Scientists to check Nepal Buddha boy

[Gundampilotspaz]

A meditating teenage boy in south-central Nepal is drawing the attention of scientists after attracting huge crowds in the past six months and earning himself the name Buddha-reincarnate.

They are mulling over how to examine him without disturbing his meditation.

Ram Bahadur Bamjan's friends, relatives and managers say he has been meditating without drinking water for six months now and that he will carry on for another six years until he gains enlightenment.

Siddartha Gautam, who later attained Mahanirvana and became the Buddha, was born in 560 BC.

Grown weak

Word spread quickly about the teenager and people around Ratanapuri village in Bara district began to visit Bamjan, 15, who has been sitting cross-legged in a traditional Buddha posture under a peepal tree.

Bamjan's eyes are closed and his body firm, encased in a whitish shawl.

His hair has grown long and has almost covered his eyes. Villagers say he has grown weak.

His picture has been appearing regularly in newspapers and people now look for updates on him.

Many around Bara worship him as the reincarnation of the Buddha.

The tree is festooned and the air has the smell of incense sticks.

The dramatically increased movement of people has generated economic opportunities.

Makeshift shops have sprung up and offerings in cash and kind are on the rise.

"Almost 500,000 rupees ($7,000) have been deposited in the bank by devotees," says Prajapati Koirala, a senior government administrator in the area. That is apart from the donations visitors make on the spot.

Local people have formed a committee to make sure Bamjan gets the right environment to meditate and to manage the influx of visitors and the offerings they make.

The most frequently asked questions: Does he remain seated like that and meditate even at night? Does he not eat or drink at all?

Some say he has eaten nothing since he began his meditation, others that he used to take a milk-like liquid from the roots of the peepal tree at the beginning.

Challenge

Most people can live without food for several weeks, with the body drawing on its fat and protein stores. But the average human can survive for only three to four days without water.

Followers of holy men and ascetics have often ascribed extraordinary powers to them, but such powers are seldom subject to scientific inspection.

But the number of people seeking real evidence here is increasing.

Under pressure, locals have asked the administration to find out the truth.

"We have agreed to conduct a scientific examination on him," said the local administrator, Mr Koirala.

The challenge is to do so without touching him.

Mr Koirala said scientists from the Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology were due to arrive to conduct the examination.

It remains unclear how they will do it.

"At least the scientists will be able to see whether he meditates the whole night or not," said Deekpal Chaudhary, who sells incense sticks to visitors.

Monastery tour

Bamjan's family members say they have no idea what is going on.

His mother fainted when she found out her son had undertaken an indefinite meditation.

Buddha in Nepal

Many worship Ram Bahadur Bamjan as the reincarnation of Buddha

"I sometimes go to see him but he does not talk to me," said Maya Devi Tamang.

"I don't know what will happen to him but I know that god will help him."

The name of Buddha's mother was also Maya Devi, a point Bamjan's devotees have stressed.

The family said Bamjan was different from his four brothers. They said he did not speak much and stayed aloof.

"He never touched alcohol," said his primary education teacher, Salden Lama.

Relatives and neighbours said Bamjan undertook meditation when he returned from a tour of Lumbini, where Buddha was born, and monasteries in Pokhara in Nepal and Dehradun in India.

Friend and cousin Prem Lama remembers Bamjan saying that he did not want people to call him Buddha as he had only reached primary enlightenment.

Bamjan has spoken only a few times since he began the meditation, according to Prem Lama.

He said the first time Bamjan spoke was when a snake bit him around a month ago.

Bamjan took the incident as his second test, which he must overcome, Prem Lama said.

In the first test he was also bitten by a snake - three months after he began the meditation.

The second snake-bite episode led to increased curiosity.

After being bitten, Bamjan was said to have asked his aides to put a curtain around him.

"In less than a week he asked us to take the curtain away," Prem Lama said.

Now another curtain is to be drawn around Bamjan - for the scientific examination.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4479240.stm

[Arcane]

Wow, he's quite the tenacious bugger. How cool would that be if he actually was some reincarnation of Buddha though?

[uniform_motion]

As a semi-Buddhist I feel the whole reincarnation of Buddha thing is absurd.

However I do feel that this boy has mastered the art of meditation, nothing much more though.

[Pamuya]

wow wtf o_O

[Alundra]

Funny how someone sitting stationary can get people to worship him.

[uniform_motion]

Funny how someone sitting stationary can get people to worship him.

Buddhists don't worship in that sense and if they do they're bad Buddhists.

Then again, most people are bad at being true to their religions nowadays.

[JesusTheNinja]

Funny how someone sitting stationary can get people to worship him.

Have you ever tried what that kid is doing? Maybe this guy is deservant of worship.

I hope this guy is everything the hype claims. First, it'd just be interesting as all hell. Second, it'd force us to re-examine what the human body is capable of. Third, the world could use a miracle, and the reincarnation of Buddah wouldn't be a bad one.

[uniform_motion]

I would like Science to get a nice slap in the face for once actually.

Not that that I'm opposed to Science, but more along the lines of what JesustheNinja said.

[darkon]

So what happened to that crying Mary statue?

[Gundampilotspaz]

So what happened to that crying Mary statue?

It didn't cry for six months.

[Makil]

It'd be awesome if he was a Buddha reincarnate. :D

[darkon]

Hahaha, apparently it is not uncommon for this stuff to happen during meditation. My dad has plenty of books on Buddhism and used to meditate for years (Not all at one time, brief meditation over the course of many years). He told me there's this one Hindu monk who sticks his head in sand with no oxygen for at least 24 hours at a time.

[margot]

hmm is it real, how cool. I think buddhism is best religion except tree religion.

[Arcane]

hmm is it real, how cool. I think buddhism is best religion except tree religion.

Tree religion?

[margot]

Tree religion?

The religion of Treeees and nature.

http://www.livejournal.com/community/tree_religion/

[Samurai Drifter]

Question-

Buddha supposedly attained Nirvana while on earth, which would mean that he wouldn't need to be reincarnated. How, then, could he be the reincarnation of Buddha? Furthermore, if Buddha was the perfect image of what a buddhist should be, then why would he be reincarnated as a poor boy in Nepal? According to the law of karma, he should be a king or something.

People who believe in reincarnation always seem to believe they were someone great in their past life. You never hear people say "oh yeah, I was a ditch digger in my past life, and before that, a bug." It's always "I was Cleopatra. I was Ieyasu Tokugawa. I was George Washington."

[darkon]

Buddhists don't worship in that sense and if they do they're bad Buddhists.

Then again, most people are bad at being true to their religions nowadays.

There is no such thing as a bad Buddhist.

Given that the religion itself leaves a lot open to each person, that's the quest for Enlightenment.

[uniform_motion]

Buddha supposedly attained Nirvana while on earth, which would mean that he wouldn't need to be reincarnated. How, then, could he be the reincarnation of Buddha?

Buddha, not being a God or anyone truly special, was just a guy who achieved Nirvana.

That being said, it doesn't mean that he isn't going to be reincarnated as somone alike at all.

Furthermore, if Buddha was the perfect image of what a buddhist should be, then why would he be reincarnated as a poor boy in Nepal? According to the law of karma, he should be a king or something.

Great things can come in small packages and etc.

There is no such thing as a bad Buddhist.

Given that the religion itself leaves a lot open to each person, that's the quest for Enlightenment.

That's a very liberal interpretation of a very complex religion. =o

Edited December 2, 2005 by Coop

[Alundra]

Have you ever tried what that kid is doing? Maybe this guy is deservant of worship.

I worship no man, and peorple who worship another living being are pathetic and have let their own self-worth go to waste.

No one is above me, since power and wealth are all relative "powers", and if this kid sits in one place for months, whoopdie-fucking-do.

[uniform_motion]

No one is above me, since power and wealth are all relative "powers", and if this kid sits in one place for months, whoopdie-fucking-do.

I see what you're saying, but you're minimizing the skill/concentration it takes to do that.

[Belial]

Indeed. This child no doubt possesses a measure of self control that you should envy.

[margot]

I worship no man, and peorple who worship another living being are pathetic and have let their own self-worth go to waste.

No one is above me, since power and wealth are all relative "powers", and if this kid sits in one place for months, whoopdie-fucking-do.

YOU'RE SO BADASS.

[Alundra]

YOU'RE SO BADASS.

Please quit while you are ahead with the wit, you are not known for it, nor do you execute it well.

[margot]

Please quit while you are ahead with the wit, you are not known for it, nor do you execute it well.

turkey samaaaa.

who are you?

ps: please stop trying to look so hardcore, I know you are tough shit because you have a job and a girlfriend but it doesn't make you better than everyone. And no one cares.

Edited December 2, 2005 by Lindsay

[darkon]

I worship no man, and peorple who worship another living being are pathetic and have let their own self-worth go to waste.

No one is above me, since power and wealth are all relative "powers", and if this kid sits in one place for months, whoopdie-fucking-do.

I haven't cared about any one post more in my entire life.