Maitreya Relics Tour Comes to PSU

On Fri., Oct. 5th, the Maitreya Heart Shrine Relic Tour opened in the HUB to the public. Sponsored by Ending Genocide Around the World (EGAW), the exhibit was on display until Sun., Oct. 7th. The Maitreya Heart Shrine Tour shows the relics of 49 Buddhist masters, including those of the Shakyamuni Buddha, who is known to have been the Historic Buddha.

The Maitreya Heart Shrine Relic tour has been traveling the world since 2001, being seen by more than 1.6 million people worldwide and traveling to 67 countries. Started by the Lama Zopa Rinpoche, he has collected the relics from many fellow Buddhist masters. This includes a donation from the Dalai Lama, who offered 8 relics from his personal collection to the tour.

Kobit Beaver, a senior studying Philosophy, was heavily involved with the project and explained what the relics are. "In the Buddhist and Hindu tradition, people are cremated. When the Buddhist masters die, the body is reduced to ash. Monks then sift through their remains, and rarely, there are pieces of them left behind, sometimes pieces of bone, sometimes little pearls that were not destroyed during the cremation. These are the relics you see here."

Nate Chopoorian, a senior and member of EGAW, remembered how moved he was when he saw the tour last year in Worchester, Massachusetts. "I remember thinking, 'man, I hope that this comes back to Worchester.' When Kobit talked about it coming to Plymouth, my initial thought was, "that would be really cool.'"

Amanda Russell, one of the curators for the tour, explained what the purpose of the tour was. "This is no attempt to convert anyone to Buddhism. This is to offer a place of sanctuary to everyone, that way, they can see their inner selves, and be able to love and forgive themselves. Before we can generate a world of love and kindness, we must be able to love and be kind to ourselves."

When asked about the authenticity of the relics, Beaver did admit that there is not a 100% guarantee that many of the older relics are the remains of the masters. But, they are still regarded as being holy. "Considering that the Dalai Lama provided the relics of the Historic Buddha, it gives some credence to what is happening with this tour. I've never heard anybody question his authority on the matter." But Beaver also stated that those doubts exist with any religious tradition. "How can we be sure of anything?"

EGAW and the Tour were incredibly grateful  for the community's involvement. "We invited the Episcopal Church, they were interested in helping out. And the local Catholic diocese was represented by PSU's Kathy Tardiff," said Beaver. "In actuality, I have not known anyone involved in this project who is actually a Buddhist. There was a great deal of interfaith participation, and that is the Maitreya Tour's goal. However, all of these traditions have the same goal of creating a kinder and more loving world."