MANDALAY, Myanmar, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Buddha sacred tooth
relic was re-conveyed to China Saturday after concluding 48- day's
public obeisance in Myanmar's three major cities -- Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon
and Mandalay.
The Chinese tooth relic will be brought back from Mandalay's Maha Atulawaiyan Pagoda to Beijing's Lingguang Temple in China.
Myanmar held a grand ceremony at the Mandalay International Airport
to send off the tooth relic in accordance with Buddhist practice and
national characteristics.
The Buddha sacred tooth relic was seen off by Myanmar Minister of
Religious Affairs U Myint Maung, Mandalay Chief Minister U Ye Myint,
Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Li Junhua and other high government
officials, Chinese representatives, representatives of Buddhist circle
and followers at the airport.
Returning along with the special aircraft which carried the sacred
tooth relic was a Chinese Buddhist delegation led by Jiang Jianyong,
Deputy Minister of State Administration for Religious Affairs of China.
Myanmar Minister of Religious Affairs U Myint Maung told Xinhua that
the conveyance of the Buddha sacred tooth relic to Myanmar has promoted
friendship between the two countries and the two peoples, adding that
Myanmar people also wished China-Myanmar friendly relation to be firm in
the future.
He also conveyed words of thanks to China which provided such
opportunity of paying homage to the Buddha sacred tooth relic from China
for Buddhist disciples in Myanmar now.
More than three million Buddhist devotees have paid homage to the
Chinese Buddha Sacred Tooth Relic conveyed to Myanmar from China, he
said.
The relic was conveyed from Beijing's Lingguang Temple to Nay Pyi
Taw's Uppatasanti Pagoda as the first leg of the conveyance on Nov. 6
and kept in Yangon for 16 days until Dec. 7 for the second leg and then
the relic was taken to Mandalay's Maha Atulawaiyan Pagoda for 16 more
days as the final leg of the conveyance from Dec. 8 until Dec. 23
totaling 48 days.
At the invitation of successive Myanmar governments, the Chinese
Buddha sacred tooth relic had been conveyed to Myanmar three times in
1955-56, 1994 and 1996-97 respectively.