Buddhabiz

This proposed construction of the largest Maitreya Statue in the world at Kushinagara in Uttar Pradesh Province in India is a disgraceful waste of money. This holy place, where the Buddha passed away, is one of the poorest areas of India. When I visited this wonderful site, I found children so poor that they will never see the inside of a hospital or school. The money being wasted on this project could go a long way to relieving their poverty and isn’t the relief of suffering and compassion basic to the Buddha’s teaching? Many poor farmers are being displaced to make way for this useless project. They are being given little compensation and are being moved from their traditional land. The State Government is approving this project as it sees it as a revenue raiser by attracting tourists. The wealth provided by tourists will largely go to wealthy hotel owners and very little to benefit the local inhabitants. The Maitreya Project organisers, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, is a wealthy Tibetan group catering for well healed western followers. Their mantram seems to be “Oh money, pay me hum” rather than “Om Mani Padme Hum”. They claim that part of the project will incorporate a hospital and school but this is merely a bandaid to salve their conscience in wasting so much money. They claim that the Dalai Lama has approved it so they feel that they can go ahead and cause suffering to the displaced farmers with a clear conscience. The Dalai Lama is not a god and is subject to error like the rest of us. The FPMT are suffering from the ‘mine is bigger than yours’ syndrome. Let us follow the Buddha’s teachings rather than pandering to our egos.