BUDDHA RELICS - What Are They?

Throughout my journeys I've encountered many of these "Buddha relics." It wasn't until my second time in Thailand that i'd really seek them out. These “relics” are the believed ashes and physical remains of Gautama Buddha or the objects he was once associated with. There are thousands of these relics scattered all across the world, while they have varying levels of authenticity, the belief and reasoning behind their large quantities is this….  

After the Buddha’s death in 483 BC, his relics became highly sought after by various clans, including his own Shakya clan. Brahmin Drona, a respected figure at the time, divided the relics into ten portions to avoid conflict. These were distributed among eight kingdoms, where they were enshrined in stupas for worship. In Buddhist beliefs, Emperor Ashoka, who ruled India in the 3rd century BC, later unearthed the relics and spread them into 84,000 stupas across his empire, with the help of Yaksha demons.

In addition to the physical relics like bones and teeth, a Southeast Asian tradition tells of the Buddha’s 800,000 body hairs and 900,000 head hairs being scattered throughout the universe. 

There were also older incarnations of the Buddha who also left Buddha relics behind….

Then there’s relic multiplication, a belief found in some Buddhist traditions where Buddha relics can miraculously reproduce or generate new relics. This idea reflects the belief in the ongoing power and presence of the Buddha, even after his physical death.

These relics are believed to hold immense spiritual significance, and one day, as the old Buddhist teachings go, all of the Buddha’s relics will gather beneath the Bodhi tree where he attained enlightenment, signaling the arrival of Maitreya, the future Buddha, and the ultimate unification of the Buddha’s physical and spiritual legacy.

As I went on to cross the Buddhist world I’d make sure to keep taking note of the relics I stumbled upon… tallying up the many thousands and telling their stories along the way.