The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1988 page)

 
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see
ZELANTI
.

 
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see
FANG YEN-KOU
.

 
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Christianity
The word is applied to material remains of a
saint
after death, and to sacred objects associated with Christ or with saints. In the W. Church the cult of relics increased enormously, especially during the
Crusades
when quantities of spurious relics were brought to Europe. They were kept in reliquaries (often elaborate, decorated vessels of formalized shape), carried in procession, and believed to have miraculous powers. Relics of martyrs were placed under the altar stones of all Roman Catholic churches until 1969.
Buddhism
The earliest Buddhist relic (
ar
ra
) was the
bo
tree (of enlightenment): trees grown from cuttings or seeds (taken from the original tree under which
Got
ma
achieved enlightenment) became objects of veneration. This reverence involves
circumambulation
(indicating the centre of one's life) and the offering of flowers or water. The development of the
st
pa
included the placing of relics.

 
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see INTRODUCTION.

 
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