[Buddha-l] seeking the Pali and Sanskrit term for "holy/ religious/ sacred objects"

[jehms_pop.xs4all.nl]

>===== Original Message From Buddhist discussion forum 
<buddha-l at mailman.swcp.com> =====
>Hi folks
>Seeing as the list is quiet lately, perhaps this would be the time to
>make an inquiry of those with a background in Sanskrit and /or Pali....
>
>I'm seeking the terms for "holy/ religious/ sacred objects"... Some
>context might help:
>
>
>But what I am looking for is a term that could encompass all of the
>objects that certain forms of Buddhism deem to have purifying spiritual
>powers. In FPMT Buddhism (my area of anthropological research relates to
>the Great Stupa they want to build in Australia, and more generally the
>role of Buddhist sacra in the spread of Buddhism in the contemporary
>world using this particular case study), Lama Zopa urges his followers
>to sponsor, construct etc "Holy Objects" (including stupas, prayer
>wheels, statues etc).
>
>(For a bit of background, Zopa is often quoted as saying things like,
>"the world needs more holy objects" and "The continued existence and
>flourishing of the teachings of the Buddha depend upon the continued
>existence of the holy objects of Buddha"; "Construction of the
>[Maitreya] statue is not the goal - it is the method for achieving the
>goal. The goal is to benefit as many people as possible for as long as
>possible.")
>
Hi Sally,
for what it's worth, in my experience Tibetans have always been obsessed by 
stones and buildings and land. So they're good in converting stones. If this 
is a general Buddhist thing is doubtfull, considering the amount of effort the 
Buddha himself put into building and statues. Even among Buddhist masters in 
India the percentage of (free) masons is remarkably low. The Buddha had 
dicovered that the easiest way to influence peoples minds is to talk to them. 
Maybe this is an art which has been neglected in Tibetan folklore.;)
For this reason I think that findign a common name for holy things is 
extremely difficult, because there is no common concept.

erik

groet

erik