The Buddha's Relics Stolen!

Okay, how low is low. Go lower. Much lower.

Just how bad would bad be? I think this is worse.

Philosophical questions, which somehow fit to this story as it's a unique story for the depravity of man.

These aren't some relics about The Buddha. The word Relic here is in the proper religious sense. This WAS THE Buddha. At least, a part...and someone stole it/Him!

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian officials say a golden urn containing what are considered to be remnants of the Buddha's body has been stolen from its shrine near the capital.

Has man no shame whatsoever? Perhaps, more importantly, just what Karma might these thieving people expect to come their way? I mean this the kind of karma where a little asteroid comes out of nowhere, and just enough survives reentry to brain ya as you stroll down the street. That kind of Karma.

..I'm just trying to think. What actually IS worse than stealing a part of The Buddha?

National Police spokesman Kirt Chantharith said the theft was discovered Tuesday when a guard found the lock to the shrine's door had been destroyed and the urn removed.

He said police questioned 13 of the shrine's guards and detained six as suspects, but that authorities had no information on the relics' whereabouts.

Source

I'm no FBI Agent or other professional, but I'm going to say that isn't sounding good for the Urn or the thieves to still be around. I can only guess the 5th Amendment isn't a highly respected principle in Cambodia. Particularly when you've stolen ..ahem.. this item.

I've got to admit, this is a laugh or cry story, and in no humor.

It's just so wrong on so many levels, it's hard to sort reactions?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


There was so much greed just after Buddha died (I checked his history when I was a buddhist decades ago)... Everyone was arguing about to whom the relics were to go... It took another buddhist to make these buddhist realize that it was not about the guy's physical relics, but his teachings were alot more important.

And here they are at it again.

Nice avatar BTW!

Wrabbit2000
What actually IS worse than stealing a part of The Buddha?

I think you're overreacting by stating how very, very, very, very low this is.


I realize people ascribe certain residue energy (sacredness) to relics of the enlightened, but at the end of the day, its just pieces of body or matter and not who the Buddha IS.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


A Christmas gift for the man who has everything?

I remember when each Catholic church had a little glass container which held a splinter of "the true cross". Never heard of any of those being stolen, but I wouldn't be surprised. Hopefully the person that took the relics of Buddha will have second thoughts after a guilt-induced nightmare or something and return them unharmed (unless it was a thief who wanted the urn they were held in to melt down for metal-cash).

reply to post by Skyfloating


In a way, I certainly see your point. The Buddha Himself is not alive within the Relics, however a Faith views them. That's not where I look real real real low.

Imagine the mindset it took to sit around come up with breaking into the Temple which, according to the story, 10's of thousands attended for the moving of this Urn to that location from the Capital, and then stealing the Urn? They also described the lock being ruined to get entry, so hardly done with the gentle hands of religious people wanting it for their own, I'd think.

The first thing I thought of to compare in my own mind before bringing the story over were the Relics of Catholic Saints. How would the Church react or simply Faithful of the Church it happened at? Those would be Saints. Imagine it being a Relic of Jesus. Isn't The Buddha of similar importance? (I'm not through comparative religions yet. Thats next spring...so a serious question I'm not at all sure on for that in Buddhism?)

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


The question is: how do you go about fencing this thing. "Hey, would you like to buy the mortal remains of the Buddha?" Sad to say, I suspect they were stolen for some sort of magical ritual; just the sort of superstitious nonsense the Buddha was trying to get rid of!

Buddha himself probably wouldn't care what happened to them.
But I can see why Buddhists wouldn't be happy about it.
It's human nature to want to keep the relics nearby.

Bad karma.

Add this to the desecration and destruction of the Buddhist statues in Afghanistan for the last 20 years. What a show of ignorance. Buddhists tend to be non-confrontational and non-violent, so it is even more sad to see the ignorant of the world destroying their monuments.

reply to post by DJW001


I was thinking the same thing. Speaking about the many Thai buddhist I know, they put alot of energy into protection from evil spirits. There is ALOT of blackmagic here in Thailand and the rest of south-east Asia. I remember back in Jan./Feb. 2010 there was fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops on the disputed border area that is home to an ancient hindu temple. The Thai commander was on the news one night passing out "protection necklaces" to his young troops who were honestly scared $h!tless because the Cambodian army were conjuring up some nasty blackmagic against them. Anyway I recon it was probably stolen for ritual purposes like you said., ain't nothing better to keep away spooks then a slice of the good guy in a necklace. Still, it is regretful but not the lowest of the low. Two words regarding the lowest of the low. Jimmy Savile.

Peace.

Whoever stole the items, is in for a world of bad karma. Never, ever steal sacred items. The negativity attached is very great. Your thoughts alone "stick" to the object. The spirits watch your every move.

Why would people care about the remains of Buddha. Siddhārtha Gautama did his mission and gave the message he should. Because of his teachings (and others teachers) people all over the world can break thru the illusions and feel the light/chi from any spot on the planet.

It is the people who are divine. Not the physical bodies they temporary uses. That people care about the physical so much shows that they are not paying attention to the message and what it teaches

swanne
It took another buddhist to make these buddhist realize that it was not about the guy's physical relics, but his teachings were a lot more important.

Exactly my thought. It's sad that when it comes to pointless idolatry, many Buddhists are no better than other religious people, like Christians, who will venerate relics and pray to idols even when the founders of their religions specifically told them such things were useless. Human beings just love things, and symbols, I guess.

Buddha's sandal strap? Burn it. Or better yet, ignore it. Why bother being like the Taliban? Just... transcend.

Wrabbit2000
Imagine the mindset it took to sit around come up with breaking into the Temple which, according to the story, 10's of thousands attended for the moving of this Urn to that location from the Capital, and then stealing the Urn?

They were all foolish. The robbers, the worshippers, and even the person who ultimately buys the urn on the black market. None of it has value, except what they place on it. It's hard to make people realize their own foolishness, though. They have to figure it out on their own.

Double post

LittleByLittle
reply to post by Ranong

 

The belief of being protected manifests protection.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


And yet...
Here we forget everything he tried to teach us, and show anger of the theft of inconsequential material remains, when it is the immaterial that is most important. Sure the man was wise and enlightened but taught that enlightenment comes form within, and chose not to write his wisdom down as each man must search their own heart for truth, and truth learned from within is more powerful then fact taught from without.

His remains are no more then carbon dust, from whence we came, and forth we will all return. It was therebefore the man and will be their after, it is his spirit and ideas, his fingerprint on the world that can never be stolen, never lost, or destroyed, that matters most. For once something comes to be it may never be undone.

So show no anger for this theft gains the thieves nothing when the material value is removed by the many, and wish no harm to others as we wish no harm to ourselves, as the thought of action leads to the act of action when rehearsed by the minds eye.

reply to post by Blue Shift


When put that way, absolutely nothing in the world has any value, save for food you require, water you drink and shelter to maintain life when a small band of our planet actually supports human life without that.

If we aren't trying to be quite that simple though, the Relics of Buddha or the Catholic Saints are of incalculable value to those who follow the teachings of any given religion. It's not unlike those almost all of us have lost and mourned over our lives and many, of not most still visit grave side for, from time to time.

They don't live in a cemetery and who knows, in this life, what became of them? It's all about what gives life texture and makes it living, not merely surviving though. This whole concept of value to things which aren't required to sustain our lives. It's all about quality of living and sense of contentment while doing it.

For some, Buddhism gives all of that and more.

I wonder what do the thieves have in mind to do with these relics?
Sell them perhaps?
Use them in some occult right?
Or is this an organized inside job by some other sect of Buddhist who want the masters remains for their group?

Wrabbit2000
reply to post by Skyfloating

 

In a way, I certainly see your point. The Buddha Himself is not alive within the Relics, however a Faith views them. That's not where I look real real real low.

Imagine the mindset it took to sit around come up with breaking into the Temple which, according to the story, 10's of thousands attended for the moving of this Urn to that location from the Capital, and then stealing the Urn? They also described the lock being ruined to get entry, so hardly done with the gentle hands of religious people wanting it for their own, I'd think.

The first thing I thought of to compare in my own mind before bringing the story over were the Relics of Catholic Saints. How would the Church react or simply Faithful of the Church it happened at? Those would be Saints. Imagine it being a Relic of Jesus. Isn't The Buddha of similar importance? (I'm not through comparative religions yet. Thats next spring...so a serious question I'm not at all sure on for that in Buddhism?)

last paragraph. can't figure out how to bold, yet.

people are stealing the cross all the time.

the saints would be bad and criminal, like this was, but nothing like the cross.

people come here and steal the buddha trees.

they over water them in india.

NWO?

Wrabbit2000


The first thing I thought of to compare in my own mind before bringing the story over were the Relics of Catholic Saints. How would the Church react or simply Faithful of the Church it happened at? Those would be Saints. Imagine it being a Relic of Jesus. Isn't The Buddha of similar importance? (I'm not through comparative religions yet. Thats next spring...so a serious question I'm not at all sure on for that in Buddhism?)

I agree with you that its low behavior and really bad karma for the thief to steal relics from Buddha or from Saints. I just dont think its any skin off Buddhas nose who blissfully encompasses whole Universes .

Yeah...didnt mean to downplay it with my last post. There are worse things though...murder for instance. Well..you asked "is there anything lower?".