Question

I have heard some people say that Buddha relics give some sort of protection. Also that it is good to practice meditation close to them. Do you think this is true?

Answer

I don't have an opinion on this. It may be helpful for all of you to know that many times in the scriptures the Buddha says, "I have no opinion on that." So he's not saying and I'm not saying with the Buddha relics that I think it's true or that I think its not true. If a person has that belief and meditates close to a Buddha relic, maybe it does. But personally I can't say yes or no. For those of you who don't know what relics are - When the Buddha died, they burnt his body, then they collected all the fragments of bone that were still left unburnt, didn't turn to dust yet, little bits that were still left, that's what is called relics. After someone dies they burn the body and little things are left behind. Now there is also the belief that not just bone is left behind but sometimes, you could almost say precious jewels, things that are special. They have the belief that sometimes there are these special little things that if the person was fully enlightened these extra things are in there. Again, I don't know but that's all tied in with the belief about Buddha relics.

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