Beliefs and Worship the Buddha’s Relics of Buddhists in Lan Chang

Abstract

The purpose of this article is as follows: 1) to study the relic of the Buddha and the way of relic worship, 2) to explore the faith and worship of Lan Chang Buddhist people toward the Buddha’s relics and 3) to analyze the faith and worship of Lan Chang Buddhist people toward the Buddha’s relics. This Qualitative Research using Participant Observation and In-depth Interviews.

             The results revealed that the term ‘relic’ contains two contexts, that is to say, the context of the noble person’s relics and the reliquary’s place. In term of the noble person, it focused on a person who had already attained enlightenment, especially, relics of Lord Buddha. The historical background of the relic had been found in the Mahaparinibbàna Sutta (Discourse on the Great Final Deliverance), after the creation of the Buddha, His relics were distributed to many countries in order to enshrine in a stupa and for the sake of Buddhists to reflect on the virtue of the Buddha. The Buddha’s relic may be generated by two ways, viz. worship or honoring with material things and worship or honoring with practice. It is considered as the beginning of stupa construction and the worship of the Buddha’s relic in Buddhism.  

          According to the Lan Chang region, there is a principle of stupa construction and worship of the relics based on the traditional beliefs or animism and the Buddhist doctrine, which created the belief, concept, purpose of worship relics transformed into engagement with the holiness.

          Unquestionably, the Buddha’s relics are valuable to the Lan Chang Buddhists, namely religious values, social values, economic values, and mental value. The change of beliefs, concepts, aims and ways of worshiping cause an impact on the principle of worshiping relics. Therefore, the principle of faith, the right understanding of Buddhist doctrines and the appropriate practice of relic worshiping are needed to combine with the traditional belief.  In addition, it should educate the Buddhist people to worship the Buddha’s relic by the practical worship.