Buddhist Mecca attacked
At 5.30am early this Sunday morning, the Mahabodhi Temple was attacked by 9 bombs. 6 exploded inside the temple complex, 3 outside the temple grounds. There was another one which was defused.
The Mahabodhi temple is located in Bodhgaya, India. It’s a UNESCO World heritage site, and one of the 7 wonders of the Buddhist world.
All 10 of them were low-intensity bombs, and there no damage was done on the temple’s altar or the Bodhi tree itself.
On the temple’s altar sits the infamous statue of Buddha Shakyamuni, created by a disciple of the Buddha himself. The Sri Maha Bodhi, or simply the Bodhi tree, was where Prince Siddharta, Buddha Shakyamuni, gained enlightenment.
For 7 weeks after attaining enlightenment, Buddha Shakyamuni remained under the tree. You can read the story here on the External Section of the blog, contributed by thebuddhism.net.
It’s very sad news to know that such a holy site was a target for an attack. Five persons were injured… two of them sangha members, one from Tibet and another from Thailand. May the Indian government increase security around the area to prevent any more attacks in the future…
This was so unnecessary.
Tsem Rinpoche
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/Mahabodhi-temple.mp4
[Extracted from: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/bodhgaya-eight-blasts-in-mahabodhi-temple-two-injured-388891]
Bodhgaya: Two people have been injured in a series of blasts inside the Mahabodhi temple in Bihar’s Bodhgaya district. The first blast took place inside the temple at 5:30 am, followed by seven successive explosions in the next half hour.
While four of the blasts took place inside the Mahabodhi temple, the other four exploded outside. Another two live bombs were reportedly found near the temple, and defused.
Reports say all blasts were of low-intensity and there has been no damage to the temple shrine.
“The holy bodhi tree is safe and there is no damage to it,” Bihar police chief Abhayanand told AFP while confirming the blasts and injuries.
There were not too many people inside the temple when the blasts took place. The two injured, reportedly a Buddhist monk from Myanmar and a pilgrim, have been rushed to a hospital.
“We were doing our daily rituals in the temple when we heard a big explosion,” said an eyewitness.
Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami said the blasts were a “terror attack.”
Teams from the National Investigation Agency and the National Security Guard are on their way to Bodhgaya.
Senior police officer SK Bhardwaj said there have been intelligence reports about the possibility of attacks on the shrines but he did not give any details.
The temple premises have been cordoned off. Reports say security has been beefed up in and around other religious sites of the district.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh strongly condemned today’s blasts, saying “such attacks on religious places will never be tolerated.”
The Buddhist shrines in Bodhgaya, a town 130 kilometers south of Patna, attract a large number of pilgrims, especially from Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. The main pilgrimage starts in September.
Two people have been injured in a series of blasts inside the Mahabodhi temple in Bihar’s Bodhgaya district.
The first blast took place inside the temple complex shortly after 5 am, followed by seven successive explosions.
Another bomb was reportedly found near the temple, and was defused.
Reports say the blasts were of low-intensity and there has been no damage to the temple shrine.
Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami said the blasts were a “terror attack.”
Reports say there have been intelligence reports about the possibility of attacks on the shrines but he did not give any details.
See related links on Bodhgaya:
Why Visit Holy Pilgrimages?
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/why-visit-holy-pilgrimages-2.html
My Bodhgaya Vajrayogini
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/travel/my-bodhgaya-vajrayogini.html
Buddha at Mahabodhi Temple, Bodhgaya
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/buddhas-dharma/buddha-at-mahabodhi-temple-bodhgaya.html
Bodhgaya
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/external-article/bodh-gaya
India’s Supreme Court Admits Buddhists’ Plea to Manage Mahabodhi Temple at Bodhgaya
https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/external-article/india%e2%80%99s-supreme-court-admits-buddhists%e2%80%99-plea-to-manage-mahabodhi-temple-at-bodh-gaya
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The Mahabodhi temple is a UNESCO World heritage site, and been one of the 7 wonders of the Buddhist world has attracted hundred thousands of pilgrims yearly. It is the place where Gautama Buddha attained Enlightenment and under the Bodhi Tree. Its sad as it was targeted by terrorist, a series of ten bombs exploded in and around the Mahabodhi Temple complex. That was in 2013, early morning serial explosions rocked the Mahabodhi Temple injuring 2 monks and
destroying certain parts in the pond of the Mahabodhi Temple. Windows were shattered at one of the buildings, while a wooden door at a small temple was destroyed. Luckily the temple inside was intact. The security of the temple was then tightened after this incident ever since . Some metal detectors and more cops and checkpoints were put in place. Attacks on Buddhists are rare in India, but these unfortunate incident somehow did happen.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing .
who attacked this holy place and why?
Dear Rinpoche,
It is very sad to see that someone intended to perform acts of terror on such a holy ground. This Mahabodhi temple is a very important place for Buddhists because it is the very place where the historical Buddha attained enlightenment. It is very hard to imagine the negative karma of the perpetrators who would destroy a holy site. It is also very scary to think of the delusions and ignorance of them that driven them to perform the horrible act. May the holy dharma be able to reach out to them before their precious human life had ended.
Humbly,
Chris Chong
This is so sad to hear about Rinpoche. I keep thinking to myself, why would anyone attack a temple. They are so peaceful and will never harm people. This event is very sad and tragic. I hope that whomever lives that were taken away that day are now in a better place. Thank you for sharing Rinpoche.
This is my first time pay a visit at here and i am genuinely
happy to read everthing at one place.
It is very disheartening news to hear of this tragic incident. This is one of the holiest Buddhist temples in the world but due to some group of unhappy people it became a target of terrorism. How sad. This type of terrorist attack should not be tolerated and the culprits must be brought to court. The government must take more preventive measures and beefed up security to prevent such a holy site destroyed by terrorist attacks.
Shelly tai on 25July2013 at 430pn
This kind of thing should not happen what more this a holy place there is the sangha community who live there. I the terrorist is really out of their mind . It is a sad news to hear. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this news with us.
It is so sad to hear this, why would someone do this? Such a holy place where buddha attained enlightenment under the bodhi tree. I hope that everything is repaired and that the people injured have a speedy recovery.
This is really sad to read about, hundreds of lives could have been sacrificed, and it’s also very sad to know that there weren’t any justification that took place. The Indian government should really increase the security in India, not only temples, so that the people can reside in that area peacefully.
Thank You for sharing Rinpoche.
it’s so sad to read about this tragic incident.happy to know not much damage to the temple.
Dear Rinpoche,
It is really sad to know that there such people that would target to bomb such a Holy and Sacred site such as the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodghaya, India.
I am just happy to know that at the very least the bombs are low intensity bombs and have not done much damage to the temple, especially the Sacred Bodhi Tree that Buddha gained Enlightened under.
I really can’t imagine how much Negative Karma the Terrorists must have accumulated through trying to bring damage to such a Sacred Temple.
I hope that the person or people who were involved in the Bombing will be caught soon and I also hope such incidents will never ever happen again to such places/.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article!
Love
Jutika
This is incredibly disturbing and unecessary. I can’t believe someone would have the mindset to actually place bombs on a holy ground where pilgrims come from all over the world just to pay a visit. I’m really glad no one was fatally hurt and that everyone is in recovery, but this act of violence needs to stop and the culprit needs to be found before any more people get hurt. If the person was trying to bring awareness to some issue, that person has some really troubling issues that needs to be sorted out within themselves. If this act was due to a dispute in religion, then violence really shouldn’t be the solution to their problem.
Union Home secretary said blasts were “terror attacks”. There have been intelligence reports of possible attacks on shrines but no details available. Of course such cowardly attacks on Mahabodi Temple is great sadness not only for the people of India, but also for all Buddhists communities the world over! The 1,500 years old temple at Bodhgaya was built at a spot where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment 2,500 years ago, and it was declared a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE in 2002. Annually,it was said to be visited by millions of pilgrims all over the World! Of course Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stongly condemned the attack and reiterated that such attacks on religious places will never be tolerated irrespective! Om mani Padme Hum.
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing.Indeed this act of terrorism is unnecessary and it is not going to justify the cause of the action in anyway.The damage that was cause could only unify the people to con dame such act and not in anyway support those who is responsible for the violence.
We are fortunate that there was not much damage done to the temple and the Bodhi tree ,which is irreplaceable.
If there is any injustice done,for those who seek a settlement should come out in the open to come to a compromise .The act of hit and run are the ways of a coward .Who wish to feel superior through instilling fear.Want to be heard but do not wish find a solution to end the problem and could not face the reality of truth.
It is indeed disheartening to hear this terrorist attack on the sacred place. Is this iron age showing a deterioration of human morality? What makes the religions different is based on the humans perceptions, not the truth behind the spirituality.
Due to this, the attempt to hurt each other happens due to claiming of superiority in the worldly samsara.
Violence fueled from hatred will be the eventual extinction of humankind on planet earth. Add in politics, greed, power, desire……a potent concoction that will be the bane of total annihilation of humans and perhaps the animal kingdom.
It is very sad to learn that one of the holiest buddhist temples in the world was the target of terrorism. Fortunately there were no damaged to the altar and also to the bodhi tree where Buddha Shakymuni sat under and gained enlightenment. Buddhism is a religion that promotes peace and harmony, non violence and no killings.Hope the Indian government will increase the security there to protect the lives of the pilgrims and the tourists.
It’s so sad to read about this tragic incident. There is no justification whatsoever for terrorist activity, no matter what the cause. The damage to sacred buildings is one thing but bodily harm to monks is incomprehensible. The terrorists obviously do not know the negative karma they have incurred for hurting monks.
We are truly living in degenerate times that such a holy pilgrimage place can be defiled. This is all the more that we need Dharma teachers like HE Tsem Rinpoche to help bring peace and respect to the world.
Agree with you 100%
I find this so Sad for the person or group who instigated this act of terror against one of the holy of Holiest Buddhist places in the world. David Lai was correct to say that this could be the “karma” of other Buddhists who created the “cause” for this to happen.
Let us not forget that Buddhism has been a PEACE loving philosophy and practice for the last 2,600 years – so whoever they are, please STOP TERROR! against others.
This was so unnecessary. However, this is karma. What some Buddhists are doing in other parts of the world may have perhaps contributed towards these acts of terror. When Buddhist themselves lower themselves to threaten people of other faiths, they become victims of their own actions. The law of cause and effect is very fair.
It was not created by the Buddha but was first realized by him and his teachings do not just apply to a segment of people but to all. Thus, the Buddha’s teachings are considered a universal truth. We are very fortunate that it has not damaged the temple. However, if practitioners continue in their ways, they will end up receiving their share of what they dish out to others. We may not be so lucky the next time.
“Buddhists” who act wrongly are just carrying the label “Buddhist”.
I can walk around in a judge’s robes but that does not make me a man of justice.
Hence, while the action of some “Buddhists” may have triggered the above reaction, I don’t believe that it is because of karma. We have learned about impermanence. Let this be another lesson to us.
What is the cure? Man, we really need to double our efforts to spread the Dharma.
Perhaps it is collective karma we are enduring. If we see other buddhists doing negative actions against people of other faiths and we do not say anything or make moves to stop them, then everyone who is part of this group is collectively creates the karma of not acting appropriately when we are supposed to.