Three Types of Buddha Relics
According to the Buddhist scriptures, the Buddha's body was divided up after his death, so that his followers would venerate the holy relics and be reminded of the Buddha and his teachings. One group, known as the Mallas, tried to keep all of the relics without sharing them, and a war nearly ensued as a result. A priest named Drona convinced the Mallas to divide the relics of the Buddha into eight portions and share them with the world.
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Types of Relics
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There are three common types of relics of the Buddha. These include fragments of teeth, fragments of other bones and small pieces of crystal or colored beads. There are approximately 40 known relics of the Buddha's teeth. In the 1980s, a finger bone relic of the Buddha was found in Shaanxi Province in China.
Crystal and Bead Relics
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One type of Buddhist relic looks very different from an ordinary bone or body part. These are the tiny crystals or beads that are said to have been found among the Buddha's remains. They can be found in a variety of colors and shapes, and it is believed that they are drawn toward each other if placed in water.
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Meaning of the Relics
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Many Buddhists believe that tiny crystals or pearls can form inside the body of a Buddha, or a spiritual master, as a manifestation of his wisdom and compassion. Symbolically, veneration of the Buddha relics reminds the Buddhist worshipper of his or her own potential to manifest the same signs of purity.
Powers of the Relics
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Beyond the symbolic meaning of the Buddha relics' spiritual significance, some Buddhists also believe that the relics have actual powers. They are believed to be capable of increasing or decreasing in size or changing color on their own, and they are thought to transmit some of the Buddha's qualities of enlightenment directly to the worshipper's own mind.
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