Ram Bahadur Bamjan, known in the press as “Buddha Boy” emerged from the jungles of southern Nepal to teach for a week. He is said, by whom is unclear, to be the reincarnation of Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha. The reincarnation of the Buddha? There is of course some controversy to his claims:
However, as word of Bamjan’s claimed feats spread worldwide several reports raised doubts over his authenticity.
At the height of his fame, a French journalist filmed him nibbling on a piece of fruit while supposedly midway through his mammoth fast. Another correspondent found him asleep while he was supposed to be meditating in private.
In March last year, Bamjan’s supporters said that the boy planned to meditate for three years in an underground bunker[,] an idea he now appears to have thought better of.
He has a lot of fans, so we’ll see how it goes.
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