The Buddha's relics found in China?

"Relics" are so common now that replicas flood the market and found on Etsy. Real? 😒

Beyond Science with Brilliant Host

(Beyond Science) This name is especially familiar among Buddhists because Scythian (Saka, Shakyamuni) Prince Siddhartha Gautama went on to become the Buddha. Now 2,500-year-old relics (sariras, holy remains) of the Buddha have been found in a Chinese village.

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  The Buddha was an arahant but so much more.

  Siddhartha Gautama is THE Buddha because ordinary enlightened individuals, who are very rare and special, are called arahants, those who have achieved bodhi (enlightenment or awakening). But a buddha is far more rare in that "silent buddhas," known as pacceka-buddhas, discover the path, the Middle Way to enlightenment, on their own without a teacher. They are unable to teach that path. Supremely enlightened or samma-sam-buddhas not only discover the path but are able to effectively teach it and establish the Dharma in the world to benefit countless human and deva (shining ones, light-) beings. Although arahants might be called "personal buddhas," they are disciples of one of the extraordinarily rare supremely awakened buddhas. To call the Buddha "Buddha" is to fail to recognize his extraordinary rareness and diminish his importance in this world cycle. Indeed, there have been and will be other buddhas, but they come along so rarely as to be inconceivably precious.

This rare matter has the power to multiply.

In a stunning discovery, 2,500-year-old remains believed to be linked to the historical Buddha were uncovered in a remote Chinese village.

Archeologists and historians are calling this one of the most important spiritual and historical finds in decades. 2,500-Year-Old BUDDHA’s Remains Found in Chinese Village | Watch (MSN)

• Relics associated with the historical Buddha
• News: The Buddha's tooth relics to be enshrined (VisitBangkok)
• US hands over [precious] Tibetan Buddhist relics to China (Radio Free Asia)
• Tibet Rights Collective: China’s fake relics and the exploitation of Buddhism

Precious relics (sariras) in special containers

Such relics are widespread, having been apportioned into eighths and placed inside eight giant stupas (burial mound reliquaries) by kings of ancient Proto-India, and one off-planet. The relics multiplied and were spread throughout the world in countless stupas. To see a large, and growing, number of them in the Los Angeles area, visit MahaStupa.org

Wei Mountain, Rosemead, LA County, CA, USA (MahaStupa)