Una colección de reliquias de Buda y de otros maestros budistas ha recorrido durante años muchos lugares del mundo bajo el nombre de ‘Maitreya Heart Shrine Relic Tour‘. Entre los objetos expuestos están las famosas ‘sharira’ (reliquias) o ‘ringsel‘. Se trata de partículas redondeadas de diferentes colores, una especie de piedrecitas, duras y de naturaleza indeterminada. Una vez recogidas, se conservan en relicarios o en ‘stupa’, o dentro de estatuas que después se convierten en objeto de veneración.
Se cree que son la materialización de las cualidades espirituales de compasión y sabiduría del maestro al que pertenecieron. La bendición recibida con estas reliquias, apoyándolas sobre la cabeza, libera al creyente del ‘karma‘ negativo. Estas reliquias reciben veneración en todas las escuelas o corrientes budistas. Según la tradición, las ‘sharira‘ de Buda fueron divididas en ocho partes y distribuidas en otros tantos ‘stupa’.
Buda murió en Kushinagar, en el norte de la India, en el siglo VI a.C. y, según la tradición india, su cuerpo fue incinerado. El monje que hizo la distribución sustrajo un diente y lo escondió en su turbante pero Sakka, el rey de los dioses, se introdujo furtivamente en el turbante del monje para, a su vez, robar el diente y lo transportó en el reino celestial. Por lo tanto en la Tierra sólo quedó uno, el que fue regalado al rey Brahmadatte de Dantapuri, en el estado de Orissa.
Cuando en el siglo XVI las primeras potencias coloniales llegaron a la isla invadieron inicialmente la costa. Kandy, donde estaba custodiado el diente, se encuentra en el interior, en una zona montañosa y no de fácil acceso. Por lo tanto durante un cierto tiempo el diente permaneció tranquilo. Cuando los ingleses llegaron hasta allí destruyendo las defensas de Kandy, lo primero que hicieron fue poner bajo su protección la reliquia. En 1818 comenzó la guerra de independencia durante la cual el diente permaneció durante algún tiempo bajo el control británico. El diente se conserva en un cofre que se abre al público sólo una vez cada cinco años. Cada año, durante el plenilunio entre julio y agosto, se celebra en Kandy la conocida fiesta ‘Esala Perahera‘, que recuerda la llegada a Sri Lanka de la reliquia y que consiste en una procesión de elefantes ricamente decorados, que ha hecho famosa la isla en el mundo. Uno de los elefantes, el más grande, el ‘Maligawa Tuskra‘, lleva un baldaquino con la copia del cofre que contiene el diente.
Pero, por qué existen otros dientes de Buda en el mundo? Kubilai Khan (el Gran Can de Marco Polo) quería poseer una reliquia de Buda y la pidió a Kandy a través de sus emisarios. Con la llegada del comunismo los chinos no le dieron mucha importancia. En los años cincuenta, Birmania pidió prestado a China el diente para una exposición. Los chinos se lo enviaron sin ninguna intención de que le fuera devuelto, pero más tarde, cuando comprendieron la importancia de la reliquia lo reclamaron. Los birmanos, privados de la reliquia, consiguieron una copia (un falso de un falso), para poderlo venerar. Una vez al año el diente (es decir, la copia) se saca de su sagrario en Paungde, se pone en la grupa de un elefante y se lleva en procesión. Esto está considerado como una bendición para todos los presentes.
Actualmente en la India, que es la cuna del budismo -aunque actualmente entre las religiones dominantes de este país el budismo no es una de ellas- es posible hacer el ‘Tour de Buda’ con un tren especial, el Mahaparanirvana Express (Maha = grande), que recorre todos los lugares sagrados ligados a la vida de Siddharta. Saliendo de Delhi podremos visitar Lumbini, donde nació; Bodh Gaya, donde tuvo la iluminación; Sarnath y Rajgir, donde Buda pronunció sus más importante discursos públicos; y Kushinagar, donde murió.
El Stupa de Sanchi es un complejo budista, famoso por su Gran Stupa, en la cima de una colina en la ciudad de Sanchi, en el distrito de Raisen del estado de Madhya Pradesh, India. Se encuentra a 46 kilómetros (29 millas) al noreste de Bhopal, la capital de Madhya Pradesh. El Gran Stupa de Sanchi es una de las estructuras de piedra más antiguas de India y un monumento importante de la arquitectura india. Fue encargado originalmente por el emperador Ashoka en el siglo III a.C. Su núcleo era una simple estructura hemisférica de ladrillo construida sobre las reliquias del Buda. Estaba coronado por el chhatri, una estructura similar a un parasol que simboliza un alto rango, que tenía la intención de honrar y proteger las reliquias. El trabajo de construcción original de este stupa fue supervisado por Ashoka, cuyo esposa Devi era la hija de un comerciante de la cercana Vidisha. Sanchi también fue su lugar de nacimiento, así como el escenario de su boda con Ashoka. En el siglo I a.C., se añadieron cuatro toranas elaboradamente talladas y una barandilla que rodea toda la estructura.
El Stupa de Sanchi construido durante el período Maurya estaba hecho de ladrillos. Borobudur, también transcrito como Barabudur, es un templo budista Mahayana del siglo IX en la región de Magelang, no lejos de la ciudad de Muntilan, en Java Central, Indonesia. Es el templo budista más grande del mundo. El templo consta de nueve plataformas apiladas, seis cuadradas y tres circulares, coronadas por una cúpula central. Está decorado con 2,672 paneles de relieves y originalmente 504 estatuas de Buda.
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Ramagrama stupa is a stupa located in Ramgram Municipality, in the Nawalparasi District of Nepal. 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 purportedly found among the cremated ashes of Buddhist spiritual masters. Relics of the Buddha after cremation are termed dhātu in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta. Śarīra are held to emanate or incite ‘blessings’ and ‘grace’ within the mindstream and experience of those connected to them. Asuka-dera (飛鳥寺), also known as Hōkō-ji (法興寺), is a Buddhist temple in Asuka, Nara. The Buddha Dhatu Jadi is located close to Balaghata town, in Bandarban City, in Bangladesh. Dhatu are the material remains of a holy person, and in this temple the relics belong to Buddha. The footprint of the Buddha is an imprint of Gautama Buddha’s foot or both feet. There are two forms: natural, as found in stone or rock, and those made artificially.
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