Mongolian Buddhist Mummy, 200 Years Old, Is 'Not Dead'

A 200-year-old Buddhist monk found mummified in Mongolia last month is not actually "dead," other senior Buddhists said.

The mummy, believed to be the teacher of famed Buryat Buddhist Lama Dashi-Dorzo Itigilov, was found sitting in the lotus position on Jan. 27 in northern Mongolia and is, medically speaking, dead.

But Barry Kerzin, doctor to the Dalai Lama himself, said the unidentified monk is in a state of ancient deep meditation called "tukdam," The Siberian Times reported Monday.

If achieved, tukdam places the meditator on the path to becoming a Buddha.

"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," Kerzin told the newspaper.

"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," the doctor said.

It is still unclear how the Buddhist monk was found. Police learned the mummy was stolen by a man from another part of the country, who then hid it in his home in Ulaanbaatar with the intent of selling it on the black market, The Siberian Times reported.

The 45-year-old suspect was arrested and faces a $43,000 fine or up to 12 years in prison.

Some scientists think the Asian country's cold weather played a hand in the monk's preservation.

But according to professor Ganhugiyn Purevbata of the Mongolian Institute of Buddhist Art at Ulaanbaatar Buddhist University, the meditator's position means he's alive.

"Lama is sitting in the lotus position vajra, the left hand is opened, and the right hand symbolizes of the preaching Sutra," he told the newspaper.

"This is a sign that the Lama is not dead."

The mysterious mummy is now being guarded at the National Center of Forensic Expertise.

Tags

Mummy, Buddhist, Mongolia, Meditation, Dalai Lama, Rare