HONG KONG – Tens of thousands of people lined up Thursday to see one of Buddha’s fingers – on loan from China for 10 days – and although they were herded past in a hurry, many said the relic offered Hong Kong fresh hopes for peace and calm.
Margaret Luk’s eyes welled with tears after the 70-year-old retiree spent a few moments gazing at the bone fragment, encased in bulletproof glass.
“I think the finger will protect me through the pains of life,” Luk said, adding that most people aren’t blessed with the chance to see such a sacred relic.
Beijing flew the finger to Hong Kong on Wednesday – when locals were celebrating Buddha’s birthday – for a temporary display that critics call a cynical gesture to score political points.
But China’s officially atheistic Communist government may also have created a brief surge in spirituality in Hong Kong, which has seen its confidence shattered through several years of sluggish economic growth.
“I’m here to feel the peaceful atmosphere, which is very different from all the noise and disputes in Hong Kong,” said 48-year-old accountant Kerwin Leung.
“People of different opinions are turning Hong Kong into a chaotic society. There are too many debates over politics and people’s livelihoods. I hope it will cool down,” said Leung, who found comfort in the finger even though he’s not a Buddhist.
Critics charge that Beijing sent the Buddha finger to calm widespread anger over China’s decision to stifle Hong Kong’s democratic aspirations. The top mainland legislative panel ruled last month that Hong Kong cannot directly choose its next leader in 2007 or all lawmakers in 2008 – stirring fears that Hong Kong’s promised autonomy was being violated.
The Hong Kong Buddhist Association, which helped organize the display, said the finger drew between 50,000 and 60,000 viewers on Wednesday. Thousands more lined up Thursday.
Saffron-robed monks chanted prayers as visitors quickly filed past the finger, being shown with three giant golden Buddha statues as a backdrop.
The finger was brought from Famen Temple near the ancient capital of Xian in central China. It was among Buddhist relics discovered in an underground shelter at the temple in 1987.
Buddha died about 483 B.C. Some historians believe his bones were saved by Indian monks after his cremation and that a few pieces were later brought to China.
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