Blasts at Indian Buddhist shrines in Bodhgaya of Bihar

[bp789]

BBC News - Blasts at Indian Buddhist shrines of Bodhgaya in Bihar

Hopefully, the two injured are okay.

A series of blasts has shaken India's holiest Buddhist shrine, where the Buddha himself is said to have gained enlightenment, police have said.

Two people were injured in nine explosions in the Bodhgaya temple complex, in northern Bihar state.

Police described the bombs as low-intensity timed devices. Windows and one door in the complex were damaged.

The Indian government said the blasts were a terror attack. No group has said it was responsible.

Witnesses said some of the bombs exploded close to the Bodhi tree, thought to be a descendant of the one that the Buddha sat under when he achieved enlightenment, according to tradition.

Police said there was no damage to the tree.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh strongly condemned the blasts, saying: "Such attacks on religious places will be never be tolerated."

The Bodhgaya complex is one of the oldest Buddhist sites in India. It was listed as a world heritage site by the UN cultural organisation Unesco in 2002.

Correspondents say attacks on Buddhists are rare in India, but there have been recent Muslim-Buddhist tensions in nearby Burma (Myanmar), Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, went on a quest for enlightenment some time in the Fifth or Sixth Century BC. He is said to have achieved it while sitting under the Bodhi tree (tree of awakening).

There are currently some 376 million followers of Buddhism worldwide. Buddhists can worship both at home and at a temple

 

[ZooGirl02]

I read about this the other day. It is so sad. This is what the Catholic Church teaches about terrorism:

2297 Kidnapping and hostage taking bring on a reign of terror; by means of threats they subject their victims to intolerable pressures. They are morally wrong. Terrorism threatens, wounds, and kills indiscriminately; it is gravely against justice and charity. Torture which uses physical or moral violence to extract confessions, punish the guilty, frighten opponents, or satisfy hatred is contrary to respect for the person and for human dignity. Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law.

CCC Search Result - Paragraph # 2297

Personally I completely agree with this. Terrorism is evil in my view and I personally imagine terrorism is evil in the views of everyone on this forum as well.

That said, I also hope that the injured are okay.

 

[Secret Chief]

Isn't there a thread about this already folks?

 

[Poeticus]

Isn't there a thread about this already folks?

Namaste,

I believe there are two more threads on this matter. But, the OP posted on the 7th, thus this post is "ancient"; plus the posting was around the time of the event.

But, sad nonetheless that the horrible event happened.

M.V.

 

[Secret Chief]

Steady on...

'the Holy Father clearly drew a sharp line between Buddhism and Christianity, rejecting any notion that the two are of like purpose and insisting that Buddhist principles are to be gravely cautioned against.'

- Catholicism and Buddhism: Compatible Beliefs? - Catholic Culture

 

[Poeticus]

Steady on...

'the Holy Father clearly drew a sharp line between Buddhism and Christianity, rejecting any notion that the two are of like purpose and insisting that Buddhist principles are to be gravely cautioned against.'

- Catholicism and Buddhism: Compatible Beliefs? - Catholic Culture

Namaste,

Haha, funny link!

Apparently, to them...Buddhism is demonic...

I am sorry, but last time I checked, a voice didn't whisper in Gautama's ear commanding to kill an entire nation/tribe of people....

Ya feel me, brah?

M.V.