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In Buddhism, there is a kind of Dharma transmission object and belief subject called relics.
It is rumored that only monks with complete merits will have relics at the time of cremation, is this a hoax?
In this article, we will stand on a scientific perspective and use scientific dialectical techniques to verify what the relics are.
In many cultural stories, "relics" have always been a sought-after object, why is this so?
Relic, also known as Shiliro, is also called Tuodu, which is a sacred relic translated from Indian culture, according to the Chinese translation, it is a relic, a body, and in more detail is bone residue and bone fragments.
Combined with many legends and stories, it refers to the supreme treasure of Buddhism formed by the body of a monk who has attained the Tao when he dies.
Buddhism believes that relics are the accumulation of merits that have been passed down after reincarnation and reincarnation, and the folk believe that only by abstaining from sexual immorality and desire can people be full of spirit and spirit, and condense into pearls after death.
Unlike most people, who think of strange forces and disturbing the gods, Buddhism believes that relics are purely material, but are the products of meritorious practice.
So do you know where the relics come from?
In the era when science was not yet developed, relics carried various legends.
It is rumored that the birth of a relic is often a story of hardship and danger, and the flesh becomes a Buddha.
The Birth of the Relic (Legend)
Legend has it that more than 1,000 years ago, a monk who called himself Kumarayan came to practice in the Kashmir region of India.
At the same time, the king of the eastern kingdom of Qiuzi has a sister named Jain, who is cold by nature and has a noble status, and countless suitors have been rejected by her, and now she is over twenty years old and still alone, and the king has nothing to do with her.
Jaiva had a dream during the night in which she saw a man, and at first, Jaiva had no clue about this strange dream.
But not long after, when Jaiva saw the dusty Kumarayan, the figure of the man in the dream and the man in front of him coincided, and Jaiva understood everything completely.
Jain begged her brother to marry him to Kumarayan, and although Kumarayan was a monk, he tried to persuade him to return to the world.
After that, the princess Jaina and Kumarayan sat opposite each other in the city for five days, without a drop of water or rice, and on the sixth day, Kumarayan opened his eyes and accepted Java.
In the second year of their marriage, the two gave birth to a child named Kumarosh.
Kumarosh was born with a wise root, and at the age of 6 he was able to discuss wisdom with people from all walks of life. Let everyone be amazed.
So, when Kumarosh was 7 years old, Jainva took him to become a monk and practice with him, but Kumaroyan did not keep him, and the mother and son walked together on the path he had come.
At the age of 20, Kumarosh returned to his hometown, and at this time he had already built his own body of knowledge, from astronomy to geography, and for a time people from almost all the surrounding countries came to seek knowledge.
When Emperor Fu Jian heard that this man was able to rule the countries of the Western Regions, he decided to "invite" this saint to come and sit down.
He ordered people to attack, broke the country of Qiuzi, and captured Kumarosh alive, after which Kumarosh came to the Central Plains.
Six years after he was captured alive, Kumarosh was not only familiar with the culture of the Central Plains, but also passed on his knowledge to many students.
When Emperor Yao Qin heard about this, he snatched Kumarosh from Fu Jian's army.
This time, Kumarosh was finally able to impart wisdom with peace of mind, and he went north to the Qinling Mountains in the southwest, opened a Buddhist altar, and translated the Buddhist scriptures of the Western Regions to the Central Plains.
The well-known Buddhist language of "Amitabha Buddha" and "color is emptiness is color" were translated by Kumarosh.
After many more years, Kumarosh said to his disciples, I am about to leave, and if everything I say is correct, then my tongue will be preserved.
There is no doubt that after Kumarosh's death, his tongue became a relic, the only tongue relic in the world.
To this day, this precious tongue relic is kept in the Kumarosh Monastery in Gansu Province.
This is how the legendary relics were born.
In the same way, from a scientific point of view, do you know what relics are?
Scientific Analysis: What is a Relic?
The relics are the crystals left after the cremation after the death of a person, which is different from the ordinary cremation of the remains, the relics are not only different in form, ever-changing, and the colors are also diverse, varied.
What's going on here?
Previously, we told the story of the origin and birth process of the relics based on the history of Buddhism, and according to them, this color is the product of the high monks' compassion and good deeds.
But then, let's take a good look at the structure and formation of relics from the perspective of objective science, and explore how this holy relic was born and how it exists.
From a material point of view, relics are a mixture of organic matter and minerals, such as calcium and phosphorus, which are commonly found in bones, and amino acids in human organs.
Scientists have conducted a detailed and accurate chemical analysis of the most famous relics in Buddhism.
It was found that the quartz content in the relics pagoda was the highest, and there were a series of local ore materials such as mica and feldspar remaining.
Scientists deduced that this special composition was related to the local geographical environment, and the doped substances changed the optical properties of the relics, showing a special luster and color.
Considering the artificial involvement of the components, this may be related to its defective internal crystal structure.
From a biological point of view, the relics were born in the flesh of a high monk, and material analysis also suggests this.
According to the report, in addition to the common ore elements, the relics also contain a large amount of keratin, which is widely distributed in various tissues and organs of the human body, and is mostly seen in nails and hair.
Not only that, but the rest of the proteins were high in sulfur-containing proteins, which also suggested that the skin tissue may have originated from the monks.
Of course, the role of relics also has a bit of psychological effect in it.
As early as the beginning of the century, scientists pointed out that the influence of psychology on people's behavior and activities is even greater than that of external objective conditions.
Therefore, it is not surprising that there is a certain psychological effect in the sacredness and purity of the relics.
So, now that we know the composition of the relics, how did the relics come about?
In fact, the composition of relics is no different from the composition of ordinary ashes.
Under high temperatures, the organic and carbon components in the bones of the body are completely burned and fused to form a stronger organic product, which becomes ashes.
At this time, if the heating continues, the ashes will be melted and reshaped again to form a stronger tricalcium phosphate.
If the temperature is to be added, then the tricalcium phosphate will be completely melted and formed, and after cooling, various "relics" with different glass shapes and different shapes will be formed.
Crystal clear and shiny, the relics have become a holy relic left by high monks.
But what about the diverse colors of the relics?
In fact, during the cremation process, if some other pigments are added, the relics will also show different colors and luster.
The relics that appear in this way are often also sacred and solemn symbols.
Since there is a scientific explanation for relics, why can't ordinary people give birth to relics?
In fact, the reason is very simple, that is, the temperature of ordinary crematoriums is far from enough, and bright relics cannot be born.
Conclusion
Now, the relics have been interpreted more scientifically and rationally.
However, the legend behind the formation of the relics has not changed, and in troubled times, bodhicitta and compassion are for all peoples.
These positive, uplifting, beautiful, and loving virtues represent the condensed relics, which are the most important and valuable treasures in Buddhism.
But we should also know that in modern society, many deified and spiritualized objects have been given relevant scientific explanations.
It can be seen that the progress of science has always illuminated the progress of mankind, and with the progress of science, many phenomena can also be explained clearly.
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Information sources:
1. Hou Huiming. "On the Rise and Popularity of Relic Worship in China - Also on the Buddha's Finger Relics in Famen Temple"
2. Ren Jin. The Origin and Spread of the Buddha Relic Belief in China
3. National Patent Network - Patent Specification for the Production Method of Relic Seeds