A mummified monk found preserved in Mongolia last week has
been baffling and astounding those who uncovered him.
Senior Buddhists say the monk, found sitting in the lotus
position, is in a deep meditative trance and not dead.
Forensic examinations are under way on the remains, found
wrapped in cattle skins in north-central Mongolia.
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| The monk was found wrapped in traditional Buddhist robes |
Scientists have yet to determine how the monk is so well
preserved, though some think Mongolia's cold weather could be the reason.
But Dr Barry Kerzin, a physician to Tibetan spiritual leader
the Dalai Lama, told the Siberian Times that the monk was in a rare state of
meditation called "tukdam".
"If the meditator can continue to stay in this
meditative state, he can become a Buddha," Dr Kerzin said.
The monk was discovered after being stolen by a man hoping
to sell him on the black market.
Mongolian police have arrested the culprit and the monk is
now being guarded at the National Centre of Forensic Expertise.
Worship for eternity
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| The monk was found as he was about to be sold on the black market |
The identity of the monk is unclear, though there is
speculation that he is the teacher of Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov, who was also
found mummified.
In 1927, Itigilov - from neighbouring Buryatia in the then
Soviet Union - supposedly told his students he was going to die and that they
should exhume his body in 30 years.
The lama sat in the lotus position, began meditating and
died.
When he was dug up, legend has it that his body was still
preserved.
Fearing interference by the Soviet authorities, his
followers reburied him and he remained at rest until 2002 when he was again dug
up to great fanfare and found still well preserved.
The lama was then placed in a Buddhist temple to be
worshipped for eternity.
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