After a farewell ceremony attended by thousands of pious Buddhists, the sacred relic left home with a 75-member welcome delegation from Hong Kong, an escort delegation of 72 and 30 guards from the mainland.

“This is a great event in Chinese cultural history and will evoke enormous repercussions in the mainland and Hong Kong, as well as in the Southeast Asia and other parts of the world,” said Master Xue Cheng, abbot of Famen Temple and deputy head of the escort delegation.

The exhibition of the holy relic, a unique cultural asset and one of China's greatest national treasures, will expand the Buddhist themes of kindness and wisdom, and encourage peace, compassion and unity of the nation, Xue Cheng said.

A welcoming ceremony was held at the Hong Kong International Airport. Venerable Yi Cheng, head of the Buddhist Association of China and Venerable Kok Kwong, president of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association, signed the handing-over agreement for the finger bone and other relics. Then, a gilded bronze stupa carrying the Buddha's finger bone was placed inside the Sarira Pagoda and escorted to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (HKCE) for a thanksgiving ceremony.

Nearly a thousand believers, including primary and middle school students from Buddhist schools, gathered in front of the HKCE and waved banners to welcome the relic while 3,000 devout followers waited inside. Kok Kwong presided over the ceremony as monks offered flowers and chanted scriptures. Kok Kwong wished for a peaceful world, stable society and auspiciousness in all fields.

Chan Kwok-sheung, 66, said, “It's very lucky that Hong Kong can have the chance to receive the Buddha's relic.”

Ms. Cheung, although not a believer, appreciates the rare chance to see the sacred relic. “I hope it will bring Hong Kong auspiciousness, stability and prosperity,” she said.

Disciple Ye said she was moved to see the Buddha's finger bone entering the hall and hopes the arrival of the sacred relic will bring a positive, peaceful and stable Hong Kong.

During the next 10 days, various activities will be held to celebrate the birthday of Sakyamuni, which falls on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, or May 26 this year. In addition to the daily worship services and cultural relics display, there will also be ceremonies such as bowing and making vows, bathing the Buddha statue, proclaiming somebody as a Buddhist and teaching the Buddhist doctrine.

The relic, worshipped by the faithful around the world, is a part of Buddha's remains preserved after he achieved nirvana and was cremated.

Sakyamuni, who was born in 565 BC and died in 485 BC, was the founder of Buddhism. His remains were sent to many places in the world as holy relics for Buddhists to worship. Many believe the finger was brought to China some 200 years after his death.

Famen Temple, in north China's Shaanxi Province, was built some 1,500 years ago to house the sacred relic. In AD 874, the holy relic was sealed in a crypt under the Famen Temple pagoda by order of a Tang dynasty emperor. Since then it had not been seen in public until 1987, when the Shaanxi provincial government cleared the rubble of the pagoda, which collapsed in 1981 amid torrential rains.

This is the third time the relic has left the temple: it was taken to Thailand in 1994 and to China's Taiwan in 2002.

(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency and China.org.cn May 26, 2004)