A mummified monk found in the lotus position in Mongolia
is 'not dead' and is instead one stage away from becoming a real-life Buddha,
it has been claimed.
Forensic examinations are under way on the amazing
remains, which are believed to be around 200 years old, having been preserved
in animal skin. But one expert has insisted the human relic is actually in
'very deep meditation' and in a rare and very special spiritual state known as
'tukdam'.
Over the last 50 years there are said to have been 40
such cases in India involving meditating Tibetan monks.
Dr Barry Kerzin, a famous Buddhist monk and a physician
to the Dalai Lama, said: 'I had the privilege to take care of some meditators
who were in a tukdam state.
'If the person is able to remain in this state for more
than three weeks - which rarely happens - his body gradually shrinks, and in
the end all that remains from the person is his hair, nails, and clothes.
Usually in this case, people who live next to the monk see a rainbow that glows
in the sky for several days. This means that he has found a 'rainbow body'.
This is the highest state close to the state of Buddha'.
He added: 'If the meditator can continue to stay in this
meditative state, he can become a Buddha. Reaching such a high spiritual level
the meditator will also help others, and all the people around will feel a deep
sense of joy'.
Initial speculation is that the mummy could be a teacher
of Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov. Born in 1852, Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov was a
Buryat Buddhist Lama of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, best known for the
lifelike state of his body.
Ganhugiyn Purevbata, who is the founder and professor of
the Mongolian Institute of Buddhist Art at Ulaanbaatar Buddhist University,
said: 'Lama is sitting in the lotus position vajra, the left hand is opened,
and the right hand symbolizes of the preaching Sutra.
'This is a sign that the Lama is not dead, but is in a
very deep meditation according to the ancient tradition of Buddhist lamas'.
The mummified remains, which were covered in cattle skin,
were found on January 27 in the Songinokhairkhan province of
Mongolia. However, there is more to the story and now police have revealed
that the monk had been stolen from another part of the country and was about to
be sold off.
An unnamed official said that it was taken from a cave in
the Kobdsk region by a man who then hid it in his own home in
Ulaanbaatar. He had then been planning to sell it on the black market at a
'very high price', with local media claiming he wanted to take it over the
Mongolian border. Police uncovered the plot and quickly arrested a 45-year-old,
named only as Enhtor.
According to Article 18 of the Criminal Code of Mongolia
smuggling items of cultural heritage are punishable with either a fine of up to
3million roubles ($43,000) or between five and 12 years in prison. The monk is
now being guarded at the National Centre of Forensic Expertise at Ulaanbaatar.
