Scientists are still trying to figure out the secrets of monks that have been found mummified in Vietnam, whose internal organs were not removed.
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| The mummy of monk Nhu Tri |
Tieu Son Pagoda, in Tuong Giang Commune, Bac Ninh Province, is the final resting place of the mummified body of Nhu Tri, a monk who helped to edit many famous books during Tran Dynasty.
Dam Chinh, a Buddhist nun, says she found the body in 1971 while cleaning Vien Tue Tower. A red brick suddenly fell down, exposing a small gap. Through the gap, she was shocked to see a monk in the lotus position. She closed the gap and decided to maintain this secret.
A thief later ventured into the pagoda and found the body. The curious man poked the body with a stick and broke the lacquer on the face. Later, rumours spread that the thief became seriously ill. It was then that Dam Chinh divulged her secret discovery Thich Thanh Tu, the head monk of Truc Lam Temple in Dalat, during his visit to Tieu Son Pagoda in 1996.
There are three mummified monks discovered in Vietnam so far: Vu Khac Minh and Vu Khac Truong, of Hanoi’s Dau Pagoda, and Chuyet Chuyet of Phat Tich Pagoda in Bac Ninh Province. Nguyen Lan Cuong, who heads up the restoration group for the mummified remains of monks, said the mummification process used for Nhu Tri was much the same as has been found with other mummified monks, but that copper plates were used to keep the body in position.
Scientists were shocked to find that, unlike other mummies, the body of Nhu Tri still had its internal organs. "Egyptian mummies had their brains and organs removed, but it seems that Nhu Tri's brain was left, as there is no damage to the skull, his organs were still inside," Cuong said.
Such Buddhist mummies have only been found in Vietnam and China. The bodies of Buddhist monks are well-preserved, without any traces of deliberate mummification. According to Nguyen Lan Cuong, the monks were mummified while in lotus position. The bodies were painted with a mixture of paint, cotton cloth, poonah paper and sawdust. They were then painted with lacquer.
The monks say that most bodies would be unable to retain the lotus position after death and that the bodies of the monks proved that they died in meditation.
According to tradition, before going into the eternal meditation, monks must adhere to a vegetarian diet before ceasing to eat completely. According to the legend, the monk Vu Khac Mink told his students to bring him only water and a light. He said, "When the sound of the wooden gong stops, you can go in. If my body is already in decay then bury me, but if my body appears alive, then paint it." He died after the 100th day.
Even though many explanations have been offered, none have completely satisfied people's curiosity. After the bodies were discovered, they were put in glass cases of liquid nitrogen for preservation.