http://english.pravda.ru/science/19/94/378/15173_immortality.html
Mortals and saints can remain physically immortal after death
03/25/2005 14:16
There are several reasons why dead bodies can remain intact within
thousands of years
Medical experts state that imperishable remains of senior lama of East
Siberian Buddhists, Dasha-Dorjo Itigelov who died in 1927 are similar to
tissues of a living man
Russian scientists have confirmed the lama remains are imperishable.
However, skeptical people hardly believe this.
Khambo lama Dasha-Dorjo Itigelov (1852-1927) died not far from the
Russian city of Ulan-Ude, the place where the well-known Ivolginsk datsan
(spiritual center for Russian Buddhists) was built in 1947. When dying, the
lama bequeathed that his sarcophagus must be opened some time later to see in
what condition the remains would be. The lama died meditating sitting in the
lotus pose, the way typical of a yoga leader.
Since that, the lama remains were unearthed three times, in 1955, 1973
and 2002. Monks of the Ivolginsk datsan say that each time the remains proved
to be intact; they were not exposed to decay. It even seemed that the man just
died.
After the last exhumation, the monks decided not to bury the body and
placed it into a special glass pack sarcophagus. The sarcophagus was mounted in
a special room; it is taken out of the room for the faithful to see the
remains. It is prohibited to take photos or video of the lama dead body. The
monks say this contradicts Buddhist traditions. Last time the sarcophagus was
opened September 11, 2002 in presence of members of the Russian Buddhist
traditional sangha and also medical experts.
Head of the identification department in the Russian Forensic Medical
Expertise Institute Doctor of medical sciences Viktor Zvyagin told a Nezavisimy
Vzglyad newspaper correspondent that identity of the lama body was confirmed by
eyewitnesses who had taken part in the previous exhumation. Researchers were
astonished at the phenomenon and asked the monks to let them have some of the
lama's hair and nails for an analysis. Viktor Zvyagin says that in many
parameters the body of the lama looks like a living man's body. Indeed, the
skin is flexible, the joints can be moved and so on. Researchers were
incredibly surprised when an infrared analysis of the lama tissue samples
revealed them to be absolutely resembling tissues of a living man.
The imperishability phenomenon is now well known. There are several
reasons why dead bodies can remain intact within thousands of years. Artificial
or natural mummification is one of the reasons. Viktor Zvyagin says that
natural mummification can be found not only at South African cemeteries. The
researcher said that archeologists discovered up to 200 mummies in good
condition during the archeological dig on Moscow's Manezh Square. Am ancient
cemetery was located there many years ago.
Besides mummification, dead bodies can remain intact also thanks to peat
tanning and adipocere treatment which makes dead bodies some kind of a soap.
The dead body of Private Doctor of the Russian tsar family Botkin was found in
this very condition. Viktor Zvyagin says that no thorough analysis of the
doctor's body was done; experts just conducted a tomography analysis to find
bullets in the body.
However, none of the above-mentioned methods was used to make the lama's
dead body imperishable. Buddhists say that only the most advanced yoga can fall
into some particular condition before death and purify themselves so that his
dead body could not decay. They also say that besides Itigelov's body, there
are just three intact remains of Buddhist saints who are kept in China, India
and Vietnam. A Tibetan monastery where one of the imperishable bodies was kept
was destroyed in 1959 and the dead body was gone.
It may happen so that the imperishability phenomenon is not an absolute
privilege of religious figures only.
Viktor Zvyagin says that during an archeological dig in Italy 15 years
ago a dead body of a simple girl was found in this condition. Unfortunately,
the researcher says no thorough analysis of the discovery was done. He also
adds that researches of this type are at their earliest stage today.
On the photo: The current condition of Dasha-Dorjo Itigelov, who died in
1927
Vladimir Pokrovsky
Nezavisimy Vzglyad
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