Mr. Ban Ki-moon Date: 16th/ 3 /2012
Secretary-General
United Nations
New York, NY 10017
Issue: Your visit to Lumbini on 28th April
Subject: Lumbini Development National Directive Committee represented by non-Buddhists
Dear Secretary-General,
We are obliged to write to you regarding your upcoming visit to Lumbini on April 28th as the personal guest of United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN -Maoist) Chairman, Pushpa Kamal Dahal. He is also the President of Lumbini Development National Directive Committee.
From a Buddhist perspective, we are pleased that the purpose of your visit to Nepal is Lumbini. However, the circumstances that would drag you into undesirable political/social polemics should not be misconstrued for ill intent purposes.
Secretary-General
United Nations
New York, NY 10017
Issue: Your visit to Lumbini on 28th April
Subject: Lumbini Development National Directive Committee represented by non-Buddhists
Dear Secretary-General,
We are obliged to write to you regarding your upcoming visit to Lumbini on April 28th as the personal guest of United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN -Maoist) Chairman, Pushpa Kamal Dahal. He is also the President of Lumbini Development National Directive Committee.
From a Buddhist perspective, we are pleased that the purpose of your visit to Nepal is Lumbini. However, the circumstances that would drag you into undesirable political/social polemics should not be misconstrued for ill intent purposes.
Lumbini Development National Directive Committee headed by Pushpa Kamal Dahal is questionable.
Government using rule of thumb rather than rule of law
The government cannot run Lumbini as a one-caste, multi-party syndicate operation, if Lumbini is to be developed as a pilgrimage destination, ignoring Buddhist aspirations.
Pashupati and Janakpur are all considered national heritage sites represented and managed by their stake holders unlike Lumbini.
In regard to Lumbini, all representatives were non-Buddhists. After our protestation, Dahal included Mangal Siddhi Manandhar. The latest inclusion saw two more Newars and one Sherpa. This we believe is a façade to gain credibility with the prestigious UN. None of the Himalayan Buddhists, Tamangs, Gurungs, Magars, Tharus and Ambedkar Buddhists is represented. The rule of law still remains discriminatory
All development budgets channeled through the Ministry of Culture for religious/cultural purposes are deplorably unfair.
For example, one temple under Pashupati Bikash Kosh is sanctioned a budget of Rs 50 million, while it has set aside Rs 2 million for 7000 gompas ( monasteries). The Muslims were allocated Rs 8 million for the annual hajj pilgrimage following latest records.
Government using rule of thumb rather than rule of law
The government cannot run Lumbini as a one-caste, multi-party syndicate operation, if Lumbini is to be developed as a pilgrimage destination, ignoring Buddhist aspirations.
Pashupati and Janakpur are all considered national heritage sites represented and managed by their stake holders unlike Lumbini.
In regard to Lumbini, all representatives were non-Buddhists. After our protestation, Dahal included Mangal Siddhi Manandhar. The latest inclusion saw two more Newars and one Sherpa. This we believe is a façade to gain credibility with the prestigious UN. None of the Himalayan Buddhists, Tamangs, Gurungs, Magars, Tharus and Ambedkar Buddhists is represented. The rule of law still remains discriminatory
All development budgets channeled through the Ministry of Culture for religious/cultural purposes are deplorably unfair.
For example, one temple under Pashupati Bikash Kosh is sanctioned a budget of Rs 50 million, while it has set aside Rs 2 million for 7000 gompas ( monasteries). The Muslims were allocated Rs 8 million for the annual hajj pilgrimage following latest records.
Two hundred and fifty years of Hindu state has neglected, pillaged and encroached upon Buddhist heritage sites of national importance.
We foresee the predatory behavior of the caste Brahmins in ransacking Lumbini, in the same way Charumati stupa in Chahabil was tampered upon during the Panchayat era. This Buddhist heritage site diminished from 11, 444.4 sq. ft to 254.32 sq. ft - one example of the many such state impingements.
Tamang Buddhists have been tried and fined for consuming beef in the village of Chisopani, near Jorpati, although there are Brahmin owned, meat processing companies selling packaged beef.
Ethnic Buddhist lamas and nuns are extorted under the false charges of Free Tibet by manipulating one China policy against Tibetans, impelling Buddhists from the freedom of fear.
The rule of law in a secular democratic country as it stands today is questionable.
Why Pushpa Kamal Dahal and his coterie of Brahmins are unfit to represent the Buddhists in Lumbini Development National Directive Committee.
Firstly, Pushpa Kamal Dahal is an atheist, Maoist Brahmin. He has pointed out repeatedly that power must be captured “through the barrel of the gun”. This is a violation of the Buddhist principle of ahimsa (non violence).
Dahal’s criminal track record must be tried in the International Court of Justice. He has given credibility to violence at the expense of more than 15,000, mostly indigenous brothers and sisters, who have sacrificed their lives for social justice, misleading them to Maoist ideology.
Recently, he has been facing corruption charges of mishandling party funds for personal benefits by his own party comrades.
In 2008, while he was the PM, he was personally involved in trying to rid the traditional Bhatta (Priests of South Indian origin) to install his own kin in the sanctity of Pashupati.
He is not ethnically a Buddhist or an evangelical Buddhist nor has he contributed intellectually to Buddhism and Buddhist rights.
What makes Dahal a better candidate than Acharya Karma Sangpo, a party member to represent the Buddhists? Are there no Buddhists of better caliber to represent their own Buddhist sangha; to protect and develop their national heritage e.g. Lumbini? Why does Pashupati Bikash Kosh not follow the same rule by distributing membership to Muslims, Buddhists and Christians alike, as they have done in Lumbini Development National Directive Committee?
Lumbini
Lumbini must be represented by the Buddhists, as the human logic is that, he who follows keeps his culture alive. The Vatican is represented, protected and developed by the Christians, while Mecca and Medina is solely cared for
by the Muslims. Pashupati and Janakpur are sanctified by the Hindus alone and other religious cultures are denied entrance. What right does the government have to auction Lumbini to swindlers?
Therefore, the nature of Lumbini Development National Directive Committee is of suspect in content and intent and thus misleading. There is much to forsake for the Buddhists in the socio/ geo-political implication in the guise of economic development for national heritage of Lumbini.
For the Buddhists, it is sufficient that Lumbini retains its peaceful demeanor as a pilgrimage site rather than a touristic site; thereby honoring the sanctity of Buddha’s birth place, expressing Buddhist cultural values.
Buddha is symbolic of Buddhist cultures in Nepal. Is it possible for the stakeholders of Buddhism to benefit from Lumbini without their representation and voice?
United Nation as a co-partner with Lumbini Development National Directive Committee.
The UN cannot remain a blind spectator to Buddhist concerns in Nepal. If the UN should get involved with Lumbini Development National Directive Committee under the given circumstances, we are not aware of the underlying implications.
If we fail to convince you, it is not because the semantics of Lumbini, Buddha or Buddhists is obscure. It is because the caste Brahmins from Lumbini Development National Directive Committee are successful in misconstruing the relevance of Lumbini for their social/political bargaining power.
The UN would do well in cautioning Lumbini’s development away from being enmeshed in Chinese/ Indian geopolitics. Lumbini will always attract Buddhist pilgrims for its profound spirit related to the Buddha. Stonehenge attracts 800,000 visitors a year, connecting the modern man to the prehistoric era, generating an average of £6m a year, while costing taxpayers just under £2.4m to run without much ado. Therefore, let Lumbini not lose the spirit of Buddha consciousness.
Dahal and all the members of Lumbini Development National Directive, who are also CA members, would be well advised to gain the trust with the ethnic Buddhists, by seriously engaging in drafting the constitution and guiding Nepal towards a secular, federal and proportionately represented State. To cut short through Lumbini to overpower the Buddhists in clandestine deals is misleading a highly humanitarian organization like the UN. What is the purpose of honoring the Buddha while threatening ethnic Buddhist rights?
Lastly, Buddha who attained nirvana cannot be saved by us humans. What is essential for the UN is rather to save Lumbini from the greed of nefarious representatives beguiling the ethnic Buddhists.
It would be morally correct for Dahal to step down as the President of Lumbini Development National Directive and replace him with a high thinking Buddhist lama. The committee must consist of socially inclusive ethnic Buddhist representation as is the norm in Buddhist sanghas.
May you advise Dahal, not to turn the home of Buddha into a war zone, seeking credibility from the UN by tampering on Buddhist rights, starting with Lumbini.
Lastly, as we wish you the best in your venture to visit Lumbini to fulfill your mother’s dream, may you be mindful of the nightmare consequences that the ethnic Buddhists are continually facing.
Sincerely,
(President)
Co-ordination for Preservation of Buddhists’ Concerns, Nepal
kathmandu Nepal
E-mail : news.mongol@gmail.com
website: www.samabad.com
We foresee the predatory behavior of the caste Brahmins in ransacking Lumbini, in the same way Charumati stupa in Chahabil was tampered upon during the Panchayat era. This Buddhist heritage site diminished from 11, 444.4 sq. ft to 254.32 sq. ft - one example of the many such state impingements.
Tamang Buddhists have been tried and fined for consuming beef in the village of Chisopani, near Jorpati, although there are Brahmin owned, meat processing companies selling packaged beef.
Ethnic Buddhist lamas and nuns are extorted under the false charges of Free Tibet by manipulating one China policy against Tibetans, impelling Buddhists from the freedom of fear.
The rule of law in a secular democratic country as it stands today is questionable.
Why Pushpa Kamal Dahal and his coterie of Brahmins are unfit to represent the Buddhists in Lumbini Development National Directive Committee.
Firstly, Pushpa Kamal Dahal is an atheist, Maoist Brahmin. He has pointed out repeatedly that power must be captured “through the barrel of the gun”. This is a violation of the Buddhist principle of ahimsa (non violence).
Dahal’s criminal track record must be tried in the International Court of Justice. He has given credibility to violence at the expense of more than 15,000, mostly indigenous brothers and sisters, who have sacrificed their lives for social justice, misleading them to Maoist ideology.
Recently, he has been facing corruption charges of mishandling party funds for personal benefits by his own party comrades.
In 2008, while he was the PM, he was personally involved in trying to rid the traditional Bhatta (Priests of South Indian origin) to install his own kin in the sanctity of Pashupati.
He is not ethnically a Buddhist or an evangelical Buddhist nor has he contributed intellectually to Buddhism and Buddhist rights.
What makes Dahal a better candidate than Acharya Karma Sangpo, a party member to represent the Buddhists? Are there no Buddhists of better caliber to represent their own Buddhist sangha; to protect and develop their national heritage e.g. Lumbini? Why does Pashupati Bikash Kosh not follow the same rule by distributing membership to Muslims, Buddhists and Christians alike, as they have done in Lumbini Development National Directive Committee?
Lumbini
Lumbini must be represented by the Buddhists, as the human logic is that, he who follows keeps his culture alive. The Vatican is represented, protected and developed by the Christians, while Mecca and Medina is solely cared for
by the Muslims. Pashupati and Janakpur are sanctified by the Hindus alone and other religious cultures are denied entrance. What right does the government have to auction Lumbini to swindlers?
Therefore, the nature of Lumbini Development National Directive Committee is of suspect in content and intent and thus misleading. There is much to forsake for the Buddhists in the socio/ geo-political implication in the guise of economic development for national heritage of Lumbini.
For the Buddhists, it is sufficient that Lumbini retains its peaceful demeanor as a pilgrimage site rather than a touristic site; thereby honoring the sanctity of Buddha’s birth place, expressing Buddhist cultural values.
Buddha is symbolic of Buddhist cultures in Nepal. Is it possible for the stakeholders of Buddhism to benefit from Lumbini without their representation and voice?
United Nation as a co-partner with Lumbini Development National Directive Committee.
The UN cannot remain a blind spectator to Buddhist concerns in Nepal. If the UN should get involved with Lumbini Development National Directive Committee under the given circumstances, we are not aware of the underlying implications.
If we fail to convince you, it is not because the semantics of Lumbini, Buddha or Buddhists is obscure. It is because the caste Brahmins from Lumbini Development National Directive Committee are successful in misconstruing the relevance of Lumbini for their social/political bargaining power.
The UN would do well in cautioning Lumbini’s development away from being enmeshed in Chinese/ Indian geopolitics. Lumbini will always attract Buddhist pilgrims for its profound spirit related to the Buddha. Stonehenge attracts 800,000 visitors a year, connecting the modern man to the prehistoric era, generating an average of £6m a year, while costing taxpayers just under £2.4m to run without much ado. Therefore, let Lumbini not lose the spirit of Buddha consciousness.
Dahal and all the members of Lumbini Development National Directive, who are also CA members, would be well advised to gain the trust with the ethnic Buddhists, by seriously engaging in drafting the constitution and guiding Nepal towards a secular, federal and proportionately represented State. To cut short through Lumbini to overpower the Buddhists in clandestine deals is misleading a highly humanitarian organization like the UN. What is the purpose of honoring the Buddha while threatening ethnic Buddhist rights?
Lastly, Buddha who attained nirvana cannot be saved by us humans. What is essential for the UN is rather to save Lumbini from the greed of nefarious representatives beguiling the ethnic Buddhists.
It would be morally correct for Dahal to step down as the President of Lumbini Development National Directive and replace him with a high thinking Buddhist lama. The committee must consist of socially inclusive ethnic Buddhist representation as is the norm in Buddhist sanghas.
May you advise Dahal, not to turn the home of Buddha into a war zone, seeking credibility from the UN by tampering on Buddhist rights, starting with Lumbini.
Lastly, as we wish you the best in your venture to visit Lumbini to fulfill your mother’s dream, may you be mindful of the nightmare consequences that the ethnic Buddhists are continually facing.
Sincerely,
(President)
Co-ordination for Preservation of Buddhists’ Concerns, Nepal
kathmandu Nepal
E-mail : news.mongol@gmail.com
website: www.samabad.com
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