[Buddha-l] Buddha's birthplace in India (Piprahwa)?

[Christopher Fynn]

On 17/05/2013, Kdorje at aol.com <Kdorje at aol.com> wrote:
> It makes a great deal of difference to a great many people, in  addition
> the obvious, serving as an object of devotion and pilgrimage for  practicing
>
> Buddhists.
>
> The government of Nepal is in the process of constructing a large Peace
> Park at the site across the border at Lumbini, with temples being built by
>
> Buddhists of different traditions around the world. It draws tens of
> thousands
>  every year, and will attract more as it is completed, bringing in much
> needed  revenue to one of the poorest parts of south Asia.

It seems it is now largely being built with Chinese money

Is the Lumbini project being used as a good excuse for China to do
something right next to the Indian border? Plans do include an
otherwise rather large airport capable of landing military transport.

Big projects in Nepal usually end up mostly benefiting a handful of
people - often at the cost of and not to the benefit of the local
population. I would like to believe this will be different - but
somehow I doubt it.

> But I agree the being born was not the accomplishment for which the Buddha
> is venerated. It was that he was born for the last time there.

His birth is traditionally venerated as one of the "12 Enlightening
Deeds of the Buddha".
<http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/sutra/level2_lamrim/initial_scope/safe_direction/twelve_enlightening_deeds_buddha.html>