year-old Ram Bahadur Bomjan-- popularly

known as 'Little Buddha' -- continues to make headlines in major

media outlets around the world.

 

Though police is yet to venture out to look for the `mystery boy " to

avoid encounter with the Maoist rebels, hundreds of local villagers

are searching the area hoping that they may find him meditating deep

in the forest.

 

Bomjan " disappeared " from the site of his meditation from early

Saturday without telling anybody where he was heading. Police have

refuted reports that he may have been abducted.

 

How and where did Bomjan start meditation has become a popular story

by now. On May 17 last year, he started meditation under a Peepal

tree near his house --protected on both sides by wings of the trunk

enclosing him in a tender embrace—reportedly without taking any food

and even water.

 

The meditation site is seven km inside the Charkose Jhadee, located

to the north of the east-west Mahendra Highway. The nearest town

Nijgadh of Bara, lies at a distance of about one km.

 

Even if the number of pilgrims and observers thinned out in later

days compared to two months ago, microbuses have not stopped

operating from the highway to the meditation site. Private jeeps,

cars and motorcycles still are seen in queue to get " darshan " of the

young Buddha.

 

The meditation site has been cordoned off with ropes. The first

cordon is 25 metres away from the actual place where Bomjon sits

cross-legged while the second cordon lies 50 metres away. A third was

being planned to stop the approach of people near him that would

disturb mediation. A vehicle park has been constructed leaving Ram at

the centre of an ever growing circle of rubbish. Media personnel and

investigation teams were allowed to go up to first cordon but were

not allowed to make noise or touch him.

 

Buddhists flags are raised from distant place. Between 5:00 p. m. and

5:00 a. m. nobody was allowed to see him, and a screen was erected

for that purpose. Many people speculated that he ate and drank during

that time.

 

Early life

 

Bomjan was born in February 1990 in Ratnapuri village of the

district. Bomjon studied Buddhism for five years after attending the

local primary school till class five. He was accepted into the

priesthood by Som Bahadur Lama of Sudha, Ward 8 of Chhatiwan Village

Development Committee. He then spent some time in Lumbini in 2003 and

Bodhgaya ( India) in 2004, spending one more year studying Buddhism

and returned home last January. Returning home from India, he became

ill for some time, and when he recovered he walked with a limp. He

studied Buddhism on his own at home after returning from India.

 

" He never touched any meat or fish, nor did he drink any alcohol. He

was so different from others, " said his mother, Mayadevi. " He never

fought with anyone and was peaceful by nature. He, however, hesitated

to shave his head, " she added.

 

Interestingly, the name of Lord Buddha's motehr was Mayadevi and he

meditated also under a peepal tree. He had achieved enlightenment

after meditating for 49 days, according to Buddhist scriptures.

 

Bomjan, also called sometimes as Dorje by his friends, often acted

differently from his childhood, frequently observing other people in

worship and praying himself. He was born with a " peaceful nature " and

would never get into a fight or kill an animal. Beginning at the age

of five he only took leftovers for food, and went hungry if there was

nothing.

 

According to reports, on May 16 last year, he admonished his family

to not kill animals or drink alcohol, then left home while they

slept. A search was conducted and he was found under a nearby Peepal

tree in meditation. He told his family to go home and not to worry

about him.

 

'The Buddha'

 

Within days, local Buddhist leaders and villagers claimed that he was

a reincarnation of Lord Buddha born about 6 th century BC at Lumbini,

southern Nepal. Ram, however, told them, " Tell the people not to call

me a Buddha. I don't have Buddha's energy. I am at the level of

Rinpoche-- the lesser divinity. " He was quoted as saying that he

would need six more years of meditation before he may become one.

 

According to Buddhist beliefs, once a person reaches the state of

enlightenment (bodhi) and becomes a Buddha, he is never reincarnated.

To become one with Buddha means ending the continuous cycle of birth,

death, and rebirth that it is believed the soul goes through until it

reaches enlightenment. Any human being can become a Buddha by

realising the true nature of existence, but when one reaches this

point, the soul will not be reincarnated.

 

Nobody has seen Bomjan leave the tree at least during the daytime,

but he was not watched at night, and nobody was allowed to approach

him too closely. He did not respond to any questions.

 

On July 24 last year, Bomjan opened his eyes to tell his brother to

call him " Om Namo Buddha Gyani " ( " Salute to the wise Buddha " ).

 

He spoke up when he was reportedly bitten by a snake twice. His

followers said he was healed automatically and did not need any

medical treatment.

 

Management and publicity

 

People usually tend to be in search of miracles, more so if you are

in the middle of a violent conflict. The 'little Buddha' attracted

thousands of visitors from around the country and became " hot news "

for media from all over the world. International news channels like

CNN, BBC, and other major news agencies carried a number of stories

on the meditating Bomjan.

 

People from different walks of life started pouring into the

meditation site since last October after Bomjon got publicity as the

re-incarnation of Lord Buddha. Millions have visited the site so

far. " Om Namobuddha Tapoban Protection Conservation Committee " headed

by Bed Bahadur Thing was constituted for the management of the

meditation site.

 

A local conundrum

 

A joint meeting of the district administration, security bodies and

representatives of the committee held at the Zonal Administration

Office on November 18, last year, had decided to screen the

meditating boy and stop visitors from seeing him. Before this, the

District Administration Office of Bara had ordered the Committee to

furnish its income-expenditure details.

 

Security forces claimed that large portion of the money and other

offerings made at the meditation site and the amount collected from

selling Bomjon's pictures, CDs and biography goes to the Maoists. The

management committee refuted such allegations and said the collection

was spent on the management of the area and was never given in

donations to the rebels. They also appealed both the warring sides to

declare the area as zone of peace.

 

No scientific tests were undertaken

 

An eight-member team of health workers headed by district hospital's

Medical Superintendent Ram Lakhan Shah observed the meditating boy

for half an hour on November 14, 2005. The medical team that made the

observation from a distance of five metres concluded that there was

no doubt that Bomjon was alive and suggested that they needed to

observe him for at least a week to reach into any conclusion. During

the half hour observation the medical team noticed Bomjon breathing

three times, swallow his saliva once and move his eyelashes.

 

The district administration on November 16, 2005 had written to the

Royal Nepal Academy for Science and Technology (RONAST) and the

Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) to carry out Bomjon's medical

examinations.

 

In December 2005, a nine-member committee led by Gunjaman Lama

watched Bomjan carefully for 48 hours and observed him not to take

any food or water during that time. A video recording was also made

of this test. However, they were unable to approach him closer than

three meters or take readings of his vital signs, other than to

confirm that he was alive and breathing.

 

The team suggested testing his blood to prove whether he has taken

any food but the management committee rejected the proposal. Any

physical examination of Bomjon was not acceptable to the Committee.

 

Money matters

 

With the influx of the people a thriving market grew in the once

pristine forest, supplying pilgrims with everything from chewing

tobacco and bicycle repairs to incense and sacred amulets. The ground

was covered in litter.

 

Prakash Lamsal, a local businessman was quoted by the London based

newspaper Telegraph as saying that " Some people are selling 2,500

rupees worth of tea a day. " Business of other consumable goods, items

for offering to the 'Buddha' and flowers have grown up at large.

 

" These lamas [monks] are going to build mansions out of this. If I

wasn't a bit embarrassed I'd take a van down there and set up a

stall, " Lamsal said.

 

Sales of booklets and pamphlets depicting the life and discourse of

Buddhism increased. Hawkers in Kathmandu and other major cities sell

booklets and CDs. Many of them sell more than 100 pieces a day.

 

Photographs of Bomjan are available for five rupees from his

makeshift shrine and have become ubiquitous across the region.

 

The mysterious escape of Bomjan from early Saturday has only added to

the curiosity of the people and is likely to come up with more

stories regarding his life and future.

 

Compiled by Indra Adhikari

 

nepalnews.com Mar 12 06

 

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Nepal `Boy Buddha' missing

 

IANS

Sunday, March 12, 2006 21:37 IST

 

KATHMANDU: A Nepali teenager who created a sensation as the

new `Buddha Boy' of the Himalayan kingdom has been reported missing

from his place of meditation in southern Nepal after a mysterious

fire.

 

Dubbed the `Little Buddha', `Boy Buddha' and `Namo Buddha', many

believed 15-year-old Ram Bahadur Bomjan was the reincarnation of the

Buddha. Earlier this month, a mysterious fire broke out at the site.

It was not clear immediately if Bomjan had been injured in the blaze.

 

As a committee of villagers formed to safeguard Bomjan arrived here

to show a video of the fire, claiming he was not harmed, the boy has

vanished. His clothes were found near the tree but there is no trace

of him.

 

Bomjan, a fifth grader from Ratanpur village in Bara district in

southern Nepal, hit the headlines last year when the local media said

he had been found sitting in the same meditation posture as Lord

Buddha under a peepal tree. Like the Buddha, Bomjan's mother was also

called Maya and, according to media reports, she had told people her

son refused to eat meat from an early age and would wander from one

monastery to another.

 

Bed Bahadur Thing, who heads the Om Namo Buddha Meditating Forest

Conversation Committee, told the media Bomjan had forecast it would

take him six years' meditation to attain enlightenment. Bomjan is

said to have begun meditation in the Char Koshe Jhadi in Bara about

eight months ago, when he stopped eating and even drinking. He is

said to have been sitting in the same position throughout the day,

clad in a single piece of unstitched cloth, even during the harsh

winter.

 

As curious onlookers and devotees as well as journalists from outside

Nepal started thronging the meditation site, villagers formed a

committee to " look after " Bomjan. There was mounting speculation that

the boy could have been forcibly taken away either by security forces

or Maoist guerrillas or gangs from neighbouring India.

 

The crowds flocking to catch a glimpse of the " wonder boy " were

reportedly posing a problem for the security forces. There were also

reports saying security forces believed the lion's share of the money

donated by devotees went to the Maoist coffers. There was no

immediate comment from the authorities.