Thoughts by Bro. Michael Leong refering to two news excerpts from India.

Below are two news excerpts from India :

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PM to help retain Mahabodhi temple's heritage status
Indo-Asian News Service
Patna, May 19

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has come to the rescue of the Mahabodhi temple in Bihar by promising to intervene with the UN which threatened to remove it from the World Heritage list.

The 1,500-year-old Mahabodhi temple was declared a world heritage site in June last year, becoming the 23rd site in India to be so honoured by UNESCO.However, UNESCO said authorities in Bihar were flouting guidelines for the maintenance of a heritage monument and this would result in it being de-listed, said Bhadant Nagarjun Surai Sesai, a Buddhist member of the
Minority Commission.

He said Vajpayee had promised to help the temple retain its heritage status.Last December, UNESCO had expressed unhappiness to the Governments of India and Bihar over the temple in Bodh Gaya town.

It was near the site of the temple that Lord Buddha attained enlightenment over 2,500 years ago.The urban development department in Bihar had assured UNESCO that its guidelines -- including the enforcement of a strict ban on all construction in a one-kilometre radius around the temple -- would be followed. But the ban is being openly violated and new structures are coming up fast in the restricted area.

A source in the Bihar tourism department said some powerful people close to top politicians and bureaucrats were flouting the ban on construction. A UNESCO guideline limiting the height of structures near the temple to 11 metres is also being violated.

Bihar drew up grand plans to develop the Mahabodhi temple as a major tourist destination after it was included in the heritage list but these don't seem to have materialised.

When it declared the temple a heritage site, UNESCO had warned that the structure would be removed from the list if the guidelines were not adhered to.

An uncivilised move
By R. Nagaswamy

There have been news reports that the bones of Gautama the Buddha, excavated in 1958, are on display in a specially-designed security room at the Patna Museum from May 20. The visitors to the museum are being charged Rs. 100 to view the bones. The reports state that the bones were found during the 1958-1962 excavations by the archaeologist, A.S. Altekar, from a Buddhist monastery at Vaishaligarh, 35 km from Patna.

"The bones of Lord Buddha were found in a casket made of stone, along with a gold plate, zinc coin and glass beads," according to the Museum Director, Ms. Agarwal. It is also reported that the archaeologists have authenticated the bones as that of the Buddha.

A number of Buddhist organisations have objected to the display of the bodily relic of the Buddha in a museum and have suggested that the venue should be a specially erected building in a place like Bodhgaya. But the Bihar Government, which had been reluctant to display the bones all these
years, rejected the request.

Keeping the Buddha's bone for public viewing is a laudable idea, but the aim seems to be its exploitation by the State Tourism Ministry. The decision displays scant respect for the religious sentiments of the Buddhists. The Buddha's bones certainly cannot be reduced to a "museum exhibit". The Buddha is worshipped and adored as God by millions of people around the world. His Buddha's bodily remains should not be considered the property of the Bihar Government. It is a venerable relic of the entire nation and of the world.The proper place is a specially-designed monument in the shape of a `stupa', where the relic could be placed in a crystal casket with precious gems and golden flowers, as is the Buddhist practice. It should be kept in a bullet-proof glass room. The people manning the relic should be Buddhist monks and only people with flowers in hand as offering should be allowed access, as is being done in the case of the samadhis of Mahatma Gandhi and other great leaders. The whole environment and setting must be one of great veneration. A museum certainly cannot provide that environment or create that feeling in the minds of the visitors. The hall of Emerald Buddha in the Royal Palace of Thailand, visited by thousands everyday, preserves the atmosphere of veneration and is an example that could be emulated. The Central Government cannot remain a silent spectator and allow the Bihar Government to make the bodily remains of one of the greatest personalities of the world a tourist
attraction.

The State may argue that any place other than a museum is unsafe. The entire nation must rise as one and demand the immediate withdrawal of this uncivilised move. Exhibition of bodily remains is repugnant to civilised sensibilities. It is strange that our vociferous politicians have shown little interest in the issue.

The Buddha's relic has been safe all these years and there is no reason why it will not remain so till a proper memorial to the great and noble soul is erected.

Buddha's relic as a museum exhibit in the land of his birth is unthinkable. It is nothing but desecration.

(The writer is a former Director of Archaeology, Tamil Nadu.)

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Thoughts by Bro. Michael Leong regarding the above matter:

After reading this article I can't help but start reflecting on some aspects to this subject matter. I am just a novice student of Buddhism and my thoughts may be shallow and in some cases may even be construed as disrespectful to Lord Buddha, for which I would like to beg for forgiveness. But without asking questions and pondering we cannot progress far. So I would really welcome others' views on this :

a) Mahabodhi temple has survived for 1500 years unscathed thoughout these years after numerous trials and challenges. It was only in June last year that it was listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO. What is the big deal whether it receives recognition by UNESCO or not. While the largest standing Buddha figure in Afghanistan has been blasted out of existence by the Talibans, what have the UNESCO done to save it? What has the International community done to save it? - NOTHING except WORDS of concern and condenmation of the action. It is still ultimately up to the local authorities to take care of its own properties.What has been done for Borobudur in Indonesia or the Angkor Wat? So it is my humble personal opinion that with or without World Heritage listing, it is of not much difference to Mahabodhi temple If the temple is not listed as a World Heritage will it be less revered by Buddhists? I don't think so. On the other hand once it is listed it is subjected to all sorts of terms and conditions set by the UN or the sub committee. For what? For the FUNDING (Money )? For the prestige and opportunity of attracting more Western tourists? If it is funding that is required can't the Buddhist community come together and contribute towards the maintenance rather than leaving this in the hands of some outside authorities who may not fully understand the requirements/tradition of the local Buddhist authorities After all, the cost of living should be quite low in Bihar and not much money should be required.

b) There is nothing wrong with the local authorities' efforts to promote tourism based on a world heritage site. People all over the world ( called "tourists") do want to see sites of historical value when they are visiting a certain location albeit at a certain distance to maintain respect of course. Isn't Penang trying to get some of its buildings listed as World heritage in the hope of attracting more tourists? When tourists arrive in Penang are they not taken sightseeing at the Kek lok Si or the Sleeping Buddha temple . Maybe it's only the difference between collecting or not collecting entrance fees. If the fees are for the upkeep of the site, then why not? Everything runs on money and maintenance need money too. Sometimes it's the human beings' treatment of money that seems to make money evil when it's the subject of greed, corruption and other unwholesome mental desires. Have you read about the Thai Buddhist monk amassing millions through involvement in illegal activities? Well, I rather think that all the while it is a case of a mafia masquerading as a monk and not the other way round.

c) If Lord Buddha is here today what will be his opinion of this episode? After all did not Lord Buddha advocate the foolishness of clinging to one's BODY? Will the Lord Buddha treasure his own bodily remnants so much or would He rather we live by his teachings and manifest its true meanings by the way we think and act.Of course it is good to have a holy sacred site to call our own. The Christians have theirs, the Muslims have theirs, so why not Buddhists? Or is it just the failing of human beings to cling on to past memories by maintaining such sites for future generations just like we have been paying respects to our long departed ancestors. Sorry, my mistake.Then again if Lord Buddha is still alive today then we would not have this issue at all. Would you imagine if we take the Buddha's teeth and nails and bones and exhibit them while he still lives? How would you like that happening to you? Just a joke of course, pardon me.

d) Perhaps Than Hsiang website can have a discussion column for readers to air their thoughts on certain current issues relating to Buddhism. It will definitely get us thinking and hopefully receive some guidance, perhaps from the Venerable Wei Wu , in putting our erroneous thoughts back to the right track in line with the Buddha's teachings. Or maybe you can get such articles published and get readers' feedback to gauge the effectiveness of such articles.It will definitely give us a pulse on what and how the ordinary Buddhist think.

Once again if I am in any way deemed disrespectful by my shallow thoughts on this subject then I sincerely beg forgiveness from each and everyone of you.

With Metta,
Michael