Video

7 January 2007

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Unmoving, sitting under this tree, without eating or drinking [pictures were recorded at the end of 2005]…

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Hundreds of thousands of people had travelled from India and Nepal to bow in front of the one they believed was the reincarnation of Buddha[1].

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People from all over the world heard his story.

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And then suddenly, in May 2006 [sic, March 11, 2006], he disappeared without leaving any clues of his whereabouts.

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Just as mysteriously, he reappeared last month. Nobody knows what happened.

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Miracle or hoax? We tried to solve the mystery of the Little Buddha.

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The story of his life begins here, in this little village in southern Nepal.

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He was born into a very poor family of 9 children.

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His mother, Maya Devi, remembers that at the age of 8, he already wanted to be a monk.

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When he was young, he had the habit of following monks around. He loved religious places and temples.

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At 13, he journeys to India to study in a monastery.

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His family is without news of him, until one day he is found meditating deep in the heart of this forest, under a giant tree, a banyan [sic, pipal].

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Unflinching, he will spend eleven months in the lotus position.

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Enough to wonder if he is truly human.

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One night [January 19, 2006], bystanders witness an incredible event.

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This footage was shot by a pilgrim.

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The images show the young teenager, his monk’s robes ablaze.

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He seems immune to the heat of the flames.

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And then: another surprise! In March, he suddenly disappears [March 11, 2006].

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The devotees are distraught and leave the area.

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The place feels empty.

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Maya Devi, Little Buddha’s mother, is now alone.

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Taken by surprise, she carries her sadness with her.

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Every day, she comes to pray where her son used to sit.

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I have been sick ever since my son disappeared.

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It is as though a snake was winding around my body, trying to suffocate me.

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His disappearance is made all the more alarming by the fact that Nepal is not a safe country.

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A civil war has been wreaking havoc for 10 years.

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13.000 people have died and the population is under stress.

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When we arrived in Katmandu fifteen days earlier, the capital city was paralyzed.

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Everywhere, people are marching against the government.

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Stop, stop! You can’t go any further.

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They’re French journalists; we are looking for the Little Buddha.

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Welcome, welcome!

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The demonstrators let us through.

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The best way to gain access is simply to mention Little Buddha.

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It takes us more than 10 hours of driving to make it to the jungle.

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We are now in January. In the country, a rumor is starting to spread.

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Little Buddha, who had dropped out of sight, is said to have reappeared.

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Some people are saying that he might have come back around here.

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I’m not exactly sure where, I haven’t been able to see him yet.

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In these parts, everyone says that the Buddha is back. You bet everyone will go [to see him].

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And the rumor is true: deep in the forest, a group of hunters have located the Little Buddha [December 24, 2006].

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These images were shot by a Nepalese journalist.

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The villagers have just been informed.

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Move over! Don’t touch him!

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They gather around the young man and ask many questions.

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For the first time, we hear him give answers.

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After you disappeared, people started asking questions, and some doubted.

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There are thousands of people, thousands of ideas.

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To each person his thoughts, his mind.

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Let them talk and one day they will know the truth.

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We want to protect you, but we are only humans. What can we do?

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Do as you please. I don’t know the answer. It is God who decides.

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But you can come and see me, from sunrise to sunset.

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The message is given and the news starts spreading.

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Today, the pilgrims are starting to come back.

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We enter the jungle on this chaotic road and armed forces are everywhere.

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Stop, you can’t go any further. You must leave your car here.

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From the road, there are still 10km to go.

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Most pilgrims come on foot or by bike, sometimes traveling very long distances to see the Little Buddha.

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Hello, you’ve come to see him?

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Yes, we’ve come to see Little Buddha.

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Is it the first time you have come here?

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Yes, we are going to see him for the first time.

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Have you brought him something?

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We brought him flowers.

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Still accompanied by soldiers, we arrive at the sacred perimeter.

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From here on, everyone must silently take off their shoes.

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This man has come to see the Little Buddha, he is glowing.

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Have you seen the Little Buddha?

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Yes, I think he is a great man.

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We are getting closer. The first signs of devotion become visible.

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Only 500m to go. The silence is almost perfect, broken only by the sound of footsteps.

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Pilgrims hope to see, touch or talk to Little Buddha.

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A surprise awaits them: behind the ropes keeping them from getting too close, the look of the young man has changed.

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The face of Little Buddha has disappeared behind his hair.

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The only thing we can see is a corner of his mouth.

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He sat down last December 26th and hasn’t moved since.

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We stayed for a few days to observe him, but we never saw him move.

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Could this be staged?

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The pilgrims, fascinated, finally see him, almost scared by this "faceless body".

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Since his reappearance a month ago, the same miracle keeps happening.

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The young man doesn’t eat or drink.

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How can he be alive? Is this really possible?

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The only person who can tell us is Prem, a monk and childhood friend of the Little Buddha.

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Before the young meditator disappeared, Prem was already taking care of him.

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He claims that they communicate through telepathy.

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Does he drink or eat?

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No.

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He doesn’t eat, he doesn’t drink, you are sure of this?

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No, no, he never eats! Not even fruit, and he doesn’t drink water.

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We showed our video of the Little Buddha to Bernard (Vesfeld?), a nutritionist based in Paris.

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According to him, the limit is 8 days without drinking and 45 days without eating.

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If he were to remain 8 days without drinking, eating or moving, he would develop pressure ulcers,

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would be severely dehydrated, would not be able to stand up because his muscles would waste away and he would die.

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In Kathmandu, the official Buddhist authorities also doubt.

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One of the Dalai Lama’s spokespersons is French.

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Mathieu Ricard welcomes us in his monastery.

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He, too, is a trained scientist.

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Regarding the young man’s diet, he is undecided, feeling both admiration and skepticism.

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Well, never drink?

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Personally, I have never heard of such a thing, even among the Tibetan miracles.

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Well, that is, except for things that have been proven false.

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I have heard of fasts that lasted from two to three months, yes, when coupled with specific meditations.

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But never to eat at all? No. It seems impossible to me.

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So is the Little Buddha taking advantage of the cover of night to surreptitiously eat and stretch his legs?

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It’s hard to know, because after sunset, the monks stand guard and prevent anyone from coming near him.

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Even the soldiers are asked to leave and would not defy the authority of the monks.

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Oh no, soldiers cannot stay here during the night.

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They are not allowed. I don’t know what is going on.

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And I cannot understand how a man can stay like this without ever moving.

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These questions also have a financial side, because all the pilgrims bring offerings.

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Small sums which, when added together, come to 600,000 NPR, almost 5,700 EUR (7,950 USD).

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And the money will keep coming.

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With the return of the Little Buddha, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are expected to come.

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To prepare for their arrival, the welcome committee has decided to enlarge the safety perimeter around the young man.

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I hope there will be enough rope.

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The sacred circle is now twice as big.

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People are going to come, you can count on that, the Little Buddha said it.

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They are going to come from all over Nepal.

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For now, there are still only just a few visitors,

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but when everything will be ready, when everything will open, it will be a rush!

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The money donated by the pilgrims is being used to build a temple dedicated to the glory of the Little Buddha [sic, 2].

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But for a few weeks, the project has been slowing down.

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The offerings have been confiscated by the government.

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The Nepalese authorities are planning to keep the money as long as the story of the Little Buddha has not been proven true.

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Still, the pilgrims remain fervent.

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The young man has promised, just like his role model, the Buddha, to complete a 6 years meditation.

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Sitting motionless under his tree, he will have to meditate another 4 years.

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Notes:

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[1] On November 8, 2005 Palden Dorje spoke quietly from behind his curtain to say he would soon address the people gathered. He stated he had not reached the level of the Buddha, but had only acquired Remedhheya (Rinpoche/teacher) energy. He asked again for them not to publicize him as an incarnation of the Buddha. He indicated the Tapoban area surrounding him must be peaceful for six years. He said his meditation was to bring peace to the world.

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[2] Reporters are talking about a smaller gumpa (monastery) at the first meditation site in Ratanpur (http://www.etapasvi.com/en/photo/667/monastery-at-ratanpuri)