Materials: Thai Rice Relics. Relics. Worship. Offerings

Size: Jar. Each bead is approximately 0.2-0.5 cm

Description:

The Role, Origin, and Stories of Thai Relics in Buddhist Rituals

In Thai Buddhist tradition, "Rice Relics" refers to "Saririka-dhatu," or simply "relic." These are the most symbolic of Buddhist sacred objects, originating from the hard crystals left behind after the cremation of the remains of Gautama Buddha or eminent monks. As a major center of Theravada Buddhism in Southern Asia, Thailand's relic worship is deeply influenced by Sri Lanka. Since ancient times, relic relics have been considered the "second body" of the Buddha, not only a core belief but also a symbol of social ritual and culture. The following details their role in Buddhist rituals, their origin, and the associated legends.

#### The Role of Relics in Thai Buddhist Ritual

Thai relics are considered the embodiment of the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, representing eternal awakening and compassion. Offering them is like seeing the Buddha in person, bringing good fortune, warding off disasters, purifying the body and mind, and helping practitioners develop right view, suppress karmic obstacles, and ultimately lead to nirvana. In rituals, they play multiple roles, primarily in temple offerings and festivals:

- **Symbolism and the Core of Offering**: Relics are enshrined in a stupa or cetiya, the body of which symbolizes the center of the universe (such as Mount Sumeru) and commemorates the four sacred sites of the Buddha's life (birth, enlightenment, preaching of the Dharma, and nirvana). Offerings are divided into "Misapuja" (offerings of flowers, incense, gold leaf, candles, etc.) and "Pattipattipuja" (offerings of practice through chanting, meditation, and observing the precepts). For example, at Phu Khao Thong in Bangkok, devotees circumambulate the pagoda daily, applying gold leaf and offering flowers to pray for spiritual purity and increased merit.

- **Purification and Auspicious Rituals**: The most common ritual is the "relic bathing" ceremony, in which the relic or stupa is cleansed with perfume, flower petals, or clean water. This ritual is often performed during Songkran or Visakha Bucha Day (commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and nirvana of the Buddha). Sprinkling water on devotees after the bath symbolizes the cleansing of sins and the ushering in a new life. During royal ceremonies, such as those during the Rama Dynasty, national processions were held, with the relic carried on floats or boats to ward off disease and pray for peace and prosperity.

- **Averting Evil and Personal Practice**: In Lanna tradition, devotees worship specific stupas based on their zodiac signs (e.g., those born in the Year of the Rat worship Phra Dhatu Si Jom Thong in Chiang Mai) to ward off bad luck. Relics of eminent monks, such as Phra Ajan Mun, are often made into amulets to strengthen the mind of those who observe the precepts. Rituals emphasize sincerity: if the heart is impure, the relics will "disappear" or fail to perform miracles; conversely, they can emit light and change color, strengthening collective faith and social harmony.

These roles not only strengthen individual practice but also foster community unity. For example, in Nakhon Si Thammarat, during the "cloth procession to the pagoda" ritual, a thousand yards of cloth are circumambulated around the pagoda every year on the full moon day, symbolizing the endless cycle of merit.

The Origin of Relics

The origin of relics can be traced back to the Buddha's Nirvana, and later spread to Thailand through history. According to the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, before his death in Kusinara, the Buddha vowed that his body would be transformed into bean-sized crystals, which would be broken apart and offered to the world, thus cultivating the seeds of enlightenment for all beings. After Nirvana, his body was bathed in fragrant waters and wrapped in multiple coffins. During cremation, no ash was produced, leaving only the pure "body," which solidified into relics like butter dissolving.

**Origin and Classification**: Relics are divided into "fragmented body relics" (Vippakinnadhatu, scattered offerings) and "complete body relics" (Navippakinnadhatu, intact remains). The former includes seven categories, such as skull bones, tibia bones, and Buddha teeth; the latter are complete remains. They are categorized by shape into three types (rapeseed-sized, jasmine bud-colored, broken rice-sized, pearl-colored, and bean-sized, golden-pink). This was later expanded to six colors (including pink, red, and red jade). Their unique properties include being as light as if weightless, buoyant, possessing strong suction, able to coalesce into clumps, and luminous and color-changing. They originate from both arahants (such as the round, long, white, and yellow relic of Sariputra) and eminent monks (such as the round, multi-colored relic of Phra Ajan Mun).

**History of the introduction of Buddhist relics into Thailand**: Thailand was anciently known as the "Golden Land" (Suvarnabhumi). Relics were first introduced to Thailand by a nine-way missionary group sent by King Ashoka (3rd century BC). The eighth group, carried by the elders Sona and Uttara, was housed in Phra Prathom Chedi, the earliest stupa in Thailand, influenced by the Sanchi stupa of India. The Sukhothai Dynasty (from 1238), inspired by Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka, built numerous stupas, such as the ancient stupas of Lopburi and Ayutthaya. Modern reinforcement: King Rama II (1810-1817) received a gift of relics and a bodhi tree from the Sri Lankan Supreme Patriarch; King Rama V (1868-1910) first obtained the tooth relic of the Buddha (1877, enshrined in a golden stupa), and later the Piprahwa relic (1898, excavated from the ancient Piprahwa stupa in India and confirmed to be the Buddha's true body. The relic was then paraded through Trang Province for offerings, enshrined in a golden stupa in 1899, and distributed to Myanmar and Sri Lanka). In 2007, Sri Lanka again donated a relic to Wat Prayoon, where the temple's original relic was accidentally discovered. These events established the relic's veneration in Thailand, which has become a national treasure and is now practiced by both the royal family and the people.

Future prediction: In the 5000th year of the Buddhist calendar (approximately 2400 years remaining), the relics will be assembled into a Buddha statue, which will perform the final sermon and then disappear (Dhātu-Parinibbāna), symbolizing the rise and fall of Buddhism.

Related Stories

Thai relic worship is steeped in legend, blending scriptural accounts with folk miracles to enhance its sacredness:

- **Legend of the Buddha's Nirvana and Distribution**: While suffering from dysentery, the Buddha journeyed to Kushinagara. Ananda pleaded three times for his release, but the Buddha refused, ordering a burial according to the king's rites. King Malla's cremation attempt failed, but the gods stopped the fire and waited for the Venerable Kasyapa, who arrived to complete the process after the arrival of five hundred arhats. Seven kings besieged a city to claim the relic. A Brahmin surnamed Xiang persuaded the king to divide it into eight parts (one for each of Magadha and eight other kingdoms). Two other kingdoms used the vase and ashes to build pagodas, resulting in the "Ten Kingdoms, Ten Pagodas" (ten pagodas). King Ashoka later collected the relic and built 84,000 pagodas, disseminating the Dharma along nine routes, including the Thai route.

- **Royal Miracles Introduced to Thailand**: In 1047, King Phra Jao Atit chased a crow to Haripunchai Pagoda and saw the relic radiating six colors of light. He then built a pagoda to enshrine it. In 1384, King Somdej Phra Ramesuan witnessed the relic's apparition at Wat Mahathat, strengthening the faith. When King Rama V welcomed Piprahwa's relic during a procession through various regions, believers saw it glowing and considered it a sign of national prosperity.

- **Modern Miracles of Birth and Death**: During an interview, one monk saw nine relics multiply into over a hundred; another saw eight turn into nine and grow larger. A laywoman prayed for a Buddha statue and received three relics to offer to a monk. The monk vowed to meditate until dawn and received multicolored relics (the door was locked and no one entered). Conversely, those who made no offerings saw the number of relics decrease from 30-40 to 18, a reminder to maintain mindfulness. The relics at Phra Mahathera Sresattha Ratcha Juramanee in Sukhothai once emitted yellow, red, black, green, and white light, like a river of lightning. During the bathing of the seven relics at Wat Phra Kaew, six-colored light emanated from the Buddha statue (hair, face, etc.).

These stories are not only entertaining but also teach that sincere offerings bring blessings, while blind faith leads to loss. The cult of relics in Thailand has had a profound influence, influencing art (such as stupa construction) and customs (such as the worship of the zodiac sign), and continues today in temples like Wat Dhammakaya, emphasizing morality and unity.

In short, Thai relics are more than just relics; they are living bridges of faith, connecting the past and present, the individual and the universe, and guiding believers towards liberation through ritual and story.