Buddhist Relics on Tour Lend History to Bostonians

October 10, 2005

Source: The Patriot Ledger

http://ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2005/10/10/news/news03.txt

On October 10, 2005 The Patriot Ledger reported, "Just off busy Washington Street near Quincy Center, hundreds of Buddhists sought enlightenment this weekend.

Near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, the sweet smell of incense drifted from the Massachusetts Budhi Siksa Society’s Thousand Buddha Temple.

Inside, Buddhists from around Boston and beyond pored over something entirely rare and revered - dozens of sacred relics said to be from the religion’s centuries-old masters and saints from Burma, Indonesia, Thailand, Tibet and Taiwan.

They left their shoes at the entryway to line up on the temple’s deep maroon carpet. They circled, examined, and prayed in front of what to non-Buddhists might look like simple pebbles or fossils encased in clear boxes.

While the collection of these little relics - pearl-like pebbles, tooth fragments, and flakes displayed on golden pedestals - were so small that many used magnifying glasses to inspect them, they carry big meaning for Buddhists.

Some are believed to be tooth fragments and blood relics from Buddhas. They are thought to be from various bodies of the religion’s main gurus.

'To be in the presence of any of these relics is to erase 1,000 years of negative karma. These relics are the essence of Buddha,' said Carmen Straight, custodian of the relics, which are from the collection of the Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the spiritual director of the Maitreya Project.

Lama Zopa has put the relics on tour until 2008, at which time they are to be placed permanently inside the Maitreya Buddha statue in Kushinagar, a town in northern India. The statue, believed to represent the future Buddha, is yet to be constructed.

The reason seeing the relics is such a rarity - and cherished opportunity - is that most historic artifacts from this religion are enshrined in Buddhist statues around the world.

The relics tour, at least in part, is intended to raise awareness and support for the ambitious undertaking to build the 500-foot bronze statue of the Maitreya Buddha in Kushinagar... The Thousand Buddha Temple is one of the largest in New England, where there are about 20 temples and spiritual centers, according to the Committee on the Study of World Religion at Harvard University."