A finger relic believed to be from the Sakyamuni Buddha nearly 2,500 years old arrived in Taipei yesterday from Xian, China, with an escort of more than 400 Buddhist faithful.
Upon its arrival yesterday morning, the relic was escorted directly from the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport to the National Taiwan University's (NTU) domed stadium at the start of its 37-day tour of Taiwan.
To ensure its safety, the relic was guarded by Taipei City Police, Buddhist elders from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and 84 relic security guards ordered by the Chinese authorities.
Traffic controls were imposed along the route from the airport to the stadium.
More than 100,000 Buddhist followers from across the nation, some standing, some kneeling, crowded along the route to greet the relic as the entourage progressed slowly toward the NTU's stadium.
During the relic-placement ceremony held on the third floor of the stadium, Buddhist Mater Hsin Yun (
"With the presence of the Buddhist finger relic in Taiwan," he said, "I hope that it will help purify people's spirits, cleanse social morals and bring peace to cross-strait relations."
Hsin Yun, who was instrumental in bringing the Buddhist finger relic to Taiwan, opened the ceremony with hundreds of monks chanting.
"[The arrival of the Buddhist finger relic] is a giant religious event in Taiwan," he said. "It calls for the integration and unity of all Buddhist believers across all Buddhist sects."
After its initial exhibition at NTU's stadium from Feb. 24 to 26, the relic, considered by China as a national treasure, will then go on exhibition in other parts of the country.
To maintain order and security at the exhibition of the relic, security guards asked visitors not to bring food, drink or pets into the exhibition. Smoking and chewing gum were also prohibited at the site, as was any kind of picture-taking.
This is the second time the finger relic has left the Famen Temple (
In 1996, the finger relic left China for the first time when it was escorted to Thailand, a Buddhist country, to honor the 50th anniversary of the coronation of King Rama IX Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great.
Buddhists believe the relic to be the only one of its kind in the world.
The relic's itinerary is: Chinkuanming Temple in Sanhsia, Taipei, from Feb. 27 to March 1; Fokuangshan Monastery in Kaohsiung from March 2 to the 14; Taichung City Stadium from March 15 to the 17; Chungtaishan in Nantou from March 18 to the 25; and back to Fokuangshan Monastery on March 26 before it heads back to China on March 31.
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