Religion: Bone of Buddha

In a crystal globe the size of a golf ball in a small gold pagoda in a large black onyx pagoda on a table in the second-floor study in a house in San Francisco last week rested a tiny object the size of a rice grain. Bishop Kenju Masuyama and two priests, their hands clasped, meditated before it, chanting softly in Japanese. The tiny pellet, they believed, was an authentic bit from the bones of Buddha,* only one in the U. S. Bishop Masuyama, head of the Buddhist Church in North America (12,000 members),...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!