Human
Buddha’s Skull Found In Ancient Chinese Temple, Archaeologists Claim
Sam D
First Posted: Jul 03, 2016 04:20 AM EDT
A team of archaeologists in China have reportedly discovered a fragment of Buddha's skull, in a stone chest under the ancient Grand Bao'en Buddhist temple in Nanjing. The researchers also found the remains of Buddhist saints, apart from the parietal bone of Buddha.
An inscription found within the chest was reportedly written 1000 years ago by a man named Deming, who wrote, "The Master of Perfect Enlightenment, Abbot of Chengtian Monastery [and] the Holder of the Purple Robe". According to history, Deming got hold of Buddha's bone after his cremation, when the remains of the spiritual leader was preserved and then divided into numerous shares. Furthermore, as per the records left by Deming, China received 19 shares from the remains, and that the parietal bone was contained in the Nanjing temple. According to a report in the journal Chinese Cultural Relics, the bone was found inside a stupa model made of gold, silver and sandalwood, which was covered with gemstones created with lapis lazuli, agate, glass and crystal. Furthermore, images of gods protecting the casket with swords, phoenix birds and lotus designs decorated the stupa model. Incidentally, a stupa is a Buddhist shrine used for meditation. The model of the stupa itself was kept in an iron box, which in turn was contained inside a stone chest, making the discovery akin to opening a Russian doll.
The inscriptions engraved on the stone chest, within which the stupa model was found, indicate that it was made during the rule of Song Dynasty's Emperor Zhenzong, sometime between the 10th to 11th centuries. Additionally, the inscriptions also included the names of people who donated material and money to construct the model, as well as the names of people who carved the chest.
The crypt itself was excavated in between 2007 and 2010 by archaeologists from the Nanjing Municipal Institute of Archaeology. Though the inscription written by Deming, and those found on the chest, imply that the skull bone belongs to Buddha, there is no absolute surety if it actually belongs to the "enlightened one". However, the bone has been treated with great reverence and respect, and entombed in Qixia temple by Buddhist monks since its discovery.
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First Posted: Jul 03, 2016 04:20 AM EDT
A team of archaeologists in China have reportedly discovered a fragment of Buddha's skull, in a stone chest under the ancient Grand Bao'en Buddhist temple in Nanjing. The researchers also found the remains of Buddhist saints, apart from the parietal bone of Buddha.
An inscription found within the chest was reportedly written 1000 years ago by a man named Deming, who wrote, "The Master of Perfect Enlightenment, Abbot of Chengtian Monastery [and] the Holder of the Purple Robe". According to history, Deming got hold of Buddha's bone after his cremation, when the remains of the spiritual leader was preserved and then divided into numerous shares. Furthermore, as per the records left by Deming, China received 19 shares from the remains, and that the parietal bone was contained in the Nanjing temple. According to a report in the journal Chinese Cultural Relics, the bone was found inside a stupa model made of gold, silver and sandalwood, which was covered with gemstones created with lapis lazuli, agate, glass and crystal. Furthermore, images of gods protecting the casket with swords, phoenix birds and lotus designs decorated the stupa model. Incidentally, a stupa is a Buddhist shrine used for meditation. The model of the stupa itself was kept in an iron box, which in turn was contained inside a stone chest, making the discovery akin to opening a Russian doll.
The inscriptions engraved on the stone chest, within which the stupa model was found, indicate that it was made during the rule of Song Dynasty's Emperor Zhenzong, sometime between the 10th to 11th centuries. Additionally, the inscriptions also included the names of people who donated material and money to construct the model, as well as the names of people who carved the chest.
The crypt itself was excavated in between 2007 and 2010 by archaeologists from the Nanjing Municipal Institute of Archaeology. Though the inscription written by Deming, and those found on the chest, imply that the skull bone belongs to Buddha, there is no absolute surety if it actually belongs to the "enlightened one". However, the bone has been treated with great reverence and respect, and entombed in Qixia temple by Buddhist monks since its discovery.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone