Posted on 11/23/2005 11:26:55 AM PST by laney
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.
Unless he weighs 500 lbs., I don't think so.
I was just wondering the other day how much longer it would be before Buddha would be incarnated.
LOL!
Reminds me of the Muslims who "fast" during Ramadan by gorging themselves before sunup or after sundown.
Hmmmmm... I advise a reboot.
And he said that Leo deCaprio and the guy from Napoleon Dynamite were better actors than Tom Cruise.
Wasn't that Keanu Reeves? Ya seen one Buddha, ya seen'em all!
....and has he achieved enlightenment yet?......if so, why did he come back?........I smell a racket...........
Hey, I've been meditating on my couch for years and no one has flocked to see me. What do I gotta do to get flocked around here?
How long before Whack Jacko shows up in Nepal? This kid wont be sitting motionless for long once Jackson shows up.
Shake your tail feathers! LOL
Banjan has gone six months without food or drinkIt explains how he doesn't need to get up and go to the latrine.
Many will come saying . . .
I smell a South Park episode in the making.
Has anyone poked him with a stick to make sure he's still alive?
Those are their rules. They fast during daylight hours.
He's supposedly been that way since May 17 — but his followers have been keeping him from public view at night.
How, exactly, do you follow a leader who is completely motionless for 6 months?
>> "What do I gotta do to get flocked around here?" <<
That sounds like a personal problem. :)
I thought the current Dalai Lama was the reincarnation of Buddha.
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