Chance to see sacred relics of Buddha, disciples July 7-9
Published on: Friday, June 23, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: Twenty-one sacred relics of the Buddha and His disciples will be put on public display for the first time in Sabah next month.Also called by its generic term "sarira", the relics are the sacred remains of the Buddha or enlightened Buddhist masters that were found among their cremated ashes and in different forms such as a crystalised bone, pearl or crystal-like bead-shaped objects, some of which are in various colours.They will be displayed in an exhibition that features the life of the Buddha and Buddhism at Tzer Ying Temple in Bukit Padang from July 7-9 from 9am to 9pm. ADVERTISEMENT The unique event is jointly organised by the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia, Sabah and KK Tzer Ying Buddhism Research Society.Organising chairman Johnny Cheah said the relics are brought in from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar and Thailand."Buddhists and members of the public will have the opportunity to view and venerate the relics, including five of his main 10 disciples and other arahants or Buddhist enlightened masters during the exhibition," he told a press conference, Thursday.He explained that "sarira" are venerated by Buddhist as holy objects of spiritual power that give forth spiritual energy and blessings.ADVERTISEMENT "Another well-known phenomenon of the 'sarira' relics is that some of them are known to be able to either multiply or reduce (in numbers and size) depending on the environment where they are kept," he said, adding that the relics have been enshrined mostly in stupa-shaped containers, in temples or Buddhist sacred buildings as objects of veneration and respect. The exhibition will also showcase the life of Buddha which will be told through paintings which were specially commissioned by the late S. N Goenka, the world renowned Vipassana meditation teacher.
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Documentaries on evidences of rebirth and other scientific evidences will also be shown during the exhibition.Other than these, there will be a showcase on the spread of Buddhism in Asia, a display of reproductions of one of the oldest written Buddhist manuscripts discovered to date. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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According to Cheah, the manuscript dates back to the period between the second and eight century A.D. and most were probably found in the Bamiyan valley in Afghanistan.He added that among the attractions during the event will be the first Buddha 3D poster display. - Leonard Alaza