As police
say lama found in lotus positon was destined for sale on black
market, there are claims it was one step away from becoming a
Buddha.
Songinokhairkhan, Mongolia -- 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.