Relics of the Buddha

John StrongS Book Argues That Relic Veneration Has Played A Serious And Integral Role In Buddhist Traditions In South And Southeast Asia And That It Is In No Way Foreign To Buddhism. The Book Is Structured Around The Life Story Of The Buddha, Starting With Traditions About Relics Of Previous Buddhas And Relics From The Past Lives Of The Buddha Sakyamuni. It Then Considers The Death Of The Buddha, The Collection Of His Bodily Relics After His Cremation And Stories Of Their Spread To Different Parts Of Asia. The Book Ends With A Consideration Of The Legend Of The Future Parinirvana (Extinction) Of The Relics Prior To The Advent Of The Next Buddha, Maitreya. Throughout, The Author Does Not Hesitate To Explore The Many Versions Of These Legends And To Relate Them To Their Ritual, Doctrinal, Artistic And Social Contexts. In 1561, An Interesting Ceremony A Military Operation In Sri Lanka, Portuguese Troops Had Captured What Local Idolaters Claimed Was The Tooth Of The Buddha And Had Delivered It As A Prize To Their Viceroy, Don Constantino Da Braganca. The Viceroy Had Hoped To Hold It For Ransom, But Now The Archbishop Of Goa, Don Gaspar, Was Insisting That It Be Destroyed. On A Porch Overlooking The River, In The Presence Of A Great Crowd Of Christians And Pagans, He Called For The Tooth And Placed It In A Mortar And With His Own Hand Reduced It To Powder And Cast The Pieces Into A Brazier Which Stood Ready For The Purpose, After Which The Ashes And The Charcoal Together Were Cast Into The River, In Sight Of All Those Who Were Crowding The Verandahs And Windows Which Looked Upon The Water. As Benighted As Such An Action May Seem To Us Today, It Can At Least Be Said That The Portuguese Archbishop Appreciated The Nature Of Relics. Conscious Of The Power Of Holy Objects From His Own Tradition, He Felt That The Tooth Had To Be Utterly And Permanently Eradicated.