Chapter 10 of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra （SP） asserts that ekaghana-tathāgataśarīra （a compact bodily relic of the tathāgata） is to be deposited in a caitya, not the tathāgataśarīrāṇi （bodily relics of the tathāgata）. Few studies have focused on the meaning of the term ekaghana-tathāgataśarīra and the worship of ekaghana-tathāgataśarīra in the SP. It is necessary to examine the development of worship, from the worship of the tathāgata’s relics to the manuscripts, clarify the meaning of ekaghana-tathāgataśarīra, and clearly indicate the value of the manuscripts of the SP, a medium of the doctrine of the One Vehicle.
This study, with much attention given to a great number of sūtras before the dissemination part of the SP, such as those in the Pāli canon and the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa, finds the development of worship, from the worship of tathāgata’s relics to the manuscripts, between early Buddhism and Mahāyāna Buddhism. In the SP, śarīra and dhātu correspond to “remains （body）” and “scattered relics,” respectively. Thus, we can say that tathāgataśarīrāṇi means the “remains of the tathāgata.” However, ekaghana-tathāgataśarīra is different, thanks to its compactness （ekaghana）. According to the development of worship, it is speculated that ekaghana-tathāgataśarīra is identical to the manuscripts of the SP. The dissemination portion of the SP states that the manuscripts are regarded as tathāgata.
