Dear Friends,

It may have been an understatement when I mentioned in a previous
post that a small group in Thailand believes and is promulgating
that the Lord Buddha was born in Thailand, became Enlightened in
Thailand, taught in Thailand, and passed into Parinibbana in
Thailand.

It turns out that this is a prevailing view among various Thai
people I've talked to. Even though the Thai textbooks say
otherwise, people believe such things, and have "evidence" to prove
it. Having never studied the history of it, I thought it might be
easier for me to ask the experts. Sorry, I am not on any other
Buddhist news group, so if it is inappropriate for a Pali newsgroup
to ask the following questions, please do point me in the right
direction.

1) For how long has the modern world known that Buddhism originated
in India? Or did we always know? Was there ever a period of
discovery?

2) How do we know that Dhammaasoka was really Piyadasi? They say on
this Thai website that the Buddhist king was actually not an Indian
King. They were two different people.

3) If the Lord Buddha was born in Nepal, which they say has four
seasons, why did the Lord Buddha speak of three seasons?

4) In short, what proof is there that tells us beyond doubt that all
of this what we are talking about really took place in India, and
not Thailand?

Boy, that must sound absurd to you all... well, I read it here:

http://www.life-alonguniversity.com/buddhabirthplace/eng/index.htm

and now my Thai meditation students are telling me it's true. Of
course they say somethings that I have been able to verify myself
are inaccurate:

1) they say there are no Bodhi trees in India (anyone ever been to
India?)

2) they say it was not cold in the place of the Buddha, but there
clearly was occasional snow wherever the Buddha lived, as according
to the sutta about the "between-the-eights".

Thank you in advance, this would be a real help.

Yuttadhammo