Editor’s Note
This article discusses the upcoming auction of Buddhist relics by Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, which coincides with the observance of Buddha’s Birthday. It highlights the ethical concerns raised by scholars and practitioners regarding the sale of items of significant religious and archaeological value.
Today (the 5th) is Buddha’s Birthday, the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, commemorating the birth of Siddhartha Gautama. Sotheby’s auction house is scheduled to auction a collection of Piprahwa Buddhist relics in Hong Kong on the 7th, which are considered to be of religious and archaeological value and associated with the Buddha’s bone relics (śarīra). However, a BBC report indicates the auction has sparked ethical controversy, with scholars and Buddhists questioning whether such sacred objects should be treated as commodities for sale. The seller argues that an auction is the most transparent way to transfer them to Buddhist practitioners.
According to Sotheby’s information, these jewels were unearthed in 1898 at Piprahwa in northern India, where they were found buried alongside what were believed to be the Buddha’s bone relics, making them sacred objects in the eyes of Buddhists. They have been dated to approximately 240-200 BC, a period corresponding to the reign of Emperor Ashoka of India’s Maurya Dynasty.
After their discovery, these jewels were enshrined at various locations including Wat Saket (Golden Mount) in Bangkok, Thailand, the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, and sites across Sri Lanka. A portion was retained by William Claxton Peppé, the British official who oversaw the archaeological work. His family has kept them for generations, and his descendant, Chris Peppé, made the decision to auction them.
Professor Ashley Thompson from SOAS University of London stated that these are not ordinary antiquities but sacred objects originally intended to be permanently interred with the Buddha’s relics. Auctioning and separating them now damages their historical and religious value.
However, the report notes that Chris Peppé holds a different view. He stated that after visiting many temples, he found no Buddhists who regarded these jewels as “corporeal relics” (referring to the physical remains of the Buddha or high monks, often venerated as sacred objects in Buddhism).
The photo shows the Piprahwa Buddha relics to be auctioned by Sotheby’s in Hong Kong on May 7, 2025. (Sotheby’s)