बुद्ध जन्मस्थल बिषयमा केन्द्रित कुराकानी

Buddha’s Birthplace: Nepal Or India? New Currency Sets The Record Straight

By Vishal Arora

(RNS) Quick: Where was the Buddha born?

To hear many Indians talk, you’d think it was India, where he attained enlightenment and gave his first sermon.

But the people of Nepal know better — and they are eager to correct misconceptions about the Awakened One, considered one of the world’s most revered figures.

Next month, Nepal will circulate a new 100-rupee note with the imprint, “Lumbini: The Birthplace of Lord Buddha.” The currency is part of the government’s most recent effort to correct the record.

It comes amid protests following a promotional video on the private Indian channel Zee TV, which claimed the Buddha was born in India.

Zee TV corrected the error, but Nepal Cable TV Association blocked the channel when the new series on the life of Buddha premiered on Sunday (Sept. 8). The association’s chairman described the move as a way to prevent possible unrest in the country, which is predominantly Hindu but proud of its Buddhist heritage.

Global Voice on Peace

On the auspicious occasion of 4th Lumbini-Kapilvastu Day, the Movement created this clip to spread Buddha’s peace message all over the world.   Participants:

Agni Frank Eickermann -Spiritual leader, USA
Venerable Samahita Thero, Sri Lanka
Miss Nepal Australia 2011 – Reecha Dhital
Miss Nepal Australia 2012 – Deepashree Shah
Mister Nepal Australia 2012 – Niraj Sharma
Ram Kumar Shrestha – Lumbini-Kapilvastu Day Movement Global Coordinator
Indu Nishani Nanayakkara, Sri Lanka

लुम्बिनी-कपिलवस्तु दिवस अभियानका बिस्व संयोजकसंगको बिशेष अन्तर्वार्ता

हाम्रो पूर्बीय दर्शन अनुसार देव ॠण, पितृ ॠण, गुरु ॠण र माटोको ॠण चुक्ता नगरीकन मान्छेको जीवन सफल हुँदैन भन्ने भनाइ र मान्यता छ । अत: यो अभियानको उद्धेस्य प्राप्तीमा लाग्नु भनेको माटोको ॠण चुक्ता गर्ने एउटा महत्वपूर्ण अबसरलाई गुम्न नदिनु पनि हो ।

सबैभन्दा ठूलो समस्या नेपालको भू-राजनितिक अवस्था हो तापनि सास्वत सत्य मृत्‍युलाई संझने हो भने स्वार्थबाट माथि उठन सकिन्छ । स्वार्थबाट माथि उठने बित्तिक्कै भू-राजनित्क समस्या समस्या रहने छैन र यो समस्या पनि समस्याको रुपमा रहने छैन । बिभिन्न स्तरको स्वार्थका कारण बिद्यमान समस्यालाई कसैले नदेखे जस्तो र कसैले नबुझे जस्तो नाटक गरी गोल मटोल काम कुरो गरी समस्या समाधान गर्ने कार्यमा सहभागी हुनबाट पन्छनेहरु पनि छन । कुनै पनि समस्या समाधानको सबैभन्दा  ठूलो समस्या यथार्थता नबुझ्ने नभएर बुझ पचाउनेहरु हुन ।

(नेपाली संचारका तर्फबाट प्रमोद कुमार सोनी र नमस्ते नेपाल न्यूजका तर्फबाट सविन थापाले संयुक्त रुपमा लुम्बिनी-कपिलवस्तु दिवस अभियानका बिस्व संयोजक रामकुमारश्रेष्ठसंग चौथो लुम्बिनी-कपिलवस्तु दिवसलाई लक्षित गरी लिइएको अन्तरबार्ता ।)

 के कस्ता कारणहरुले गर्दा लुम्बिनी-कपिलवस्तु दिवस अभियान शुरु गर्न परेको हो?

२००९ को सेप्टेम्बरको शुरुतिर ‘अनलाइन खबर’ पत्रिकामा “भारतद्धारा नक्कली ‘कपिलबस्तु’ निर्माण” समाचार प्रकाशमा आएको थियो जस्मा दुई कुरा अत्यन्तै संबेदनशील थिए – त्यत्ति ठूलो परियोजना करीब ८०% सम्पन्न भैसकेको भन्ने पहिलो र दोश्रो सन २०१२ सम्ममा सो परियोजना  संपन्न गर्ने किसिमले युद्धस्तरमा काम भैरहेको । नेपालको रास्ट्रियतामाथि चुनौति दिने त्यत्ति ठूलो परियोजना करीब ८०% संपन्न भैसक्ता पनि सरकार, संचार र बुद्धिजिबि कतैबाट पनि कुनै पनि किसिम र स्तरबाट आबाज नउठाइेएकोले सर्बसाधारण यस्तो संबेदनशील खबरबाट बेखबर थिए । यस किसिमको सर्बपक्षीय मौनताका कारण मुलभूत रुपमा भारतीय पक्षद्धारा सिर्जित र त्यस्का कारण दिग्भ्रमित पश्चिमी बिद्धानहरुले छरेको भ्रमलाई चिर्नु आवश्यक थियो । यसर्थ, बिस्वभरि छरिएर रहेका नेपालीहरु बीच ‘कपिलवस्तु दिवस बिस्व दिवस’को रुपमा लुम्बिनी र कपिलवस्तुको प्रचार प्रसार गरिनु पर्दछ दिग्भ्रमित विस्व समुदायका बीच यथार्थबोध गराउनका खातिर भन्ने सहमति बन्यो । र गौतम बुद्ध लुम्बिनीमा जन्मेका हुन भन्ने सबभन्दा राम्रो प्रमाण अशोक स्तम्भलाई अन्तरराष्ट्रिय जगत सामू ल्याउने महत्वपूर्ण काम १ डिसेम्बर १८९६ मा जर्मन पुरातत्वबिद Anton Führer ले गरेको दिनलाई ऐतिहासिक महत्व दिनुको समेत बहु-आयामिक महत्व हुने भएकोले इतिहासमा पहिलो पटक डिसेम्बर १, २००९ मा ‘कपिलबस्तु दिवस विस्व दिवस’को रुपमा मनाइयो । र यस्लाई निरन्तरता दिनको लागि संस्थागत गर्न २०१० मा दुई चरणमा गरी २१ सदस्यीय बिस्व कार्य समिति गठन गरियो यस्को सल्लाहकार मण्डलमा तीन ठूला पार्टीका प्रतिनिधि र दुई बिदेशीलाई समेत समाबेश गरी । र गत बर्षदेखि धेरैको सुझाबलाई ध्यानमा राखी अभियानको नाम लुम्बिनी-कपिलवस्तु दिवस अभियान बनाइएको हो ।

अभियान शुरु गर्नुका पछाडि अन्य उद्धेस्यहरु पनि छन कि ?

जुन कारणले गर्दा यो अभियान शुरुवात गरिनु पर्ने आवश्यकता महसूस गरियो त्यो मात्रै यस्को उद्धेस्य नभएर शान्ति, राष्ट्रियता, सत्यको प्रतिरक्षा र पर्यटन प्रबर्द्धन यो अभियानका मूलभूत उद्धेस्यहरु हुन । वुद्ध शान्तिका प्रतिक र पर्यायबाची हुन र ब्यक्तिगत खुशी र सुखीदेखि बिस्व शान्तिसम्मका लागि उनका सन्देश र बिधिहरु अत्यन्तै उपयोगी मानिन्छन । अत: उनका ती सन्देश र बिधिहरुलाई बिभिन्न माध्यम मार्फत प्रचार प्रसार गरी सुखमय जीवन र शान्तिपूर्ण वातावरण सिर्जनामा सक्दो योगदान गर्नु यस्को पहिलो उद्धेस्य हो । वुद्धको विस्वब्यापी महत्वका कारण यसबाट लालायित भएर बुद्धको नामबाट नाजायज फायदा लिन बिस्वका जनतालाई दिग्भ्रमित तुल्याइ वुद्धको जन्मस्थल जान चाहनेहरुलाई आफूकहाँ लैजाने अभिप्रायले गरिएको कामले नेपालको राष्ट्रियतामा चुनौती दिने काम भएकोले यसबारे सत्य तथ्य जानकारीहरु सुसूचित गरी राष्ट्रियता रक्षाको लागि प्रयास गर्नु यस अभियानको अर्को उद्धेस्य हुनेछ । त्यसरी नै सत्यका प्रतिक र पर्यायबाची वुद्धको नामका कारण उनकै नामबाट नाजायज फायदा लिनका लागि बिस्वका जनतालाई दिग्भ्रमित तुल्याउने कामलाई निस्तेज गरी सत्यको रक्षा गर्नु पनि यस्को उद्धेस्य हो । वुद्धको जन्मस्थल भएको कारण लुम्बिनी र कपिलबस्तु विस्वकै लागि महत्वपूर्ण पर्यटकीय स्थल जे जस्तो रुपमा हुनु पर्ने हो, त्यो आन्तरिक र वाह्य कारणहरुले गर्दा हुन नसकेको कारण यस क्षेत्रलाई पर्यटकीय स्थलको रुपमा अरु बिकसित गर्ने वाताबरण तयार गर्न प्रयास गर्नु यस्को अर्को उद्धेस्य हुनेछ ।

MISTAKEN BUDDHA BIRTH PLACE IN ‘WISDOM OF THE AGES’ : A COURSE BOOK FOR US UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

[ The author, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, who appears for his talks almost everyday on PBS TV[2] shows in United States of America, seems not to have checked Lumbini Ashokan Pillar inscription, [” .. Hida Bhagavam Jateti Lumini Game” [3] discovered by Anton A. Fuhrer on December 1, 1896. Further more, while he was writing the book, he seems not to have been well informed of recent Lumbini archaeological finds also. If he had in anyways, he would have certainly written the “Founder of Buddhism, one of the world’s major religions, the Buddha was born Prince Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal at the border of northeast India” instead. ]

By B. K. Rana

Early morning yesterday, one of my friends, K. Kadaria called me over a phone and said “I just read a book named :’Wisdom of the Ages’ written and published in 1998 by Wayne W. Dyer. The author has written that the “Founder of Buddhism, one of the world’s major religions, the Buddha was born Prince Siddhartha Gautama in northeast India, near the border of Nepal.”So, we needed debating with the author. This is in a course book for undergraduate students at  the Bunker Hill Community College, Boston in  Massachusetts,  USA.”

He sent me a brief email message also which I  immediately  forwarded to my email-list and,  as anticipated, prompt response arrived from  a few scholars from different parts of the world. Among those response was  in an email message from a renowned linguist, Professor Madhav Pokharel of Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal,  in which he has written, “both China and Japan have officially endorsed Lumbini of Nepal being the Buddha’s  birth place, however, while doing researches in China for one year and two years in Japan, I heard that in government prescribed books in  both of these countries students are taught the Buddha  was born in India”[1]. Prof. Pokharel says there is a need for finding the truth out and making a correction to it also.

The book in discussion and its author, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer http://www.drwaynedyer.com/, acclaimed  as one of the internationally best selling authors, a motivational speaker and named also as “Modern Master”, has discussed,  in the book “Wisdomof the Ages: 60 Days to Enlightenment”,  a total of 265  different thinkers of the past and present world  from: Pythagoras and Blaise Pascal, Buddha, Lao-tzu, Patanjali  to many others and down the end himself also.  A chapter titled as ‘Knowing’ is dedicated to Buddhist philosophy. The chapter starts from page 5 in which the author writes: “Founder of Buddhism, one of the world’s major religions, the Buddha was born Prince Siddhartha Gautama in northeast India, near the border of Nepal”. This is flatly incorrect information. Our students must be told or taught the  truth and no imparted false knowledge.

Facebook Upshot: Buddhism: Time to Catalyze World Peace

Article in Shri Lanka Guardian on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti: Kindness, compassion and empathy are the synonyms of Buddhism. The eyes of Buddha are the insignia of love. Lumbini is the place where mind and heart take pleasure in for peace. This is the land when eyes are closed, heart opens. And Lumbini symbolized ultimate peace and harmony. This could be the right time to work together to declare Lumbini a World Peace City to catalyze World Peace in the present critical world situation. For more @ http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2012/05/buddhism-time-to-catalyze-world-peace.html

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• You, Neeraj Pant, Suraj Gorkhali and 442 others like this.
• • 
    Dhruba Pradhan jay budha

    May 1 at 8:29pm · Unlike · 1
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    Ramchandra Bhatta · 172 mutual friends

    our Country is birth place of Buddha. so we should make such infrastructure to attract tourist.

    May 1 at 8:33pm · Unlike · 1
  • 
    Krishna Thagunna · 14 mutual friends

    Of course, lets work together to declare Lumbini a world peace city.

    May 1 at 9:06pm · Unlike · 3
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    Ram Kumar Shrestha Pls go through the link to read my article published in Sri Lanka Guardian as well. Your comment and suggestions highly appreciable

Pilgrimage to Lumbini, Nepal (2011)

President Obama, this is the time to act for Peace and respect Peace Messenger

Dear President Obama,

Recently we highlighted these photos and the news when you visited Great Buddha in Japan and Hilari Clinton was placing Lotus flowers on a Buddha statue.

The Buddha is revered as a Messenger of Peace. He is also known as the Light of Asia who is actually the Light of the World as his message of peace and non-violence has become more relevant as the world is facing many violence problems today. The world today has become more violent than ever before. Therefore, it was decided to spread the messages of the Buddha all over the world by observing Lumbini-Kapilvastu Day every year. 

Clip with Dalai Lama’s Partial London Speech

Buddhism: Time to Catalyze World Peace

| by Ram Kumar Shrestha

Kindness, compassion and empathy are the synonyms of Buddhism. The eyes of Buddha are the insignia of love. Lumbini is the place where mind and heart take pleasure in for peace. This is the land when eyes are closed, heart opens. And Lumbini symbolized ultimate peace and harmony. This could be the right time to work together to declare Lumbini a World Peace City to catalyze World Peace in the present critical world situation.

( May 01, 2012, Kathmandu, Sri Lanka Guardian) While the world is preparing to celebrate 2556th Buddha Purnima (Vesak), it is facing Global warming, political instability, recession, terrorism, disaster etc. as major problems and the ultimate source of these problems is not external – it is us and only us, our current lifestyles, our historical choices, our way of thinking and doing with full of selfishness and our future ambitions. We ourselves, therefore, must be the solution. Now the world is already in very crucial moment and this provides opportunity as well to the world leaders, scientists and humanitarian activists to show their capability and broadness and prove themselves as historic persons. One of the most important questions we are facing today due to the reality we are facing in the name of development is: “Do we really love our generations or not?” This is already clear that just the continuation of existing development trend without drastic changes could destroy the world very soon and we, hence, must have new perspectives to bring everything in the right track. Irrespective of interest everybody has to read, see, watch and listen to unwanted news full of violence, crime, rape, hunger, accident, war, epidemic, disaster etc in everyday life. However, dedicated persons and organizations are still optimistic for a better and peaceful globe. Buddhism is considered not only as one of the world major religions but also as science and not facing any debate. This, therefore, could play important role in World peace in the present world context.

Problems do not arise from those who do not know, but from those who know and pretend not to know. Due to this attitude, the world is in crisis. Until we purge ourselves of these problems nothing will happen on the journey to create a wonderful and safe world for future generations. Most people think seriously about their responsibilities and rights but not about their duty to others. So many use their freedom to violate others and deny them of their freedom. This attitude could be the result of mediocre thinking, selfishness and not respecting others.

Kindness, compassion and empathy are the synonyms of Buddhism. The eyes of Buddha are the insignia of love.

An Interview with Dr. Minendra Rijal by Mikel Durham

Dr. Rijal is a member of Nepal’s recently created Greater Lumbini Development National Steering Committee, chaired by ex-Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”. Dr. Rijal, a member of the Nepali Congress political party, is also a current member of the Constituent Assembly, ex-Minister of Culture and Chairman of Apex College. Mikel Durham interviewed Dr. Rijal focussing on Lumbini issue.

DUNHAM: You’ve recently been appointed as a Member of the Greater Lumbini Development National Steering Committee. Now that the committee has been created, what progress can be reported?

RIJAL: So far, we have not been able to spend as much time as is needed to move the Lumbini project forward. Prachanda is terribly busy with the politics of the country. In some respects, I am also quite busy — nothing compared to his busy schedule but –
DUNHAM: How many members are on the committee?
RIJAL: Right now we are a six-member committee. And then there is a provision to add another eleven members later on.

DUNHAM: Prachanda is Chair.

RIJAL: Yes.

DUNHAM: What has the committee actually done so far?

RIJAL: We went to New York and saw the Secretary General (SG) of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, in November. And the reason we went was that we wanted the involvement of the UN in the development of Lumbini.

It all started, however, when, earlier, I was the Minister of Culture. At that time, I established contact with Ban Ki-moon’s office and he extended an invitation. I went there. I presented my argument on Lumbini and he was very keen. He has long been interested in helping Lumbini and in realizing its potential. I knew that his mother was a devoted Buddhist and felt that her son, as Secretary General, should do something for Lumbini.

For his part, Ban Ki-moon also feels that it is his obligation on behalf of the larger Asian Buddhist community– he is the second Asian Secretary General – to do something for Lumbini.

That was one reason, last November, that we thought he could be of great help. And the visibility of his office was going to be very important to help Lumbini realize its potential. 

LUMBINI REBORN, NEPAL REBORN, BUDDHA REBORN

[Lumbini-Kapilvastu Day Movement does not endorse the opinions of the author.]

NEPAL: THE NEW RAINBOW NATION?

By Gabriel Lafitte

Among Tibetans and their supporters worldwide, Nepal evokes dread. The news out of Nepal is invariably bad. The 20,000 Tibetan refugees in settlements are prisoners, unable to move freely, unable to obtain certification of their refugee status, unable to find employment or get an education, stigmatized and excluded. They may not publicly vote, protest or even hold religious celebrations of the birthdays of their most revered lamas.

China’s power over Nepal extends to equipping and financing the armed forces to patrol the border with Tibet, to apprehend Tibetans using the only route of escape. China’s ability to get the Nepali army to do its security work is aided by the willingness of Nepali politicians to be seduced by the largesse of China’s aid program, no strings attached, no accountability auditing of where the money went. From the outside, it seems that Nepal, riven by revolution, is agreed on only one thing, right across the spectrum, from Maoists to royalists: no-one likes the Tibetans.

It is not just the elite that is prejudiced. The Tibetans, like the landless urban poor in the Kathmandu slums along the riverbanks, are considered sukumbasi, a term so broad it includes all the excluded, the displaced, landless, unacknowledged refugees, with no means of subsistence, suspected of thievery, gold smuggling and an inclination for criminality. Sukumbasi are feared and sneered at, especially by the upper caste Bahun Hindus who depict them as dangerous outsiders, despoilers, polluters of the rivers, a threat to the nation. The slum dwellers are seen as puppets of the Maoists, a rent-a-mob willing to swarm into the city on command to fill rallies with their shouts. The sukumbasi are said to have toppled the king, and that behind the scenes, they are tools of foreign meddlers or get undeserved help from NGOs.

Lumbini, Birthplace of Lord Buddha

Lumbini Master Plan

The United Nations Development Programme contributed nearly one million dollars for preparation of a Master Plan for the development of Lumbini, including numerous engeering and archaeological studies. The plan, which was completed in 1978, has as its objecive to restore an area of about 7.7 kM2, to be known as the Lumbini Garden, centering on the garden and the Ashoka Pillar, with an additional area of 64.5 km2 to be developed in its support.

                                                                                       

UN Secretary General                                                                                                         Prof Kenzo Tange 
Late U Thant

According to architect Kenzo Tange, “the overall intent is to reinforce the symbolic entity of the Lumbini Garden in its simplicity and clarity’.. Development will provide for visitors to Lumbini – pilgrims and tourists – and will also support such complementary activities as residence of monks, research, international meetings and teachings.

Masterplan Map

Within the plan for the development of Lumbini Garden, there are three main components:

1. New Lumbini Village

2. The Cultural Centre/Monastic Zone

3. The Sacred Garden

The design is oriented north-south,with Lumbini Village and Cultural Centre north, and the focus of the design – the Sacred Garden – to the. south. On either side of the axis towards its southern end are the monastic enclaves. The entire development is tied together by a central link comprised of a walkway and a canal.

The design is oriented north-south,with Lumbini Village and Cultural Centre north, and the focus of the design – the Sacred Garden – to the. south. On either side of the axis towards its southern end are the monastic enclaves. The entire development is tied together by a central link comprised of a walkway and a canal.

This central link establishes the solitude and sanctity of the Sacred Garden,with its pillar and spectacular panorama of the Himalaya, and offers pilgrims time and space to prepare themselves as they approach the Sacred Garden.

The Monastic zone is situated in the forest area north of the Sacred garden, divided by a canal, there are East and West Monastic Enclaves having 42 plots each allotted for new monasteries of Theravada and Mahayana sects of Buddhism. Nearby, across the central link bridge, a research center, a library, an auditorium, and a museum provide facilities for research and study on Buddhism.

लुम्बिनी-कपिलवस्तु दिवस अभियानको अभिनन्दनले प्रचन्डलाई जिम्मेवारी थपिएको महसूस

काठमाडौं, मङ्सिर १५- एकीकृत माओवादीका अध्यक्ष पुष्पकमल दाहालले नेपालको शान्ति प्रकृया मौलिक ढङ्गले अगाडि बढेको चर्चा गर्दै २१औं शताब्दीमा संविधान सभाबाटै संविधान बनाउने पहिलो देश नेपाल हुने बताएका छन्। लुम्बिनी-कपिलवस्तु दिवस अभियानद्वारा आयोजित बिहीबार तेश्रो लुम्बिनी-कपिलवस्तु दिवस कार्यक्रममा प्रमुख अतिथिको आसनबाट उनले सबै विचार, राजनीतिक दल, सम्पूर्ण धर्मावलम्बी, बुद्धिजीवीलाई एकताको सन्देशसहित शान्ति र समृद्धिको मार्गमा अगाडि बढ्न आह्‍वान गरे।

बृहत्तर लुम्बिनी क्षेत्र विकास निर्देशक समितिका अध्यक्षसमेत रहनुभएका अध्यक्ष दाहालले लुम्बिनी विकासको गुरुयोजनाको जुन प्रयत्न भएको छ, त्यो आफैंमा नेपाल र नेपालीका निम्ति केही गर्ने उद्धेस्यसंग जोडिएको छ भने।

लुम्बिनी क्षेत्रको बृहत्तर विकासका लागि संयुक्त राष्ट्र सङ्घका महासचिव वानकी मुनलाई भेटेर विश्वव्यापीरुपमा सो अभियानलाई अगाडि लैजान सकारात्मक र उत्साहप्रद ढङ्गले कुराकानी भएको उल्लेख गर्दै अध्यक्ष दाहालले उहाँ छिट्टै नेपाल आउने कार्यक्रम रहेकाले पनि यसको महत्व विश्वव्यापीरुपमा स्थापित भएको बताए। शान्ति प्रकृयालाई तार्किक निष्कर्षमा पुर्‍याउन शान्ति प्रक्रियाकै प्रमुख पक्ष भएको नाताले आफ्नो पार्टी हदैसम्मको त्याग गर्न तयार रहेको उनले बताए।

लुम्बिनी-कपिलवस्तु दिवस अभियानको तर्फबाट गरिएको अभिन्दनको सन्दर्भमा अध्यक्ष दाहालले सम्मान आफूलाई गरिएको सम्मानभन्दा पनि नेपाली जनताको शान्तिको चाहना, गौतम बुद्धको शान्तिको सन्देश बिस्वभरि छर्ने र आँफैलाई भन्दा एउटा नयाँ भारी बोकाएको सन्देशको रुपमा बुझेको बताउनु भयो ।