Today one of my more pious colleagues brought to the office a gold dish containing the relics of various arahants (including Mogallana) and Pratyekabuddhas for everyone to pay their respects to. Apparently, she is a follower of a meditation monk and the relics come to him while he is meditating.

I questioned her pretty closely about this. Apparently the monk can determine exactly whose relics they are and he gives them free to disciples. The idea is to purify one's mind by paying respects to the relics. They didn't look like anything special to me - not shiny or having a regular shape, as I'd expected.

I wonder if this materialization of relics is something unique to Thailand or Theravada Buddhism?

Apparently, the monk's name is Phra Tawin at Wat Paowana.

Today one of my more pious colleagues brought to the office a gold dish containing the relics of various arahants (including Mogallana) and Pratyekabuddhas for everyone to pay their respects to. Apparently, she is a follower of a meditation monk and the relics come to him while he is meditating.

I questioned her pretty closely about this. Apparently the monk can determine exactly whose relics they are and he gives them free to disciples. The idea is to purify one's mind by paying respects to the relics. They didn't look like anything special to me - not shiny or having a regular shape, as I'd expected.

I wonder if this materialization of relics is something unique to Thailand or Theravada Buddhism?

I went to a stupa concecration in Nepal in a Tibetan monastery and it was a HUGE affair. There were hundreds of Tibetans lined up to touch their heads at the relics from the ashes of a deceased teacher which was to go in the stupa. Everyone was taking it very seriously. I know every stupa in Tibet has som relic of some kind in it and they are revered highly in their form of Buddhism.

Relics in Tibetan Buddhism tend to come from the ashes of great teaches and meditators. Students look through the ashes and regularly jewel like objects are found. I can't remember off the top of my head the name of these relic jewels. They are usually placed inside stupas and are highly venerated. I've never heard of monks being passed relics during meditation before but I'm not saying it doesn't happen else where as well.