CC Liu, Teri Mei, Bhante, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; Master Yong Hua (MahaStupa.org)
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| The remains of the Buddha's body will be on display Sept. 5-7, 2015. See details below. |
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| They are hard to believe in or understand, but all are invited to see for themselves (MS). |
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| Kids love the energy emanating from Buddhist relics rarer than precious gems (MRT) |
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| Cameras record miraculous viewing of sacred tooth and other relics (MahaStupa.org). |
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| Visitors view relics on Lu Mountain, L.A., Aug 18, 2013 (Christina House/LATimes.com) |
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Close up of various relics multiplying under glass in full view of onlookers (MahaStupa.org)
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| Relics in glass, Lu Mountain, Aug. 2013 (Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal) |
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| Relics on cover of the Los Angeles Times |
First of all, what is a "
relic" (Sanskrit
sharira, "
subtle body emanation")? It is a part of the body, or more often the post-cremation remnant, of an enlightened person, literally a "saint" or
arhat in Buddhism.
Something about the body transforms at the moment of full enlightenment, arhatship. And the physical proof of this
transubstantiation is evident in the ashes of the
cremation pyre -- miraculous crystal like "beads" and bone fragments, colorful concretions, formations, inexplicable pieces of glass with the unique property of multiplying and disappearing and reappearing.
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| Prajna Paramita, the Buddha, and Quan Yin on Lu Mountain altar (Wisdom Quarterly) |
Buddhist miracles and marvels today?
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| Special glass containers with various relics (WQ) |
It is easy to imagine that when a revered teacher passes away, her or his students, wishing to "prove" their teacher was an enlightened meditation master, might toss in bags of sand or something. Then with great heat brought about by binding in prodigious amounts of wood, linen wrappings, and oil the glass might melt into beads.
That would be one hot fire to congeal sand into glass like an atomic blast. Yet, it would still not explain the marvelous powers of the remains. Everything burns up, but these colorful glassy formations grow, appear, multiply, disappear, teleport, and give coherence to meditation in their vicinity. People more easily enter states of profound concentration (stillness, one-pointedness, serenity, calm, joy, samadhi) when they meditate.
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| Ven. Abbot Yong Hua holds relics (MS) |
The abbot, Master Yong Hua, is very generous and from time to time is drawn to give one or more away. Then those blessed persons experience miracles -- seeing the relics multiply (or disappear if they are not worthy of them for lack of virtue or sufficient respect).
September 7th 2015 Event
(WQ) The child novice (not monk) who set himself on fire protesting China's invasion and five decades of occupation and commemorating the third anniversary of the Tibetan riots was cremated on Saturday as the world continued to roil in turmoil. Suicide under any pretext is not advocated by Buddhism. But a Mahayana text may inadvertently cause people to imagine it a heroic act.
BEIJING, China - A 16-year-old Tibetan Buddhist monk, who died after setting himself on fire in China during an anti-government protest coinciding with the third anniversary of the Lhasa riots, was cremated today. 
Feeling happy and secure in our relationships is a goal many people strive for, but in times of need the emotionally insecure partners may be doing us a favor by being more alert to possible danger. 
At 30 years, male testosterone levels drop by one to two percent annually. By age 40, men's quality of sleep begins to diminish. Could there be a link between decreased testosterone and reduced sleep? Absolutely, according to Zoran Sekerovic, graduate student at the University of Montreal (UM) Department of Psychology.
