Embodying The Dharma: Buddhist Relic Veneration In Asia

Embodying the Dharma Buddhist Relic Veneration in Asia Edited by David Germano and Kevin Trainor EMBODYING THE DHARMA EMBODYING THE DHARMA Buddhist Relic Veneration in Asia Edited by DAVID GERMANO and KEVIN TRAINOR State University of New York Press Published by STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS ALBANY © 2004 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, address State University of New York Press 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207 Production, Laurie Searl Marketing, Susan Petrie Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Embodying the Dharma : Buddhist relic veneration in Asia / edited by David Germano and Kevin Trainor. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-6217-X 1. Gautama Buddha—Relics. I. Germano, David. II. Trainor, Kevin. BQ924.E43 2004 294.3'421—dc22 2003068661 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 for Sonam Anna and Lhamokyi D. G. for Anne and Andrew K. T. CONTENTS Acknowledgments ix ONE Introduction: Beyond Superstition Kevin Trainor 1 TWO Buddhist Relics in Comparative Perspective: Beyond the Parallels John S. Strong 27 THREE Living Relics of the Buddha(s) in Tibet David Germano 51 FOUR Buddhist Relics and Japanese Regalia Bernard Faure 93 FIVE The Field of the Buddha’s Presence Jacob N. Kinnard SIX Signs of the Buddha in Northern Thai Chronicles Donald K. Swearer SEVEN 117 145 On the Allure of Buddhist Relics Robert H. Sharf 163 Contributors 193 Index 195 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank the American Academy of Religion for supporting the Buddhist Relic Veneration Seminar, 1994–1997. Thanks are due, as well, to all the seminar participants, including Yael Bentor, Robert Campany, Steven Collins, Bernard Faure, Charles Hallisey, Jacob Kinnard, Susanne Mrozik, Brian Ruppert, Juliane Schober, Gregory Schopen, Robert Sharf, John Strong, Donald Swearer, and Stanley Tambiah. We would also like to thank Nancy Ellegate, Laurie Searl, and the State University of New York Press for their assistance and the two anonymous reviewers who provided several helpful suggestions for improving the volume. We are also grateful to the University of Vermont Asian Studies Program for their support, and to the University of Virginia and the Tibetan and Himalyan Digital Library for hosting the Buddhist Relic Traditions Web site developed in conjunction with this volume (URL:http://iris. lib.virginia.edu/tibet/collections/religion/relics/index.html). Robert Sharf’s essay, “On the Allure of Buddhist Relics,” was published under the same title in Representations 66 (Spring 1999): 75–99, and is © 1999 by the Regents of the University of California. It is reprinted by permission of University of California Press. An earlier version of Donald Swearer’s essay, “Signs of the Buddha in the Northern Thai Chronicles,” was published in Wannakam Phutasa\sana\ Nai La\nna\ (Buddhist literature in northern Thailand), ed. Phanphen Khru\’ngthai (Chiang Mai: Silkworm