I am in Buddha Gaya, India, for an extended stay. I
arrived earlier this month, and I am attempting to
meditate in what is possibly the holiest place in the
universe. This morning, April 11, my meditations were
disrupted by a commotion on the premises. I was
shocked to find a Hindu pooja being conducted near the
Muchalinda pond, with tom-toms beating and a huge
crowd singing, and half-naked men climbing on to Lord
Buddha’s statue in the centre of the pond.

For a Buddhist who wants to practise Samatha or
Vipassana Bhavana, Buddha Gaya has become probably the
most off-putting spot on this planet. Two weeks into
meditation (I am here to stay for a couple of months),
I was compelled to hand over a protest letter to the
Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee.

In my letter, I said that this place was simply not
conducive to meditation. The committee members are all
Hindu, with no concept of the Buddhist disposition of
peace and tranquillity. I also suggested that mobile
phones be banned, at least within the inner square.
Also, a few Buddhist monks use megaphones and
loudspeakers, disturbing the peace. I suggested the
temple area be declared a “zone of silence”.

The temple gardens are immaculately maintained, it
must be said, with beautiful flowers and an efficient
garbage (dead leaves) clearing system, but discipline
here is at a very low level. This Buddhist temple is
being run by Hindus in the style of a Hindu kovil.

Anyone who comes here for a long stay would inevitably
observe shouting and unruly behaviour on the part of
Hindu people, within the temple, and every few hours
you hear a mullah in a nearby mosque using a
loudspeaker to read verses from the Quran(imagine a
Buddham Saranam Gatthami being broadcast in Mecca!).

It is time that all Buddhist countries formed a front
and made a protest to the Indian government, demanding
that the temple administration be handed over to
Buddhists and peace and tranquillity be restored at
the Mahabodhi Temple for the benefit and happiness of
all.