Let us suppose Buddha has come down to earth again and wants to visit India to see the places he visited then, would he need a passport?
This is not a so hypothetical question.
This has reference to a talk given by the Indian Foreign Minister, where he said that Buddha was Indian. The Nepal Govt was unhappy with the statement and raised an objection. The Indian Minister had said that Buddha and Gandhi were among the greatest Indians to have lived. Nepal said that it is historically recorded that Buddha was born in Lumbini which is in Nepal and is also a world heritage site.
The Indian ministry clarified that Buddha is a shared heritage between both the countries though it is true that he was born in Nepal. This happened when there was a border dispute going on between India and Nepal, when on the behest of China; Nepal showed some parts of India as theirs in the official map of Nepal.
When Buddha was born there was no political division as per modern cartography to demarcate Nepal and India as we know today. There was no one at that time to call themselves Nepalese or no one to call themselves Indian.
People like Buddha and great spiritual masters are not shaped by civilization but rather they gave shape to civilization through there amazing insight about life and elevating the inner human consciousness. They did not need big armies to conquer new lands to spread their dominance like the kings but where ever they went they made their presence felt by their love and teaching about life.
Christ cannot be claimed by Christians only; he belongs to the whole humanity. Same goes with Mohammad (Islam), Mahavira(Jainism), Guru Nanak(Sikhism). They were the spiritual lighthouses who guided numerous souls through the troubled waters of life, to an inner journey of exploration.
A story goes such that Buddha was about to end his earthly existence, so his disciples gathered around him and asked him to give a last message to help them continue their spiritual journey. Buddha did not say anything but took his bowl and turned it upside down. This gesture of Buddha has been interpreted in several ways, one being that an empty bowl symbolizes the emptiness of the ego, it is only then that one merges with the universal emptiness which is beyond all barriers and boundaries.
Nice article