Chinese living Buddha funds construction of pagoda in B’desh

Beijing, July 30 (IANS) A Chinese "living Buddha" in Tibet has raised one million yuan (about $150,668) to fund the construction of a pagoda in Bangladesh, sources said on Saturday.

Drukhang Thubten Khedrup, the seventh Drukhang living buddha and vice president of the Buddhist Association of China, had given the money to an association of Buddhist monks in Bangladesh, Xinhua news agency reported.

The money will be used to build a pagoda for Atisa, a Buddhist teacher from Bengal who lived in Tibet preaching and translating scriptures in ninth century BC.

The pagoda, which includes a pedestal, a tower and spire, will stand nearly as tall as a three-story building.

In 2013, Abbot Chunyi, another vice president of the Buddhist Association of China, donated $400,000 for construction of the pagoda.

A "living Buddha" is a Tibetan Buddhist monk believed to be the reincarnation of an important religious figure. There are currently 358 living Buddha in Tibet.