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Teeth, finger bones and blessings: Buddhist relics inspire belief
The relics, believed to be from the Buddha and Buddhist masters, are displayed annually to inspire faith despite questions about authenticity and reports of counterfeit items.
- On this Lunar New Year, Wei Mountain Temple in Rosemead, California displayed the '10,000 Buddha Relics' donated about 14 years ago, which founder Master YongHua says number far more.
- Believers say relics function as living blessings that can appear, grow or multiply and include shariras linked to Shakyamuni Buddha, who lived about 2,500 years ago.
- The exhibit features tooth and finger-bone relics plus colorful shariras housed in glass display cases and miniature stupas, with some teeth significantly larger than typical human ones.
- The order plans to distribute relics across its dozen centers on five continents, with relics enshrined at the Southern California headquarters on March 21, to inspire faith among devotees.
- Despite devotion, scrutiny and counterfeit markets exist as spiritual leaders avoid testing relics, while 2007 dental experts questioned a large tooth’s authenticity and John Strong documented relic history worldwide.
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources11
Leaning Left6Leaning Right1Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution55% Left
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources lean Left
55% Left
L 55%
C 36%
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