Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 00:23, 20 December 2013

After his death, Buddha was cremated and the ashes divided among his disciples. Originally his ashes were to go only to the Sakya clan to which Buddha belonged; however seven royal families demanded body relics. To avoid fighting, a monk divided the relics into ten portions, eight for the body relics, one from the ashes of Buddhas cremation pyre and one from the bucket used to divide the relics. After The Buddha's Parinibbāna, His relics were enshrined and worshipped in stupas by Princes of eight countries two quarts in each country.

 1. To Ajatasattu, king of Magadha.
 2. To the Licchavis of Vesali.
 3. To the Sakyas of Kapilavastu.
 4. To the Bulis of Allakappa.
 5. To the Koliyas of Ramagama.
 6. To the brahmin of Vethadipa.
 7. To the Mallas of Pava.
 8. To the Mallas of Kusinara.

When the Chinese pilgrims Fa-hien and Hiuen Tsang visited India centuries later, they reported most of these sites were in ruin. In some versions of the legend, when Ashoka began his journey to collect the relics he still believed them to be held in the original eight drona.

The Lokapannatti (11th/12th century) tells the story of King Ajatasatru of Magadha who gathered the Buddhas relics and hid them in an underground stupa. The Buddhas relics were protected by mechanical robots (bhuta vahana yanta), from the kingdom of Roma visaya; until they were disarmed by King Ashoka. The Ashokavadana narrates how Ashoka redistributed Buddha's relics across 84,000 stupas, with the distribution of the relics and construction of the stupas preformed by Yakshas.

The Mahaparinirvana sutra says that of Buddhas four eye teeth (canines), one was worshipped in Indras Heaven, the second in the city of Ghandara, the third in Kalinga and the fourth in Ramagrama by the king of the Nagas. Annually in Sri Lanka and China tooth relics would be paraded through the streets.

Relics in India

Buddha belonged to one of these eight families the Sakyas; who had one eight of his relics stored at Kapilavastu. According to the PBS series Secrets of the Dead, an urn containing these was discovered in a stupa at Piprahwa near Birdpur , a Buddhist sacred structure in the Basti district of Uttar Pradesh in India by amateur archaeologist William Claxton Peppe in 1898. Piprahwa became identified by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as Kapilavastu. In 1971 K.M. Srivastava continued excavating the site and discovered 22 bones in two soap stone urns, dating them to the 5th century B.C.E. The report on these findings was filed 20 years later in 1991. Piprahwa as Kapilavastu is contested by Nepal who believe Tilaurakot to be Kapilavastu; however the relics were displayed by Sri Lanka in 1978.

When the first dome of the Global Vipassana Pagoda was constructed in October 2006; bone relics of Gautama Buddha were enshrined in the central locking stone of the dome, making it the world's largest structure containing relics of the Buddha. The relics were originally found in the stupa at Bhattiprolu, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, South India. They have been donated by the Mahabodhi Society of India and the prime minister of Sri Lanka to be kept at the Global Vipassana Pagoda. A casket was discovered in Lalitgiri in Orissa believed to contain bones of Buddha.

Relics in Nepal

According to UNESCO, Ramagrama is the only undisturbed original stupa containing relics of Lord Buddha; built in 6th century B.C.E Nepal believes Tilaurakot to be Kapilavastu, and nominated it along with Lumbini for world heritage status. An excavation at Tilaurakot in 1962 revealed more structures but no relics.

Relics in Sri Lanka

In the Mahavamsa, Ashoka chooses not to retrieve Buddha relics in the possession of Naga's at Ramagrama. It was said that on his deathbed Buddha told a prophecy that of the eight dronas of his body relics, one would be venerated by the koliyas of Ramagrama, then the relics would belong to the Nagas until being enshrined in Sri Lanka. Ashoka is told more prophecy by arhats, who speak of the future enshrinement of these relics by king Dutthagamani.

The two quarts of relics that were enshrined in the village Rāmagāma were, according to The Buddha's determination, destined to be enshrined in the Great Stūpa Ruvanveli.King Dutugemunu who, on the full-moon day of the month of Āsāëha (June–July), under the constellation of Uttarāsāëha, would officiate in the ceremony for the enshrining of the relics in the Great Stūpa, worshipped the Sangha (Order of monks) on the day before the full-moon day, reminded them that tomorrow is the appointed day for the enshrining of the relics and requested them to give him the relics. The Saïgha ordered then the novice Arahant Soõuttara, who was gifted with the six supernormal faculties, to bring the relics, which Arahant Soõuttara manages to bring and offer to the Sangha.

Then king Dutugemunu received from the Sangha the Buddha's relics upon his head in a casket and departed from the golden pavilion in the midst of manifold offerings and honours made by gods and Brahmas. He circumambulated the relic-chamber three times, entered to it from the east, and when laid the relic-casket on a silver couch one koñi worth, that was arranged in the north side. An image of the Buddha was then, according to the Buddha's determination, created in the lion's reclining posture (sīhaseyya), and all the relics were enshrined within that image. When the enshrining of the relics in the Great Stūpa Ruvanveli was completed, the two novices Uttara and Sumana closed the relic-chamber with the stone-blocks that were previously hidden to be used as a lid.

In the Thupavamsa numerous types of beings attended the enshrinement of the relics into the Mahathupa; including the Naga king Mahakala who until recently guarded them. The relics were to be placed atop a golden throne crafted by Visvakarman the divine artificer; the throne brought by Indra. Brahma offers his invisible umbrella of sovereignty, with the king Dutthagamani offering his own. The arhat Indagutta creates a metal canopy over the universe, so that Mara will not interfere, as monks chanted the sutra pitaka. Dutthagamani ceremoniously enters with the urn atop his head; but as he is about to place the urn on the golden throne, the relics rise into the air and form Buddha, with each of the 32 major signs and 8 lesser signs of a great man. In this form he performs the twin miracle of fire and water, fulfilling the fifth of his death bed resolutions. One hundred and twenty million gods and humans gain arhatship from this experience. The relics return to the urn and they are laid to rest and the chamber sealed with forty meter stone slabs. {{sfn|Strong|2007|p=160-171}

Relics in China

According to legend the first Buddha relic in China appeared in a vase in 248 C.E. so that Kang Senghui would have something to show a local ruler. The king of Wu Sun Quan would unsuccessfully attempt to destroy the tooth, by subjecting it to various tests. In legends Daoxuan is attributed with the transmission of the Buddha relic Daoxuans tooth, one of the four tooth relics enshrined in the capital of Chang'an during the Tang dynasty. He is said to have received the relic during a night visit from a divinity associated with Indra.

According to his biography upon his return in 645 C.E. Xuanzang returned from his seventeen-year-long pilgrimage to India with, "over six hundred Mahayana and Hinayana texts, seven statues of the Buddha and more than a hundred sarira relics."

Emperor Wen and Empress Wu of the Sui both venerated Buddha relics. Daoxuan’s Ji gujin fodao lunheng (Collection of the Buddho-Daoist Controversies in the Past and the Present; completed 661) recounts that shortly after being born Yang Jian; was given to Buddhist "divine nun" until the age of 13. Yang Jian, after becoming the Emperor Sui Wendi; lead three Buddha relic redistribution campaigns in 601 602 and 604. The relics were enshrined across 107 pagodas; along with pictures of the divine nun.

In 2010 remains of Gautama Buddhas skull were enshrined at Qixia Temple in Nanjing. The paritial bone had been held in the Pagoda of King Asoka, constructed in 1011 under the former Changgan Temple of Nanjing. In 1987 a chamber was unearthed below Famen temple and a finger bone said to belong to Gautama Buddha was discovered. In 2003 the finger bone was one of 64 culturally significant artifacts officially prohibited from leaving China for exhibitions. In 2009, the relic was enshrined in the world's tallest stupa recently built within the domains of Famen Temple.

Two bone fragments believed to belong to Gautama Buddha are enshrined at Yunju temple. According to Tang Dynasty records, China had 19 pagodas of King Asoka holding Sakyamuni's relics. Seven of these pagodas have been believed to been found. Currently the tooth relic is kept in Beijing while the knuckle of the middle finger is at Xi'an city Shaanxi province.

Relics in Japan

According to legend in Japan 552 C.E. there was an attempt to destroy a tooth relic, one of the first of Buddha’s to arrive in the country; it was hit by a hammer into an anvil; the hammer and anvil were destroyed but the tooth was not. On January 15, 593, Soga no Umako ordered relics of Buddha deposited inside the foundation stone under the pillar of a pagoda at Asuka-dera.

Relics in Thailand

The Piprahwa relics were given to the King of Siam (Thailand) a couple of years after 1898, where they still reside. Rama V had a man made mountain constructed at Wat Sraket the base of Phu Khao Thong. After 1888 the Stupa would house a Buddha relic from Sri Lanka alongside relics from prisoners. Phra Borommathat Chedi is the oldest stupa containing Buddha relics in Thailand. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep was founded after a monk followed a dream and found a shoulder bone that glowed and replicated it's self; leading him to believe it was a Buddha relic. (phra that).

Relics in Vietnam

Xa Loi Pagoda served as the headquarters for Buddhism in South Vietnam during the Vietnamese civil war, it's construction began in 1956 to house remains of the Buddha. Giác Lâm Pagoda has housed Buddha relics since they were brought to the temple from Sri Lanka by Narada in 1953. Tịnh Xá Trung Tâm founded in 1965 also houses relics.

Relics in Korea

Tongdosa temple, (one of the three Three Jewel Temples of Korea), was founded by Jajang-yulsa after he returned from a pilgrimage to China in 646 AD. The temple houses a robe, begging bowl and a piece of skull said to belong to Buddha. Other temples built by Jajang also house relics. Bongjeongam hermitage is said to possess sarira from Gautama, while Sangwonsa houses bone setting relics. Additionally Jeongamsa Temple, and Beopheungsa Temple are said to contain relics. At Bulguksa Temple in South Korea, beneath a three story stone pagoda; 46 sarira have been kept for over 1200 years, 2 more having appeared recently.

Relics in Pakistan

The Kanishka stupa in Peshawar, Pakistan has been described as one of the tallest in the world and has been visited by early Chinese Buddhist pilgrims such as Faxian, Sung Yun and Xuanxang. The stupa was excavated in 1908–1909 by a British archaeological mission; where the Kanishka casket was discovered with three small fragments of bone

Relics in Indonesia

Borobudur in Java contains one of the Buddhas relics.

Relics in Malaysia

Fa Yu Chan Si temples crystal pagoda contains sarira from Gautama Buddha and other Buddhist masters.

Relics in Bangladesh

A Buddha relic is kept in Buddha Dhatu Jadi Bangladesh beneath four Buddha statues. The Buddha’s Dhatu was given by Ven. U Paññya Jota Mahathero in 1994 by the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee of Myanmar.

Relics in Tibet

An exhibit donated by the Dali Llama features relics from Gautama Buddha as well as 40 other Buddhist masters from India, Tibet and China; taken with him out of Tibet after the 1959 invasion. The exhibit was the idea of Lama Zopa Rinpoche; it started in 2001 and has toured 61 countries.

Relics in Mongolia

According to legend, Avtai Sain Khan was given a Buddha relic by the third Dali Llama. The fourteenth Dali Llama has prayed for this relic during his visit to Mongolia in 2011; it's location was kept a close secret for concern it would be taken by the soviet government.

Relics in Burma

The Shwedagon pagoda in Myanmar houses 8 strands of Buddhas hair taken by his first 2 disciples Tapussa and Bhallika; to the site where 3 of Buddhas previous incarnations relics had been enshrined. Shwedagon was created with the help of the King of Okkalapa and the king of the nat (spirit)s Sule. Sule Pagoda is also said to contain one of the Buddhas hairs.

The Kanishka casket is said to have contained three bone fragments of the Buddha, which were forwarded to Burma by the British following the excavation, where they still remain. The Uppatasanti Pagoda also holds a tooth relic from China.

Relics in Laos

Pha That Luang is the most important national symbol of Laos. Buddhist missionaries from the Mauryan Empire are believed to have been sent by the Emperor Ashoka, including Bury Chan or Praya Chanthabury Pasithisak and five Arahata monks who brought a holy relic (believed to be the breast bone) of Lord Buddha to the stupa.

Relics in Cambodia

A Buddha relic was enshrined at Sakyaminu Chedai 2002 Royal Place in Oudong, fifty years earlier this relic was transported from Sri Lanka to Phnom Penh; but was transported again after King Sihanouk voiced concerns about urban decay surrounding Phnom Penh.

Relics in Afghanistan

An early masterpiece of the Greco Buddhist art of Ghandara, and one of the earliest representations of the Buddha, the Bimaran casket was discovered in a stupa near Jalabad eastern Afghanistan. Although the casket bears an inscription saying it contained some of the relics of the Buddha; no relics were discovered when the box was opened.

Relics in Singapore

The tooth relic is housed in the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum in the China town district of Singapore It is claimed the relic was found in collapsed stupa in Myanmar.

Relics in America

Lu Mountain temple, East of Los Angeles California has recently received over 10,000 sarira including two teeth and one hair believed to belong to Gautama Buddha. Most of these relics were donated from monasteries across Vietnam.

Relics in Russia

In 2011 the head of the Buddhist Patriarchy of Sri Lanka met with Kirsan Ilyumzhinov to discuss the movement of relics from Sri Lanka to the Republic of Kalmykia. Former president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov will become the next guardian of these Buddha relics.

References

1. Donald S. Lope Jr. "Buddha".
2. http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-ENG/rhy1.htm
3. A. Srivathsan. "Gautama Buddha, Four Bones And Three Countries".
4. John S. Strong (2007). Relics of the Buddha. p. 130.
5. ^ Strong 2007, p. 133-134. sfn error: no target: CITEREFStrong2007 (help)
6. Strong 2007, p. 143. sfn error: no target: CITEREFStrong2007 (help)
7. K.R. Norman (1983). Pali Literature. ISBN 9783447022859.
8. Strong 2007, p. 136-137. sfn error: no target: CITEREFStrong2007 (help)
9. Strong 2007, p. 185. sfn error: no target: CITEREFStrong2007 (help)
10. Strong 2007, p. 180. sfn error: no target: CITEREFStrong2007 (help)
11. ^ Bones of the Buddha, Secrets of the Dead
12. ^ cite web|url=https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/gautama-buddha-four-bones-and-three-countries/%7Ctitle=Gautama Buddha, Four Bones And Three Countries|author=A. Srivathsan
13. http://www.globalpagoda.org/concept-and-planning
14. Goenka, S.N. (2007). For The Benefit Of Many. Vipassana Research Institute. ISBN 81-7414-230-4
15. http://www.inewsone.com/2011/04/25/buddhist-relics-to-be-housed-in-orissa-museum/45830
16. Ramagrama, the relic stupa of Lord Buddha - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
17. Strong 2007, p. 160-167. sfn error: no target: CITEREFStrong2007 (help)
18. ^ Strong 2007, p. 188. sfn error: no target: CITEREFStrong2007 (help)
19. Strong 2007, p. 192. sfn error: no target: CITEREFStrong2007 (help)
20. Strong 2007, p. 187. sfn error: no target: CITEREFStrong2007 (help)
21. Richard SALOMON and Gregory SCHOPEN (2002). "Sarira and Scepter: Empress Wu's Political Use of Buddhist Relics". Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies. {{cite journal}}: line feed character in |journal= at position 29 (help)
22. ^ ""Buddha remains" unveiled in east China temple – Xinhua". News.xinhuanet.com. 2010年06月12日. Retrieved 2011年10月17日. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
23. "'Buddha remains' unveiled in East China temple". China Daily. 2010年06月12日. Retrieved 2011年10月17日. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
24. "八重宝函". The Chinese Cultural Heritage Protection Web Site.
25. Cite error: The named reference en.chinagate.cn was invoked but never defined
26. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/beijing/2012-12/19/content_16031223.htm
27. ^ http://www.infomongolia.com/ct/ci/3295
28. John S. Strong (2007). Relics of the Buddha. p. 192. ISBN 9788120831391.
29. Aston, W. G. (2008). Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times. New York: Cosimo, Inc. ISBN 978-1-60520-146-7.
30. Justin Thomas McDaniel (2011). The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand.
31. http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5752/
32. http://books.google.com/books?id=eNsZBqFRM3EC&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=Wat+Phra+That+Doi+Suthep+shoulder+bone&source=bl&ots=w3D9ynv9Mp&sig=-gCkBc6uyQSLFEUNjOarbaJp4Rc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=SrBkUpGjMbCgyAGckoHIBw&ved=0CDMQ6AEwATgK#v=onepage&q=Wat%20Phra%20That%20Doi%20Suthep%20shoulder%20bone&f=false
33. ^ Thích Đồng Bổn (2001-06-28). "CHÙA XÁ LỢI: TRUYỀN THỐNG & ĐẶC ĐIỂM VĂN HÓA". Buddhism Today (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2008-02-04. Cite error: The named reference "prof" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
34. McLeod, pp. 70–75.
35. http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/koreasouth/busan/tongdosa.php
36. "Lifeinkorea". Retrieved 2010-12-14.
37. "Pleasetakemeto". Retrieved 2010-12-14.
38. http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/CU/CU_EN_8_3_1_4.jsp
39. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130402000938
40. Spooner, D. B. (1908–9): "Excavations at Shāh-ji-Dherī." Archaeological Survey of India, p. 49.
41. http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/reference-entries/36799503/borobudur-indonesia
42. http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=56,8333,0,0,1,0#.UnLAKfmsiSo
43. Arpan Shrestha (2007). http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=41,5693,0,0,1,0#.UmS3qflJOSo. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
44. cite web|url=http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_23930592/historical-relics-buddha-and-other-masters-displayed-denver%7Ctitle=Historical relics of the Buddha and other masters displayed in Denver|author=Electa Draper
45. http://english.people.com.cn/90777/7737037.html
46. Spooner, D. B. (1908-9): "Excavations at Shāh-ji-Dherī." Archaeological Survey of India, p. 49.
47. Marshall, John H. (1909): "Archaeological Exploration in India, 1908-9." (Section on: "The stūpa of Kanishka and relics of the Buddha"). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1909, pp. 1056-1061.
48. "Than Shwe's New Pagoda Hides More than a Buddha Relic". The Irrawaddy. March 10, 2009.
49. "Half Day Tour In Vientiane". Lasi Global. May 1, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
50. Stephen C. Berkwitz (ed.). Buddhism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives. p. 159.
51. Senior (2008), pp. 25-27.
52. "Soft launch of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum, Singapore". Retrieved 2011-01-05.
53. "Origin of BTRTM". Retrieved 2011-01-05.
54. citeweb|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/relics-arrival-transforms-small-ca-buddhist-temple-20557171%7Ctitle=Relics Transform Small California Buddhist Temple|author=John Rogers
55. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/25/local/la-me-buddhist-relics-20130826
56. http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/5727-kirsan-ilyumzhinov-will-be-a-keeper-of-buddhas-relics.html

1. King Ajatasatru Magadha kingdom was the precessor of the Maurya Empire of King Ashoka.

• Buddhism
• Relics