Mummified Mongolian monk found

Inner zen this is something some people strive to achieve, it takes lots of hard work and practice to perfect such a spiritual transcendence. Shaking off any negative patterns with positive perceptions clears the mind, body and soul. A mummified Mongolian monk was found and it seems they were still in this deep meditative trance.

The elder Buddhists believe that this monk hasn’t really died. He is still between worlds, as he was found before being sold on the black marketplace. It was quite a discovery, as he was found wrapped inside cattle skins in central Mongolia. There are scientists who have yet to determine what caused his actual demise.

The monk was believed to be in a rare state known as “tukdam” according to Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama. With continued training, a monk can become a master at this meditative state. It is believed he can actually become like Buddha. Sokushinbutsu is the Buddhist practice of self-preservation. It dates back between the 11th and 19th centuries. Considered the ultimate act of religious discipline and dedication. It was more then just mere suicide.

Nobody knows the actual identity of the monk. A best guess is he was a teacher from 1927—of the Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov. This area is located within Buryatia when it was still a part of the Soviet Union. It is believed that he wanted his students to exhume him sum 30 years later.

After this, the monk began to meditate in the lotus position and died afterward. The legend goes he was dug up by Soviet authorities only to be reburied again until 2002. He remained untouched until later when grave robbers would re-dig him up again.

His body was pretty well preserved (hoping to fetch a fair price to an odd collector) he then turned up on the black market. Mongolian police did find and arrest the grave robbers responsible. Clearly this has been upsetting to the community.

Now the monk is guarded and displayed at the National Center of Forensic Expertise. It is there restricted access to the monk is made available for further observation. More studies have been made as they try to piece together what happened to him. The corpse is assumed to be at least 200 years old. In India, (over the last 50 or so years) there have been around 40 different cases regarding meditating Tibetan monks who all have been found mummified.