XPost: alt.philosophy.zen, alt.religion.buddhism.tibetan, alt.zen   
   XPost: talk.religion.buddhism   
   From: peter@dharma.dyn-o-saur.com   
      
   Unrest In Buddha’s Homeland: The Curious Case Of Lumbini   
   by Pradeepa Viswanathan, IPCS, December 23, 2011   
      
   Lumbini, Nepal -- Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautama Buddha has of late   
   received the attention it deserves but sadly for the   
   wrong reasons. The spiritual significance of the site appears to be in   
   conflict with the ‘Greater Lumbini Project’ which   
   proposes to commercialize the place.   
      
      
   Recent unrests have been witnessed by factions opposing such development. This   
   article attempts to engage with the   
   following questions: what factors have led to the unrest in Lumbini? What does   
   Nepal plan to achieve by marketing Lumbini?   
   Will this become a source of anxiety between Nepal’s two largest neighbours   
   – India and China?   
      
   Lumbini is one of the four major Buddhist pilgrimages renowned in the Indian   
   sub-continent (others include Sarnath   
   (teaching), Bodh Gaya (enlightenment) and Kushinagar (death), all in India).   
   In comparison to the other three sites, Lumbini   
   has for long been in a desolate condition. Given the significance of the site,   
   any effort to develop it should have been   
   welcomed. However, recent plans of developing the site have been met with   
   severe opposition from the Buddhist community   
   in Nepal which resorted to staging of a peace rally and promulgation of the   
   five-point demands.   
      
   Internal as well as external factors account for this. Internally speaking,   
   the crucial factor behind the protests has been the   
   involvement of former Prime Minister of Nepal – Pushpa Kamal Dahal –   
   Prachanda as the coordinator of the Lumbini   
   Development National Steering Committee. Given Prachanda’s credentials (he   
   is believed to have indulged in a violent killing   
   spree during the civil war period) and his being of Hindu faith, his   
   association with the committee, has irked Buddhists in   
   Nepal. Surprisingly, he is also the co-chairman of the Hong Kong based Asia   
   Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation   
   (APECF), the primary funding agency in Lumbini. Closely associated with this   
   is the priority given by Prachanda during his   
   premiership and after, to Lumbini’s development over Nepal’s peace process.   
      
   Second, is the demand of Buddhists against ‘the exploitation of religion for   
   economic progress’ and in favour of the   
   appointment of ‘stake holders’ and not ‘non-believers’ to manage   
   development at Lumbini. This is given the religious   
   sentiments attached, which has not permitted any commercialization within   
   three sq kms area around the site till date.   
   However, if the current plan comes into play, Lumbini shall house an   
   international airport, tourist facilities, convention   
   centre and a Buddhist university among others.   
      
   The external reasons building into the chaos are, first, the surfacing of   
   APECF, a non-governmental organization as the   
   major funder, which has pledged to pool in US$3 billion, into development   
   activities. Doubts have been cast over APECF’s   
   funding sources and its (un)apparent links to the communist party in Beijing.   
   Second, is the declaration of an agreement   
   signed between the APECF, UNIDO (United National Industrial Development   
   Organization), Unified Communist Party of Nepal   
   (Maoists) and the Chinese Government, which if UNIDO and Nepal government   
   sources are to be believed was never signed.   
   Third, the involvement of Beijing, an ‘officially atheist state’ has also   
   added to the chaos in Lumbini as well. It deserves   
   mention here that the peace rally was taken out by the ‘indigenous   
   Buddhists’ of Nepal and the unease with Beijing’s   
   involvement does not have a political connotation to it.   
      
   Lumbini happens to be a major tourist destination in Nepal with a record   
   98,431 visitors (excluding Indians) as of October   
   2011. The declaration of 2012 as Visit Lumbini Year (VLY), the selection of   
   peace ambassadors and the planning of   
   international conferences in Buddha’s nativity reflects the enthusiasm with   
   which Nepal is trying to market Lumbini. By   
   projecting Lumbini as a ‘peace city’, Nepal can enhance its national   
   pride, garner international support and at the same   
   time boost government revenues, create jobs and improve infrastructure. No   
   doubt, the kicking off the current plan has the   
   potential to lift Nepal’s staggering economy.   
      
   In this author’s opinion then, it all comes down to selling it to the right   
   investors as the required marketing has already been   
   done – Lumbini features in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site and continues to   
   be addressed as the ‘Mecca of Buddhists’.   
      
   Both India and China, Nepal’s largest neighbours, have stakes in Lumbini.   
   Chinese stakes revolve around the percentage of   
   people of Buddhist faith in the country as well as the increase of these   
   Buddhist tourists to Lumbini. For this reason, China   
   has become more tolerant of Buddhism portraying itself as the supreme   
   protector of the religion. Additionally, Chinese   
   involvement in APECF’s affairs, the close relationship between Prachanda and   
   Chinese Communist Party and the proposed   
   railway line connecting Kerung Rasuwa with Lumbini, also signals a Chinese   
   interest. Indian stakes in Lumbini are equally   
   appealing. Lumbini is situated at merely eight kilometers from the Indo-Nepal   
   border. There already exists an India-led   
   Buddhist circuit to Lumbini, also covering Sarnath, Bodh Gaya and Kushinagar.   
   The fact of India being the ‘karmabhoomi’ of   
   Buddha as against the ‘janmabhoomi’ has also added to India’s advantage.   
   As such any intrusion into the area has the   
   potential to generate anxiety in both countries.   
      
   In sum, Lumbini represents a complex interplay of religious sentiments and   
   vested interests. However, plans to make   
   Lumbini the ‘Mecca of the Buddhist world’ are far from actual realization   
   given the politicization of the issue. Lumbini’s   
   development can certainly be in the long term interest of the country provided   
   there is more transparency and public   
   participation in the project. To quote the Economist’, “if the would-be   
   investors handle it better next time, such a huge   
   project may seem irresistible.”   
      
      
   http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=39,10638,0,0,1,0   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)