Going against the stream
Personal and social radicalism of the Buddha:
The
Buddha was born a prince in an era of social oppression and conflict.
He experienced firsthand his own homeland being subjugated by a bloody
conquest by a neighbouring warlord. Even as he was dying, genocide was
imminent.
The Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the poignant account of the last days of the Buddha, opens with a king seeking
the Buddha’s support for the “total annihilation” of the people of a small rival state.
So
tormented was the Buddha by the aggression that engulfed the world of
his time that he renounced the throne to which he was heir and set out
to discover for all beings the path that leads to the cessation of
suffering. So deep was his determination that it led him to take one of
the most radical personal, social, and 
political stances in the history of human endeavour.
For
seven years, it is said, he practised extreme austerities. He exhausted
himself almost to the point of death. Then, realizing the extent to
which he had punished himself, he abandoned the path of self-aggression
and turned to the path of meditation.
There is a particularly moving passage in the early Pali text that describes Prince
Siddhartha standing on the banks of the Neranjana River after he gave up his austerities.
He
had just bathed in the river and was holding the pot traditionally used
in the Indian subcontinent to pour water over the body. He gazed at the
river and asked aloud if it would actually be possible for him to
become the Awakened One.
The word for this in pali is Patisota,
literally “to go against the current.” He threw his pot into the river.
The text says that the pot immediately raced upstream against the
current “as quickly as a fleet horse.” The Buddha-to-be took this as an
answer. That very evening, imbued with confidence, he entered the
Samadhi of his great attainment.
After his enlightenment and as
he began to gather disciples around him, the Buddha called his
followers Patisotagama and Patasotagamini “those who go against the
stream.” Going against the stream meant freeing their minds from the
fetters of illusion and throwing off the shackles of social bondage.
For the Buddha,
living in an era of social oppression and within the confines of a
warlike society, the need for both personal transformation and social
change was pressing.
Almost immediately after his enlightenment
he set about his great project, the creation of an alternative society
based on wisdom and compassion.
For 45 years he travelled
ceaselessly across the North Gangetic Plain, establishing countless
communities of practitioners who worked together to put his principles
of enlightened society into practice.
When the Buddha declared
that the idea of the individual as a separate, permanent entity with a
fixed, inherent identity is fiction, this was true on an individual
level, but it was also true on a social level. If there was no foothold
for a personal identity, then there was no foothold on which to base
the prejudice and oppression of gender, race, or class.
If there
was no such thing as “me” or “mine,” how could there be anything that
was “us” or “ours”? If the mind could cause suffering, injustice, and
oppression, it could also liberate us from those illusions. We could do
that as individuals, taught the Buddha, and we could also do it as a
society.
With
the destruction of the idea of self went the destruction of the idea of
possession. The name that the Buddha gave to his closest
followers-bhikkus and bhikkunis-comes from bhik, and irregular form of
bhaj. “Bhaj” was the portion of food that a person shared from a common
pot.
Thus, the alms bowl is much more than a vessel or utensil-it
is a statement of our wish to share. This is the origin of oryoki and
all the other traditions of dana, feeding, and communal eating, within
Buddhist communities, including the feast practices of the Vajrayana.
They are all living manifestations of our profound intention to share
with others, to serve others, and to work together to go against the
stream of selfish consumption.
You
can see the bowl as a statement of our unbroken connection with the
Buddha as both a religious and social exemplar. The bowl is an enduring
symbol of the values to which we aspire in all our relationship-within
our community, with all people, with all beings, and with our entire
environment.
The early followers of the Buddha, like thousands of
his disciples to this day, did not ask for anything that was not
offered. They committed themselves to a completely different
relationship based on the pooling and redistribution of wealth.
In
many Buddhist communities, if you take a look in the kitchen or fridge,
you will often see plates or containers of food marked “not offered,”
especially when an individual has special dietary needs. This is a way
of reminding us that the default setting is “everything is offered.”
There is no one to have anything. There is everything to share.
For centuries, people have placed
rice, dhal, vegetables, fruit, cakes and so on in the begging bowls of
the bhikkus and bhikkunis, or brought them to their monasteries. If you
visit the sites of ancient Buddhist communities you come across huge
stone troughs into which the bhikkus and bhikkunis placed everything
that had been put into their bowls, literally creating a huge potluck
meal which was when shared by their entire community.
Where did
they go to collect this food? They went to the houses of all the castes
and subcastes of the highly stratified society in which they lived.
They made a particular point of going to the poorest areas of the
communities and deliberately collecting food offerings from the
outcastes.
This enraged the high-caste Brahmins who openly
attacked the Buddhists for doing this. In the Pali text The Dialogue of
the Buddha, the Brahmins are said to have called the Buddhists “a base
class of shovelling samanas, dark fellows, born of brahma’s foot.”
The
Buddha’s followers knew what they were doing and what message they were
sending. They had another name for themselves: the Pabbajitha, which
translates as “the exiles” or “the outcastes.”
It is clear from
the pali texts that they were challenging the entire social structure
of class and caste. Take their saffron and brown robes. The Brahmins at
the top of the social order were white. Saffron and brown were the
colours of the outcastes, the mark of extreme social stigmatization.
Yet these were the colours in which the early sangha wrapped themselves.
At
the urging of the Buddha, they went to charnel grounds and the waste
areas of the villages to salvage scraps of cloth, sewed them together
to make robes, and dyed them saffron or brown and sometimes yellow.
This would be an act similar to what non-Jews did during the Holocaust
to show solidarity with their Jewish brothers and sisters by wearing
the Star of David.
The
early sangha was known as the catudissa Sangha, the Sangha of the Four
Quarters or Four Directions. It was completely inclusive. There was a
rule in the Vinaya that forbade any bhikkhu or bhikkuni from mentioning
their previous social status after they had become a follower of the
Buddha.
And, as with the wearing of saffron, a special effort was
made to ennoble the outcastes. It is said that when Ananda and his
family joined the sangha, although they came from a high-caste family,
they asked that their low-caste barber, Upali, be ordained first so
that he would became their elder brother.
Not only were the robes
the symbol of identification with the most oppressed members of
society: they were also part of the Buddha’s revolt against gender
bias. Both men and women shaved their heads, and the men also shaved
their beards. Both sexes wore saffron robes.
It is said that as
the lines of bhikkus and bhikkunis walked along the highways and
byways, it was impossible to tell the difference between men and women
from a distance. This was deliberate.
Not
only did thousands of outcastes flock to the Buddha, so did thousands
of women who left their households and the oppression of patriarchal
domination. These revolutionary communities were demonstrating that
what was most important to them was not the differences between people
but their common humanity.
As with so many religious and social
movements, the transformative, even dangerous zeal of the founders
often gets rapidly diluted. Longstanding social habits grow over the
revolutionary institutions like the jungle growing back over a clearing.
It
has happened with the social radicalism of the Buddha too, but the
ideals themselves have never died. They live on in people’s hearts and
in potent symbols-in communal eating and festivities, in the robes and
bowls, and just simply in the fact that we gather together in
community. As sangha, our common humanity, our common Buddhanature, is
more important than all our differences.
Sometimes
we hear the term kalyana mitta, often translated as “spiritual friend.”
Bit in early Pali, it also had the meaning of “beautiful friend” or
“beautiful companion.” Who are these beautiful companions?
Those
who are drawn to the dharma, who hold in their hearts a different
vision of human life, who have the wish to go beyond the illusions of
false identity, to go beyond the social stigmas that divide us and
oppress us.
These beautiful companions share a belief that our
fundamental interconnectedness is for more important than whatever
appears to divide us, and those who, like the first bhikkus and
bhikkunis, have the wish to share the richness of this planet rather
than to possess it.
That’s who the Buddha saw as his community
gathered around him, and that’s who gathers around us still today as we
follow in his foot-steps. To quote from the Pali-Kalyana mitta, kalyana
sahaya, kalyana sampavanika: beautiful friends, beautiful companions,
beautiful comrades.
Richard
Reoch is the President of Shambhala, the global mandala founded by
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche that works to create enlightened society.
He
is a former senior official of Amnesty International, and currently a
trustee of the Rainforest Foundation and chair of the International
Working Group on Sri Lanka working to end the Buddhist world’s
longest-running war.
Turning Wheel
Development of Buddhist publications
Until
the Buddha Jayanthi Year 2500 years after the Great Demise of the
Buddha (Mahaparinirvana) in 1956, India did not have the Pali
Thripitaka (Canon) in any Indian script. The commitment and exertions
of Indian Bhikkhu Jagdish Kashyap (1908-1976), India was able to have
the entire Pali Thripitaka in Devanagari script in 1956.
It was
edited by Ven. Jagdish Kashyap, and published by the Pali Publication
Board, State Government of Bihar, Nalanda, India, during the period
1956-1961. Each of the volumes of around 400 pages was prefaced with a
brief introduction in Hindi and English. This Nalanda Edition of the
Pali Thripitaka in Devanagari script has the following texts:
1.
Sutta Pitaka (Digha Nikaya, Majjhima Nikaya, Samyutta Nikaya, Anguttara
Nikaya and Khuddaka Nikaya). Digha Nikaya in print had three volumes,
Majjhima Nikaya in three volumes, Samyutta Nikaya four volumes,
Anguttara Nikaya in four volumes and Khuddaka Nikaya in 15 books.
The 15 books of the Khuddaka Nikaya are as follows:
1.
Khuddakapatha, 2. Dhammapada, 3. Udana, 4. Itivuttaka, 5. Sutta Nipata,
6. Vimana Vatthu, 7. Peta Vatthu, 8. Thera Gatha, 9. Theri Gatha, 10.
Jataka, 11. Niddesa, 12. Patisambhidamagga, 13. Apadana, 14.
Buddhavamsa, 15. Cariyapitaka.
Of these 1 to 5 were in one
volume, 6 to 9 in one volume, Jataka in two volumes, Niddesa in two
volumes and Buddhavamsa in two volumes.
Vinaya Pitaka
The Vinaya Pitaka had the
following separate books: 1. Mahavagga, 2. Cullavagga, 3. Parajika, 4. Pacittiya and 5. Parivara.
Abhidhamma Pitaka
This
Pitaka has the following books: 1. Dhammasangani, 2. Vibhanga, 3.
Dhatukatha, 4. Puggalapani (3 to 4 in one volume), 5. Kathavattu, 6.
Yamaka - (three volumes) and 7. Patthana.
The Thripitaka and commentaries
The
Vipassana Research Institute at Igatapuri, near Nasik in Maharashtra
was established by Vipassanacharya S. N. Goenka, an Indian born in
Myanmar (Burma), who perfected the techniques of Vipassana under
Sayadaw U Bakhin (1898-1971), for 14 years, a great Burmese lay teacher
of Vipassana, re-introduced it in India in 1969. Now Vipassana centres
have been established all over India by S. N. Goenka.
This
institute of S. N. Goenka has now published the entire Pali Tipitaka as
well as commentaries there on in Devanagari script. The institute too
has prepared a CD-Rom having all the Pali scriptures in Devanagari and
Roman scripts as a consequence of which search for words and
expressions is now greatly facilitated to researchers, scholars and
students of Buddhism not only in India but all over the world.
The
following are the translations so far published in English by Indian
scholars of some texts of the Pali Thripitaka. The most popular text to
be translated by the scholars is the Dhammapada, the text composed of
select sayings of the Buddha.
These translations are as follows:
Banerji, N. Kunja Vihari (The Dhammapada 1989); Bapat P. V. (Pali
Sangraha - Selections from Early Buddhist Texts); Benent A. A. G. (Long
Discourses of the Buddha, 1956); Bhagawat N. K. (The Dhammapada, 1935);
Buddharakkhitha, Acharya, Ven. (Dhammapada 1959, 1984, 1985, 1986,
1996); Buddhist Manual for Daily Practice 1980: Dhammacakkapavattana
Sutta 1980, 1996; Gihi Vinaya: (Householders’ Book of Discipline 2005);
Khuddaka Patha: Compact Collection, 2006; Sutta Sangaho, Parts I and
II, 2003; (In all these texts, Pali text is also given in Roman script;
Chaudhuri U. (Dhammapada, 1944); Dikshit, Sudhakar (Sermons and Sayings
of the Buddha); Law, B. C. (Buddhavamsa, Cariya - Pitaka Text in
Devanagari script with English translation; Osho (Acharya Rajneesh)
(The Dhammapada; The Way of the Buddha; This is the Path to Ultimate
Truth; Vols 1 to 12; Radhakrishna Sarvapalli (late Vice President of
India) (The Dhammapada - Pali text, in Roman characters, with English
translation, 1950: Raja, Kunhan C. (Dhammapada; Pali text in Devanagari
script with English translation, 1956; Pali text in Roman characters
with an English translation, 1956; Silananda (Dhammapada - Pali text
and translation); Vaidya, P. L. (Dhammapada - Pali text in Devanagari
script with introduction and English translation, 1923, 1934).
In
a survey of Modern Buddhist Literature, conducted by the noted scholar
D. C. Ahir, an author of many titles on Buddhism, has listed more than
300 scholars who had published about 500 books in English during the
period, from 1908 to 2008, hundred years (Vide: Jagajjyoti Centenary
Volume 2009), of the Bengal Buddhist Association (Buddha Dhamankur
Sabha) of Kolkata, India, pp: 56-76 (www.bengalbuddhist.com).
The
author says that the list is not exhaustive, as there may be some books
which have captured his attention. Further, books on Buddhism by
foreign authors published in India have not been included in the list,
as the idea is to assess the popularity of Buddhism with Indian authors
and Indian publishers.
This study reveals that more and more
books have been published after the 2500th Buddha Jayanthi Celebrations
in 1956. The scholar D. C. Ahir himself has already published as many
as 36 books on Buddhism during the period 1964-2007, and five more are
in press.
No strings attached
The Buddha’s culture of generosity:
‘How can I ever repay you for your teaching?’
Good
meditation teachers often hear this question from their students, and
the best answer I know for it is one that my teacher, Ajaan Fuang, gave
every time:
“By being intent on practicing.”
Each time he
gave this answer, I was struck by how noble and gracious it was. And it
wasn’t just a formality. He never tried to find opportunities to
pressure his students for donations. Even when our monastery was poor,
he never acted poor, never tried to take advantage of their gratitude
and trust. This was a refreshing change from some of my previous
experiences with run-of-the-mill village and city monks who were quick
to drop hints about their need for donations from even stray or casual
visitors.
Eventually I learned that Ajaan Fuang’s behavior is
common throughout the Forest Tradition. It’s based on a passage in the
Pali Canon where the Buddha on his deathbed states that the highest
homage to him is not material homage, but the homage of practicing the
Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma. In other words, the best way to
repay a teacher is to take the Dhamma to heart and to practice it in a
way that fulfills his or her compassionate purpose in teaching it. I
was proud to be part of a tradition where the inner wealth of this
noble idea was actually lived where, as Ajaan Fuang often put it, we
weren’t reduced to hirelings, and the act of teaching the Dhamma was
purely a gift.
So
I was saddened when, on my return to America, I had my first encounters
with the dana talk: the talk on giving and generosity that often comes
at the end of a retreat.
The context of the talk and often the
content makes clear that it’s not a disinterested exercise. It’s aimed
at generating gifts for the teacher or the organization sponsoring the
retreat, and it places the burden of responsibility on the retreatants
to ensure that future retreats can occur.
The
language of the talk is often smooth and encouraging, but when
contrasted with Ajaan Fuang’s answer, I found the sheer fact of the
talk ill-mannered and demeaning. If the organizers and teachers really
trusted the retreatants’ good-heartedness, they wouldn’t be giving the
talk at all.
To make matters worse, the typical dana talk along
with its companion, the meditation-center fundraising letter often
cites the example of how monks and nuns are supported in Asia as
justification for how dana is treated here in the West. But they’re
taking as their example the worst of the monks, and not the best.
I
understand the reasoning behind the talk. Lay teachers here aspire to
the ideal of teaching for free, but they still need to eat. And, unlike
the monastics of Asia, they don’t have a long-standing tradition of
dana to fall back on. So the dana talk was devised as a means for
establishing a culture of dana in a Western context.
But as so
often is the case when new customs are devised for Western Buddhism,
the question is whether the dana talk skillfully translates Buddhist
principles into the Western context or seriously distorts them. The
best way to answer this question is to take a close look at those
principles in their original context.
It’s well known that dana
lies at the beginning of Buddhist practice. Dana, quite literally, has
kept the Dhamma alive. If it weren’t for the Indian tradition of giving
to mendicants, the Buddha would never have had the opportunity to
explore and find the path to Awakening.
The monastic sangha
wouldn’t have had the time and opportunity to follow his way. Dana is
the first teaching in the graduated discourse: the list of topics the
Buddha used to lead listeners step-by-step to an appreciation of the
four noble truths, and often from there to their own first taste of
Awakening. When stating the basic principles of karma, he would begin
with the statement, “There is what is given.”
What’s
less well known is that in making this statement, the Buddha was not
dealing in obvious truths or generic platitudes, for the topic of
giving was actually controversial in his time.
For centuries, the
brahmans of India had been extolling the virtue of giving as long as
the gifts were given to them. Not only that, gifts to brahmans were
obligatory.
People of other castes, if they didn’t concede to the
brahmans’ demands for gifts, were neglecting their most essential
social duty. By ignoring their duties in the present life, such people
and their relatives would suffer hardship both now and after death.
As
might be expected, this attitude produced a backlash. Several of the
samana, or contemplative, movements of the Buddha’s time countered the
brahmans’ claims by asserting that there was no virtue in giving at all.
Their arguments fell into two camps.
One camp claimed that giving carried no virtue because there was no
afterlife. A person was nothing more than physical elements that, at
death, returned to their respective spheres. That was it. Giving thus
provided no long-term results.
The other camp stated that there
was no such thing as giving, for everything in the universe has been
determined by fate. If a donor gives something to another person, it’s
not really a gift, for the donor has no choice or free will in the
matter. Fate was simply working itself out.
So when the Buddha,
in his introduction to the teaching on karma, began by saying that
there is what is given, he was repudiating both camps. Giving does give
results both now and on into the future, and it is the result of the
donor’s free choice. However, in contrast to the brahmans, the Buddha
took the principle of freedom one step further. accesstoinsight.org
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Raj Kumar
Oshoraj<oshoraj@canada. com>
wrote:
Dear
all,
Namo Buddha !
As you all know Indian Buddhist Society
celebrated Buddha Jayanti 2009 in Canadian House of Commons (Parliament) and
now I hear this great news for the proposed celebrations of 2010 in White
House. I am confident it will happen, and 2010 Buddha Jayanti will be
celebrated in the White House.
No doubt there will be a lot more influencial personalities participating
in the White House celebrations than our this year’s program. we are
proud of it. By celebrating in Canadian Parliament , we feel we have
done something that was not done before and we always wanted to do it by
taking Lord Buddha’s message to the places where no one has taken it
yet.
We should publicize such events as much as we can and may I please ask
if someone can forward me the details so that we can go in the
media in
about the celebrations in White House.
Thanks Mr. Lakshman for sharing the information.
In dhamma,
Therefore I
request you in general and American in particular to kindly take steps from
your end to request His Excellency President
Barack Obama to celebrate Buddha’s Birthday on 27th May 2010 at
white house. Let us not miss this golden opportunity where His Excellency
started celebrating Dipavali and Guru Nanak Birthday at White House in the
interest of peace, happiness and welfare of entire people.
Press Information Bureau(C.M. Information Campus)
Information & Public Relations Department, U.P.
C.M. writes letter to P.M., terms Bundelkhand package as insufficient
Lucknow: December 03, 2009
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati in a letter written to Prime
Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today termed the package announced for
Bundelkhand as insufficient. She said that only Rs. 1595 crore had been
sanctioned as additional central assistance for three years. In this way, only Rs.
550 crore would be given to Uttar Pradesh per year. The remaining amount
would become available through conversion from the Central schemes running
already, she said adding that the people of Bundelkhand had felt cheated by this
meagre assistance. She has requested the Prime Minister to direct the Central
Planning Commission to arrange enough resources by the Centre for the allround
development of Bundelkhand area.
It may be recalled that the Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati had requested for
Rs. 80,000 crore special package for the development of Bundelkhand area and
the State by meeting P.M. Dr. Manmohan Singh personally after coming in power
in May 2007, but the Central Government has sanctioned only Rs. 7,266 crore
package for the Bundelkhand area covering Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh
for three years on November 20, 2009, out of which U.P. will get only Rs. 550
crore per year.
The Chief Minister has drawn the attention of P.M. towards the decision of
implementing the announced package from the year 2009-10. In such a
situation, keeping in view the limited period of the financial year, it would be
proper that National Rain-Fed Area Authority should end the process of projects’
assessment and the sanctioning right should be given to the state directly. She
said that the people of Bundelkhand wished that besides, the fundamental
facilities they could get such a positive atmosphere including the social and
economic result oriented long term schemes to cope with the developed areas.
The Chief Minister has requested that in view of adverse circumstances of
Bundelkhand, the Centre should make positive and effective efforts for the
development of the area. She said that the geographical situation of
Bundelkhand was like other states, which had been sanctioned special area
incentive package and had been given concession in Central excise duty and
income tax. The Bundelkhand should also be given special area incentive
package for the industrial development of the area, she added.
Ms. Mayawati while referring to her earlier letters written to the Prime
Minister said that keeping in view the limited resources of the State, a large scale
planning was needed by the Centre in agriculture, industry and service sector for
the all-round development of Bundelkhand. She has also requested the Centre
that projects equivalent to Central Railway Coach Factory, National Institute of
Fashion Technology’s Branch, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and
Research, National Auto-Mobile Testing and Research Infrastructure, All India
Institute of Medical Sciences should be established and arrangements for coal
linkage be made for power projects.
********
Chief Minister directs all commissioners
to make efforts for providing appropriate
price, incentives and facilities to sugar cane farmers
Token system is not binding for paddy purchase
— Mayawati
Lucknow: December 01, 2009
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati has directed all
commissioners to make efforts again for providing appropriate price
to sugar cane farmers by sugar mills for their produce on the basis
of mutual consent among them and cane farmers’ representatives
and sugar mill owners. This price should be more than SAP
announced by the state government, besides other incentives and
facilities. In this connection, a government order has been issued.
The office bearers of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) demanded
more support price for wheat next year terming it as insufficient.
The Chief Minister said that letter would be sent to Central
Government to provide more support price for wheat. She directed
that token system was not binding for paddy purchase and the total
output of farmers’ crop would be purchased.
Ms. Mayawati gave these directives today when Principal
Secretaries to CM Mr. Netram and Mr. Shailesh Krishna apprised her
about the conclusions of the meeting held between them and office
bearers of BKU. In the meeting, National spokesman of BKU
Chaudhri Rakesh Tikait, National Vice President Mr. Rajesh Singh
Chauhan, National Secretary Mr. Raj Pal Sharma, National Vice
President Mr. Balram Singh, State President Mr. Bhanu Pratap
Singh, State Vice President Mr. Harpal Singh, Secretary Mr.
Dharmendra Chaudhri and Purvanchal President Mr. Deewan
Chandra Chaudhri were present. These office bearers handed over a
memorandum and demanded solution of several problems including
sugar cane price soon.
The Chief Minister with a view to solving the problems of
farmers on priority basis directed to make Kisan Bandhu constituted
at district level more effective and said that actual participation of
farmers should be ensured in these meetings. The office bearers
said that Kisan Bandhu had become defunct. Besides, on the
demand of BKU office bearers regarding the availability of fertilisers
and seeds for sowing of rabi crops and appropriate steps to prevent
spurious fertilisers and uncertified seeds for sale, the C.M. directed
the district magistrates to strictly check the hoarding and black
marketing of fertilisers and making fertilisers and seeds available to
farmers in enough quantity. She also directed to verify the quantity
of fertilisers, which had been made available to private stock
holders and retailers, besides its distribution among farmers. She
said that the state government was fully committed towards the
interests of cane farmers.
On the demand of electricity connection to private tube-wells
and the availability of material for sanctioned connection within a
month, the Chief Minister directed the officers of electricity
department to ensure the availability of concerning equipments,
besides 10-hour power supply in rural areas. The Chief Minister also
directed to take action for withdrawal of the cases slapped on
farmers during the agitation in the state in which no violence had
taken place. On the demand of considering the wife of farmer as a
unit under Farmers’ Accident Insurance Scheme, the Chief Minister
assured that letter would be sent to Government of India for
insurance of farmers’ crops on the basis of personal agriculture. She
also directed for spraying of pesticides and fogging in different
areas.
The office bearers of BKU appreciated the Chief Minister and
the State Government for their seriousness towards solving the
problems of farmers and they thanked for the cordial atmosphere
during the talks.
********
C.M. grieved
Lucknow: November 29, 2009
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati has
expressed profound grief over the untimely demise of
senior I.A.S. officer Mr. Harminder Raj Singh. He
belonged to 1978 batch.
In a condolence message, Ms. Mayawati described
him as a soft spoken and a very efficient and capable
officer. He held several important posts at the district
and government level and successfully performed his
duties. In his death, the administrative services had
suffered a big loss.
The Chief Minister has conveyed deep sympathies
and heartfelt condolences to the family members of the
deceased and prayed for peace to the departed soul.
******
Chief Ministers of U.P. and Uttarakhand discuss
pending issues between both States
U.P. Government to provide police and P.A.C. for Haridwar Kumbh
Chief Secretaries of U.P and Uttarakhand to hold
meeting every month to resolve other pending issues
Lucknow: November 28, 2009
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati and Uttarakhand Chief
Minister Dr. Ramesh Pokhariyal “Nishank” discussed several pending issues
between both the States in a meeting held here today.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati accepted the request
of Uttarakhand Government to provide police force for Khumbh fair to be held
next year in Haridwar (Uttarakhand). The U.P. Government would provide 15
company P.A.C. and 1,000 constables, 40 horses and mounted police, 20
inspectors and 60 sub-inspectors civil police. Besides, 03 additional police
superintendent and 07 seven police deputy superintendent would also be
provided from time to time during the period of Khumbh fair according to
necessity. Five additional P.A.C companies would also be made available to
Uttarakhand during main festivals of Khumbh fair, which would return back after
the conclusion of festivals. The Uttar Pradesh Government told about the
inadequate number of traffic police constables and fire fighting personnel.
During the meeting, the consent was made that vacant posts equal to the
number of police personnel, who had not been joining in Uttarakhand owing to
administrative/judicial hindrances be made available, so that Uttarakhand
Government could make appointments on those posts at its own level. Consent
was also given for allotment of 16 seats for next five years to Uttarakhand by
U.P. Government for P.G. Diploma training in medical colleges of Uttar Pradesh.
It was also consented that 18 hectare of land would be transferred to National
Highway Authority of India by Irrigation Department of Uttar Pradesh for making
four lanes of national highway-58.
Regarding other pending issues between Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, it
was decided that Chief Secretaries of both states would hold meeting every
month, in which pending issues concerning departments would be discussed. In
these meetings, Principal Secretaries/Secretaries of concerning departments of
both the States will remain present, besides the Principal Secretary level officer
of Finance Department.
In the meeting held at official residence of the U.P. Chief Minister, Cabinet
Secretary Mr. Shashank Shekhar Singh, Chief Secretary Mr. Atul Kumar Gupta,
Additional Cabinet Secretary Mr. Vijay Shankar Pandey, Principal Secretaries to
C.M. Mr. Netram and Mr. Shailesh Krishrna and Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand
Mr. Nrip Singh Napalchyal, Principal Secretary to C.M. /Home Mr. Shubhash
Kumar and Principal Secretary to C.M. Mr. Shatrughan Singh were present.
********
C.M. greets people on Eid-ul-azha
Lucknow: November 27, 2009
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ms. Mayawati has greeted
the people of the State, especially Muslim brethren on the
occasion of Eid-ul-azha (Bakrid).
In a greeting message, Ms. Mayawati said that Eid-ul-azha
festival gave the message of sacrifice, peace, social harmony and
brotherhood. She said that Hazrat Ibrahim put the example of
sacrificing his most lovable son Hazrat Ismail on the name of
God. This example still inspires people for extreme sacrifice and
love, she added.
Ms. Mayawati while wishing her good wishes has appealed
the people to maintain the atmosphere of peace and harmony on
the occasion of Eid-ul-azha. She expressed hope that this festival
would be celebrated with the tradition of helping poor people,
feeling of sacrifice and simplicity.
********
Chief Secretary level meeting between Uttarakhand
and Uttar Pradesh for division of assets and to
discuss other matters to be held tomorrow
Lucknow : 26 November 2009
The Chief Secretary level meeting between Uttarakhand and
Uttar Pradesh for division of assets and also to discuss other
matters has been convened tomorrow. The State Chief Secretary
Mr. Atul Kumar Gupta would represent U.P., while Uttarakhand
would be represented by its Chief Secretary Mr. Nrip Singh
Napalchyal, Principal Secretary Home and Principal Secretary to
C.M., Mr. Shubhash Kumar and Principal Secretary to C.M. and
Reorganisation Mr. Shatrughan Singh.
The pending matters would be discussed at length at the
meeting. The discussions would also include availability of
gazetted officers from Uttar Pradesh for holding Kumbha Mela in a
successful manner and to ensure maintenance of law and order.
Availability of police and fire brigade officers would also be
discussed at the meeting. The matter related with the police
personnel allocated by Government of India for Uttarakhand State,
who had not reported so far, would also be discussed at the
meeting.
Besides, conversion of Muzaffarnagar-Deoband-Gagalhedi
road, National Highway-58 and Muzaffarnagar-Purkazi sector NH-
58 into four lanes would also be discussed. Division of
responsibilities between U.P. Hydro Power Corporation Limited and
Uttarakhand Hydro Power Corporation Limited would also be
discussed at the meeting. The construction of proposed new
express-way (Noida to Purkazi) being constructed by Uttar
Pradesh on Upper Gang Canal up to Haridwar would also be
discussed.
The division of the area of the Sharda Sahayak Sagar
Jalashay situated between both the States would also be focussed
in the meeting. The parking place for the buses plying during
Kumbha Mela 2010 in the adjoining districts would also be
discussed and identified at the meeting. Moreover, the pending
issues of U.P. Beej Evam Terai Vikas Nigam and Seed Certification
Institute would also be discussed.
******
Mayawati pays tribute to Ambedkar
Lucknow Dec 6 | Sunday, Dec 6 2009 IST
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Mayawati today paid a floral tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar on his 53rd
death anniversary here.
Ms Mayawati attended a function at the B R Ambedkar Samajik Parivatan
Sthal in the presence of over 5000 party supporters and leaders.
After the function, the CM also instructed the officials to maintain
the sthal properly.
The CM stayed there for about 30 minutes but did not made any speech
on the occasion.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had disallowed the UP government to erect
any temporary structure inside the sthal for organising the function.
The apex court had already stayed futher construction in the Ambedkar
Samajik Parivartan Sthal.
Thousands throng Ambedkar Memorial
Express News Service Posted online: Monday , Dec 07, 2009 at 0147 hrs
Lucknow : To mark the 53rd death anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar, the
ruling Bahujan Samaj Party mobilised thousands of party workers and
supporters at Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal (Ambedkar
Memorial) in Lucknow on Sunday.
In the past, the event was organised near the Dr Ambedkar statue in
Hazratganj. This was the first time it was held at the Ambedkar
memorial.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had refused to entertain a plea from the
Mayawati government seeking permission to undertake maintenance and
cleaning work at the premises in view of Sunday’s function.
This is the second time the memorial was thrown open to the public
after the Supreme Court had stopped all activity inside memorials on
September 12. The state government, thereafter, had barred the public
from entering the memorial.
The memorial was first opened on September 17, when Chief Minister
Mayawati laid the foundation of Kanshiram Green Eco Garden near the
Kanshiram Memorial.
Mayawati, who reached the venue around 10.30 am, paid a floral tribute
to Dr Ambedkar at the auditorium. She spent over 15 minutes there.
She was accompanied by senior officials including Chief Secretary Atul
Gupta, Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh and DGP Karamvir
Singh.
Most of the visitors who came from Lucknow and adjacent districts like
Barabanki and Sitapur, said they reached the state capital after
receiving a message from the local leaders of the ruling BSP.
“I received a message from my district president Ratan Lal Gautam on
Saturday to bring all party supporters,” said Sant Ram Gautam, BSP
Sector President of Surat Block in Barabanki district. “I passed the
message among our people. The vehicle was made available to us by
Saturday evening.”
Ram Kumar, convener of the Bahujan Volunteer Force (BVF) in Lucknow’s
Itaunja area, said he received the message to reach Lucknow on
Saturday.
Santosh Kumar, a resident of Allunagar in Digoria on IIM-L road, said
the BSP supporters were mobilised by Rakesh Gautam, the local member
of the Block Development Council.
Ram Kumar, president of BSP’s Aishbagh area of Lucknow, said the party
district unit held a meeting of the party workers on November 4.
“The plan to come to Lucknow was discussed at the meeting. The final
message came to me on Saturday,” he added.
Mayawati expresses her displeasure over poor upkeep of Ambedkar Memorial
Rajesh Kumar Singh, Hindustan Times
Lucknow, December 06, 2009
First Published: 20:43 IST(6/12/2009)
Last Updated: 20:45 IST(6/12/2009)
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Sunday expressed her
displeasure over the poor upkeep of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar samajik
parivartan sthal.
To pay tribute to Dr Ambedkar on his 53rd death anniversary Mayawati
visited the memorial located on the bank of River Gomti. The dim light
in the gallery located under the main tomb and layer of dust over the
pedestal on which the statue of Dr Ambedkar has been installed upset
the Chief Minister.
She directed the officers to ensure proper lighting near the statues
and to keep the area clean. As she moved around the gallery semi
finished work and heaps of stone lying around the tomb added to her
annoyance. The officers accompanying the Chief Minister had tough time
explaining reasons for the slow progress of the work.
Thousands of BSP supporters had gathered in the parivartan sthal as
Mayawati paid floral tribute to Dr Ambedkar. The slogan ‘Baba tera
mission adhura Mayawati karegi pura’ (Mayawati will complete the
mission of Dr Ambedkar), Baba teri nek kamai tune soote kaum jagayi’
(Dr Ambedkar had recharged the community that was in deep slumber)
rented in the air.
Several of the BSP workers were seen carrying placard with the
pictures of Mayawati and Dr Ambedkar. They jostled with each other to
have a glimpse of Mayawati as she walked out of the main tomb. After
waving her hand toward the supporters Mayawati along with the national
general secretary SC Mishra left the spot.
As the cavalcade of the Chief Minister moved out of the memorial the
BSP workers broke the security cordon and soon the blue brigade was
spread all over the memorial area. Awe was clear on their face as they
walked over the granite steps and entered inside the tomb. The statue
of Dr Ambedkar located in the center of the gallery and the statue of
Mayawati along with Kanshi Ram was main center of attraction.
Some of them moved toward the elephant gallery, others inspected the
semi- constructed amphitheatre. Several of them climbed on the top of
the tomb to have a better view of the parivartan sthal.
The president of BSP state unit Swami Prasad Maurya said as mark of
respect to the SC/ST messiah Dr Ambedkar the Chief Minister Mayawati
constructed the grand memorial. Terming it as a monument of the
deprived class Maurya said this memorial would motivate them to work
for social justice and equality.
Sangram a native of Bhaura village located near Ram Sanehi ghat in
Barabanki district had come along with his family. “Few years back I
along with the other villagers use to visit Ayodhya on December 6 to
participate in the programme organized by saffron brigade but after
joining BSP I decided to visit Lucknow to pay obeisance to Dr Ambedkar
on his parinirvan diwas (death anniversary) “, he said.
For the children of Rajendra Gautam a resident of Mishrikh in Sitapur
district it was time to improve their general knowledge. As he moved
in the gallery he told them about struggle of Ambedkar in the early
years, his education, visit to Great Britain, fight for the right of
the SC/ST community and conversion to Buddhism. “The artists have
rightly engraved the moments depicting the life of Ambedkar on stone”,
he said.
Majority of the workers left their home early in the morning braving
the chilled winter wind to reach the spot. They gathered in the open
area along with the women and the children to warm themselves in the
sunlight. “We would leave the city after seeing other monuments and
parks”, said Mahipal resident of Tulsipur village in Unnao district.
So did the Karnataka BSP to Ambedkar Statue at Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru.
President Marasandra Muniappa gave a very relevent speech followed by Karnataka State Co-ordinator Dr. Ashok Sidharth MLC, Mr.Tiwari MLA from UP and Mr.R.Muniappa.
Various organisations paid homage to Bharat Ratna Dr B R
Ambedkar on his 53rd death anniversary in the city on Sunday.
Buddha statue soon be unveiled at Sarnath
Pioneer news service | lucknow
India’s tallest Buddha statues in standing position will soon be One of
unveiled at Sarnath, the Buddhist pilgrimage centre near Varanasi where
he had delivered his first sermon.
Almost 90 feet high sandstone structure at Sarnath is similar to
Afghanistan’s two Bamiyan statues, which were the world’s tallest
Buddha images till they were destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001.
The statue is being built by the Mrig Dayavan Mahavihara Society of
Sarnath and is financed by the Thai monks and other devotees.
“This statue has resemblance with Bamiyan’s Buddha statue as the
proposed statue too is in standing position and depicts Gandhara art.
though Bamiyans statues fell to the tyranny of Talibans, Sarnath’s
statue is being built to spread the message of peace and love that Lord
Buddha prescribed in his sermons,” Chief of the Mrig Dayavan Mahavihara
Society Shasan Rashmi told The Pioneer from Sarnath on telephone on
Thursday.
The statue costs anything between Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore and would be open for public viewing by the end of 2010.
The Sarnath statue mirrors the Gandhara style of art on which the
Bamiyan statues were based. The statue is made of stand stone brought
from neighbouring Chunar.
Rashmi said that the statue would be unique as it would be in Abhaya
Mudra. Four sacred signs of Buddhists would be engraved at the four
corners of the statue.
“The beauty of this statue is that it is made of only 845 sandstone
slabs kept one over the other. Intricate sacred designs are being made
all around the statue,” Shasan Rashmi said.
He said it would be the tallest statue of Lord Buddha in India in
standing position. “In Bodh Gaya we have a statue of Lord Buddha in
Abha Mudra, but in sitting position. The proposed statue would be in
standing position,” he clarified.
Construction of this statue was a struggle for the society. The project
was initiated almost eight years back when Talibans destroyed the
Buddha statue in Bamiyan. But the project was delayed because it got
tangled in the red tape. The Archaeological Survey of India wanted us
to change the site and then the project ran into financial problem.
“Yes our project ran into financial problem. We did not have money and
so the project was shelved for almost three years. We collected
`chanda’ from the devotees. Some organisations also helped us to tide
over the crisis. And now we are comfortable,” Rashmi said.
Chief Minister Mayawati, who is herself is setting up 500 feet Maitriya Buddha statue at Kushinagar and that is her
agenda.
Former chief minister Rajnath Singh had planned a taller, 152-foot,
Buddha statue at Kushinagar, a pilgrim town around 160km from Sarnath,
but it never took shape.
Low-cost houses for Aboriginal Inhabitants of Jambudviapa soon
Last Updated : 2009-12-01 11:29 AM
The Himalayan Times - Saved Articles(s)
Himalayan News Service
KATHMANDU: The government will abide by its social responsibility to
Aboriginal Inhabitants of jambudvipa and marginalized communities, said Finance Minister Surendra
Pandey. “We are going to build 3,000 low-cost houses for Dalits of
Siraha, Saptari and Kapilvastu districts,” he said in a press meet
here today.
In the first phase, 320 houses will be built in Dom villages of
Saptari district, he said adding construction will start next month.
The government has developed two models of low-cost houses which cost
Rs 60,000 and 1,20,000, respectively.
Finance secretary Rameshwor Khanal said the government will provide
subsidy on compost fertilizer. “We have taken this initiation to
enhance soil productivity,” said Khanal. As per the plan, the Ministry
of Finance (MoF) will provide 50 per cent grant in establishment of a
compost fertilizer plant and 15 per cent subsidy on the product.
Moreover, the government will provide work to over 20,000 people in
development projects in the fiscal year 2009-10. The new budget has
promised to provide 100
days work to 50,000 people. MoF is studying mega projects to meet the
target, said Pandey.
However, the government has not achieved all economic targets set for
the first four months of the fiscal year. “Development projects are at
a satisfactory level and we can meet the target by this fiscal end,”
he told the media about progress in the first four months.
FM Pandey said price hike stepped down by one digit, which was two
digits since last year. Export reduced but import grew significantly.
“It is a challenge to increase the export volume,” he said, Foreign
exchange reserve has also gone down in the period.
The government expended Rs 45.72 billion until November
27. However, the capital expenditure is limited to Rs 7.12 billion.
MoF has collected Rs 50.38 billion revenue, which is 34.3 per cent
more than the preceding fiscal year.
Inauguration of a fast-track road between Kathmandu and Nijgadh,
embankment in Bagmati, Kamala and Triyuga rivers and Upper Tamakoshi
hydropower are achievements of the government. It has selected 919
projects in conflict-affected zones, among which 409 are in operation.
The government has also finalized the initial process of distribution
of bio-metric identity cards for Nepalis.
In Focus:Bahujan Samaj Party
CertainlyMayawati will become the first Scheduled Caste woman Prime Minister of
Jambudvipa, that is the Great Prabuddha Bharath.
Ganga Expressways
Those who are seeking political
motives behind the Ganga Expressways are doing disservice to millions
of people of Uttar Pradesh.This expressways has the potential to
catapult UP among the most developed states of India.Many
good-for-nothing-politicians are averse that Mayawati too would gain
iconic status along with this expressways.So there is widespread
conspiracy to stall this anyhow.Once the court gives its directive and
go ahead then Mayawati will give this the highest priority and meet
the schedule somehow.
Certainly
Mayawati will become the first Scheduled Caste woman Prime Minister of
Jambudvipa, that is the Great Prabuddha Bharath.
Since the
expressways has the potential to catapult UP among the most developed
states of this country,there is no doubt that Mayawati too would gain
iconic status along with this expressways.
Let us be optimistic that
court gives its directive and go ahead then Mayawati will give this the
highest priority and meet the schedule somehow.
Mayawati asks officers to help farmers get maximum incentive
directed the divisional commissioners to help sugarcane farmers get
maximum incentive from sugar mills for their produce, besides the State
Advisory Price (SAP) announced by the government.
Acting on the inputs provided by her senior officials who earlier in
the day held talks with Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) office bearers,
Mayawati asked the divisional commissioners to mediate between the
farmers’ representative and sugar mills.
According to the
officials, a delegation of BKU which held a “mahapanchayat” earlier in
the day, also handed over a memorandum to the chief minister.
On
the demand by farmers that wheat support price for next year be
increased, the chief minister said she would write to the Centre for
the purpose.
Allaying fears of the farmers on paddy procurement,
Mayawati issued orders for not making newly introduced token system
mandatory, and assured all the paddy produced by the farmers would be
purchased.
When apprised about the problem being faced in the
availability of seeds and fertilisers for rabi sowing, she asked all
district magistrates to make them available at all ’sahkari saitis’
besides checking the sale of non-certified seeds and fertilisers.
She
also ordered for withdrawing of cases against farmers during their
agitation where there had been no violence involved, officials added.