A blow by blow account regarding this story can be read on the blog of the Buddhist-Marxism Alliance UK – linked above. I remember a documentary aired on British TV about this character – who agreed to scientific scrutiny whilst sat meditating for days and weeks on end sat under a tree – with 24-hour cameras filming him. At all times there were witnesses. Apparently, he did not eat, drink, or go to the toilet – and never moved – according to those who filmed the performance. Of course, this is a classic example of “info-tainment” – with the passive audience this side of the screen having absolutely no way of telling if any of it is true. I mean, it could just be another episode of Space 1999, or Logan’s Run as far as I am concerned (and I can sit for extended periods of time – but there are certain material limitations). No one in that documentary mentioned that the fact that this individual – Ram Bahadur Bomjan – had been receiving allegations of a sexual nature levelled against him since at least 2010 (according to the Nepalese police). Young girls and women have been accusing him of kidnap, trafficking, extortion, and rape. It is interesting to note that when he was finally arrested in 2024 – this supposed ascetic was in the possession of a significant amount of (cash) money in a country were many people live in abject poverty. How can a Buddhist ascetic, who is supposed to own nothing (the Buddha outlawed owning private property) be in possession of obscene amounts of money? Of course, he has followers, and there may be perfectly reasonable explanations for all the allegations – but is this likely? What I do not understand is how one court can convict him premised upon the evidence pertaining to over a decade of complaints – and then a High Court “acquit” him of all charges. More to the point, nobody seems outraged by any of this. Either the “Buddha Boy” was set-up and falsely accused by an out of control Nepalese version of “metoo” – or he is a very dangerous sexual predator who has been “let-off” by an equally corrupt Nepalese justice system. So, which is it? Bear in mind that in countries outside of Europe – and not subject to religious indoctrination – the dichotomising Judeo-Christian sense of “good” and “evil” does not exist. Within Buddhist morality, there is the false path of following greed, hatred, and delusion – and the correct path of uprooting greed, hatred, and delusion. As there is no “god” concept punishing each of us for our actions – we are responsible for what we think, feel, and experience. As greed, hatred, and delusion are suffering inducing – it logically follows that non-greed, non-hatred, and non-delusion is the path that does not induce suffering. Of course, all this will be viewed in Nepal as being a product of “karma” – or a type of morally-enthused “cause and effect” pertaining to each individual. For us in the West, as debauched as we are, drunk on the fruits of hundreds of years of deluded imperialism, all this is something akin to a “fetish” form of gossip regarding the exotic “East” – and the strange behaviour of these odd little people!
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 