The follower adds Bomjon’s elder sister has also faced the wrath of ‘internal action’. “She later died a painful death.” Bomjon has taken ‘internal action’ against a person who had stayed together with him in the jungle in Bara, according to a follower of him. “He is roaming restlessly confused about whether to live or die,” the follower says.
Original http://setopati.net/society/21938/State-must-watch-Bomjon-closely/ (deleted by censorship?)
Analysis and commentary to the article and a copy of it on The Halkhoriya Times
Ameet Dhakal/Girish Giri/ Bhanubhakta Kathmandu, April 5 print
There are things about nature that we know, that we don’t know or remains to be known, and that we common people can never comprehend.
There are many mysteries to be unraveled about Ram Bahadur Bomjon who started meditation in isolation in the jungle of Bara 11 years ago as a young boy.
We tried our bit to unravel his mysteries after Bomjon came to Kathmandu Valley for a three-week World Peace Maitri Puja that concluded recently.
Little has been written about Bomjon in the Nepali media in recent years. Whatever has been written is also only superficial. A few things about him have come out through audio, visual and print medium in the foreign media instead. But very little has been explored, written or said about him in comparison to the curiosity about him in common Nepalis and foreigners, and the pace at which his supporters and followers have multiplied in recent years.
Thousands of people waited in queue for hours to seek blessings from Bomjon called ‘Guru’ by his followers during the three-week Puja held in Chunnikhel, Lalitpur. We found people who stayed in the queue for eight hours. He offered blessings till midnight on many days.
We tried to understand and know about Bomjon with an open but critical mind for almost a week. We reached the spot for Puja in Chunnikhel and the house where Bomjon stayed thrice. We met almost a dozen of his followers and associates. Bomjon, however, refused to meet us himself.
His followers consider him to be Parmatma (supreme soul) and above Lord Buddha.
We don’t know about the progress of his meditation. The exact length of his meditation in Halkhoriya Jungle in Bara and whether that was continuous have not been established. His followers claim he meditated continuously for six years but nobody has produced evidence to prove or refute that. Discovery Channel has said it continuously filmed his meditation for 72 hours first and then for 96 hours in 2006, around 11 months after he started meditation.
Meditating continuously for 96 hours staying at the same spot is not a mean feat in itself. It would be even more remarkable if he had indeed meditated continuously for six years as his followers claim.
His close associate and former minister of state for health Mani Lama says his ‘Guru’ still meditates daily. “He meditates till late in the night and also meditates in the morning,” he states.
Nobody stays with Bomjon round the clock. So, nobody could tell us about his exact daily routine.
He can be a positive power for the country and society if he has indeed acquired uncommon powers through meditation as his followers claim. Such powers, even if incomprehensible for us, will benefit the country.
But there will be two important questions if he is not extraordinary and otherworldly as his followers claim, and is merely an uncommon man with different talents. Will he always move forward peacefully and meditate or will he finally start to tread a violent path like many similar groups seen in the world?
The state should closely watch him and his followers and engage with them considering these two eventualities. The state must engage, irrespective of whether he treads a peaceful or violent path.
Let us hope he would tread the peaceful path and talk about that. His followers say his next important aim is to establish a meditation center in tarai. He has already instructed his followers to procure 60 bighas of land for that.
Lama says the place has almost been identified. “We are in process of procuring land around Dhanusa-Mahottari districts along the East West Highway,” Lama reveals. “Guru has said the final meditation center of Bodhi Shrawan Dharma Sangh will be established in the Halkhoriya Jungle of Bara. He says the government itself will come to provide the land. We are making alternative provisions until the forest area is acquired,” he adds.
The meditation center in tarai looks likely to be huge considering the curiosity toward this ‘Guru’ and the branches of Bodhi Shrawan Dharma Sangh opened across the world, and the pledged financial assistance. He will, in all likelihood, live in the meditation center. It will be a huge attraction in itself.
The Western media had called Bomjon the Buddha Boy after he started meditation in the jungle in Bara. Discovery Channel prepared a 45-minute documentary titled ‘The boy with divine powers’ on him.
His followers claim his level of knowledge is above that of Lord Buddha. They claim Siddhartha Gautam reached a Sambuddha (self-enlightened) state but Bomjon has attained Mahasambodhi (greater form of self-enlightenment) state.
Some even claim he has left Sukhapati Bhawan (heavenly abode where Amitabh Buddha is said to reside) replete with amenities and bliss, and come to the earth for the good of the world.
Bomjon’s meditation, publicity, and myths or facts about him have all linked him to Buddhism. The meditation center to be established by him in tarai, therefore, will trigger a big curiosity about him across the world. The meditation center can become a center for tourism and pilgrimage. Such center associated with Bomjon would have a huge potential for Nepal already famous for Buddhism and Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha.
Whether he is a common or uncommon meditator, a god or a man should not make much difference as long as he treads the peaceful path of meditation. We have not investigated about authenticity of even big Gurus staying in monasteries or Babas staying in hermitages. Who has sought authenticity of big Yogis and Gurus in India? Some of those Gurus have been revered for long while many have fallen from grace with time.
The state must participate and support development of the meditation center to be established by Bomjon if it starts to thrive as a place of tourist attraction and pilgrimage.
But whether Bomjon will always limit himself to meditation and peaceful activities or take another path due to some special situations or reasons, is another equally important question. This is why the state must keep a close watch on him and his followers, and engage with them.
There are many examples of such groups eventually developing into a cult and participating in violent activities. The state must be watchful to see if it develops as a cult, and Bomjon abandons meditation and peaceful activities.
Bomjon has not just treaded a peaceful path until now, but also stressed on friendliness and goodwill among human beings, and good conduct. He preaches to speak well and be polite to everyone, not discriminate against anyone. But he also considers himself a Parmatma incarnated to rid the world of sufferings. He plans to unite the world through a single Maitri religion, Maitri language and Maitri culture.
It is clear that Bomjon is not an uncommon or otherworldly power. He rather seems to be in extraordinary delusion. He is different than other Gurus of monasteries and hermitages in that. His delusion is growing due to unconditional faith of his continuously expanding following in Nepal and abroad.
We found around 200 foreign followers when we reached his temporary residence in Bhainsepati. Their faith in him seemed far stronger than that of Nepali followers.
Xu Xiao Su, born in America and raised in China, is a professor who teaches history of painting in Taiwan. Su, 83, teaches which paintings are genuine and which duplicate. She told us that Bomjon had come to her mind in 1968. Reminiscing how her mind was stirred by the question about whether one can live without food and water then, she adds, “I tried to live without food but failed.”
“A foodie, I could not live a life without food,” she states. “I was surprised when I knew through the internet about how Guru was meditating without eating and drinking in 2005,” she adds.
She came to Nepal in 2012 and saw Bomjon in Halkhoriya. “I had seen you 44 years ago Guru,” she told him in their first meeting. She became his follower after that. She stays mostly in Nepal now. She invited even her daughter to Nepal during the recent World Peace Puja.
Briton Michael Leon used to work at a sports center in the United Kingdom until 2005. His mother had divorced his father who served in the US Army. He was gradually being attracted toward Buddhism then. He had painted a sketch of Buddha. He first saw Bomjon in Discovery Channel in 2006.
“Everything changed when I first saw his image. My soul was absorbed in him. My wife found that crazy,” he reminisces. “I eventually got divorced and came to Nepal.”
Leon is also a follower of Bomjon now and has become a ‘Mahatma Guru’ and been named Jyampa Dorje.
The account of Tony Troung, an American of Vietnamese origin, is more unbelievable. Californian Troung, 65, teaches yoga and meditation himself. He claims he used to see Bomjon’s image in his mind since many years ago. “He started to come to my window since the last year. Sometimes in form of a big moon and sometimes a small one,” he claims. “But I didn’t know he actually exists in Nepal.”
A friend told him about Bomjon six months ago. He came to Kathmandu after hearing about Bomjon’s Puja. He received blessing from Bomjon in Chunnikhel. “I felt as if he is a very powerful star when he put his hand on my head,” he enthuses.
Bomjon’s Nepali followers and supporters do not tolerate any question about his divine powers after seeing such educated foreigners consider him a god, materials about him in the international media, and the then prime minister Sushil Koirala receive khada (a holy shawl used by Buddhists) and blessings from him.
The main question is the kind of influence that all has had on Bomjon himself. It would not have any impact if he were a divine power. But if he were a victim of delusion believing himself to be a Parmatmathat would further aggravate his delusion. The most serious aspect related to Bomjon is that.
How would he behave if he were to see the state or someone as a hurdle in his path of ridding the world of sufferings?
Bomjon and his followers have already started to show the tendency to go beyond the laws to remove the hurdles in their path. This tendency may develop as a threat in the long run.
Bomjon has taken ‘internal action’ against a person who had stayed together with him in the jungle in Bara, according to a follower of him. “He is roaming restlessly confused about whether to live or die,” the follower says.
‘Guru’ took the ‘internal action’ not physically but using his divine powers, the follower claims. The follower adds Bomjon’s elder sister has also faced the wrath of ‘internal action’. “She later died a painful death.”
The follower says ‘Guru’ teaches physical exercise akin to martial arts to his close disciples. “Guru and the disciples leap very high. We watch dumbfounded,” he adds.
An anecdote narrated by former minister of state Lama depicts Bomjon’s views on the state and its rules and laws.
Bomjon suddenly decided to visit the country last October, according to him. Around five vehicles were arranged for the ‘Guru’ and his disciples. “Guru asked me to drive the leading vehicle,” Lama recalls. “Guru asked me to drive very fast. We drove at around 100-120 km/hour.”
Bomjon ordered to not stop the vehicle even if someone were to try to stop, according to Lama. “Guru had said to not stop even if a human being were killed,” he adds.
The motorcade that started from Bara reached Bardiya after passing through Pokhara, Mustang and Manang. “Guru, the highway passes through a national park here. The army checks the vehicles. We may have to stop the vehicle here,” Lama told Bomjon. “There is no need to stop the Guru’s vehicle. Pass without stopping,” Lama quotes Bomjon as saying.
It was night, according to Lama, and the motorcade passed the park at a very high speed flashing emergency lights. “We travelled for over a month. We didn’t have to stop our motorcade anywhere. There was no unfortunate incident,” Lama claims.
This single incident shows Bomjon’s views toward the state and the laws of the world. Bomjon will be highly likely to collide with the state if such thinking which deems he need not comply with any law of the world and state were to grow further.
The state must engage with Bomjon and his disciples and followers considering all these eventualities. He should be told that even the god is not above the laws after stepping into the earth, to make sure that he knows his limits.
It may be too late if the state does not engage with him and his followers in time. There are enough examples of unfortunate incidents when the state is late in trying to control cults.
Engagement does not mean keeping them under surveillance and controlling them. It means watching them closely and communicating with them. Showing curiosity about what the Bomjon phenomenon is and how it moves forward.
There are more questions than answers about Bomjon now. The state must pursue those questions.
Published on: Wednesday, April 05, 2017 16:54:24
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