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Looks like Discovery Channel is going to put a stop to our curiosity on whether the Buddha Boy was eating or not during his meditation. They’ll be airing My Shocking Story: The Boy With Divine Powers on Thursday 29 June, 10pm. But this is only for viewers in UK at this moment. If there are any readers from UK interested in Buddha Boy please leave a comment after watching the story.

For the first time ever, cameras have been allowed beyond the 50 metre fence that guards Ram. Filming him 24/7, we will be able to see if he leaves the tree or is somehow getting food and water. Doctors will also view the footage and give their views on what is happening to his body and how he might be enduring what is deemed physically impossible.

Thanks to Wayne for the link.

Update: You can watch the full documentary in Dailymotion

June issue of GQ will have a feature story THE INCREDIBLE BUDDHA BOY by George Saunders (the author of In Persuasion Nation). First portion of the story is available online which describes Saunder’s journey to Nepal. It should be very interesting to read the first hand experience of an author who went in search of a miracle. You’ll have to get the June edition of GQ for the full article.

GQ.com’s Ben Phelan, George Saunders and photographer Jeff Riedel were in Nepal to see the meditating boy before his disappearance and to capture him on film. Here is their interview.

Is the Buddha Boy a hoax?

RIEDEL: My first thought was, This kid’s made of wax, like a Madame Tussauds wax figure. And then I thought, Wait a minute, how could they do that?

SAUNDERS: These people couldn’t pull that off. And in a way it wouldn’t even come into their radar. I’m a pretty sarcastic person, and it was interesting to see how that simplicity of life, or poverty, or whatever you want to call it, also has a component of real sweetness and earnestness that was almost unimaginable to me until I saw it—this real gentle surface-level earnestness. I don’t know if you felt that, Jeff, but they were so guileless, the people we met, which made them believe in this boy more, because the level of deception you’d have to practice to pull off this hoax would even be a lot for us, in upstate New York.

You get the feeling there that if someone did something dishonorable, there’s nowhere for them to disappear to. The people in the communities know everything about each other. That’s why I thought, “In this Village Committee, you think about them trying to pull a hoax. If there’s even one person in the community that was onto it and skeptical, or felt dissed or pissed off about it or something, that’s all it would take to blow this thing up.” But you know, we’re out there five days, six days, whatever. Nobody pulled us aside to say, “Hey, you know…” And now he’s gone. Wherever he is, they can’t find him, which convinces me even more—he just got up and went deeper, to someplace where nobody can find him. And now he’s presumably happy, I guess.

It’s interesting and encouraging to know that researchers at Harvard, Yale and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found the first evidence that meditation increases thickness of the Brain parts which are responsible for processing sensory input and dealing with attention.

"Our data suggest that meditation practice can promote cortical plasticity in adults in areas important for cognitive and emotional processing and well-being," says Sara Lazar, leader of the study and a psychologist at Harvard Medical School. "These findings are consistent with other studies that demonstrated increased thickness of music areas in the brains of musicians, and visual and motor areas in the brains of jugglers. In other words, the structure of an adult brain can change in response to repeated practice."

This is a good news but it doesn’t happen overnight. The increase in size is proportional to the amount of time one has been meditating.

Lately I’ve been reading a lot about Buddhism and am practicing (experimenting) mindfulness meditation. Just found an excellent article about mindfulness meditation (Zazen, vipassana, mindfulness meditation) which I wanted to share with you all. When we talk about meditation we tend to think that it should be done by sitting in a lotus position but zazen can be done anywhere anytime with positive physical and psychological benefits.

But it isn’t necessary to practice zazen sitting in a lotus position. You can use everyday opportunities to practice. When you feel like flinching while talking with someone, that is an excellent time to practice because it will help you deal with the situation. Observe your experience — the person you’re talking to, your surroundings, your bodily sensations, the thoughts arising in your mind. Just pay attention without withdrawing or flinching. It is very calming.

This bas relief depicts Maya Devi with her right hand holding on to a sal tree with a newborn child standing upright on a lotus petal, shedding an oval halo, around his head.

During my recent visit to Po Lin Monastry I found some conflicting information about Buddha’s birth place. I saw some paintings with information saying Buddha was born in Nepal and some other info saying he was born in India. It might not matter to most, but those who are serious about history and Buddhism itself should know the facts. I’ve known many serious Buddhists who really thought that Buddha was born in India until they met me. I had to point them to reliable sources to get the facts across. The truth is that; Buddha was born in Kapilbastu, Lumbini, Nepal.
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Buddha Boy was spotted 3 KM away from the current meditation spot on Sunday morning according to the Om Namo Buddha Committee chairman Mr. Lama. A team of seven people from the committee came in contact with the Buddha Boy and he reportedly vanished after talking with them for half an hour. "He said he would reappear after six years. He has asked monks to perform prayers in the meditation spot," Lama claimed.

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eKantipur.com is reporting that bank account of Meditation Management committee is frozen after the disappearance of Ram Bahadur Bomjon.

The local administration of Bara district on Monday stopped the bank account of Meditation Management Committee after “little Buddha” suddenly disappeared from the meditation site and could not traced anywhere.

I’ve been following the news like crazy from yesterday since I read about Ram Bahadur Bomjon’s disappearance. Now almost all the major news are reporting the story. While I was writing about this in my previous article Buddha Boy Lost and Found eKantipur.com was reporting that he has been found which appears not to be true. I’ve read many news and blogs, so these are the facts known till now:

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After 10 months of meditation Ram Bahadur Bomjon has mysteriously gone missing. CNN is reporting a team of police is dispatched to search him in the jungles of Bara. His photo above is taken from CNN which appears to be a new one. His hair has grown longer and is covering up to his nose. The gown should be a new one (the old one was apparently burnt by the fire erupting from his body).

Kantipur Online is reporting that the boy has been found near his meditating site. Now the story is changed to ‘Buddha boy’ Bomjon abandons meditation site (see the Update at the end of this story)

State-run Nepal Television earlier Saturday reported that whether Bomjom himself abandoned his mediation or somebody forcefully took him way was not clear.

Nepal News is saying Little Buddha “reported missing”

Ram Lama, member secretary of the committee that manages hundreds of devotees who visit the Ratnapuri to have “darshan” of the young boy, said he did not have any idea where Bomjan may have left. He, however, dismissed reports saying that Bomjan may have been abducted.

“He has left along with one of his colleagues. He must have gone in search of a quieter place,” radio reports quoted Lama as saying.

NewslineNepal.com is also saying “Little Buddha” Goes Missing from Meditating site in West Nepal

I think he’s just gone for a walk or in search for a quieter place. What do you think?

Update

Kantipur Online (eKantipur.com) has changed the story from Meditating boy Bomjon lost, Found to ‘Buddha boy’ Bomjon abandons meditation site. So, it’s unclear whether the boy is still missing or has been found. The older story of eKantipur.com is not available online but I’ve the screen capture.

Other News sources on Buddha Boy’s disappearance:
Reuters: Nepal’s mystery “Buddha” boy goes missing
The Times of India: Nepal’s ‘Buddha Boy’ vanishes
UWB: Where is the Buddha Boy?

Nepali Times have an article Mayadebi’s meditating son. (Requires login. It’s free to register). There’s nothing new about the Buddha Boy himself but it’s interesting to know his childhood from his mother. I think she’s fed up of the same questions everyone is asking.

Mayadebi remembers Ram stopped going to school, followed a Lama and went from monastery to monastery. His mother lost track of him and she would hear he was in Lumbini or Dehradun. Mayadebi says she has never gone near her son since he started fasting. “I’m too scared,” she tells us, “I am afraid of what I might see. After he left school, I was afraid my son was going to be a good-for-nothing, after he started meditating the neighbours said that he had gone mad. But now I’m just worried about him.”