Sacred buddha's tooth relic brought to thailand

[Sawatdee]

Sacred Buddha's tooth relic brought to Thailand from China
Associated Press, Sun Dec 15, 4:22 AM ET

BANGKOK, Thailand - One of two remaining tooth relics believed to be from Buddha arrived in Thailand Sunday from China to be enshrined for 76 days in honor of the Thai monarch's 75th birthday.

Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai went to China Saturday to bring back the relic, which was received at the airport by Deputy Prime Minister Visanu Krua-ngam, Chinese Ambassador Yang Ting-ai, and other senior officials.

The relic is a Chinese national treasure, having been in that country for almost 2,000 years, according to a Thai government statement.

Scores of yellow-robed Buddhist monks chanted hymns with their hands folded as navy personnel carried the tooth — kept in a jewel- adorned case encased in a glass cabinet — out of the Thai air force plane.

The event was broadcast live on national television.

From the airport, the relic was carried in a grand procession to the Royal Plaza in the old quarters of Bangkok.

Parades of floral floats, lion dancers, Thai classical dancers and a brass band were to accompany it later Sunday from the Royal Plaza to Buddha Monthon, a Buddhist center in Nakhon Pathom province, 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Bangkok, where it will be enshrined until Feb. 28 for public viewing.

It is believed that only two tooth relics of Buddha remain, the other being enshrined in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Thailand temporarily enshrined another relic from China, a finger bone believed to be from Buddha, in 1995, a Foreign Ministry official said.

In addition to commemorating King Bhumibol Adulyadej's birthday, which falls on Dec. 5, the loan of the relic is meant to promote bilateral ties.

Many Thais are strong believers in Buddhism.

[Anna]

OH MY WORD!!!!!!!!!& #33;! I GOT TO SEE THISS!!!!!! Wow.. hey is the buddha Indian or some sort of other Asian decent?? Since we were studying about Buddhism and I'm brainwashed LOL hahahhaha.. I wasn't quite sureee... I think it said something that the Buddha was from a very rich family, but then again he wanted to go see outside the world.. you know denying himself food, etc. I believe this was in India too!!!!!

[Makiy0]

Buddha was Aryan, if I don't remember wrongly. He came from a rich family but gave up everything to experience birth, aging, sickness and death at the commoner's level. And in so doing attained Nirvana. He was of Aryan decent, born in North India. That explains his rather fair skin.

[Anna]

Oh yeahhhhh noww I remember!!!!