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Posted on Thu, Jul. 22, 2004
Free exhibit features mysterious droplets
By Darren Barbee
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
GRAPEVINE - Centuries ago, the fires that cremated the Buddhist masters left something unexpected among the ash -- tiny, crystalline droplets as pale and white as pearls.
Some believe that they have a powerful and mysterious affect. Visitors burst into tears, feel energized, purified, connected to the world.
Huei-Min Wu of Dallas snapped a picture with her cellphone at the free, three-day exhibit that runs through Saturday at Unity Church in Grapevine.
"I feel good," she said. "I feel peace."
The relics include the remains of the religion's founder, Siddhartha Gautama, and have drawn thousands of curiosity seekers and devout Buddhists. They have not been scientifically tested, organizers say.
But they have been scrutinized by living Buddhist masters who are convinced of their authenticity.
Tour organizers are seeking donations to fund the Maitreya Project, an effort to build a 50-story Buddha statue in India.
Kaleb Runkle, 13, wearing an Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt, said he felt nothing upon peering at a sliver of bone from one Buddhist master.
But the Bedford teen added: "I thought it was pretty cool."
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