[Tlc] TL-relic in the U.S.

[justinm at ucr.edu]

2008-0126 - Fresno Bee - Sacred arrival

http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/351393.html

Sacred arrival

Fresno welcomes what faithful believe to be a piece of
Buddha's breastbone, maybe the first such permanent relic in
the U.S.

By Lewis Griswold / The Fresno Bee
01/26/08 23:10:17

What: Ceremony honoring the arrival of the Buddha relic
When: 10 a.m. today
Where: Wat Brahmacariyamkaram, 4485 S. Orange Ave., Fresno
Details: www.wat-brahma.com

Monks wearing yellow robes and nuns and devotees in white
greeted an unusual arrival Saturday at Fresno Yosemite
International Airport -- the Buddha.

Or a piece of him, anyway.

Abbot Vandi Vongsaken of Wat Brahmacariyamkaram, a temple in
Fresno, arrived Saturday morning after a journey to Thailand
to obtain the relic and hand-carry it to Fresno. Believers
regard it as part of the breastbone of the Buddha, although
even they agree there's no way to authenticate it.

But it was a milestone for Buddhists in the central San
Joaquin Valley. The abbot said he believes this is the first
time a relic of the Buddha has been brought to the United
States for permanent display.

Fresno City Council Member Blong Xiong gave welcoming remarks
at the airport.

"We believe this relic will add to the richness and cultural
diversity of our city," Xiong said.

Vongsaken was weary from the journey, so a fellow monk
carefully carried the object across the expanse of the
airport's entrance. A small, white fragment could be seen
inside a glass globe trimmed with gold and resting on a platform.

Unlike many Christian denominations, which distanced
themselves from the veneration of relics, relics of the Buddha
have always been revered by many Buddhists, scholars said.

"They're still a big deal," said Justin McDaniel, professor of
Buddhist studies at the University of California at Riverside.
"There's thousands of relics in Asia."

As he was dying, the Buddha instructed his followers to remove
whatever pieces remained after his cremation and carry them
far and wide, McDaniel said.

"There's a fingernail in Bangkok, a tooth in Sri Lanka -- very
famous," McDaniel said. "A relic is an absolutely sacred
object. You'd bow down. It's as close as you can get to the
Buddha. It's more important than any text."

"It's exciting news" that a relic will be permanently in the
United States, McDaniel said. "I don't know of any that are
permanent," although they've been on tour before.

At Wat Brahmacariyamkaram on Orange Avenue, followers plan to
build another temple to house the relic.

Scholars reject the notion that Buddha relics are truly from
the body of Gotama, a prince who Buddhists believe lived in
India around 400 B.C. before attaining enlightenment. But "who
are we to contradict them?" said Greg Hillis, a historian of
religion at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

"I believe it's authentic. It's real," Vongsaken said in Lao
through a translator. "There is no way to prove that. We all
believe."

The relic's arrival from a temple in Thailand known for relics
has been anxiously awaited by the wat's members -- and by
other Buddhists.

"It's the Buddha," said Jittapaun Inthavong of Fresno, who
grew up in Laos and came to the United States via Thailand in
1981. "We believe it will bring peace. It's a reminder of our
own essential nature of purity."

Grace Yang of Fresno, a Buddhist originally from Taiwan,
stopped by the airport to greet the relic.

"Buddha is all about finding peace and the inner spirit," Yang
said. "You want to become a more peaceful person."

Getting the breastbone relic out of Thailand required
permission of the Thai government, said Paul Sinpraseuth of
Fresno, a member of the wat.

"It's not easy," he said. "It takes years and years."

But it was worth it because "even generations go by and people
don't have a chance to see this," he said.

"It's very, very important to me," said devotee Maly Chancheam
of Fresno. "It's part of Buddha."

Wat Brahmacariyamkaram is used by people from Laos and
Thailand, but it's open to all. Hindus are known to visit a
shrine to the Buddha there, as well as the statues of
three-headed elephants that guard the temple's entrance.

Saturday, a welcoming ceremony for the relic at the wat
included a procession around the temple, the sounding of a
gong, group prayers attended by a hundred people, and a lunch
feast. Another ceremony is set for 10 a.m. today.

"It's beautiful, cultural diversity," said Pamela Dungy,
director of the Community and Family Engagement Network at
Fresno Unified School District, who stopped by the temple to
show support. "Diversity is an inspiration."

The reporter can be reached at lgriswold at fresnobee.com or(559)
622-2416.

Photo: DIANA BALDRICA / THE FRESNO BEE
A row of Theravada Buddhist monks from the Wat
Brahmacariyamkaram Buddhist Temple in Fresno greet Abbot Vandi
Vongsaken and the relic Saturday morning at Fresno Yosemite
International Airport.

Photo: DIANA BALDRICA / THE FRESNO BEE
Thong Tip carries the relic of the body of Buddha to a waiting
limo outside the Fresno Yosemite International Airport.

______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
2617 Humanities Building
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
justinm at ucr.edu