The Legend Of The Buddha Boy From Nepal

His legend continues to grow with tales of his clothes spontaneously combusting and his body being impervious to poisonous snakebites.

His followers say that can he live without food or water for days while in deep meditation under a banyan tree.

This mysterious teen aged boy gained international fame in 2005 by sitting cross-legged under a tree in a dense forest for nearly ten months, reportedly without food and water.

The story of Ram Bahadur Bamjan nicknamed the "Buddha Boy" has gained popularity because it closely resembled a Buddhist legend about Gautama Buddha's enlightenment. In fact, some devotees have claimed Ram is the reincarnation of the Buddha.

Buddhists strongly believe in reincarnation, the doctrine that every soul reappears after death in another bodily form. Still, Buddhist priests have been divided on whether this boy is truly the reincarnation of Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in southwestern Nepal around 500 B.C. and later became revered as the Buddha, which means Enlightened One.

However, Sanal Edamaruku, President of the Indian Rationalist Association (IRA) doesn't see much of the Buddha in this boy. Sanal has been quoted as follows; "This is a typical case of fraud. The boy must be simply eating and drinking at night. The claim that he was fasting for six months cannot be taken seriously, unless a fraud-proof blood test confirms that there is no glucose in his blood".

Recently, three physicians visited the area on behalf of the IRA and approached the boy's guardians asking for permission to take a blood sample from him. They were denied access to him. The physicians were threatened with dire consequences if they did not leave the area immediately.

The meditation place has been cordoned off, and nobody except Bamjan's supporters are allowed to come closer than 50 meters to him. His supporters claim that the Buddha Boy's meditation is holy and he cannot be disturbed at any cost.

In fact, no outsider has had an opportunity to talk to the boy. Even police officers, who had tried to interrogate all parties in order to find out what is going on, have had to leave without achieving their goal.

So, the legend of the Buddha Boy continues to grow but skeptics abound and enlightenment is slow.

A Complex Mix Of Italian Politics, Sex And Religion

Here is a sample of some of the news of the day from Italy. It is an interesting and complex integration of politics, government, sex and religion.

Silvio Berlusconi, who owns Italy's three main commercial television channels and as Prime Minister also wields influence over RAI, the state broadcaster, has often been accused of using his media power to muzzle his critics and satirists.

In the past, Berlusconi has frequently been the target of jokes from Italian comedian Sabrina Guzzanti. Ms. Guzzanti still remains upset about the media's suppression in 2003 of her late night show RAIot in which she satirised the Italian Prime Minister.

Several months ago, Ms. Guzzanti joked that Pope Benedict XVI would go to hell and be tormented by homosexual demons. In Italy, a joke in bad taste about the Pope can also be a crime. Guzzanti is now being prosecuted by the Berlusconi government and if convicted is facing a prison term of five years.

Of course, politics may well be at the heart of this matter since Berlusconi has been trying to win favor with the Vatican and the Catholic vote since returning to power last May. Last weekend he accompanied Pope Benedict to Cagliari in Sardinia and attended mass there.

Meanwhile, Father Antonio Rungi, from Caserta near Naples, has just announced that he is cancelling "Sister Italia 2008" which was due to start on his blog next month. The online beauty pagent contest for young nuns was cancelled due to a flood of abusive emails and he has just taken down his blog.

Also, consider that the controversy of the crucified frog continues to rage. An art museum in northern Italy said that it will continue displaying a sculpture portraying a green frog nailed to a cross that has angered Pope Benedict XVI and local officials.

In August, the pope had written a letter to Franz Pahl, the president of the Trentino-Alto Adige region that includes Bolzano, denouncing the sculpture. It "has offended the religious feelings of many people who consider the cross a symbol of God's love and of our redemption," Pahl quoted the pope as writing in the letter.

The news of the day in Italy. It is certainly a complex mix of politics, government, sex and religion.