What is Buddha relic? In their original Sanskrit, the relics have a literal meaning of "unbreakable". After Sakyamuni Buddha entered into parinirvana, he set himself on samadhi fire. Over 84,000 pieces of colourful crystal-like relics were found after his cremation. China and Sri Lanka are the only two countries in the world to possess these holy relics. The two pieces at Po Lin Monastery were received from Sri Lanka. Each piece is only the size of a rice grain, and their colours change according to different people who view them.