Mummified monk 'not dead', say Buddhists

Several have been baffled and astounded by a mummified monk who was found preserved in Mongolia last week, BBC Asia reported.

Seniour Buddhists have said that the monk was found sitting in the lotus position and is in a deep meditative trance rather than dead.

The remains were found wrapped in cattle skins in north-central Mongolia and forensic examinations are underway.

Although some think Mongolia’s cold weather could be the reasons, scientists are still trying to determine how the monk was so well-preserved.

Dr Barry Kerzin, a physician to Tibet’s Dalai Lama said 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 who had hoped to sell him on the black market.

The culprit was arrested by Mongolian police and the monk is now being guarded at the National Centre of Forensic Expertise.

Rumour and speculation has it that the monk was the teacher of Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov, who was also found mummified, however, his identity is not particularly clear.

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 then sat in the lotus position, began meditating nd died.

Legend has it, that when he was dug up, his body was still preserved.

With fear of Soviet authorities interfering in the matter, his followers re-buried where he lay to rest until 2002.

He was dug up again and was found to still be well preserved.

The lama was then placed in a Buddhist temple to be worshipped for eternity.