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Sacred Buddha Tooth Relics and Relics in the World

Famous Chinese Monks Who Viewed The Buddha Tooth
Sacred Buddha Tooth Relics in the World
Other Sacred Relics of the Buddha in the World

Introduction

The account of the last days of the Buddha is recorded in the Maha Parinibbana Sutta, the great discourse on the attainment of Nirvarna. The other suttas are the Maha Sudassana Sutta and Janavasabha Sutta.

 

The Maha Parivirvana of the Buddha took place in 544 B.C. at Kusinara in the country of the Mallas. The body was honoured for 6 days and cremated on the 7th day. The fire was extinguished with scented water and a cordon of spearmen and bowmen was put around the cremation site and continued to honour it for 7 days.

 

The Scared Buddha Relics were divided by Brahmin Professor Dona amongst the 8 claimants as follows:

 

  1. Mallas of Kusinara;
  2. Ajatasattus of Magadha;
  3. Licchavis of Vesali;
  4. Sakyas of Kapilavatthu;
  5. Bulis of Allakappa;
  6. Koliyas of Ramagama;
  7. Brahamins of Vethadipa;
  8. Mallas of Pava;
  9. Brahmin Professor Dona kept the measuring vessel; and
  10. Moriyas of Pippalivana came after the distribution and was given the charred pieces of firewood.

 

Each of these monarchs then built a stūpa over his portion of the relics; these were called the "droṇa stūpas" because the division of the relics had been made by a Brahmin named Droṇa and because each one of these enshrined one droṇa (bucketful) of relics.

History of Tooth Relics

The previous section "Sacred Relics of Buddha Sakyamuni" relates to the MahaParanirvana and Distribution of the sacred relics. This section will cover specifically the sacred Buddha Tooth Relics.

 

According to the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, verse 6.28:

Eight portions of relics there were of him,
The All-Seeing One. Of these, seven remained
In Jambudīpa with honor. The eighth
In Rāmagāma's kept by nāga kings.
One tooth the Thirty Gods have kept,
Kalinga's kings have one, the nāgas too.
They shed their glory o'er the fruitful earth.
Thus the Seer's honored by the honored.
Gods and nāgas, kings, the noblest men
Clasp their hands in homage, for hard it is
To find another such for countless aeons.

 

Bibliography:

  1. Mahaparinibbana Sutta: The Great Passing, The Buddha's Last Days, The Long Discourses of the Buddha, A Translation of the Digha Nikaya, Maurice Walshe, Wisdom Publications, 1987, 1995, ISBN 0-86171-103-3, DN 16, Pages 231 – 277

  2. Relics of the Buddha, John S. Strong, Princeton University Press, 2004, ISBN-13:978-0-691-11764-5, chapter 7

  3. Mahavamsa, The Great Chronicle of Ceylon, translated by Wilhelm Geiger, Ph.D., Buddhist Culture Center, Sri Lanka, 1912, chapter XVII

  4. Last Days of the Buddha, The Maha-parinibbana Sutta: Translated from the Pali by Sister Vajira & Francis Story, Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri lanka, 1964, ISBN 13-978-955-9219-98-9

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