A sole Buddhist among Hindu Babas

 

Bhola Rikiyasan, a sole Buddhist among hundreds of Hindu mendicants...he recently said to the group of saffron clad sadhus around him that all of you are not at peace and that's why you people are wandering around. An argument started, turned into a brawl and soon would have changed to a fist fight, from the side of Hindu friars who looked very spirited to defend their dharma. A Hindu mauni baba negotiated peace with his lovely presence. 

Rikiyasan is from Gaya, was a Shiva devotee for 26 years, felt stuck up on the  path and converted to Buddhism six years back. Maybe that's the reason the Hindu Babas dislike him. Religious conversion is a  serious issue in India. But look at the great syncretic tradition of India, he still has Bhola, Shiva's pet name, in his official name. Well, he is 75 -- I checked his ID to confirm it because he doesn't look 75. 'One meal a day and meditation to calm the mind are the reasons for it,' he says. He looked at peace and joyful about life. I saw a thick wad of money in his wallet. 'Just 10 rupee notes. Won't count for much!' he laughs. 'I'm collecting money for making a little Buddha shrine at my village,' he justifies his collection. Well, all of us are after money for our reasons and I have talked to hundreds of sadhus, most of them are after money to make ashrams and temples. Householders are after it for building houses and buying cars. I hardly see any qualitative difference between the two.

A couple of days ago he was bitten by a dog in the wee hours as he was walking in the street after taking a bath in Ma Ganga. A few hours later I found him standing desolate at his corner with his brass begging bowl. He had tied a strip of cloth at the wound...it was all bloody. A big bite. I hope his Hindu baba adversaries didn't set a dog after him. He said he will have to walk towards the other bridge, almost a kilometre away, because if he goes from here the auto would charge 50 rupees and from there it will be only 10 rupees. But he could hardly walk. I understood that he would delay his treatment because he was in pain and could barely walk. And one needs vaccination at the earliest after the bite. (Why would he still bother so much money even in such a situation? Well, I think baba or no baba, money is a big issue in the world. And like ordinary householders, Babas have every right to think that it's their hard earned money because they have to stand throughout the day to get alms). And He needed vaccination so I hired a scooty to take him to the government hospital, requesting the scooty guy to take him to the concerned block and guide him through the process. By this time he was in much pain and looked all ready to shed this miserable body. "If I die that would be good. This poor body will be shed!' he looked depressed, sad and sullen. 

And the next day I find him all freshened up with three anti rabies injections, one on his left chuttar (as he put it with a feeling of insult and pain) and one each on both arms. But the urge to live and be joyful and meditate had returned. He looked contended and at peace with life. I advised him to carry a stick... maybe that can help him in religious debates and brawls with Hindu Babas as well...