{"id":4659,"date":"2010-01-05T23:04:10","date_gmt":"2010-01-05T15:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/?p=4659"},"modified":"2010-01-05T23:05:41","modified_gmt":"2010-01-05T15:05:41","slug":"analysis-of-relics-exhibition-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/2010\/01\/analysis-of-relics-exhibition-controversy\/","title":{"rendered":"Analysis of ‘Relics Exhibition’ Controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

From http:\/\/groups.yahoo.com\/group\/DharmaNews\/message\/5321<\/a> :<\/em><\/p>\n

Controversy Over Display of Buddhist Relics<\/strong><\/span>
\nYen Feng, The Straits Times, 2 January 2010<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Five prominent Buddhist groups yesterday distanced themselves from an exhibition on Buddhist relics<\/span> and artefacts, currently drawing thousands of visitors at the Suntec Convention Centre. The groups – which included Singapore’s biggest Mahayana Buddhist temple, the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery – ran a notice in Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao yesterday. The notice said the groups “did not organise devotees” to be part of the International Buddha’s Relics Arts and Cultural Exhibition<\/span>, which opened on Wednesday. The move followed a full-page advertisement placed in the same newspaper on Tuesday by the exhibit’s organisers, the Singapore Kadhampa Buddhist Association.<\/p>\n

The advertisement listed devotees from the five temples among more than 50 organisations who are supporting the exhibition. Leaders of Kong Meng San and Singapore Buddhist Lodge said the advertisement was misleading.<\/span> “We are not involved in the exhibition,” said Mr Lee Bock Guan, the lodge’s chairman. When contacted, Mr Teng Tong Hai, the Kadhampa Buddhist Association’s chairman, said the advertisement pointed to “Buddhist friends” of the five groups, and not the groups themselves. “But in any case, I don’t understand the need for such divisions between Buddhist groups here,” he added.<\/p>\n

The display of the relics – known as she li<\/em>, bead-like objects believed to be found in the cremated remains of revered monks – has drawn thousands of Buddhists and curious non-believers alike to the exhibition. Dr Tansen Sen, head of the Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, said Buddhists believe she li<\/em> to be sacred objects<\/span>, a belief that is more than 2,000 years old, and one both devotees and monks hold dearly. “After Buddha’s death, devotees believe this is the closest they can get to being in the presence of the Buddha,” said Dr Sen, whose research focuses on intra-Asian interactions.
\n
\nNotes:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Is it not basic inter-organisational courtesy to seek approval before any other organisations’ names are published?
\n2. Was permission to list the organisations not sought because there was no confidence that it would be given?
\n3. Is listing of the organisations without permission to increase undue endorsement of the event and its organisers?
\n4. Is it not beyond question that the five prominent groups are not “Buddhist friends” of the organisation?
\n5. If none of the so-called “Buddhist friends” (if any) represent the five groups officially, why list the groups’ names?
\n6. If there is no “need for such divisions between Buddhist groups”, why list so many other groups?
\n7. Devotion to the Buddha’s true relics began around 2,500; not 2,000 years ago.
\n8. Diligent practice of mindfulness of Buddha can get one even closer to his presence in this life and the next.<\/p>\n

Related Articles:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Drop in visitors at Buddhist event after row<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.asiaone.com\/News\/AsiaOne%2BNews\/Singapore\/Story\/A1Story20100104-189560.html<\/a>
\nDalai Lama Tells Followers to Steer Clear of Relic Show<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.buddhistchannel.tv\/index.php?id=57,3522,0,0,1,0<\/a>
\n(Kadhampa Buddhist Association is linked to Gelugpa Buddhist Association)<\/span><\/strong>
\nDalai Lama’s office disapproves Singapore Expo on “Buddhist Relics”<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.buddhistchannel.tv\/index.php?id=57,3486,0,0,1,0<\/a>
\nFrom HH the Dalai Lama’s Private Office<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.casotac.com\/CASonline%20Articles\/02122006.html<\/a>
\nMalaysian Buddhist Coordination Committee disapproves \u201cRelics Expo of the Buddha & His Chief Disciples\u201d<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.buddhistchannel.tv\/index.php?id=56,3303,0,0,1,0<\/a>
\nKhensur Rinpoche Clarifies<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.casotac.com\/CASonline%20Articles\/23122009_2.html<\/a>
\nDesecrating the Dharma<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.casotac.com\/CASonline%20Articles\/23122009.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From http:\/\/groups.yahoo.com\/group\/DharmaNews\/message\/5321 : Controversy Over Display of Buddhist Relics Yen Feng, The Straits Times, 2 January 2010 Five prominent Buddhist…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[268],"tags":[470],"class_list":["post-4659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-happenings","tag-relics","wpcat-268-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4659\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}