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Śarīra

Śarīra is a generic term referring to Buddhist relics, although in common usage it usually refers to pearl or crystal-like bead-shaped objects that are found among the cremated ashes of Buddhist spiritual masters. Relics of the Buddha after cremation are termed dhātu in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta.[1] Śarīra are held to emanate or incite 'blessings' and 'grace' (Sanskrit: adhiṣṭhāna) within the mindstream and experience of those connected to them.[2] Sarira are also believed to ward off evil in the Himalayan Buddhist tradition.

Śarīra
Various śarīra from the Buddha and various students in the collection of the Maitreya Project
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese舍利 or 舍利子
Simplified Chinese舍利 or 舍利子
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinshèlì
Tibetan name
Tibetanརིང་བསྲེལ།
Transcriptions
Wyliering bsrel
Vietnamese name
VietnameseXá lợi
Korean name
Hangul사리
Hanja舍利
Transcriptions
Revised Romanizationsari
Japanese name
Kanji仏舎利
Hiraganaぶっしゃり
Transcriptions
Romanizationbusshari
Buddha relics from Kanishka the Great's stupa in Peshawar, Pakistan, now in Mandalay, Burma. Teresa Merrigan, 2005

Terminology edit

Śarīraḥ (pronounced /ɕɐɽiːɽɐh/) means "body" in Sanskrit. When used in Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit texts to mean "relics", it is always used in the plural: śarīrāḥ. The term ringsel is a loanword from the Tibetan རིང་བསྲེལ (ring bsrel). Both of these terms are ambiguous in English; they are generally used as synonyms, although according to some interpretations, ringsels are a subset of śarīras.

Śarīra can refer to:

  • Dharmakāya śarīra, which are sutras as told by the Buddha. According to Ding Fubao's Dictionary of Buddhist Terms, a Dharma body śarīra is "the Sutra as told by the Buddha: That which is unchanging in what is told by the Buddha, is of the same property as the essence of the Buddha himself, hence it is called the 'dharma body śarīra'".
  • Remains of the Buddha or other spiritual masters, either cremated remains or other pieces, including a finger bone or a preserved body, similar to the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox incorruptibles.
  • Broken-body śarīras refers specifically to cremated remains.
  • When used without qualification, it generally refers to the pearl-like remnant of a master left after cremation.

Pearl-like śarīras edit

 
They divided śarīras and carried it to their kingdoms. Illustration by Hokusai

Although the term śarīra can be used to refer to a wide variety of Buddhist relics, as listed above, it is generally used to refer to pearl or crystal-like bead-shaped objects that are purportedly found among the cremated ashes of Buddhist spiritual masters.

These objects are considered relics of significant importance in many sects of Buddhism since they are believed to embody the spiritual knowledge, teachings, realizations or living essence of spiritual masters. They are taken as evidence of the masters' enlightenment and spiritual purity. Some believe that śarīras are deliberately left by the consciousness of a master for veneration, and that the beauty of the śarīras depends on how well the masters had cultivated their mind and souls. Śarīra come in a variety of colours, and some are even translucent.

Sariras are typically displayed in a glass bowl inside small gold urns or stupas as well as enshrined inside the master's statue. Śarīras are also believed to mysteriously multiply while inside their containers if they have been stored under favorable conditions. Saffron threads are sometimes placed within or around the bowl containing individual śarīra as an offering.

In the Korean Samguk yusa it is said that the monk Myojong received a śarīra from a turtle which caused others to treat the monk better.[3]

The occurrence of śarīra is not restricted to ancient times, and many Buddhists have shown that śarīra are not limited to humans or masters. Many texts of Pure Land Buddhism report śarīras of many adherents, some occurring recently. Some Buddhists associate a student's spiritual life with the amount and condition of the śarīra they leave after cremation. Many Pure Land Buddhists believe Amitābha's power manifests cremated remains into śarīra. Many claim that pearls of śarīra rain at the funerals of eminent monks. There are reports that śarīra may appear, multiply or disappear, depending on a keeper's thoughts. One's vow may also be important. One legend holds that the translator Kumārajīva wanted to demonstrate that his translations were not false; as a result his tongue remained intact after cremation.[citation needed]

Scientific analysis edit

 
Relics of the Buddha in a temple in Thailand.

There is evidence that under certain conditions of heating, human bones can form crystalline structures.[4] In one chemical analysis, śarīras were found to be composed of the constituent elements of both bones and stones.[5]

Documentary films edit

Pearl relics are documented in the 2008 film, Unmistaken Child, among the cremation ashes of Geshe Lama Konchog.

In Javanese language edit

Javanese has a strong historical bond with the Hindu tradition and Sanskrit liturgical language. Śarīra is also used in Archaic (Kawi) Javanese, preserving its original meaning of 'body' or 'human body'. The word also finds its way into the modern Javanese language as "slira" with the same meaning. "Sliramu" (strictly translated as 'your body') and "sliraku" (strictly translated as 'my body') are usually used in poems or songs to replace "you" and "I", respectively. The word is not common but is used in both oral and written contexts.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ *"Maha-parinibbana Sutta,"
  2. ^ Martin, Dan (September 1994). "Pearls from Bones: Relics, Chortens, Tertons and the Signs of Saintly Death in Tibet". Numen. 41 (3): 274. doi:10.2307/3270352. JSTOR 3270352.
  3. ^ Il-yeon: Samguk Yusa: Legends and History of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea, translated by Tae-Hung Ha and Grafton K. Mintz. Book Two, page 100f. Silk Pagoda (2006). ISBN 1-59654-348-5
  4. ^ Holden, J.L.; Phakey, P.P.; Clement, J.G. (June 1995). "Scanning electron microscope observations of heat-treated human bone". Forensic Sci. Int. 74 (1–2): 29–45. doi:10.1016/0379-0738(95)01735-2. PMID 7665130.
  5. ^ "A Brief Introduction of Forshang World Foundation". Forshang.org. Retrieved 2012-12-12.

External links edit

  • Sariras: Ringsels and Mummies (side by side comparison between ringsels and gallstones) 2009-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
  • Relics of Buddha
  • Sacred Buddhist Relics
  • Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, Episode no. 711
  • MIT News: Buddhist relics
  • WNET New York
  • Maitreya Relic Tour
  • Sarira collection
  • Buddhist relics collection

Śarīra, sarira, redirects, here, other, uses, three, bodies, doctrine, vedanta, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, fin. Sarira redirects here For other uses see Three Bodies Doctrine Vedanta This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Sarira news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Sarira is a generic term referring to Buddhist relics although in common usage it usually refers to pearl or crystal like bead shaped objects that are found among the cremated ashes of Buddhist spiritual masters Relics of the Buddha after cremation are termed dhatu in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta 1 Sarira are held to emanate or incite blessings and grace Sanskrit adhiṣṭhana within the mindstream and experience of those connected to them 2 Sarira are also believed to ward off evil in the Himalayan Buddhist tradition SariraVarious sarira from the Buddha and various students in the collection of the Maitreya ProjectChinese nameTraditional Chinese舍利 or 舍利子Simplified Chinese舍利 or 舍利子TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinsheliTibetan nameTibetanར ང བས ལ TranscriptionsWyliering bsrelVietnamese nameVietnameseXa lợiKorean nameHangul사리Hanja舍利TranscriptionsRevised RomanizationsariJapanese nameKanji仏舎利HiraganaぶっしゃりTranscriptionsRomanizationbusshariBuddha relics from Kanishka the Great s stupa in Peshawar Pakistan now in Mandalay Burma Teresa Merrigan 2005 Contents 1 Terminology 2 Pearl like sariras 3 Scientific analysis 4 Documentary films 5 In Javanese language 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksTerminology editSariraḥ pronounced ɕɐɽiːɽɐh means body in Sanskrit When used in Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit texts to mean relics it is always used in the plural sariraḥ The term ringsel is a loanword from the Tibetan ར ང བས ལ ring bsrel Both of these terms are ambiguous in English they are generally used as synonyms although according to some interpretations ringsels are a subset of sariras Sarira can refer to Dharmakaya sarira which are sutras as told by the Buddha According to Ding Fubao s Dictionary of Buddhist Terms a Dharma body sarira is the Sutra as told by the Buddha That which is unchanging in what is told by the Buddha is of the same property as the essence of the Buddha himself hence it is called the dharma body sarira Remains of the Buddha or other spiritual masters either cremated remains or other pieces including a finger bone or a preserved body similar to the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox incorruptibles Broken body sariras refers specifically to cremated remains When used without qualification it generally refers to the pearl like remnant of a master left after cremation Pearl like sariras edit nbsp They divided sariras and carried it to their kingdoms Illustration by HokusaiAlthough the term sarira can be used to refer to a wide variety of Buddhist relics as listed above it is generally used to refer to pearl or crystal like bead shaped objects that are purportedly found among the cremated ashes of Buddhist spiritual masters These objects are considered relics of significant importance in many sects of Buddhism since they are believed to embody the spiritual knowledge teachings realizations or living essence of spiritual masters They are taken as evidence of the masters enlightenment and spiritual purity Some believe that sariras are deliberately left by the consciousness of a master for veneration and that the beauty of the sariras depends on how well the masters had cultivated their mind and souls Sarira come in a variety of colours and some are even translucent Sariras are typically displayed in a glass bowl inside small gold urns or stupas as well as enshrined inside the master s statue Sariras are also believed to mysteriously multiply while inside their containers if they have been stored under favorable conditions Saffron threads are sometimes placed within or around the bowl containing individual sarira as an offering In the Korean Samguk yusa it is said that the monk Myojong received a sarira from a turtle which caused others to treat the monk better 3 The occurrence of sarira is not restricted to ancient times and many Buddhists have shown that sarira are not limited to humans or masters Many texts of Pure Land Buddhism report sariras of many adherents some occurring recently Some Buddhists associate a student s spiritual life with the amount and condition of the sarira they leave after cremation Many Pure Land Buddhists believe Amitabha s power manifests cremated remains into sarira Many claim that pearls of sarira rain at the funerals of eminent monks There are reports that sarira may appear multiply or disappear depending on a keeper s thoughts One s vow may also be important One legend holds that the translator Kumarajiva wanted to demonstrate that his translations were not false as a result his tongue remained intact after cremation citation needed Scientific analysis edit nbsp Relics of the Buddha in a temple in Thailand There is evidence that under certain conditions of heating human bones can form crystalline structures 4 In one chemical analysis sariras were found to be composed of the constituent elements of both bones and stones 5 Documentary films editPearl relics are documented in the 2008 film Unmistaken Child among the cremation ashes of Geshe Lama Konchog In Javanese language editJavanese has a strong historical bond with the Hindu tradition and Sanskrit liturgical language Sarira is also used in Archaic Kawi Javanese preserving its original meaning of body or human body The word also finds its way into the modern Javanese language as slira with the same meaning Sliramu strictly translated as your body and sliraku strictly translated as my body are usually used in poems or songs to replace you and I respectively The word is not common but is used in both oral and written contexts See also editCetiya Burmese pagoda Rainbow body Relics associated with BuddhaReferences edit Maha parinibbana Sutta Martin Dan September 1994 Pearls from Bones Relics Chortens Tertons and the Signs of Saintly Death in Tibet Numen 41 3 274 doi 10 2307 3270352 JSTOR 3270352 Il yeon Samguk Yusa Legends and History of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea translated by Tae Hung Ha and Grafton K Mintz Book Two page 100f Silk Pagoda 2006 ISBN 1 59654 348 5 Holden J L Phakey P P Clement J G June 1995 Scanning electron microscope observations of heat treated human bone Forensic Sci Int 74 1 2 29 45 doi 10 1016 0379 0738 95 01735 2 PMID 7665130 A Brief Introduction of Forshang World Foundation Forshang org Retrieved 2012 12 12 External links editSariras Ringsels and Mummies side by side comparison between ringsels and gallstones Archived 2009 08 31 at the Wayback Machine Relics of Buddha Sacred Buddhist Relics Religion amp Ethics NewsWeekly Episode no 711 MIT News Buddhist relics WNET New York Maitreya Relic Tour Sarira collection Buddhist relics collection Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sarira amp oldid 1205891648, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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