Buddhism and Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Sri Lanka

We visited the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Sri Lanka that has a fascinating history:

First, if I may, a bit of history of Buddhism and Sri Lanka (the country is about 70% Buddhist) where Buddha statues are seen throughout the country, like this one built:

The Buddha, or "enlightened one," was born Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal in the 6th century B.C. It is said that after experimenting with different teachings for the first 3 decades of his life, and finding none of them acceptable, he spent a fateful night in deep meditation. During his meditation, all of the answers he had been seeking became clear, and he achieved full awareness, thereby becoming Buddha. For the remainder of his life (till age 80) Buddha traveled and preached in an effort to lead others to the path of enlightenment. When he died, it is said that he told his disciples that they should follow no leader (hence no leaders, only Buddhist monks and some in training quite young):

Back to our trip: according to Sri Lankan legend, when the Buddha died, his body was cremated and his left canine tooth was retrieved from the funeral pyre by a disciple who then gave it to the King in Nepal for veneration. History shows that it travelled through many countries and kingdoms before eventually ending up in Kandy and its present home. In this special temple, Buddhists visit en masse to pay their respects and pray:

At first I was somewhat reticent about people praying to this 3 story shrine but they could say the same to Christians for praying in front of an altar or wood cross. That said, this temple is steeped in religious belief and I marveled at the beauty of buddhists leaving lotus and water lilies as physical expression of reverence:

Buddhists have basic beliefs and doctrines to live by much like other religions striving for goodness. A Buddhist's life also follows 5 basic rules: