Ram Bahadur Bomjon
Ram Bahadur Bomjon (born May 9, 1989, sometimes Bomjan or Banjan), also known as Palden Dorje (his official Buddhist name), is a young Buddhist monk from Ratanapuri village, Bara district, Nepal who drew thousands of visitors and media attention for spending months in meditation, allegedly without food or water, although this claim is widely contested. Nicknamed the Buddha Boy, he began his meditation on May 16, 2005. He went missing on March 11, 2006 and reappeared on December 25, 2006.
Early life
According to his family and neighbours, Bomjon often acted differently from his childhood friends, frequently observing other people in worship and praying himself. He was born with a "peaceful nature" and would never get into a fight or kill an animal. Beginning at the age of five he only took leftovers for food, and went hungry if there was nothing.
He was accepted into the priesthood by Sombahadur Lama of Suhdha, Ward 8 of Chhatiwan Village Development Committee. He hesitated to shave his head as is typical for a Buddhist priest; photos show him with a full head of hair. At the end of his training his class went to Lumbini, birthplace of Gautama Buddha, but instead of returning directly home with the rest of his class he continued on to Dehradun to receive additional teaching.
Returning home from Dehradun, he became ill for sometime, and when he recovered he walked with a limp. On May 16, 2005, he admonished his family to not kill animals or drink alcohol, then left home while they slept. A search was conducted and he was found meditating under a nearby pipal tree. He told his family to go home and not worry. When his mother continued to despair, he plucked six leaves from the tree and gave them to her, saying, "Take these leaves home and keep them in a safe condition. If you lose these leaves, you will not be able to find me. If you keep them safe, I will remain with you forever."
On July 24, 2005, he opened his eyes to tell his brother to call him "Om Namo Buddha Gyani" ("salute to the wise Buddha". The phrase Buddha Gyani might not mean wise Buddha as much "one who has knowledge (gyan) of Buddha").
Beliefs
Bomjon's story gained popularity because it resembled a Buddhist legend from the Jataka Nidanakatha about Gautama Buddha's enlightenment, so much so that some devotees claimed Ram was the reincarnation of the Buddha. However, on November 8, 2005 Dorje arose and said to the public, "Tell the people not to call me a Buddha. I don't have the Buddha's energy. I am at the level of rinpoche." He said that he will need six more years of meditation before he may become one. The boy's hometown filled with tourists from throughout Nepal, and international visitors, everyday.
According to his followers, Bomjon could be a Bodhisattva, a person on the path to attaining full enlightenment of Buddhahood. According to the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, there were endless Buddhas before him and infinite Buddhas to come in future. Proponents claim that Bomjon could also be the emanation of Maitreya Bodhisattva, the predicted successor to Sakyamuni.
It is reported that his mother fainted when she found out that her son meditated for an undefined period of time. His mother's name is Maya Devi Tamang, the same first name as Buddha's mother.
Skepticism
An average human being who stops drinking will die of dehydration in three to four days. According to the Guinness Book of Records the longest time a human has survived without water is 18 days. The boy's followers claimed the boy went for several months without drinking any water. Skeptics considered Bomjon's purported ability to survive without food or water an elaborate hoax, while Nepalese security sources claimed that the money collected from tourists went to Maoist rebels. The boy's handlers denied such charges.
Bomjon was observed not to leave the tree at least during the daytime, but nobody was allowed to approach him too closely. Between 5:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. nobody was allowed to see him, and a screen was erected for that purpose. Many people speculated that he ate and drank during that time.
Some supporters believed that, even if Ram did eat and drink at nighttime, the ability to sit nearly motionless in the same position day after day, with no regard for extremes of weather including a cold winter and a monsoon season, is notable. Bomjon's local supporters claimed that the money donated by visitors is used to provide security and assert that he meditates all night, although these claims are highly suspect due to the opportunities for financial gain. In addition to an entrance fee, books, pamphlets, and cassettes have all been sold promoting Ram as a new Buddha.
In December 2005, a nine-member government committee led by Gunjaman Lama watched Bomjon carefully for 48 hours and observed him not to take any food or water during that time. A video recording was also made of this test. However, they were unable to approach closer than 3 meters or take readings of his vital signs. A group of rationalist physicians tried to conduct an independent study but were prevented from doing so by the screen erected at night. The Nepalese government planned a more careful scientific study but this plan was later scrapped.
Disappearance
Bomjon, after about ten months of meditation, went missing on March 11, 2006. It was unclear at the time whether or not he voluntarily left for the local jungles or was abducted. Some believed he ventured farther into the jungle to seek a more serene place for intensive meditation. Police abandoned the search after the possibility of foul play was eliminated. Interestingly, the authorities froze the bank account of the local committee managing the crowds, which had gathered more than Rs. 600,000.
On March 19, the Chairman of the Om Namo Buddha Tapaswi Sewa Samiti (ONBTSS), Bed Bahadur Lama, and his colleagues allegedly met with Bomjan about 2 miles (3 kilometers) south-west of his meditation site. They say they spoke to him for thirty-minutes, during which Bomjan said "there is no peace here" and that he would return in six years, or roughly 2011 or 2012. He left a message for his parents telling them not to worry. He reappeared in eastern Nepal on December 25 2006, after vanishing for nine months.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Update
Ram Bahadur Bomjon, popularly known as the "Buddha Boy", has been found meditating
inside a pit dug underground at Ratanpuri recently.
The meditation hole is seven feet deep and seven feet wide. Bomjon, who had started meditation under a Pipal tree in the village, had gone missing since March 11, 2006, and again reappeared on December 25 the same year. Indra Lama, a local, who has been deployed as caretaker for him since he began meditation, said the bunker was prepared as per Bomjon's order. After granting audience a week ago, he expressed his desire to meditate inside the ground; so we built it, he said.
Inspector of the of the area police post, Nijgadh Rameshwor Yadav, said he had seen Bomjan going inside the pit on Monday.
A police team, under the command of Yadav, had gone to the place after word of Bomjon meditating underground spread in the area. After his mysterious disappearance last year, his 'disciples' had claimed that he had gone in search of a peaceful place for meditation, as thousands of curious people began visiting him daily then.
Seventeen-year-old Bomjan claims that he has meditated without taking any food since May 17 2006.
nepalnews.com March 28 07