Lord Buddha's sacred finger to be enshrined in Republic of Korea

ROK BEIJING, Tuesday (Xinhua) A relic believed to be the sacred finger of Sakyamuni Buddha will be enshrined in the Republic of Korea (ROK) for 42 days since Nov. 11 in, according to a press conference jointly held by China and ROK Buddhist associations here. Believed to be one of the fingers of Buddha, the 2,500-year-old bone is currently kept at the Famen Temple in Xi'an, capital of west China's Shaanxi province.

It had been lying in obscurity in a secret underground chamber for more than 1,100 years. It will be the fourth time for the bone to be worshiped outside the Chinese mainland after worships respectively in Thailand in 1994, Taiwan in 2002, Hong Kong in 2004.

This display will be the first appearance of the relic in ROK, which is expected to usher in peace and calm for the locals.

Describing this display as one of the most important religious exchanges between China and ROK, Xue Cheng, abbot of Famen temple, said "The display will further enhance the traditional friendship and understanding between the people and Buddhists of the two countries."

The ROK organizers had delivered an application for the relic display in 2004 via the China Buddhist Association to the State Council, or the Chinese cabinet, and got approval later. The ROK organizers said they will provide security documents signed by its government and make a detailed plan to ensure the display carried out smoothly.