Saturday, April 07, 2007

Nepal Buddha Boy Goes Underground

Ram Bahadur Bomjon begins meditating again in Nepal in an underground bunker. His associates claim he will meditate for three years, without food, sleep or drinks.

Buddha boy before meditating
After his second disappearance in March 2007, Bomjan was seen wandering in the jungle, where he met a villager and asked him to construct a bunker for him. The villager contacted the Committee and Raju Shah who started organizing this new bunker from which Bomjan has started meditating (March 27). Shah said Bomjon has started meditating in the bunker on Monday and will continue on for the next three years. He will not eat, sleep or take any water. The cement walled bunker is about seven feet (2.1 meters) deep and is located in the jungle 60 kilometers (40 miles) southeast of Kathmandu, capital city of Nepal.

- photo by Lhuboom/RFA -

United We Blog -- 28 March: Ram Bahadur Bomjon, popularly known as the “Buddha Boy”, who stole the limelight after spending months in meditation, reportedly without food and water, has been found again, meditating inside a pit dug underground at Ratanpuri recently. Bomjon, who had started meditation under a Pipal tree in the village, had gone missing since March 11, 2006, and again reappeared on December 25 the same year. According to Inspector Rameshwor Yadav of the Area Police Post Nijgadh, Bomjon was inside the bunker-like square ditch of seven feet.

“We call it bunker,” he said, adding, “Although it’s seven feet deep, there is no lack of oxygen inside,” said Yadav, who claimed to have seen him going inside it from close range Monday (Mar 26). A police team, under the command of Yadav, had gone to the place after word of Bomjon being on underground meditation spread in the area. “His face was clean and hair was combed well,” Yadav said.

According to him, “the bunker” has been cemented from all sides with roof of tiles. Even as frequent “hide and seek” were continuing, some locals recently spotted him in the local forest on 9th March. After his mysterious disappearance last year, his “disciples” had claimed that he had gone in search of a peaceful place for the purpose, as thousands of curious people began visiting him daily.

Indra Lama, a local, who has been deployed as caretaker for him since he began meditation, said the “bunker” was prepared as per Bomjon’s order. “After granting audience a week ago, he expressed his desire to meditate inside the ground; so we built it,” he said.By Upendra Lamichhane

Palden Dorje Bio It is said that in ancient times, Tamangs used to fly in the air, meditated without taking foods, talked with trees and used to sit still for a long time. One of the ancestors of Palden Dorje was known in Lalitpur as flying Lama. Palden Dorje learnt chhyogi (Tamang's sacred book) from Som Bahadur Lama for two years. He was sent to a cave for a month. Bomjan now plans to begin 'patal samadhi' (underground meditation).

The Tamang are one of the several ethnic groups living in Nepal descended from Tibeto-Burman origins. Living mainly north and east of the Newars in the Kathmandu Valley, they constitute 5.6% of Nepal's population, which places their population at 1,280,000, slightly higher than the Newars. Due to their geographical location, their language is vaguely intelligible with Newari but closely related to both Tibetan and Sherpa. The Tamang clans are also known as Bhotiya and are the member of the tibetian races of people who entered nepal about 1000 years ago.

Lama Thangka Painting Center. Tamang Shamans are traditionally mystics and healers. They also carry on a high tradition of Tibetan Buddhist and Nepal Art. Visit the Cooperative of Tibetan, Sherpa & Tamang Thangka artists in Nepal.