Evidence of Buddhist site found

• Evidence of Buddhist site found
• Buddhist monk shares experiences on the road
• After Riots, Buddhists Call for Peace

Evidence of Buddhist site found by B. MADHU GOPAL, The Hindu, Oct 9, 2012 Site is at Gudiwada village of Bhogapuram mandal in Vizianagaram district Vizianagaram, India -- The Department of Archaeology and Museums has stumbled upon evidence of a Buddhist heritage site at Gudiwada village of Bhogapuram mandal in Vizianagaram district. << Assistant Director of Archaeology and Museums Vijayawada and FAC for Visakhapatnam K. Chittibabu showing a cistern found on the hill at Gudiwada of Bhogapuram mandal on the banks of Gosthani river in Vizianagaram district. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam The hill, located right on the banks of the Gosthani River, has been quarried on two sides, reducing it to a hillock. There are evidences of a circular stupa, and a small cistern like structure carved out of the rock, and large bricks of 52 cm x 27 cm and 7 cm thickness, pieces of red ware and decorated pottery were also found at different levels on the hill. Shrines About one-half of the hilltop was flattened and two temple-like structures were constructed, may be around half-a-century ago by the villagers. The two shrines had raised platforms but there were no idols. There are bundles of wooden pieces kept in the temples and even to this day villagers worship the wooden pieces. This practice must have been an offshoot of the Buddhist tradition. "The low height and small size of the stupa, and lack of sculptures indicate that it could have been constructed during the early phase of Buddhist, i.e., Teravada phase," Assistant Director of Archaeology and Museums for Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam (FAC) K. Chittibabu told The Hindu at the heritage site on Monday. The stupa could have been used for religious purposes. Lime concrete plastering, found on some of the bricks, indicate traces of Hinayana Buddhist like those at the sites discovered at Thotlakonda and Bhavikonda. There are evidences of husk being used to burn the bricks. The Buddhist monks must have preferred this site as the Gostani river flows by and joins the sea a few kilometres away at Bheemunipatnam. The river was a source of fresh drinking water besides providing a navigational route for sea trade with various parts of the world. At the foot of a hill, an ancient stone idol of Lord Ganesh with the trunk turned to the left, which indicates that it came from Odisha, an old Nandi idol, a 'Naga Bandham' statue and a Siva Lingam were found. 'Protection important' "Protection of the site is important. But, this can be done only after the government declares it as a protected monument. Digging of trial trenches would require around Rs.1 lakh and full-fledged excavations could require Rs. 3 lakh to Rs.4 lakh and about a year's time," Mr. Chittibabu added. Read More @ Source

Buddhist monk shares experiences on the road Posted: 10 Oct 2012 09:00 PM PDT By DAVE GOSSETT, The Herald-Star, October 8, 2012 Steubenville, Ohio (USA) -- It was raining when Sunim Daeung rode across the Market Street bridge Sunday afternoon. But the 42-year-old Buddhist monk was all smiles as he clasped his hands together and slightly bowed to Jerry Barilla. "It is good to meet you," Sunim said softly. "I am glad to meet you," responded Barilla before leading the monk toward the Historic Fort Steuben Visitors Center. The South Korean had just completed a 43-mile bike ride as part of a two-year bicycle journey that started April 18 in Vancouver, Canada, and will continue through the United States before he heads south to Mexico and then South America. He anticipates completing his trip in 2014 when he arrives in Patagonia. Sunim, a teacher at his Buddhist temple in Seoul, said he wanted to "experience life," so he bought a South Korean Toga touring bicycle and flew to Canada. "I never rode a bicycle before and I didn't speak any English. It has been a learning experience for me. When I came here the only English I knew was 'I'm sorry' and 'thank you,'" said Sunim, who explained Buddhist monks traditionally use only their first name. Part of Sunim's story was shared by Bruce Stemplewski of Robinson Township, Pa., who accompanied the monk on his trip to Steubenville. Stemplewski is a member of the Warmshowers organization, which hosts people traveling by bicycles. "I have traveled around the world on my bicycle and have been taken care of by hosts in different countries. When I heard about Sunim's trip, I offered to host him for the weekend," cited Stemplewski. "Sunim was in British Columbia where he had a flat tire. He has extra inner tubes and was repairing his tire when a man named Dave stopped and offered to help and a place to stay for the night. That was the beginning of Sunim's trip," related Stemplewski. "People have been very kind. They are very good here. But it is very cold here," laughed Sunim. "I decided on America because Europe has too many different languages. I am learning English from everyone I meet. America is very good and very beautiful. My country is very small. The first time I saw America everything was so big. But people here are very kind," remarked Sunim. Stemplewski had contacted the visitors center asking for a place to camp for the night. "We couldn't accommodate them, but I knew Rev. Jason Elliot at the First Westminster Presbyterian Church let the YouthWorks groups stay in his church community room during the summer, so I called him and he agreed Sunim and Bruce could stay there for the night," explained Barilla. So after a brief tour of the fort and a conversation about how Sunim plans to live for the next two years, the bicyclists stretched their legs by walking from the visitors center to the church where they were greeted by Elliot. "We have air mattresses and hot showers for you. But first, one of our church members is going to cook you a South Korean meal," said Elliot. That's when Keumyon Clark, a native of South Korea, and her husband and son arrived carrying pots and plastic containers of food. Clark met her future husband Mark when he was stationed with the Army in South Korea in 1970. "My wife has been back to South Korea about five or six times. And she loves to cook the traditional South Korean dinners," said Mark. "You start frying the beef," Keumyon instructed Elliot as she sat down with Sunim to chat in Korean. "We will be having beef, squid, rice and tofu soup along with Kimchi or fermented cabbage and cucumbers. It is all nonfat food with protein for Sunim," she explained. "After a several minutes of conversation in Korean, Clark said Sunim had become a Buddhist monk when he was 19 years old. "He wanted to experience life. He wants to find out where he is at in life and find out the truth of himself. When he is finished with his trip he will return to his temple in South Korea to continue teaching," related Clark. As the aroma of the food started to spread across the community room, Sunim started peering into the kitchen. "I am hungry," he said. "Here, you take a Korean pear. We grow them on our property," offered Clark. "The food was delicious. It was beautiful and I ate things I had never had before," said Barilla. And after a breakfast this morning Stemplewski was to ride his bicycle back to Robinson Township and Sunim was to cross the Market Street Bridge back to West Virginia where he will ride south on state Route 2 to Wheeling and then cross the Ohio River and head south on state Route 7 to Barnesville and points beyond. Read More @ Source

After Riots, Buddhists Call for Peace Posted: 10 Oct 2012 08:00 PM PDT By Farid Ahmed, IPS, Oct 10, 2012 DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Anxiety has yet to die down over a week after crowds of Muslims torched more than a dozen temples and scores of houses in southeast Bangladesh, leaving thousands of Buddhists with the unshakeable premonition that more violence was forthcoming. << Policemen guard a Buddhist monastery in Dhaka following sectarian violence in Cox's Bazar. Credit: Farid Ahmed/IPS The government has repeatedly tried to assure the religious minority that they have the support and protection of the state, while the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Mizanur Rahman, apologised for the atrocities – but it seems nothing can assuage the fear of fresh violence. "We're shocked by this unexpected violence… yet we appeal to all to maintain peace as Buddhist preaches peace and non-violence," Dr. Pranab Kumar Baruya, a former visiting professor of Dhaka University, told IPS during an interview at the Dharma Rajika Buddhist Monastery in Dhaka. "We want communal harmony. We number only one million (in Bangladesh) and we need the support of the government and the majority of the people in a country where we've also been born and where Buddhist has been practiced for more than a thousand years," he added. Amid mounting pressure on the government to launch a judicial inquiry into the attacks, the country's top business leaders have expressed anxieties that a recurrence of such incidents might have a negative impact on the country's image, investment and international trade. The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry asked the government on Thursday to take immediate measures to ensure "such unexpected incidents do not take place (again)." "A sense of fear still persists among the Buddhist people and it's the responsibility of the government to allay the fear by providing proper security and bringing the culprits to justice," Ranjit Kumar Barua, a retired joint-secretary to the government of Bangladesh, told IPS. Ancient relics destroyed The riot began on Sept. 29, when large crowds of Muslims attacked Buddhist shrines and torched homes in southeast Bangladesh, home to the highest concentration of Buddhists in the country. Protesters chanted anti-Buddhist slogans and rioted throughout the night in the town of Ramu in the tourist district of Cox's Bazar. Violence spilled into the adjoining areas and continued the following day. The local administration had to call in the army, paramilitary troops from Border Guards Bangladesh and police forces to maintain law and order. According to Baruya, ancient Buddhist relics, along with rare palm-leaf manuscripts of folk and religious tales (locally known as Puthis) were burned and several hundred rare statues of Lord Buddha were either damaged or looted by the mobs. "Almost all the temples and monasteries, adorned intricately with wood carvings, were burned and damaged. They were several hundred years old; some of them were built in the late 17th or early 18th centuries," he said. Pragyananda Bhikkhu, resident director of the Ramu Central Sima Bihar in Cox's Bazar, told IPS, "The damage done is irreparable and no one on earth will be able to compensate for this loss. The wounds might heal but they will continue to bleed deep in our hearts." "The temples belonged to the Buddhists, but they were also priceless treasures of our country (as a whole), they were part of our heritage," Nehal Ahmed, a college professor in Dhaka, told IPS. Police and witnesses told IPS that a photograph of a partially burned Quran, allegedly posted on Facebook by a Buddhist youth, sparked the riot. An initial report said that the boy was tagged in the photo but did not post it himself. The Facebook user's account has since been deleted. "This can't be accepted in this relatively peaceful South Asian nation," Ahmed said, referring to the recent deadly violence that swept across several countries in response to a low-budget American film, 'Innocence of Muslim', desecrating Prophet Mohammad. "We've seen many deaths during protests in Pakistan over the anti-Islam film, but it was relatively peaceful in Bangladesh," he said. Political stalemate Top political leaders, hailing from the ruling Awami League and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), have pointed accusing fingers at each other in a blame game that has further deepened the anxiety of Buddhists who comprise less than one percent of the total population in Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Bangladesh Home Minister, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, who visited the scene of the violence immediately after the riot, blamed the BNP for the attacks. The minister said the violence was planned, citing evidence of gunpowder and petrol found in the burnt monasteries and houses. Both the prime minister and the home minister also hinted that Rohingya Muslims, refugees of persection and sectarian violence in neighbouring Myanmar (formerly Burma) who fled to Cox's Bazar two decades ago, might be responsible for instigating the attacks. Meanwhile, Khaleda Zia, leader of the BNP and a former prime minister of Bangladesh, said on Saturday that the government itself was behind the attacks. This week the Bangladesh Supreme Court ordered the government to ensure complete security to Buddhists and other minority groups. Buddhist monks, primarily in Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka, staged demonstrations in front of the Bangladesh missions in their respective countries, venting their anger and demanding an impartial probe into the attacks. International rights groups and non-governmental organisations including Amnesty International also asked the government to bring the culprits to book immediately. Many Buddhists feel that whatever the investigation unearths, horrific memories of one of the worst attacks on the Buddhist faith will remain alive. Read More @ Source