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Greenpeace India tour through ten districts of Bihar to spread awareness of renewable energy

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The Economist

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Maurya Tv

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Russia Today

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Fake Monks in Bodhgaya

Pippal video production has recently covered the story of Fake Monks , the story of which was also given to the Russia Today channel.

Story From Russia Today Channel

In a small Indian town where the holiest temple for Buddhists was erected on the very spot where the Buddha gained enlightenment, with tens of thousands of pilgrims visiting every day, fake monks are becoming routine.The Indian town of Bodh Gaya is considered the birthplace of Buddhism. It is here that the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment 2,600 years ago.Just 200 meters away from the temple, locals shave their kids’ heads to make them look like Buddhist monks and Hindu schoolboys play truant from school to attend prayers in the temple and to earn up to $US 4 a day.

Young monk-for-hire Sonu Kumar says he is “learning the mantras” while sitting during the prayers and that he is being given money by the lama for it.Fake monks are often paid to attend prayers, chant Buddhist scriptures, and make up the numbers for tourists during special prayers. This, after all, is the main season for foreign pilgrims to visit Bodh Gaya.Those posing as monks are also attracted by the donations made by pilgrims, who give money to holy men to gain merit in this life.Ramesh Majhi, a true monk, says “We don’t demand anything. For example, if we’re sitting here and Buddhist pilgrims from overseas feel like giving us something, we accept it. We don’t count it.”This is not good news for temple authorities, who are aware of the problem but find it difficult to weed out those pretending to be monks.“Some people disguise themselves as monks, they try to wear the robes and pretend to be a monk to take advantage of these offerings by the devotees,” says Nangzey Dorjee, the member secretary of the Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee. “This is the main season and we have had certain cases – we are trying to take care of that. We ask our senior monks to go around and do random checks, and if they see any doubt then ask them to chant the sutras. Then we try to convince them, “Please, this is not the way.”But it is not so simple, with many producing certificates and identity cards from obscure organizations to prove they are monks.“How can you fake these cards?” demands monk Vishwanath Yadav. “I have all the certificates to prove I am a monk. You need these documents, they are all checked before you can enter the temple.”In today’s world, everything is available for a price. Even religion has become a commodity. For those interested in making it a livelihood, all you have to do is dress right and shave your head to pass as any other devotee.

HISTORY ABOUT PIPPAL TREE

THE BODHI TREE
This is the most important of all the places for a devout Buddhist. The Jatakas reveal that the Bodhi Tree is an object of veneration as the Buddha himself sanctioned it and is also regarded as a symbolic representation of the Buddha, the fact which is corroborated by sculptural evidence. Thus, some of the earlier representations of the Buddha were shown by substituting the Bodhi Tree which is also called the Peepal Tree (botanical name of which is the Ficus Religiosa). The present tree is probably the fifth succession of the original tree which was earlier destroyed several times by man-made misery and natural calamities. It was here under this tree itself that the Buddha spent the first week in meditation after attaining Enlightenment. He spent seven weeks in seven different places inside the temple complex.