Buddha's Tooth Headed for Taiwan
Saturday, March 28, 1998; 5:11 a.m. EST
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- Taiwan's politicians are hoping a 2,000-year-old tooth believed to have belonged to Buddha will bring good luck to the island after a string of aviation disasters and corruption scandals.
Vice President Lien Chan and Premier Vincent Siew will be in attendance for the arrival of the tooth from India on April 9, the government said today.
The relic, one of three teeth that Buddhists say were found after the cremation of Buddha, will stay in Taiwan as a guardian of the nation.
Twelve senior Tibetan monks will escort it from a temple in India, which decided to give the tooth to Taipel out of fear it could no longer protect the relic from vandalism.
Wu Poh-hsiung, an adviser to the president, said he believed the tooth would help wipe out dark clouds from recent air disasters that have killed 217 people and from political scandals that have resulted in the convictions of scores of officials.
BUDDHA'S TOOTH TO BE ENSHRINED ON TAIWAN
Taipei, April 6 (CNA) Presidential adviser Wu Poh-hsiung will lead a 160-member delegation to Thailand on Tuesday to receive a tooth of Buddha and bring the precious relic of the founder of Buddhism to Taiwan for worship.
Wu, a devout Buddhist and leader of the Chinese branch of the International Fokuang Association, was assigned by Master Hsing Yun -- founder of the organization and of Fokuangshan, an important Buddhist temple in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan -- to lead the historic voyage.
A Tibetan Buddhist master living in exile in India who has been the keeper of the tooth, the most sacred object in the Buddhist world, decided to give it to Master Hsing Yun, whose International Fokuang Association is the world's largest Buddhist organization.
Wu will receive the tooth in Bangkok, where a large-scale worship service featuring prayers for peace will open on Wednesday, Buddha's birthday. The relic will arrive in Taiwan the following day, according to Wu.
Fokuangshan will build a stupa on the island to enshrine the precious relic, he said.
Wu told CNA on Monday in Taipei that many of the island's heavyweight political figures -- including Vice President Lien Chan, Premier Vincent Siew, Taiwan Provincial Governor James Soong and ministerial-level officials -- are expected to be present at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport on Thursday for the arrival of the holy tooth. (By Elizabeth Hsu)
DELEGATION LEAVES FOR BANGKOK TO ESCORT BACK TOOTH OF BUDDHA
Taipei, April 7 (CNA) Master Hsing Yun left for Thailand on Tuesday at the head of a delegation of more than 170 people to escort back a tooth of Buddha, marking the most important event in decades in the Buddhist sector in Taiwan.
Master Hsing Yun, founder of Fokuangshan, an important Buddhist temple in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, stressed at Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) International Airport prior to departure that the true meaning of venerating the holy tooth is to learn the wisdom, mercy and morality of the Buddha, adding, "The tooth won't relieve Taiwan of misfortunes unless people make their own efforts."
Presidential Senior Adviser Wu Poh-hsiung, leader of the Chinese branch of the International Fokuang Association and a member of the delegation, responded to criticism that too many political figures were taking part in the event by saying that everyone in Taiwan enjoys religious freedom. He also expressed the hope that the enshrinement of the holy tooth on Taiwan will help people enrich their spiritual lives.
Kaohsiung Mayor Wu Den-yih and former Control Yuan President Chen Li-an are also members of the delegation.
The tooth, one of three left on earth after the cremation of Buddha, had been kept by a Tibetan Buddhist master living in exile in India. When Master Hsing Yun visited India in February, the Tibetan offered to give the precious relic of the founder of Buddhism to Taiwan.
The donation ceremony will be held in Bangkok on Wednesday, Buddha's birthday, at a large-scale worship service featuring prayers for luck and peace. Master Hsing Yun, the mayor of Bangkok and an important Thai Buddhist figure will speak at the ceremony, in which prayers will be read in Mandarin, Thai and Tibetan.
When the delegation returns to Taiwan on Thursday, the holy tooth will be received with a solemn and magnificent ceremony at CKS International Airport. Vice President Lien Chan, Premier Vincent Siew and Taiwan Governor James Soong, along with more than 10,000 others, are expected to take part in the ceremony, in which 200 long-haired female virgins will scatter flowers and place their hair on the ground to show their highest respects to the holy tooth.
Later in the day, the tooth will be brought to the site of the Feb. 16 crash of a China Airlines plane near CKS International Airport for a service to seek luck for the residents of the area and to bring peace to the souls of the 202 victims of the crash, the island's worst aviation disaster.
The holy tooth will then be placed in a temporary altar in front of eastern Taipei's Sungshan Train Station for three months in order to provide local followers a chance to venerate it. The tooth will then be moved to Fokuangshan until a temple is built in suburban Taipei to house it.
The specific location of the temple has not yet been decided upon. (By Lin Wen-fen)
Taiwan to Obtain Holy Tooth
Tuesday, April 7, 1998; 2:37 a.m. EDT
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- Despite China's objections, a Taiwanese delegation left for Thailand today to bring home a 2,000-year-old tooth believed to have belonged to Buddha.
Several Tibetan monks took the relic -- originally kept in a temple in Tibet -- out of China in the 1970s during the Cultural Revolution, a violent 10-year campaign that left many temples in ruins.
The aging Tibetan monks recently decided to give the relic to Taiwan, and it will be housed in the Fu Kuang Temple in the southern city of Kaohsiung.
The tooth is one of three Buddhists say were found after cremating Buddha. The others are in Beijing and Sri Lanka.
Thai authorities have resisted Beijing's pressure to send the relic back to China, said Hsin Yun, master of the Fu Kuang Temple.
Taiwanese politicians have said they hope the relic will bring peace to Taiwan after a string of corruption scandals and aviation disasters that have killed more than 200 people this year.
The comments have set off criticism that officials were being superstitious.
Wu Poh-hsiung, a delegate and an adviser to President Lee Teng-hui, said the move to bring back the tooth for worship was to ``purify the public mind polluted by greed,'' not to keep away disasters.
Tuesday April 7 1998
Big welcome prepared as tooth truth unresolved (from Hong Kong Standard)
JASON BLATT in Taipei Curiosity and controversy over a 2,000-year-old relic widely believed to be a tooth of the Buddha raged in Taiwan yesterday as preparations were made for its arrival on the island.
The tooth has become the focus of widespread attention since Fokuangshan, a major Buddhist group, said it would build a new permanent home for the sacred relic in the north.
While doubts lingered over whether the relic was genuine, more than 100 politicians, business tycoons and religious figures eagerly joined a "welcoming delegation" set to fly to Bangkok today to receive the tooth from India.
The delegation was being led by senior presidential adviser Wu Poh-hsiung. President Lee Teng-hui, Premier Vincent Siew Wan-chang and other leaders will either greet the relic's arrival in Taipei on Thursday or go to see it later.
Mr Wu said the tooth's authenticity was irrelevant. "Whether the Buddha's tooth is genuine or phoney completely depends on how it is thought of and seen in people's hearts," he said.
Master Hsing Yun , head of Fokuangshan, said the tooth would go on display for a month in Taipei, then be taken to the group's Kaohsiung headquarters for safekeeping before its new home was built.
He denied claims Fokuangshan had paid a lot for the tooth, saying it had nothing to do with money.
The tooth was not a wondrous cure for the social ills and disasters that had recently plagued Taiwan, but a potential catalyst for people to contemplate their own spirituality and morality, he said.
Delegation off to Thailand for holy tooth
from CHINA NEWS, 08 April 1998
Despite objections from Beijing, a Taiwan Buddhist master left for Thailand yesterday to prepare to receive what is believed to be Buddha's tooth and escort it back to the island. Master Hsing Yun, whose Fokuangshan temple will reportedly house the tooth, headed a delegation of over 170 devotees which included some high-level politicians. The tooth, dating back 2,000 years, is believed to be the Buddha's. Several Tibetan monks took the relic-originally kept in a temple in Tibet-to India in the 1970s during China's Cultural Revolution. The aging Tibetan monks recently decided to give the tooth to Hsing when he visited India in February, fearing they may no longer keep it from vandalism. It had been taken to an undisclosed safe place in Thailand to await delivery to Taiwan. The relic is one of three teeth Buddhists say were found after cremating Buddha. The others are in Beijing and Sri Lanka. Taiwanese politicians have said they hope the tooth could bring peace to Taiwan after a string of corruption scandals and aviation disasters that have killed more than 200 people this year. The comments have set off criticism that officials were being superstitious. Wu Poh-hsiung, a delegate and an adviser to President Lee Teng-hui, said the move to bring back the tooth for worship was to "purify the public mind polluted by greed," not to keep away disasters. He also expressed the hope that the enshrinement of the holy tooth on Taiwan will help people enrich their spiritual lives. Kaohsiung Mayor Wu Den-yih and former Control Yuan President Chen Lu-an are also members of the delegation. The handover ceremony will be held in Bangkok today, Buddha's birthday, at a large-scale service featuring prayers for luck and peace. Hsing, the mayor of Bangkok and important Thai Buddhist figures will speak at the ceremony in which prayers will be read in Mandarin, Thai and Tibetan. When the delegation returns to Taiwan tomorrow, the holy tooth will be received with a scheduled ceremony at the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport. Copyright 1998 China News
TRAFFIC CONTROLS TO BE IMPOSED FOR ARRIVAL OF BUDDHA'S TOOTH
Taipei, April 8 (CNA) Roads surrounding Sungshan Train Station in suburban Taipei will be closed to traffic for one-and-a-half hours Thursday afternoon to help deal with the crush of people expected to attend a religious assembly nearby.
A sacred Buddhist relic -- a tooth of Buddha -- will arrive in Taipei from Bangkok on Thursday. More than 10,000 Buddhists from around the island are expected to gather that afternoon at Fokuangshan Temple's branch near the station to pay homage to the tooth, a spokesman for Taipei City's Bureau of Transportation said.
The area near the station along Sungshan Road, Sunglung Road, Yungchi Road and Hulin Street will be closed to normal traffic from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., the spokesman said.
According to the bureau, at least 15 cars will escort the holy relic of the founder of Buddhism from Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taoyuan to the gathering site, following Hsinyi Road, Sungteh Road, Yungchi Road, Chungpo North Road and Sunglung Road.
Traffic controls will also be imposed wherever and whenever necessary along the procession route, the bureau added.
The tooth of Buddha Sakyamuni, reportedly one of three left on earth after his cremation, had been kept by the Tibetan Buddhist master Kuanga Dorje Rinpoche, who has been living in exile in India since mainland China's decade-long Cultural Revolution, which began in 1966.
He offered to give the sacred Buddhist relic to Master Hsing Yun, whose Fokuang organization has branches in around 89 countries and areas in the world, during the latter's visit to India in February.
According to a statement from a group of Tibetan Buddhist masters, including Kuang Dorje Rinpoche, Hsing Yun was chosen to take over the most precious object in the Buddhist world because of his wisdom and compassion, as well as his great contribution to Buddhist activities worldwide and his promotion of exchanges between different sects of Buddhism.
The other two teeth are separately enshrined in Sri Lanka, a southern Asian country that has Buddhism as its state religion, and in mainland China. (By Elizabeth Hsu)
BEIJING, April 8 (AFP) - China on Wednesday threw cold water on Taiwan's excitement over providing a shelter for a precious relic said to one of Buddha's three surviving teeth, claiming the tooth was a fake. "The two teeth remaining in the mortal world are currently enshrined and worshipped in Sri Lanka and Beijing," charged a spokesman for the Beijing-based Chinese Buddhist Association (CBA), according to Xinhua news agency. It is generally believed that three of Buddha's teeth survived him according to Buddhist scriptures. The third tooth, found in the ashes after Buddha's cremation, was smuggled out of Chinese-ruled Tibet to India during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). "The existing teeth enshrined in Sri Lanka and Beijing have been long recognized as those of the Buddha, while the third tooth fails to meet the aforementioned criteria," the unnamed spokesman said, claiming there was a lack of historical documents proving the existence of a third tooth. "Generations of Dalai and Panchen Lamas have never mentioned the existence of such a tooth in the region. We have no idea where the third Buddha's tooth originates," said the spokesman. Tens of thousands of devout Buddhists are expected to turn out to greet the tooth's arrival when it is flown from Bangkok to Taiwan Thursday. Dignitaries greeting the relic will include Buddhist Premier Vincent Siew. The Buddhist relic will be displayed for three months in a Taipei temple before being moved to a permanent facility in the southern city of Kaohsiung. The tooth was flown from India to Thailand, which was chosen for the presentation ceremony because it is a Buddhist nation seen as relatively friendly to Taiwan. There are no direct flights to Taipei from India where the tooth has been since it was smuggled out of Tibet.
BANGKOK, April 9 (AFP) - A rare Buddhist relic, a tooth of the Lord Buddha, was flown from Bangkok Thursday morning on a charter flight for Taiwan, having drawn crowds of thousands during its brief stopover here. Airport officials said the tooth -- believed to be one of four recovered from Buddha's ashes after his cremation in India more than 2,500 years ago -- was being accompanied by a delegation of Taiwanese Buddhists. Some 10,000 people visited a park here Wednesday for a glimpse of the tooth after it arrived from India where it had been held since being smuggled out of Tibet during China's 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. Tens of thousands of people including Taiwan Premier Vincent Siew are expected to greet the tooth's arrival in Taipei where it will first be taken to the scene of a February China Airlines crash where prayers will be said for 202 people who died. It will be displayed for three months at a Taipei temple before being moved to the southern city of Kaohsiung. Religious texts say that of the four teach recovered after Buddha was cremated the "emperor of the sky" took one, and the other three went to China, India and Sri Lanka. China on Wednesday claimed the tooth going to Taiwan was a fake.
Taiwanese Welcome 'Holy Tooth By Annie Huang
Associated Press Writer
Thursday, April 9, 1998; 3:14 p.m. EDT
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- Singing hymns and praying for peace and luck, thousands of Buddhists greeted a holy tooth believed to have belonged to Buddha when it arrived in Taiwan on Thursday.
Monks in saffron robes escorted the tooth, encased in a miniature golden pagoda, off a flight from India. Dozens of women prostrated themselves and spread their long hair over a red carpet. Others knelt in rows, clasping their hands in front to express their reverence.
The ceremony at Taipei's international airport was one of the largest religious events in Taiwan. A quarter of Taiwan's 21 million people are Buddhists.
Buddhists say the tooth, one of three reportedly found after Buddha was cremated 2,400 years ago, brings blessings for those who live where it is housed and keeps them from disaster.
Taiwan needs those blessings. The island has recently been hit by a string of high-profile violent crimes, corruption scandals and aviation disasters, which have killed more than 200 people this year.
At the airport ceremony, politicians were among followers who bowed three times before an altar where the tooth sat amid a cloud of incense smoke.
``We pray for your merciful blessings,'' Premier Vincent Siew said in a prayer to Buddha. ``Give our country prosperity, let us have propitious winds and rains, bring the people plenty of food and clothes and let us have peace and harmony in our society.''
Wu Poh-hsiung, an adviser to President Lee Teng-hui, said worshipping the tooth was ``by no means superstitious,'' but would help people ``draw strength from religious belief.''
The comment was apparently an effort to counter public criticism that government leaders were resorting to religion to solve Taiwan's problems.
Several monks paraded the tooth in front of four China Airlines planes after the ceremony and sprayed holy water at the planes in an attempt to confer safety on the flagship carrier.
The monks later escorted the tooth to the spot near the airport where a China Airlines plane crashed in February, killing 202 people. They prayed for the victims' souls.
The tooth has added a strange twist to the longtime rivalry between Taiwan and China.
Buddhist monks in India who gave the relic to Taiwan say they got it from a temple in Tibet in 1968 when China was in the throes of the Cultural Revolution, 10 years of violence that killed millions and left temples in ruins.
Master Hsin Yun, whose Fu Kuang Temple will house the tooth, said China tried to stop the tooth from coming to Taiwan.
On Wednesday, China's official Xinhua News Agency quoted a Buddhist official as questioning the authenticity of the tooth. The official said only two of Buddha's teeth had been found -- one in Beijing, the other in Sri Lanka, he said.
BUDDHA'S TOOTH ARRIVES IN TAIWAN
Taipei, April 9 (CNA) One of Buddha's teeth arrived at Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) International Airport in Taoyuan, northern Taiwan, on Thursday under escort of a 223-member mission.
Premier Vincent Siew, along with numerous heavyweight political figures and celebrities -- including Legislative Yuan President Liu Sung-fan, Examination Yuan President Hsu Shui-teh, Interior Minister Huang Chu-wen and TV star Pai Ping-ping -- were present at the airport to greet the arrival of the relic of the founder of Buddhism.
In a 70-minute welcoming ceremony, Siew paid homage to the sacred Buddhist relic and prayed to it for the prosperity and peace of the country.
He then gave a brief speech, praising Buddha's renunciation of fortune and position to seek ultimate truth and salvation.
The premier said the truths that Buddha found not only show that all humans are equal but also reveal how to live a better life.
After the ceremony, the holy tooth was brought to the site of the Feb. 16 crash of a China Airlines aircraft in Taoyuan near CKS airport for a service to seek luck for the residents of the area and to bring peace to the souls of the 202 victims of the crash, the island's worst aviation disaster. (By Elizabeth Hsu)
TAOYUAN, Taiwan, April 9 (AFP) - A relic believed to be one of the Buddha's teeth was flown in to Taiwan Thursday to be worshipped by thousands of Buddhists. People lined Taipei's streets to welcome the tooth believed to have been recovered when the Buddha was cremated in India more than 2,500 years ago. It was carried in a sedan chair by 12 followers to a temple in the city. Earlier some 20,000 people turned out at the airport to welcome its arrival. It is to find a permanent home on the island. With solemn Buddhist music playing, the sacred relic enshrined in a golden case was brought to a makeshift site where it was worshipped by thousands of Buddhists. Dozens of Buddhist women lay prostrate on the ground to show devotion. "With our hearts most touched, we welcome the arrival of Buddha's tooth," said Premier Vicent Siew at the welcoming ceremony. "With its arrival, we hope to implement Buddha's teachings ... We hope to increase our wisdom, and let us be enlightened," he said. The relic arrived from India after a brief stopover in Bangkok, where it drew a crowd of 10,000. It was reported to have been held in India since being smuggled out of Tibet during China's 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. Religious texts say that of the four teach recovered after the Buddha was cremated, the "emperor of the sky" took one, and the other three went to China, India and Sri Lanka. Master Hsing Yun, the abbot of Fokuangshan Monastery in the southern county of Kaohsiung, read a short prayer calling on people "to love each other and for society to be ever more harmonious." Also on hand to welcome the supposed relic were parliamentary speaker Liu Sung-pan and other senior government and parliament officials. Master Hsing Yun invoked the holy tooth to pray for the souls of 202 people who died on February 16 in Taiwan's worst aviation disaster, when a China Airlines plane crashed into a row of houses next to the airport. The relic will be displayed for three months in a Taipei temple before being moved to a permanent facility in the southern county of Kaohsiung, where it is to be supervised by a 32-member Buddhist committee. A poll of 718 residents by the China Times Wednesday showed 32 percent sounded positive when asked for their opinion on the Buddhists' eagerness to roll out the red carpet to welcome the tooth. Fourteen percent disapproved while the remainder had no opinion. Some 26 percent said political figures were entitled to participate in the ceremonies, citing freedom of faith, but 39 percent opposed active involvement by political figures in the event. On Wednesday China sought to dampen Taiwan's excitement over the relic by saying it was a fake. "The two teeth remaining in the mortal world are currently enshrined and worshipped in Sri Lanka and Beijing," said a spokesman for the Beijing-based Chinese Buddhist Association, according to Xinhua news agency. But Master Hsing Yun said at the Taipei ceremony, "there are different theories about the number of surviving teeth. Some say there are three or four, while others say there are more. "But no one said (until Wednesday) that there are only two." China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province and works hard to block it gaining a standing on the international stage. Earlier Thai newspapers said members of Thailand's royal family and top government officials failed to pay homage to the tooth during its brief stopover in Bangkok, which the papers said was an unusual sign in the traditionally devout Buddhist country. The Buddha's tooth in Sri Lanka made headlines in January, when Tamil Tiger separatists bombed the 16th-century temple housing it, killing 17 people.
Taiwan Spurns China's Tooth Relic Controversy
TAIPEI -- (Reuters) Taiwan's Buddhist leader on Thursday dismissed China's questioning of the authenticity of the third tooth relic of Lord Buddha, saying it was not worth arguing over the issue.
"For a wonderful thing like this, it is meaningless to argue over what exactly is real and what is false," Master Hsing Yun told reporters in Taipei after escorting the tooth relic from Thailand to Taiwan.
Hsing Yun, leader of the 6 million-member Fukuangshan Temple, said the sacred tooth had been widely worshipped and admired.
"Some say the Lord Buddha had left four teeth, some say three. How can you tell which is real and which is false?" he said.
China, Taiwan's rival since a 1949 civil war split, on Wednesday said the so-called third tooth of Buddha, given to Taiwan by Tibetan Buddhist Rinpoche Kunga Dorje, lacked proper scriptural verification.
"We have no idea where the third Buddha's tooth originates," Xinhua news agency quoted a spokesman for the state-controlled Chinese Buddhist Association as saying.
The association said there were only two verifiable teeth of the Buddha and they resided in Beijing and in Sri Lanka.
Taiwan on Thursday welcomed the tooth relic with a fervent reception that critics charged was intended to divert public attention from a spate of violent crimes and air disasters.
Government officials, led by Prime Minister Vincent Siew, and more than 10,000 worshippers bowed as the holy tooth was carried out of a China Airlines Airbus A300-600 -- the same model that crashed on Feb. 16, killing 202 people.
Taiwan has been plagued by violent crimes since November 1996, including the murder of a local government head and the kidnap-murder of the teenage daughter of a popular actress.
Recently it has been hit by a spate of aviation accidents, including the China Airlines disaster and the crash of a local Formosa Airlines on March 18 that killed 13. ( (c) 1998 Reuters)