The sacred relic believed to be the finger of Sakyamuni Buddha was returned to the Chinese mainland via Hong Kong yesterday after a 37-day stay in Taiwan, where it was worshipped by crowds of devout followers.

All the bells at Buddhist temples on Taiwan rang out at 8:00 am when a chartered plane carrying the relic of the Buddha took off from Kaohsiung International Airport in southern Taiwan after an early-morning farewell ceremony attended by tens of thousands of pious Buddhists.

In a gesture of respect, a Buddhist delegation from Taiwan headed by Dharma Master Hsing Yun of the Foguangshan Monastery escorted the relic all the way to Hong Kong, following it in a separate chartered plane.

From Hong Kong, the precious relic was brought back to Famen Temple where it was unearthed in 1987 from a secret underground cell after lying in obscurity for more than 1,100 years.

The relic, displayed at various locations around the island province of Taiwan, attracted approximately 4 million visitors.

The display has been a big event in Buddhist circles on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and its significance surpasses the religion itself, said a Xinhua commentary.

The devout worshipping of the relic shows the deep inspiration of the Chinese, it said.

This also shows that the two sides of the Taiwan Straits need more exchanges, which promote cordial feelings between the two sides.

(Xinhua News Agency March 31, 2002)