The survival of the relic has involved some drama, for during the Cultural Revolution, rampaging Red Guards went to Famen Temple and started digging next to the stupa. They got down to a depth of three meters, but stopped after the head of the temple immolated himself in protest. When archeologists later excavated the site, they found that the Red Guards had come very close to reaching the roof of the chamber.
據報導，大陸文革期間紅衛兵來到塔前要掘地三尺，當時的住持良卿法師自焚於前，阻住了這場災禍，後來考古學者發現，殘坑距地宮頂部僅咫尺之隔，法門寺史上悲壯的一頁，使寶物得以長傳。