(IN) Religion and nature conflict in Assam

[Guest guest]

*http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090827/jsp/northeast/story_11414524.jsp*

 

A village of staunch Buddhists is caught in a dilemma of choosing between

religion and nature.

 

Hundreds of storks, which have nested on the sacred pipal tree, have become

a threat to the tree's survival, forcing the villagers to move the forest

department for steps to protect both the tree and the storks in Banglung

village in Assam's Karbi Anglong district.

 

The Buddhist villagers are traditional environmentalists and prefer to live

in perfect harmony with nature. Buddhists also worship the pipal tree, as it

was under a similar tree that Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment.

 

In the same village, another 100-year-old sacred tree had been uprooted last

year killing about 800 storks nesting on the tree.

 

'We have already lost one sacred tree and cannot afford to lose another,'

said Sushen Shyam, the headman of Banglung village.

 

An ancient temple is located near the surviving tree where the Buddhist

villagers perform rituals regularly.

 

Shyam said the storks, which survived the mishap on September 20 last year,

left a month later but started returning this year.

 

Several branches of the tree, he said, had dried up because of infection

caused by the birds' presence. 'The tree will soon die because of infection

and the weight from hundreds of birds nesting on it,' he said.

 

Shyam said the villagers had thought of chasing the birds away to save the

tree but decided not to do so because it went against their religion.

[Guest guest]

It's only a conflict if you are of another religion, as apparently is the

writer. Get some western new-age Buddhists on the case...then you will have

a healthy tree and well fed birds, plus maybe some terma found during the

event, perhaps hidden in a fallen branch. Btw, I can't imaging Lord Buddha

calling the Forrest Service for advice, can u?

Jigs in Nepal

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sat, 5 Sep 2009 14:07:38 +0530

AAPN List <aapn >

(IN) Religion and nature conflict in Assam

 

 

 

 

 

*http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090827/jsp/northeast/story_11414524.jsp*

 

A village of staunch Buddhists is caught in a dilemma of choosing between

religion and nature.

 

Hundreds of storks, which have nested on the sacred pipal tree, have become

a threat to the tree's survival, forcing the villagers to move the forest

department for steps to protect both the tree and the storks in Banglung

village in Assam's Karbi Anglong district.

 

The Buddhist villagers are traditional environmentalists and prefer to live

in perfect harmony with nature. Buddhists also worship the pipal tree, as it

was under a similar tree that Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment.

 

In the same village, another 100-year-old sacred tree had been uprooted last

year killing about 800 storks nesting on the tree.

 

'We have already lost one sacred tree and cannot afford to lose another,'

said Sushen Shyam, the headman of Banglung village.

 

An ancient temple is located near the surviving tree where the Buddhist

villagers perform rituals regularly.

 

Shyam said the storks, which survived the mishap on September 20 last year,

left a month later but started returning this year.

 

Several branches of the tree, he said, had dried up because of infection

caused by the birds' presence. 'The tree will soon die because of infection

and the weight from hundreds of birds nesting on it,' he said.

 

Shyam said the villagers had thought of chasing the birds away to save the

tree but decided not to do so because it went against their religion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

>Hundreds of storks, which have nested on the sacred pipal tree, have

>become a threat to the tree's survival

 

It is a good bet that whatever is causing the storks to

congregate in the pipal tree now was not operating to similar effect

in the time of the Buddha:

 

 

>Buddhists also worship the pipal tree, as it

>was under a similar tree that Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment.

 

If the Buddha had spent much time beneath a tree full of

hundreds of birds of any kind, he'd have become known by a term

meaning approximately the opposite of enlightenment.

 

He would probably not have been honored by guano-covered

statues worldwide.

 

On the presumption that the Buddha was not a @#$%head, I

would ask where the storks did congregate in his time -- perhaps in

some other sort of tree that has now been logged out of existence in

the area, or can no longer grow for some other reason?

 

Perhaps in some kind of tree that can be restored to the vicinity?

 

Or perhaps storks then had so many trees to choose from that

individual trees did not become overloaded?

 

Whatever is happening, this is an ecological problem, and

will only be solved to the satisfaction of all concerned, the storks

included, when the entire context of the matter is understood.

 

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

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