Bad Times in Bodhgaya

OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA

Another appropriate prayer is the short version of the Long Life Prayer for His Holiness the Dalai Lama:

In the land encircled by snow mountains
You are the source of all happiness and good;
All-powerful Chenrezig, Tenzin Gyatso,
Please remain until samsara ends.

As to the various factions on the scene, the most frequently mentioned disruptive element are the Indian Buddhists, variously referred to as neo-Buddhists and as Ambedkarites. Their complaints are:

• They lambasted Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama for opposing the liberation movement and accused him of being an agent of the Hindu fundamentalists.
• Some of them question the very claim of the Dalai Lama to be the spiritual leader of the Buddhists.
• The Tibetan leader never spoke out against the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues by the Taliban militia.
• His Holiness and the other Tibetans are blamed for defiling the sanctity of the Mahabodhi temple by entering the sanctum sanctorum wearing shoes and slippers.
• The neo-Buddhists accuse the Indian government of pampering the Tibetans while ignoring the Indian Buddhists. Bhante Anand openly accused the Dalai Lama of being an American agent.

On top of the Ambedkarite disruptions, there is a rumored threat from "Chinese elements" possibly disguised as Buddhist monks. And as though that wasn't enough, the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) extremists who are causing so much trouble in Nepal, may, it is rumored, have plans to kill the Dalai Lama and Karmapa on the dictate of China. Hundreds of police and paramilitary troops are at the scene. Authorities are on high alert against possible terrorist attacks.

The district police is reported to have requisitioned 500 additional policemen, apart from metal detectors, sniffer dogs, land mine sweepers and para-military forces.

In a January 24 article entitled:Buddhist congregation turning into a slug fest, The Rediff News reports:

Bodh Gaya - The holy city of Bodh Gaya has been reduced to a battleground with opposing factions hijacking the 10-day Kalchakra puja, which started on January 21, to settle their own scores.

Among the warring factions, on one side are the Tibetan Buddhists and the temple management committee while neo-Buddhists (read Ambedkarites) are on the other. Four Indian Buddhist monks have been on fast unto death since January 16 and have even threatened to commit suicide if their demands, which include the liberation of the Mahabodhi temple, are not met.

The Tibetans in Tibet, those in exile, the millions of the followers of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and

Go To Page: 1 2 3

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic