Sarira

Various sariras in containers

Sarira ( Sanskrit , Tibetan ringsel) is a name for Buddhist relics . Usually small pearls or crystal-like balls are understood, which, according to Buddhist tradition , can be found in the ashes after the death of a Buddhist master after he has been burned . In various Buddhist traditions, the Sariras are worshiped and they are also assigned special powers.

Emergence

Exactly how the Sariras are formed is unknown. Possible explanations for a natural origin include crystallization of bones when they are burned or remains of kidney stones , gallstones or urinary stones . In addition, it can also be the remains of smaller bones or intentionally or unintentionally artefacts from grave goods or other additions to the cremation. Outside of Buddhism, no attention is paid to such cremation remains ( e.g. concretions ), which is why differences in the number or shape of such formations in different cultures cannot simply be proven.

etymology

The term sarira or “sharira” (शरीर) is a loan word from Sanskrit (Śarīra) and originally means “body”, but was used in Buddhist Sanskrit texts as a term for “relics”. The term "Ringsel" is a loan word from the Tibetan language. Mostly the words Sarira and Ringsel are used as synonyms . The pearls or spheres found after the cremation are only one aspect of the term. It also refers to the mummified remains of important clergymen, as well as ashes and other remains after the cremation. In a figurative sense, in Mahayana Buddhism it can also be understood as the essence of a teaching (Dharma-kāya according to the three-body teaching ).

photos

Sariras of the Supreme Monk Patriarch of Thailand

Container with relics of the Buddha from the Kanischka stupa in Peshawar , Pakistan, now in Mandalay , Burma

literature

Dan Martin: Pearls from Bones: Relics, Chortens, Tertons and the Signs of Saintly Death in Tibet , Numen, Volume 41, Number 3, 1994, pp. 273-324 (52). ( Online )

Web links

Traveling exhibition of Buddhist relics ( Memento from January 15, 2012 in the Internet Archive )

Individual evidence

↑ JL Holden, PP Phakey, JG Clement: Scanning electron microscope observations of heat-treated human bone. In: Forensic science international. Volume 74, Numbers 1-2, June 1995, pp. 29-45, PMID 7665130 .
↑ Sariras: Ringsels and Mummies

[1] JL Holden, PP Phakey, JG Clement: Scanning electron microscope observations of heat-treated human bone. In: Forensic science international. Volume 74, Numbers 1-2, June 1995, pp. 29-45, PMID 7665130 .

[2] Sariras: Ringsels and Mummies