I’ve seen many buddhist monks in Swyambhu and Bouddha taking three and half steps forward, then prostrate flat on the road while chanting mantras, and making several rounds around the stupas. But a monk from Tibet, Sherab Gyalsten has taken this to a whole new level by starting this from Tibet, crossing Nepal, and now he’s already entered India, only 16 days away from his destination, Bodh Gaya, where Buddha reached enlightenment under a pipal tree. BBC has more details about this amazing story.
I found this footage from French TV, in YouTube, where Buddha Boy is talking to journalists after his reappearance. I can’t hear what he’s saying in Nepalese due to the French dub. A translation would be most welcome.
UWB has posted this latest photo of the Buddha Boy. Currently 39 policemen are guarding him from 9am to 5pm. Also they’re reporting that the number of followers coming to see him has reduced. Less visitors means less disturbance! I think it’s good for him and his cause.
Ram Bahadur Bomjon, popularly known as Buddha Boy, who disapperead in March this year has been spotted near a dense forest in Pathlaiya nijgadh, on Sunday night. Local hunters, who had been out hunting in the jungle spotted Bomjon first.
Few things we know from media after his reappearance:
He looked slender than before, was in grimy cloths and had long hair flowing down his shoulder.
He was carrying a sharp sword with him and when asked why he needed it, he said he’s carrying it for his own protection.
He claims that he still hadn’t eaten any food, but eats herbs. He wandered around the jungles in Bara, Parsa and Rautahat districts.
His pervious handlers, the members of the Tapaswi Sewa Samiti, are settling up a place for his meditation nearby the Halkhori Lake in Ratanpuri.
“I am engaged in devotion which will continue for six years,” the boy told reporters.
He doesn’t want the new meditation site to be noisy and wants his followers to keep 10 meters distance.
A significant number of users land in my blog searching for the keywords “buddha boy”, “meditating boy”, “boy with extraordinary powers”, “the boy with divine powers”, “buddha boy update”, “ram bahadur bomjon” and so on… The recent airing of My Shocking Story: The Boy With Divine Powers by Discovery Channel has taken this story to the wider audience. Now more people know about him and are curious about where he might be. Looking at the comments of visitors and emails that I received, I can see there are 4 types of people following his story.
The first type of people are confident that this was/is a hoax. They say it is scientifically impossible for anyone to sit in one place without eating and drinking for such a long time. This was a well planned hoax to deceive innocent people and get their money.
The second group of people believe that he’s holy and divine. One guy reasoned it like this — “You see he has been meditating for 10 months without food and water, and is immune to fire and snake bites. Who do you think he is?”
There’s a third group, who think he’s the reincarnation of Buddha. This reincarnation thought was implanted and made popular by captivating headlines that many mainstream media choose, while Ram was meditating, and after he went missing.
The final fourth group of people are open minded, curious and not exactly sure what’s going on.
I’m one from the fourth group. I’m very deeply interested in this story. I feel something significant is going on here. I think all the attention he got was something he never asked for. I hope he’s safe, in a peaceful place and progressing with his meditation. Like the critics and believers I’m waiting for his appearance after 6 years to see what he has to say.
This is the news that I and millions of other Nepalese were waiting for. War is officially over in Nepal. The government of Nepal and Maoist rebels have signed a historic peace accord, which ends the 10 years of fighting that killed more than 13 thousand people. This brings an end to the politics of bloodshed and starts a new peaceful era for Nepal.
“Beginning today, the politics of killing, violence and terror will be replaced by the politics of reconciliation,” declared the 85-year-old PM Koirala who said he had put his entire political career at risk by venturing on this path of peace and democracy. “Being a democrat, I wanted to bring non-democrats into the framework of democracy. I was warned by many friends about the hazards of dealing with terrorists but I thought that bringing all under democratic framework was the duty of a democrat.”
Photo blogger Rajesh KC has put together the sequence of signing the peace accord; from preparation to the signing and the celebration in his blog entry The end of the war.
Staying away from home, I never had the first hand experience of how it was to live under the Maoist insurgency, but my heart always cried when I had to hear the news of bloody conflict claiming innocent lives and hindering the development of the country. I cannot describe in words the overly joyous feeling that I’m having right now. I can feel the invisible power that peace is bringing to Nepal. I join the millions of people at home and abroad who feel the same way and celebrate the peace at the top of the world.
I’m back from Nepal, currently coping with loads of email accumulated during last 2 weeks and following up some special jobs. Going back to Nepal has always been special but this time it was an extra special event due to Dashain, prospect of peace in the country and my son being able to understand and remember the trip
I’ll be in Nepal for next 2 weeks with my family for Dashain. I’m going home after 3 years and this will be my Dashain at home after 7 years. My son is very exited about the trip, he was too little to remember his previous visits. I think this one is going to be a memorable one to him (he’s 6 now). When I talk about the himalayas, rivers, lakes and the natural beauty of Nepal he’s so interested and has more and more to ask. Let’s see what kind of impression he’ll have about Nepal. I’m not sure whether I’ll be posting anything to the blog while I’m there but I’ll try to upload some photos from there.
eKatnipur.com is reporting that a girl in far western Nepal emits ‘glass pieces’ from forhead. A team of doctors are researching on 12-year-old girl, who has been excreting glass pieces from the side of her forehead for the last three years.
“The CT scan report indicates that she has some kind of problem in her forehead skin,” said Dr M Kiduwai who is involved in the research, “The pieces do not seem to be coming out from the bone. But we can give more details only after further investigation.”
Here are some other mysterious phenomena reported by media:
World’s shortest boy - 14 years old and 20-inch tall Nepali boy. He’s probably the shortest boy in the world, but to qualify for the Guinness World Records he’ll have to wait for 4 more years until he reaches 18.
Bizarre baby born in Dolakha (WARNING! you might find the images disturbing) - A neck-less baby was born with extraordinarily large eyeballs. Died within half an hour.
The Buddha Boy of Nepal - Ram Bahadur Bomjon, who meditated under a pipal tree for 10-months before he went missing on March 2006. He’s said he’ll be back after 6 years.
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UWB has posted a recently taken photo of Ram’s mother and sister in 
