Ram Bahadur Bamjan (Buddha Boy)
I first heard about him since the first year he started this, yesterday i looked him up again, did anyone else heard about him ? watch the documentary:
Documentary About Buddha Boy (1 of 5) Ram Bahadur Bamjan
Ram Bahadur Bomjon (born c. 9 April 1990, sometimes spelt Bomjan, Banjan, or Bamjan), and also known as Palden Dorje (his monastic name), is from Ratanapuri village, Bara district, Nepal and is believed to be enlightened. It has been claimed by some of his supporters that he is the reincarnation of the Buddha, but Ram himself has denied this. Many Buddhist practitioners agree that he could not be, as the Buddha has entered nirvana and cannot be reborn.
He drew thousands of visitors and media attention by spending months in meditation. Nicknamed the Buddha Boy, he began his meditation on 16 May 2005. He reportedly disappeared from the hollow tree where he had been meditating for months on 16 March 2006, but was found by some followers a week later. He told them he had left his meditation place, where large crowds had been watching him, "because there is no peace". He then went his own way and reappeared elsewhere in Nepal on 26 December 2006, but left again on 8 March 2007. On 26 March 2007, inspectors from the Area Police Post Nijgadh in Ratanapuri found Bomjon meditating inside a bunker-like ditch seven feet square.
On 10 November 2008, Bomjon reappeared in Ratanapuri and spoke to a group of devotees in the remote jungle.
Bomjon is a member of the Tamang community, of which a majority practices Vajrayana Buddhism.
Bomjon's story gained popularity because it resembled a legend from the Jataka Nidanakatha about Gautama Buddha's enlightenment, so much so that some devotees claimed Ram was the reincarnation of a Buddha. However, on 8 November 2005 Dorje arose and said, "Tell the people not to call me a Buddha. I don't have the Buddha's energy. I am at the level of a rimpoche." A rimpoche is a teacher, which indicates he believes he has achieved a significant amount. He said that he will need six more years of meditation before he may become a Buddha.
According to his followers, Bomjon may have reached the stage of a bodhisattva,a person on the path to attaining full enlightenment or buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. According to the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, there were innumerable Buddhas before him and infinite Buddhas to come. Proponents also claim that Bomjon might also be Maitreya Bodhisattva, the predicted successor to the historical Buddha. Scholars doubt the claims of his supporters. Mahiswor Raj Bajracharya, president of the Nepal Buddhist Council, has said, "We do not believe he is Buddha. He does not have Buddha's qualities".
His mother's name is Maya Devi Tamang, the same first name as Buddha's mother. It is reported that his mother fainted when she found out that her son intended to meditate for an indefinite period.
Those who have called him the "reincarnation of Buddha" have been criticised. Gautama Buddha taught that after parinirvana there is no more rebirth, therefore it is impossible to be a "reincarnation of Buddha", but it is possible to be another Buddha, another who has attained, or will attain, enlightenment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_Bahadur_Bamjan
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Dietsch
, like the Avatars in Vedic tradition .... 
Bookmarks