Saidur Rahman
Writer & Editor, The Budding Buddhist
Hi, my name is Saidur Rahman. I am from Bangladesh, a small country sandwiched between India and Myanmar. Also, Nepal, the country where Gautama Buddha was born, is narrowly separated from Bangladesh by the Siliguri Corridor. According to most historians, Buddha came to East Bengal (present day Bangladesh) once in his life and spread his teachings to the common people here.
In Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, my house is just steps away from the famous Dharmarajika Bauddha Vihara. And because of this, I have had the privilege of learning from quite a few Buddhist masters through personal meetings. I’m also an avid reader of Buddhist philosophy and ethics. As I took a three-year course on the Pali language at the National University of Bangladesh, I am able to read and write in Pali with some clarity. I read the Tripitaka in Pali.
I do not claim to be an expert on these topics, though. Please consider me a fellow spiritual seeker on the lookout for an ideal path that transcends all personal impudents and will take us beyond the present stultifying conditions of institutionalized religion.
Walking Towards Refuge: How The Journey Began
I was 22 then; now 33.
Bangladesh is known as the land of communal harmony. From early childhood, I knew that Buddhism once had a significant influence on this country’s culture. But until I visited the Buddhist monastery in Paharpur, I saw Buddhism only as a part of our past culture, not present. Buddhist Vihara (Monastery) at Paharpur is a UNESCO heritage site. One day when I was returning from attending a wedding ceremony, I had a chance to visit the site. It was almost evening when I arrived. In the twilight of that summer evening the Buddha Vihara had an indescribable effect on my young mind. And that’s when I decided to learn more about Buddhism.
It was one of the most important moments of my life. I am lucky to have a short video clip of that day. I think this video will inspire me to continue my spiritual journey in the days to come. After that I talked to different monks and decided to study Pali language.
Video- Walking Towards Refuge: Paharpur Buddhist Bihar
The Launch of the Budding Buddhist
At the Budding Buddhist, I share ideas about meditation techniques, zen lifestyle and Buddhism in general. I thoroughly research every topic for each post I write… just to avoid giving unauthentic information. I guess the key aspect of my website is that I try to present a fair, neutral description of the facts. I do not present any viewpoint as “right”.
Professional Life
Professionally, I am a WordPress developer. I have been working with WordPress over the last 8 years. I lead a team specialized in WordPress based web development services. I also have a diverse writing background; I’ve written news articles, press releases, ad copy, and web content.
You can check out my freelance web developer profile at Upwork here.
