NEPAL -- This is a documentary on Ram Bahadur Bomjon, "Buddha Boy," a teenager who has been meditating for three years without food or water. Also known as Tapaswi Palden Dorje, he is thought by many to be the rebirth of an exalted being. Who? He is a bodhisattva -- someone bent on full-enlightenment and aiming for buddhahood. It is a mistake and a misnomer to consider him the "reincarnation" of the historical "Buddha" (Shakyamuni). A buddha no longer undergoes rebirth, having overcome all defilements. The meaning of buddhahood is uprooting all delusion, aversion, and greed. The practical upshot of accomplishing this is that one no longer undergoes rebirth of any kind. It should also be noted that Buddha Boy does not fit the canonical profile of the future buddha, Maitreya.
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