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Email Regarding the Niranjana School
Dear Friends,
Many of you have not heard from me personally in a while, but if you are on this list, it's because I know you will want me to share this experience with you:
I turned 40 today, here in Bodh Gaya, India, the place where Gautama the Buddha attained enlightenment (in Bihar, the poorest state in India). Here is where one finds the Maha Bodi temple, site of the famous Bodi Tree, under which it is said he was sitting when his self-realization became manifest. It is the site Buddhists from all over the world consider the holiest in all Buddhism, and I've been going there to meditate in the evening over the past several days.
Today I decided to go very early in the morning, with my friend from Japan, Mie, whom I met in Thailand six years ago and with whom I've maintained e-mail contact since. These are her first days ever in India, whereas for me, it's more than a year and a half in total.
As we walked to the temple this morning, we saw a dead human fetus in the street (about eight months developed, still attached to the afterbirth) with about 25 Indian people gathered around, staring at it. Experienced as I may be in the "bottom line" life of India, I was shocked.
We kept walking, though, assuming that it was "being taken care of." But this being India, I knew I couldn't stand on that assumption and told Mie that we had to go back. We did, and after determining that nothing was being done, I tried in vain to mobilize the bystanders to get help of some kind, but nobody moved. Finally, knowing that a dead baby couldn't be left in the street -- for obvious reasons and also because of the starving dogs -- I scooped the baby up with a piece of cardboard, put it in a bag, and hailed a cycle rickshaw to take us to the dry river bed, which had been suggested as an appropriate burial place by one of the many people who had stood by watching.
As we rode toward the river bed, we passed a police station, but again, this is India, so there was no need to stop because the regular rules of life don't apply here.
Mie and I were both silent the whole way, and with blood dripping through the bag onto my toes, we both began to cry.
We arrived at the riverbed and, with the help of the rickshaw driver, dug a hole with our hands and buried the baby, marking the grave with a stick and the word "Baby" scratched into the sand in Hindi.
Mie and I prayed together and then walked to the local village. There we found a dilapidated school of very poor children who were chanting their morning prayers before class. We met the two teachers and the school's director and found out that these poor children, some dressed nearly in rags, are still not the poorest of the poor in Bihar: there's a waiting list for others who live far away and cannot make the trip to get an education, the solution for which is the school's desire to build a hostel to shelter them while they attend school.
Now, back to the Maha Bodi Temple: It's a beautiful place, so overflowing with the Buddha in all his glory. People come here and pray fervently. But outside the gates are starving people and animals, and in the villages just a short distance beyond, I've learned that children are dying every day of curable diseases because of absolutely no medical facilities. The worship of the Buddha and of Tibetan Buddhism in particular is displayed by lavish temples and statues, but deprivation lives in large numbers right next door. I don't feel good about that, of course, and I would like to help in whatever way I can.
Mie and I both made a donation to the school. We felt the immediate need to do so, particularly after having just buried the baby that had been left dead in the street -- a small act of redemption on behalf of an unwanted soul. I tell you this because I will be in Bodh Gaya for another week, and I stand ready to forward any donations that may be offered to help these children. I have faith in the director of the school, and I have been acquainted with their needs as well as informed of their monthly budget for supplies and food (for example, just $7 will feed one of the 148 children at this school for an entire month).
I am not sending this message purely to raise money for these children (though that would certainly be justified), because I know several of you on this carefully chosen list are not in a position to help financially. Even for those of you who are, my primary motivation is to convey a story about a life lost before it had a chance to begin, and about other lives wasting away in the Buddha's land of enlightenment. However, if any among you find you have the means and the desire, please let me know and I will arrange to get the money to where it's needed. Just a little bit would help so much.
Blessings to all of you, and love,
Alan
PS: Please forward this to anyone who might want it brought to their attention.
About Niranjana View Photos of the Niranjana School. A Letter Requesting Support
