Ram Bahadur Bomjon, for those of you who don't know who he is:
Ram Bahadur Bomjon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
As should be clear from the article, Ram doesn't claim to be the Buddha reincarnated, but he does say that he isn't. He is called Buddha Boy because of events in his life that resemble events in the life of the last Buddha. Also, it is important to know that the word "Buddha" describes a state of raised consciousness, and is used as an honorific title, as opposed to belonging to a single person. This means it is incorrect to say that anyone is a reincarnation of "the" Buddha", because more than one person has been honored with this name/title/rank.
The part of the Bomjon story that I think is most relevant here is the strange skeptical reaction to it. There are a number of theories running around about how Bomjon and his followers have tricked people with some kind of magician/fakir-inspired stunt, yet these propositions, to the extent they can be checked, are quite wide of the mark.
First, the most controversial aspect of Bomjon's notoriety is that he didn't eat or drink while meditating for many months under a pipal tree. This is likely the most controversial because according to modern medical science, it is impossible for a human body to survive for such a period of time without food or water.
Skeptics claim that he did somehow manage to feed himself and drink water. The claim is supported by the fact that people who wanted to test Bomjon were kept some distance from the tree he meditated under, and that at night it was difficult to observe him. Some people wanted him set up in a sterile environment where he could be carefully observed, just as another Buddhist monk, an old man featured on a Discovery channel documentary about Bomjon:
YouTube - Documentary About Buddha Boy (1 of 5) Ram Bahadur Bamjan (might be the wrong one, but I think it's in there. Either way, it's interesting) did do, in full view of many scientists. That monk was continuously observed, day and night, for ten days or so. He did not drink, eat, or visit a bathroom the entire time. All by itself, that example puts a dent in the idea that it is impossible to live for more than four days without water.
Bomjon supposedly did it for more than ten months. The magnitude of such a feat, if true, is that it completely changes many basic assumptions of biological science. For this reason, skeptics have been especially vociferous in their demands for proof from Bomjon. Unfortunately for the skeptics, his meditation is what is important to him, not performing to satisfy the curiosity of strangers. He has repeatedly made statements to this effect, and that he doesn't like the crowds who have discovered his meditation spot. It is for this reason that he mysteriously vanished, and meditated deeper in a jungle.
If his goal was commercial enterprise of local fame, his attitude doesn't match well, unless he is a far more shrewd, calculating, and patient man than he appears to be. Also, regardless of whether he did or did not go without water for ten + months (the longest period of continuous observation was four days), he was observed meditating in the same position for ten months, regardless of weather and other conditions. That is an amazing feat all its own, and worthy of amazement from anyone who understands how difficult it is to sit still for as little as an hour without fidgeting. He was never observed in any location other than the pipal tree during the initial meditation period, at least not by any witnesses who have come forward, nor was any sign of deception ever found.
Ideas for how a deception could have been accomplished are not lacking, but no evidence for them has come to light.
According to my study of Yoga, the
siddhis (minor psi effects) that occur as a part of yogic practice are not very important, but a side effect of a process that is important, a process very similar to what Bomjon is attempting, to improve his knowledge of himself and his surroundings through meditation, and then to improve conditions by the beneficent application of mental effort. The siddhis are what get the most attention in psi research, ESP, mediumship, precognition, etc, but these are all minor things according to yogic and Buddhist traditions. Are they right? If so, is there a way to study what
they think is important?
AP
01-24-2010, 07:23 AM
A new Bodhisavatta? 
