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[igotthisguitar]

Nepal Boy Called Reincarnation of Buddha
By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA, Associated Press Writer
Wed Nov 23,10:52 AM ET

KATMANDU, Nepal - A teenage boy has been meditating in a Nepalese jungle for six months, and thousands have flocked to see him, with some believing he is the reincarnation of Buddha, police and media said Wednesday.



Ram Bahadur Banjan, 15, sits cross-legged and motionless with eyes closed among the roots of a tree in the jungle of Bara, about 100 miles south of the capital, Katmandu.

He's supposedly been that way since May 17 — but his followers have been keeping him from public view at night.

A reporter for the Kantipur newspaper, Sujit Mahat, said he spent two days at the site, and that about 10,000 people are believed to visit daily.

Soldiers have been posted in the area for crowd control, officials said.

A makeshift parking lot and cluster of food stalls have sprung up near Banjan's retreat, an area not previously frequented by visitors.

Many visitors believe Banjan is a reincarnation of Gautama Siddhartha, who was born not far away in southwestern Nepal around 500 B.C. and later became revered as the Buddha, which means Enlightened One.

Others aren't so sure.

Police inspector Chitra Bahadur Gurung said officers have interviewed the boy's associates about their claim that Banjan has gone six months without food or drink.

Officers have not directly questioned the boy, who appears deep in meditation and doesn't speak.

"We have a team ... investigating the claim on how anyone can survive for so long without food and water," Gurung said.

Local officials have also asked the Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology in Katmandu to send scientists to examine Banjan.

Mahat said visitors can catch a glimpse of Banjan from a roped-off area about 80 feet away from him between dawn and dusk.

Followers then place a screen in front of him, blocking the view and making it impossible to know what he is doing at night, Mahat said.

"We could not say what happens after dark," Mahat said. "People only saw what went on in the day, and many believed he was some kind of god."

Buddhism teaches that right thinking and self-control can enable people to achieve nirvana — a divine state of peace and release from desire. Buddhism has about 325 million followers, mostly in Asia.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051123/ap_on_re_as/nepal_buddha;_ylt=AvreJpwNm6FrKvpcqj5cAnj9xg8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA4NTMzazIyBHNlYwMxNjk2

[rapier]

I was interested in the story as well- apparently the boy wants another 6 years of meditation!
I'm a little scepical of the curtain performance though. They may possibly feed him at nights..who knows? Either way I do believe its quite possible he hasn't eaten for 6 months...as I've always been a believer in the supernatural.

http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=6adbc151-ae20-4b04-918f-5e356c179b3f

Witnesses say they have seen light emanating from the teenager's forehead.

"It looks a bit like when you shine a torch through your hand," said Tek Bahadur Lama, a member of the committee responsible for dealing with the growing number of visitors from India and elsewhere in Nepal.

Photographs of Ram Bomjon, available for five rupees (about 13 Canadian cents) from his makeshift shrine, have become ubiquitous across the region. "Far and wide, it's the only topic of conversation," said Upendra Lamichami, a local journalist.

He said no allegation had yet emerged of Ram breaking his fast or moving, even to relieve himself.

Santa Raj Subedi, the chief government official in Bara district, appealed to the capital, Kathmandu, for assistance in dealing with the influx of visitors, and for a team of scientists to examine the case.

Local doctors failed to reach a final conclusion, although they were allowed no closer than five metres from the boy mystic, declaring that they could confirm no more than that he was alive.

The popularity of the phenomenon is partly because it resembles an episode in the life of the Buddha, who achieved enlightenment when he meditated beneath a sacred pipal tree for 49 days.

Ram Bomjon is also sitting beneath a pipal tree, in the same posture as the Buddha is depicted, but his vigil has already taken longer.

Ram's mother, who is called Maya Devi, like the Buddha's mother, admits to anxiety, particularly at meal times. But she tells herself: "God took him to the forest and I have faith that God will feed him."

The fervour increased last week when a snake is said to have bitten Ram, and a curtain was drawn around him. After five days it was opened and he spoke. "Tell the people not to call me a Buddha. I don't have the Buddha's energy. I am at the level of rinpoche (lesser divinity).

"A snake bit me but I do not need treatment. I need six years of deep meditation."

Despite his protestations, "Buddha boy" is famous.

A thriving market has grown in the once pristine forest, supplying pilgrims with everything from chewing tobacco and bicycle repairs to incense and sacred amulets. The ground is covered in litter.

A fence was built around Ram's tree to prevent pilgrims prodding him, then a second, and now a third is planned, as well as a bus park.

Prakash Lamsal, a businessman said: "Some people are selling 2,500 rupees ($65 Cdn) worth of tea a day. "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."

[rapier]

[ChimpumCallao]

I can't believe the same people that so ardently criticize Christianity are lapping up this crap.

religion is fake and stupid...even the fancy oriental kind.

[tomato]

Anyone who claims that this boy is a reincarnation of Buddha will have to contend with the Tibetan Buddhists.
That's what they say about the Dalai Lama.

[coolsage]

This does sound dodgy. My skimpy acquaintance with Tibetan Buddhism suggests that the new one doesn't show up until the current one expires, and considering the good health of the Dalai Lama, this could take a while.

[Wrench]

[rapier]

Does anyone here meditate? Any stories to relate, and whats the longest you've meditated for?

Apart from finding myself occasionally transfixed contemplating something like a tree or the ocean..I don't meditate.. perhaps the closest I've come was spending 6 weeks in the outback of Australia without talking to a living soul for 5 weeks. Certainly a very rewarding experience.