Reliquary from the East Stone Stupa of the Temple Site in Seodong-ri

In 1962, this agalmatolite sarira chest, containing a green glass sarira bottle and 99 miniature clay stupas, was discovered in a sarira casket located on top of the base stone of the first story of the three-story East Stone Stupa at the temple site in Seodong-ri. The mini stupas were made in a mould and fired, and then covered with white chalk. Each of them has a small hole in the bottom, where a Dharani sutra scroll was rolled and inserted, before the hole was closed with a wooden plug. Although none of the wooden plugs remain, small pieces of paper that are presumed to be original Dharani sutra scrolls have actually been found inside some of the mini stupas. This discovery illustrates the enactment of the Spotless Pure Light Dharani Sutra’s instruction that making 77 or 99 mini stupas containing sutra scrolls and placing them in an actual stupa would help a person to do enough good deeds to be reborn in the Tusita Heaven.