The Buddha Boy is Back

I just saw this article on The Buddhist Channel about the so-called "Buddha Boy" in Nepal.  He meditated under a tree for a long time without moving, or according to reports, eating or drinking either.  A great deal of hype surrounded him and then he disappeared into the jungle.  This article says he's back under the tree where he originally sat, but this time he plans to talk to his followers before hitting the meditation hard again.

Some apparently say he is the reincarnation of Shakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha who founded what we call "Buddhism" today.  Actually, he didn't "found" anything, but simply re-started the Wheel of Dharma taught by previous Buddhas.

In any case, the issue is interesting. Discovery Channel did a documentary on him, but the title of it escapes me for now.  They used cameras to confirm that he wasn't moving and in fact he didn't for at least several days at a time.  There was no evidence that he was eating or drinking either, though it was quite dark at night.

My buddy Miroj Shakya's father, Min Bahadur Shakya, was quoted for the article, too. 

Comments

[Dharma Warrior]

(0)

[Jae-Min]

I think the problem with the claims is that seeing as how Buddha Shakyamuni passed into parinirvana, he no longer reincarnates. I think we should wait and see what he does and then assess his authenticity.

[Michael Tran]

I agree with Jae-Min on that part. We'll see how things go. But if you do remember the name of the documentary let me know--I'd like to see it! :)

How have you been otherwise?

[Kath]

The title is "The Boy with Divine Power". You can see it on Dailymotion now. I think the media tends to blow things up, and most were simply made up due to their lack of knowledge on Buddhism. I agree, we should wait for now.
So you are the buddy of Min Bahadur Shakya's son!

[Harry]

Hi,

Interesting blog.

From where did such a mechanistic notion of "reincarnation" come into Buddhism?

The way some Buddhists talk you'd think reality depended on what we think/believe about it.

I wandered into a Legion of Mary meeting by mistake at college last night. I stayed a while. They were at the same sort of game; they were assigning non-believers to hell or purgatory as they sought fit.

What we think is reality, but reality ain't necessarily what we think it is at all.

Regards,

Harry.

[Rinchen Gyatso]

Harry,

You raise an interesting point. I'm not sure, however, exactly what you mean my a "mechanistic" notion of reincarnation. Could you elaborate if you check the blog again?

I think the issue with the so-called Buddha Boy is simply one of wishful thinking on the part of some and down-right greed. Call him Buddha and more pilgrims will come and offer rupees. From what I saw in the documentary, a lot of people pushed their way into decision making positions because of how lucrative the situation was.

Jae-Min is correct: Shakyamuni Buddha has entered parinirvana and therefore doesn't take corporeal form anymore.

[Harry]

Hi there,

I mean simple notions like when people believe, just because they are told, that when we die we 'come back' as something/somebody else. Or that The Buddha (note capitals meaning the historical person) could be reborn. I mean these ideas are 'simple' when they are not the result of Buddhist realisation but are merely us accepting as 'True' the little blips of electricity that exist only within the confines of our human heads.

I mean like when the Buddha's enlightenment is reduced to a human, intellectual tidbit, and/or when it is reduced to an article of faith or some abstract religious assumption.

Rather than practicing greatly realising delusion we practice being greatly deluded about realisation (to misquote Dogen Zenji). Its the triumph of religion over Buddhism ('Buddhism' meant here in terms of what the Buddha actually practiced).

I think its fair to call Buddhism a religion, but it is a religion that, if it wants to retain the values of the Buddha, must be based in direct practice, not in our own belief.

It does, of course, function as a folk religion in parts of the world where Buddhist deities are worshipped, where offerings are made for better rebirths of to curry favour, where adherents do not actually practice meditation etc etc etc... but that is clearly not what Buddha and the Patriarchs were essentially about.

Regards,

Harry.

[~ray]

(0)

[Marcus]

Hi Harry,

Good points - but don't forget that the most essential thing is the middle way.

You say "It does, of course, function as a folk religion in parts of the world where Buddhist deities are worshipped, etc etc etc... but that is clearly not what Buddha and the Patriarchs were essentially about", but be careful of claiming that you know better than the millions of practicing Budhists!

I 'worship' a Buddhist diety. I chant the name of Kwan Seum Bosal, I bow to him/her, I take refuge in her. I know that calling on him saves me. This is a part of my path and my practice and it is supported by the sutras. Who is to say that it's not Buddhist?

Wishing you peace,

Marcus

[Harry]

Hi Marcus,

The most essential thing may not be the middle way but may be directly enacting and embodying the Buddhist truth, which may not nesseceraly conform to our ideas of what constitutes the middle way.

Yes, chanting may well be an enactment of the Buddhist truth, THE truth, whether it is supported by the sutras or not.

Whether it is to enact the truth or not is certainly nothing to do with what I say.

Regards,

Harry.

[Joseph (Gildo)]

There was another documentary that Discovery was showing with the Buddha Boy one, I found even more interesting. It was about the problem Bhutan had with too many born again Lamas. Did you see this one? It was called "Born again Buddhist" I think, might be wrong...

My favourite scene is the little boy telling his father to wait a moment for him to meditate before they continue on their path, then comparing the temple to how it looked in his past life.

[Joseph]

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=born+again+buddhists&emb=0&aq=f#q=discovery%20channel%20boy%20with%20devine%20powers&emb=0

I found this on GoogleVideo