This discovery, made in China in the late 1970s, became known only relatively recently. In the Celestial Empire itself, they practically did not write about it. Details were given in an interview with a Taiwanese newspaper by Professor Li Guangzhu of the Institute of Ancient Religions (Taiwan).
The remote area in the province of Sichuan, with its wild beauty, has long attracted philosophers and religious ascetics who sought solitude. Now archaeologists visit here: the remains of a large monastery of the 3rd-7th centuries AD have been found here.
It is also interesting in that it is adjoined by underground catacombs dating back to even more ancient times. Researchers are constantly opening new corridors and chambers in them, for the most part immured, in which human remains and ritual objects are found. The find in question was made here in 1979.
The flooded shaft, which was once a steeply descending corridor, was first examined by scuba divers. Judging by the sediments at the bottom, the water has stood here for at least two thousand years. After pumping it out, archaeologists entered the mine. The corridor, located in a natural cave, led into the bowels of a granite mountain. In his narrow low ceilings cells contained human remains and various products. The discovery awaited archaeologists in the farthest chamber, which was apparently walled up back in the era of the first builders of the catacombs - in the 4th century BC.
Since water could not penetrate it, the researchers expected to find well-preserved things there. The reality surpassed all their expectations. In the cell were found two human figures sitting in the lotus position in the half-decayed robes of Taoist monks. Across from them, against the wall, lay a dog. The resemblance to living people was so great that at first they were mistaken for superbly made wax sculptures. I was amazed by the degree of preservation of the bodies.
The soft skin showed no signs of decay. Ears, nose, eyeballs, covered with eyelids, hands are completely preserved. It was as if these people had given up their spirit only a few hours ago!
The archaeologists did not dare to take the bodies out of the chamber for fear of damaging them. The operation to take particles of flesh for analysis caused a shock among scientists: in those places where the bodies touched the scalpels, blood came out! When the examination continued, it turned out that the body temperature of the monks was 17 ° C, that is, it was higher than the temperature in the cell itself.
It also turned out that the monks have beating hearts. They pulsed at a rate of one beat every few minutes. Blood circulated through the vessels in weak shocks, the lungs pumped air. It turned out that the strange "dead" did not need oxygen, being content with the air that was in the chamber, mechanically taking it in and releasing it back in the same composition.
Thousand years of sleep
The specialists who examined the monks had no doubt that they were alive, but were in deep lethargy. The dog was in the same condition. It was decided to try to bring her out of hibernation. Oxygen was brought to her, an artificial respiration device and a heart muscle stimulator were connected.
Resuscitation procedures led to the fact that the dog trembled, its paws convulsively stretched out, its eyes opened, and it whimpered softly. However, a quarter of an hour later the dog died. Her heart stopped and her body soon showed signs of decay.
Apparently, interference unusual process the vital activity of the animal's organism turned out to be disastrous for him. They decided not to touch the monks until a more detailed study of the situation, including a detailed analysis of the failed resuscitation of the dog. The camera was sealed up again. According to Professor Li Guangzhu, the cell has never been opened since then. He also said that there was a vessel in front of the monks, at the bottom of which the dried remains of some brown liquid were preserved.
At first it was mistaken for blood, but the analysis showed that it was something else. Traces of this substance were found in the larynx of the monks, its spots were also visible on the muzzle of the dog. Isn't this the "elixir of immortality" that ancient Chinese authors wrote about? asks the professor. In China, there are several legends about sages who drank the miraculous elixir and fell asleep in the depths of the mountain. Legends point to different areas and mountains. It is possible that all these legends are echoes of an event that really happened - the imprisonment in the chamber of the ancient catacombs of monks who fell into a lethargic sleep. And the bowl that stood in front of them contained the same elixir.
Through meditation into the future There are, however, scientists who believe that no special "elixirs of immortality" are required for long-term, hundreds and thousands of years, to maintain the vital activity of the organism. There are forces in man himself that can delay death for a long time, you just need to put them into action.
Buddhist monks believe that these powers are activated through prayer and meditation. One example of such an impact of meditation on a person is the phenomenon of Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov, the Khambo Lama of Buddhists in Eastern Siberia. In 1927, at the age of 75, he asked the monks to read him a well-wishing prayer for the departed and plunged into meditation, during which his heart stopped. In his will, he indicated that he would not die, but only leave for a thousand years. In order for people to be sure that he was alive, the lama ordered to examine him after 75 years.
Buchman (sarcophagus), where he was in the lotus position, was first opened by a group of lamas in 1955. Convinced of the complete safety of the body, the lamas performed the prescribed ceremonies, changed clothes on Itigelov and again placed him in the bukhman. In 1973, his body was re-examined. And in 2002 (75 years after Itigelov's death), Buchman was opened in the presence of doctors and forensic experts. The commission stated that the lama was outwardly recognizable and had all the signs of a living body.
“His joints were bent, soft tissues were pressed through, and taken samples of skin, hair and nails showed that their organic matter was no different from the organic matter of living people,” said the doctor. historical sciences Professor G. Ershova. None special conditions to store the body was not created. Therefore, such a high degree of preservation has baffled scientists. Buddhists believe that Itigelov is still meditating and is on the path to enlightenment.
This is far from the only example. For more than 300 years, the former abbot of this temple, Wu Khak Minh, has been sitting in the lotus position in the courtyard of the Dau Temple near Hanoi. Towards the end of his days, he stopped eating and retired to a small brick chapel.
Before diving into his last meditation, he asked the monks to bury him only if they smelled decay. “If there is no decay, then know that I am alive and offer prayers to the Buddha,” he said.
In the 1990s this old story attracted the attention of Vietnamese scientists. X-ray examination of the "statue", located in the chapel on the outskirts of the temple, showed that it was indeed a human body. Moreover, it was not embalmed, and this makes it doubly surprising that it is so well preserved in a tropical climate, when monsoon rains pour for months and humidity is kept at 100% for a long time.
In the same temple is the fully preserved body of another abbot, Wu Khak Min's successor. Comparing these cases with the find in Sichuan, one could assume that the Chinese monks also plunged into their strange lethargic sleep under the influence of prayers and meditation, if not for one “but”. There was a dog in the cell, immersed in the same dream! It turns out that not only meditation had an impact on the body of the “sleepers”. Obviously, some completely material means was also used - perhaps the very “elixir of immortality” that mankind has been looking for for more than one thousand years.
Igor Voloznev
If you still don’t believe in miracles, it’s time for you to visit Buryatia: there, in the Ivolginsky datsan, a 40-minute drive from Ulan-Ude, a man who died 86 years ago is sitting under a glass jar.
Sits in the lotus position with a straight back, supported by no one and nothing. Scientists do not know why the body not only does not decompose, but for some reason exudes a fragrance. And most importantly, why any, even the most recent skeptic, being near feels awe and at the same time feels a huge surge of spiritual strength. Buddhists know that Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov, their beloved Khambo Lama, as he once promised, returned to the world of the living and again began to work miracles.
One of the main shrines of the Ivolginsky datsan is the bodhi tree, or banyan tree, which is revered by all Buddhists - according to legend, it was under it that the Buddha achieved complete enlightenment. For this tree, a special greenhouse was even built in the monastery. Any person can find healing here, spiritual or physical - the monks treat parishioners with the help of Tibetan medicine, perform ritual rituals.
There are rumors that the datsan can also give healing - they say that the imperishable body of Khambo Lama Itigelov, which can be worshiped in the Ivolginsky datsan, has such a miraculous gift. It is kept in the Pure Land Temple, which attracts Buddhists from all over the world. As the legend says, Lama Dasha Dorzho Itigelov, already a deep old man, sat in the lotus position and left his body at the beginning of the last century, ordering his students to bury him, but get him out of the grave when 70 years old. The students followed his instructions and today, more than eighty years after his "death", Lama Itigelov still sits in the lotus position in the main dugan (temple) of the Ivolginsky datsan.
The imperishable body of the former Head of the Buddhists of Russia, Lama Dash Dorzho Itigelov, who died 80 years ago, is one of the cases of energy-information transformation the highest level practices of self-development of the Spirit. Expert studies show amazing results: Itigelov has all the signs of a living person - soft skin, movable joints, and weak brain activity is also noted. Once every six months, Lama even adds or loses up to half a kilogram of weight.
On strictly defined days, long queues of those wishing to touch the shrine line up at the lama, “sitting” under a glass cap, according to rumors, healing and fulfillment of desires are not uncommon here.
Lama blessing.
Who is Lama Itigelov? In 1911-1917. this man was the head of all the Buddhists of Buryatia. But people of various faiths came to see him, including Nicholas II himself with his family: the fame of the healing abilities of Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov reached brilliant St. Petersburg. But Khambo Lama did not begin to tell the sovereign about what a terrible end was in store for him and his entire family. For what? You can’t get away from fate ... He knew in advance what times were coming, what to prepare for. He exhorted other lamas to leave Russia - to save themselves. At the same time, he himself was in no hurry to leave, being in absolute calm: “They won’t have time to take me.” In general, he knew a lot and was able, this unusual lama. He wrote a great many works on Buddhism. Thoroughly studied Tibetan medicine and left a huge treatise on pharmacology. All of Buryatia hunted for his blessing. It is understandable - how could it be otherwise, when all the soldiers who received Itigelov's blessing before leaving for the Russian-Japanese war returned home safe and sound? And he could also walk on water, move in space and predict future events. But most importantly, he managed to subjugate time!
Good wishes to the departing
In 1917, he resigned as head of the Buddhists of Russia and for 10 years perfected his spirit. On June 15, 1927, he called all his students together and told them: “Come to me in 30 years - look at my body. And after 75 years I will return to you.” Confused students stood around the teacher. They were even more surprised when he sat in the lotus position and asked them to read the Buddhist prayer "Good wishes to the departing." They refused - after all, this prayer is read only to the dead. Then Itigelov himself uttered it and at that very moment he stopped breathing. The lama's body was placed in a cedar coffin and buried in the ground. And dug up after 30 years - a secret from the authorities. The monks made sure that the body remained incorruptible, performed the necessary rituals, changed clothes and buried again. The second time the monks were convinced of the safety of the body in 1973, but they pulled Itigelov out of the ground only on September 10, 2002 - exactly 75 years after his death - in accordance with the will of the teacher. It was then that the most interesting began - for people who are far from Buddhism, of course. The forensic expert who was present at the exhumation examined the body and asked to convene a commission: he had never seen anything like this before! After all, the lama was not only recognizable outwardly - he retained all the signs of a living being: he remained warm and he still had soft, elastic skin. A man who spent 75 years in a coffin had ears, eyes, fingers, teeth, eyelashes and eyebrows in place! All his joints were bent without exception! Itigelov was transferred to the Ivolginsky datsan, specially built for him, dressed in new clothes and put under a glass cap, which, if it protects from anything, is only from dust. Buddhists did not undertake any other tricks to save the lama. But since then, the body has not undergone practically any changes - except for the skin has become a little rougher. Lama Itigelov still sits in the lotus position and even gains weight from time to time - up to 2 kg per year, and then loses weight. The lama is not an exhibit, Buddhists treat him as if he were alive, and therefore only Itigelov’s fallen hair, skin flakes and a tiny fragment of a nail fell into the “torn apart” of scientists. This was enough for researchers from the Russian Center for Forensic Medical Examination of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation to admit the incredible: “The state of the tissues is such that it fully corresponds to the in vivo characteristics. We are not aware of cases of such preservation, this is a kind of scientific mystery ... In many respects, the body of the Khamba Lama gives the impression of the body of a living person ... "
If you still don’t believe in miracles, it’s time for you to visit Buryatia: there, in the Ivolginsky datsan, a 40-minute drive from Ulan-Ude, a man who died back in 1927 is sitting under a glass jar. He sits in a lotus position with a straight back, supported by no one and nothing. Scientists do not know why the body not only does not decompose, but for some reason exudes a fragrance. And most importantly, why any, even the most recent skeptic, being near feels awe and at the same time feels a huge surge of spiritual strength. Buddhists know that Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov, their beloved Khambo Lama, as he once promised, returned to the world of the living and again began to work miracles.
One of the main shrines of the Ivolginsky datsan is the bodhi tree, or banyan tree, which is revered by all Buddhists - according to legend, it was under it that the Buddha achieved complete enlightenment. For this tree, a special greenhouse was even built in the monastery. Any person can find healing here, spiritual or physical - the monks treat parishioners with the help of Tibetan medicine, perform ritual rituals.
There are rumors that the datsan can also give healing - they say that the imperishable body of Khambo Lama Itigelov, which can be worshiped in the Ivolginsky datsan, has such a miraculous gift. It is kept in the Pure Land Temple, which attracts Buddhists from all over the world. As the legend says, Lama Dasha Dorzho Itigelov, already a deep old man, sat in the lotus position and left his body at the beginning of the last century, ordering his students to bury him, but get him out of the grave when 70 years old. The students followed his instructions and today, more than eighty years after his "death", Lama Itigelov still sits in the lotus position in the main dugan (temple) of the Ivolginsky datsan.
The imperishable body of the former Head of the Buddhists of Russia, Lama Dash Dorzho Itigelov, who died 90 years ago, is one of the cases of energy-informational transformation of the highest level of the practice of self-development of the Spirit. Expert studies show amazing results: Itigelov has all the signs of a living person - soft skin, movable joints, and weak brain activity is also noted. Once every six months, Lama even adds or loses up to half a kilogram of weight.
On strictly defined days, long queues of those wishing to touch the shrine line up at the lama, “sitting” under a glass cap, according to rumors, healing and fulfillment of desires are not uncommon here.
Who is Lama Itigelov? In 1911-1917. this man was the head of all the Buddhists of Buryatia. But people of various faiths came to see him, including Nicholas II himself with his family: the fame of the healing abilities of Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov reached St. Petersburg. But Khambo Lama did not begin to tell the sovereign about what a terrible end was in store for him and his entire family. For what? You can’t get away from fate ... He knew in advance what times were coming, what to prepare for. He exhorted other lamas to leave Russia - to save themselves. At the same time, he himself was in no hurry to leave, being in absolute calm: “They won’t have time to take me.” In general, he knew a lot and was able, this unusual lama. He wrote a great many works on Buddhism. Thoroughly studied Tibetan medicine and left a huge treatise on pharmacology. All of Buryatia hunted for his blessing. It is understandable - how could it be otherwise, when all the soldiers who received Itigelov's blessing before leaving for the Russian-Japanese war returned home safe and sound? And he could also walk on water, move in space and predict future events. But most importantly, he managed to subjugate time!
In 1917, he resigned as head of the Buddhists of Russia and for 10 years perfected his spirit. On June 15, 1927, he called all his students together and told them: “Come to me in 30 years - look at my body. And after 75 years I will return to you.” Confused students stood around the teacher. They were even more surprised when he sat in the lotus position and asked them to read the Buddhist prayer "Good wishes to the departing." They refused - after all, this prayer is read only to the dead. Then Itigelov himself uttered it and at that very moment he stopped breathing. The lama's body was placed in a cedar coffin and buried in the earth. And dug up after 30 years - a secret from the authorities. The monks made sure that the body remained incorruptible, performed the necessary rituals, changed clothes and buried again. The second time the monks were convinced of the safety of the body in 1973, but they pulled Itigelov out of the ground only on September 10, 2002 - exactly 75 years after his death - in accordance with the will of the teacher. It was then that the most interesting began - for people who are far from Buddhism, of course. The forensic expert who was present at the exhumation examined the body and asked to convene a commission: he had never seen anything like this before! After all, the lama was not only recognizable outwardly - he retained all the signs of a living being: he remained warm and he still had soft, elastic skin. A man who spent 75 years in a coffin had ears, eyes, fingers, teeth, eyelashes and eyebrows in place! All his joints were bent without exception! Itigelov was transferred to the Ivolginsky datsan, specially built for him, dressed in new clothes and put under a glass cap, which, if it protects from anything, is only from dust. Buddhists did not undertake any other tricks to save the lama. But since then, the body has not undergone practically any changes - except for the skin has become a little rougher. The lama is not an exhibit, Buddhists treat him as if he were alive, and therefore only Itigelov’s fallen hair, skin flakes and a tiny fragment of a nail fell into the “torn apart” of scientists. This was enough for researchers from the Russian Center for Forensic Medical Examination of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation to admit the incredible: “The state of the tissues is such that it fully corresponds to the in vivo characteristics. We are not aware of cases of such preservation, this is a kind of scientific mystery ... In many respects, the body of the Khamba Lama gives the impression of the body of a living person ... "
Needless to say, the Ivolginsky datsan has become the longed-for dream of every pilgrim. True, you can get to the lama only a few times a year - on major holidays. In 2013 it will host July 12, September 9, October 26 and November 28. Do not try to get into the datsan by the opening - there will be a crowd of people. It is best to come here at four o'clock in the evening, when the flow of pilgrims has somewhat dissipated. Still, be prepared for a long wait - the lama's blessings are coveted by many, including powers of the world this. Vladimir Putin himself visited Itigelov twice - is that why he became president of Russia twice? Whatever road that takes you to the lama, remember a few simple rules visiting a datsan. Stock up on a hadak in advance - a gift scarf: you will touch it to the Teacher's scarf and receive a certain blessing. In principle, you can not do this, just as it is not necessary to reach out to the hands of the Khambo Lama at all costs: he will already notice the one asking and reward him according to his faith and his merits.
The monastery itself is located in the middle of the steppe. On four sides from human eyes it is surrounded by a mountain range. Despite the fact that the republican center is located very close, and the highway to Ulan-Ude is not far away, city residents bypass this place, as there is an opinion that shamans live here. This is not surprising, because already at the entrance to the datsan, multi-colored handkerchiefs hang on the bushes, which are believed to keep the souls of dead monks. In the courtyard of the monastery, which is surrounded by the usual wooden fence, there are several pagodas, which gives the impression that this is not Russia, but at best China. In one of these temples, the body of the imperishable Lama rests. “The very fact of the appearance of Dasha-Dorzho on earth is a mystery,” says Galina Ershova, head of the project to study the Itigelov phenomenon, Doctor of Historical Sciences, professor at the Russian State Humanitarian University, Galina Ershova. work for one of the local farmers, holding a staff in one hand and a skull in the other. For Buddhists, this is considered a sacred symbol. Until the age of 15, Itigelov grazed sheep, and having matured, he himself reached the Aninsky datsan, in Buryatia, where he learned Buddhism for 20 years.
Having become an enlightened monk, Dasho-Dorji was engaged in medicine and philosophy, gaining fame as a healer known throughout Russia. Legends say that the monk could, like Christ, calmly walk on water. In 1911, Itigelov was elected Pandito Khamba Lama of the Buddhist clergy in Russia. During his lifetime, the schemnik enjoyed great respect, and was a close acquaintance of Emperor Nicholas II. The autocrat even allowed the lama to open a Buddhist temple in St. Petersburg.
After the October Revolution, Itigelov, anticipating repression, resigned as a spiritual leader, and retired to his native datsan. Not long before his departure, foreseeing the annihilation of the clergy, the lama called on his supporters to leave the country of the Soviets. And when asked why he himself did not leave, he answered "They will not have time to take me."
In the summer of 1927, the monk gathered his followers, announced that he was leaving, and began to prepare for death. Before that, Itegelov ordered his students to bury him in a cedar box in 6 days. “I will return to you in 30 years, then you dig me out,” the schemer said at parting. Then the lama began to meditate. On the seventh day, the Hambo Lama's head sank to his chest. This was a signal to the disciples that the consciousness of the great teacher had moved into Nirvana.
The monks opened the grave as ordered by the teacher in 1955. Itigelov's body remained unchanged. Having changed the clothes of the hermit, they buried him back. The Hamba Lama was recovered again in 1973. Convinced of the safety of the body, and having performed the necessary ceremonies, it was buried again. The monk was finally raised in 2002. The exhumation was attended by representatives of the authorities and forensic experts. The relics of a Buddhist saint have not been touched by time.
“We carefully examined the lama’s body, drew up, as expected, a protocol, signed it,” says Professor Viktor Zvyagin, head of the Identification Department of the Russian Center for Forensic Medical Examination, Doctor of Medical Sciences. “The body is in such a state as if it had died quite recently. Joint mobility, skin turgor - everything corresponds to the parameters of a person who died maybe a day or two ago. Any falsification is excluded. not only because believers would consider it sacrilege, but also because we had the opportunity to compare our observations with the materials of two years ago, when the exhumation was carried out. None known to science artificial ways maintaining such a state of the body like mummification, embalming, etc. were not applied in this case. There are no traces of an autopsy, extraction of the brain and internal organs, we did not find any injections, incisions, or similar effects.
From the Act of the external examination of the exhumed body of Dasho-Dorzhi Itigelov, carried out in the premises of the Ivolginsky datsan:
“The skin of the body is light gray in color, dry, pliable when pressed with fingers. The soft tissues of the corpse are elastic, mobility in the joints is preserved. No traces of a previous opening of body cavities for the purpose of possible embalming or conservation were found.”
After conducting a study of skin particles, scientists came to sensational conclusions. Not only did the llama cells not die, but they continue to divide. In other words, most likely all vital processes in the body of a monk continue, only they are slowed down by a million times.
“In world practice, this is the only officially recorded case of such a preservation of the body,” says Zvyagin. “Of course, cases of mummification and embalming of bodies are known. For example, in St. Petersburg it was fashionable at the end of the 19th century. Nikolai Pirogov himself prepared a solution for storing his body, which has been preserved near Vinnitsa for more than 120 years. But for this, internal organs extracted and applied special chemical substances. It is not uncommon to find bodies in permafrost, but they quickly disintegrate when in contact with the external environment.
If you still don’t believe in miracles, it’s time for you to visit Buryatia: there, in the Ivolginsky datsan, a 40-minute drive from Ulan-Ude, a man who died 86 years ago is sitting under a glass jar.
Sits in the lotus position with a straight back, supported by no one and nothing. Scientists do not know why the body not only does not decompose, but for some reason exudes a fragrance. And most importantly, why any, even the most recent skeptic, being near feels awe and at the same time feels a huge surge of spiritual strength. Buddhists know that Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov, their beloved Khambo Lama, as he once promised, returned to the world of the living and again began to work miracles.
One of the main shrines of the Ivolginsky datsan is the bodhi tree, or banyan tree, which is revered by all Buddhists - according to legend, it was under it that the Buddha achieved complete enlightenment. For this tree, a special greenhouse was even built in the monastery. Any person can find healing here, spiritual or physical - the monks treat parishioners with the help of Tibetan medicine, perform ritual rituals.
There are rumors that the datsan can also give healing - they say that the imperishable body of Khambo Lama Itigelov, which can be worshiped in the Ivolginsky datsan, has such a miraculous gift. It is kept in the Pure Land Temple, which attracts Buddhists from all over the world. As the legend says, Lama Dasha Dorzho Itigelov, already a deep old man, sat in the lotus position and left his body at the beginning of the last century, ordering his students to bury him, but get him out of the grave when 70 years old. The students followed his instructions and today, more than eighty years after his "death", Lama Itigelov still sits in the lotus position in the main dugan (temple) of the Ivolginsky datsan.
The imperishable body of the former Head of the Buddhists of Russia, Lama Dash Dorzho Itigelov, who died 80 years ago, is one of the cases of energy-informational transformation of the highest level of the practice of self-development of the Spirit. Expert studies show amazing results: Itigelov has all the signs of a living person - soft skin, movable joints, and weak brain activity is also noted. Once every six months, Lama even adds or loses up to half a kilogram of weight.
Lama blessing.
Who is Lama Itigelov? In 1911-1917. this man was the head of all the Buddhists of Buryatia. But people of various faiths came to see him, including Nicholas II himself with his family: the fame of the healing abilities of Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov reached brilliant St. Petersburg. But Khambo Lama did not begin to tell the sovereign about what a terrible end was in store for him and his entire family. For what? You can’t get away from fate ... He knew in advance what times were coming, what to prepare for. He exhorted other lamas to leave Russia - to save themselves.
At the same time, he himself was in no hurry to leave, being in absolute calm: “They won’t have time to take me.” In general, he knew a lot and was able, this unusual lama. He wrote a great many works on Buddhism. Thoroughly studied Tibetan medicine and left a huge treatise on pharmacology. All of Buryatia hunted for his blessing. It is understandable - how could it be otherwise, when all the soldiers who received Itigelov's blessing before leaving for the Russian-Japanese war returned home safe and sound? And he could also walk on water, move in space and predict future events. But most importantly, he managed to subjugate time!
Good wishes to the departing
In 1917, he resigned as head of the Buddhists of Russia and for 10 years perfected his spirit. On June 15, 1927, he called all his students together and told them: “Come to me in 30 years - look at my body. And after 75 years I will return to you.” Confused students stood around the teacher. They were even more surprised when he sat in the lotus position and asked them to read the Buddhist prayer "Good wishes to the departing." They refused - after all, this prayer is read only to the dead. Then Itigelov himself uttered it and at that very moment he stopped breathing.
The lama's body was placed in a cedar coffin and buried in the ground. And dug up after 30 years - a secret from the authorities. The monks made sure that the body remained incorruptible, performed the necessary rituals, changed clothes and buried again. The second time the monks were convinced of the safety of the body in 1973, but they pulled Itigelov out of the ground only on September 10, 2002 - exactly 75 years after his death - in accordance with the will of the teacher. It was then that the most interesting began - for people who are far from Buddhism, of course.
The forensic expert who was present at the exhumation examined the body and asked to convene a commission: he had never seen anything like this before! After all, the lama was not only recognizable outwardly - he retained all the signs of a living being: he remained warm and he still had soft, elastic skin. A man who spent 75 years in a coffin had ears, eyes, fingers, teeth, eyelashes and eyebrows in place! All his joints were bent without exception! Itigelov was transferred to the Ivolginsky datsan, specially built for him, dressed in new clothes and put under a glass cap, which, if it protects from anything, is only from dust. Buddhists did not undertake any other tricks to save the lama.
But since then, the body has not undergone practically any changes - except for the skin has become a little rougher. Lama Itigelov still sits in the lotus position and even gains weight from time to time - up to 2 kg per year, and then loses weight. The lama is not an exhibit, Buddhists treat him as if he were alive, and therefore only Itigelov’s fallen hair, skin flakes and a tiny fragment of a nail fell into the “torn apart” of scientists. This was enough for researchers from the Russian Center for Forensic Medical Examination of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation to admit the incredible: “The state of the tissues is such that it fully corresponds to the in vivo characteristics. We are not aware of cases of such preservation, this is a kind of scientific mystery ... In many respects, the body of the Khamba Lama gives the impression of the body of a living person ... "
Putin and Lama
Needless to say, the Ivolginsky datsan has become the longed-for dream of every pilgrim. True, you can get to the lama only a few times a year - on major holidays. In 2013 it will host July 12, September 9, October 26 and November 28. Do not try to get into the datsan by the opening - there will be a crowd of people. It is best to come here at four o'clock in the evening, when the flow of pilgrims has somewhat dissipated. And yet, be prepared for a long wait - the lama's blessings are coveted by many, including the powers that be. Vladimir Putin himself visited Itigelov twice - is that why he became president of Russia twice?
Whatever the road that will lead you to the lama, remember a few simple rules for visiting the datsan. Stock up on a hadak in advance - a gift scarf: you will touch it to the Teacher's scarf and receive a certain blessing. In principle, you can not do this, just as it is not necessary to reach out to the hands of the Khambo Lama at all costs: he will already notice the one asking and reward him according to his faith and his merits.
In September 2002, a sensation spread around the world. In Buryatia, in a rural cemetery, a lama, the head of the Buddhists of Russia, Dasho Dorji Itigelov, who passed away in 1927, was removed from the grave. The body of the monk for 75 years has not decomposed and has not undergone any changes. Moreover, the schemnik has sweating, hair and nails grow.
The monastery itself is located in the middle of the steppe. On four sides from human eyes it is surrounded by a mountain range. Despite the fact that the republican center is located very close, and the highway to Ulan-Ude is not far away, city residents bypass this place, as there is an opinion that shamans live here. This is not surprising, because already at the entrance to the datsan, multi-colored handkerchiefs hang on the bushes, which are believed to keep the souls of dead monks. In the courtyard of the monastery, which is surrounded by an ordinary wooden fence, there are several pagodas, which gives the impression that this is not Russia, but at best China.
In one of these temples, the body of the imperishable Lama rests. “The very fact of the appearance of Dasha-Dorzho on earth is a mystery,” says Galina Ershova, head of the project to study the Itigelov phenomenon, doctor of historical sciences, professor at the Russian State Humanitarian University, Galina Ershova. work for one of the local farmers, holding a staff in one hand and a skull in the other. For Buddhists, this is considered a sacred symbol. Until the age of 15, Itigelov grazed sheep, and having matured, he himself reached the Aninsky datsan, in Buryatia, where he learned Buddhism for 20 years.
Having become an enlightened monk, Dasho-Dorji was engaged in medicine and philosophy, gaining fame as a healer known throughout Russia. Legends say that the monk could, like Christ, calmly walk on water. In 1911, Itigelov was elected Pandito Khamba Lama of the Buddhist clergy in Russia. During his lifetime, the schemnik enjoyed great respect, and was a close acquaintance of Emperor Nicholas II. The autocrat even allowed the lama to open a Buddhist temple in St. Petersburg.
After the October Revolution, Itigelov, anticipating repression, resigned as a spiritual leader, and retired to his native datsan. Not long before his departure, foreseeing the annihilation of the clergy, the lama called on his supporters to leave the country of the Soviets. And when asked why he himself did not leave, he answered "They will not have time to take me."
In the summer of 1927, the monk gathered his followers, announced that he was leaving, and began to prepare for death. Before that, Itegelov ordered his students to bury him in a cedar box in 6 days. “I will return to you in 30 years, then you dig me out,” the schemer said at parting. Then the lama began to meditate. On the seventh day, the Hambo Lama's head sank to his chest. This was a signal to the disciples that the consciousness of the great teacher had moved into Nirvana.
The monks opened the grave as ordered by the teacher in 1955. Itigelov's body remained unchanged. Having changed the clothes of the hermit, they buried him back. The Hamba Lama was recovered again in 1973. Convinced of the safety of the body, and having performed the necessary ceremonies, it was buried again. The monk was finally raised in 2002. The exhumation was attended by representatives of the authorities and forensic experts. The relics of a Buddhist saint have not been touched by time.
“We carefully examined the lama’s body, drew up, as expected, a protocol, signed it,” says Professor Viktor Zvyagin, head of the Identification Department of the Russian Center for Forensic Medical Examination, Doctor of Medical Sciences. “The body is in such a state as if it had died quite recently. Joint mobility, skin turgor - everything corresponds to the parameters of a person who died maybe a day or two ago.
Any falsification is excluded. not only because believers would consider it sacrilege, but also because we had the opportunity to compare our observations with the materials of two years ago, when the exhumation was carried out. No artificial methods known to science to maintain such a state of the body such as mummification, embalming, etc. were not applied in this case. There are no traces of an autopsy, extraction of the brain and internal organs, we did not find any injections, incisions, or similar effects.
From the Act of the external examination of the exhumed body of Dasho-Dorzhi Itigelov, carried out in the premises of the Ivolginsky datsan:
“The skin of the body is light gray in color, dry, pliable when pressed with fingers. The soft tissues of the corpse are elastic, mobility in the joints is preserved. No traces of a previous opening of body cavities for the purpose of possible embalming or conservation were found.”
After conducting a study of skin particles, scientists came to sensational conclusions. Not only did the llama cells not die, but they continue to divide. In other words, most likely all vital processes in the body of a monk continue, only they are slowed down by a million times.
“In world practice, this is the only officially recorded case of such a preservation of the body,” says Zvyagin. “Of course, cases of mummification and embalming of bodies are known. For example, in St. Petersburg it was fashionable at the end of the 19th century. Nikolai Pirogov himself prepared a solution for storing his body, which has been preserved near Vinnitsa for more than 120 years. But for this, the internal organs were removed, and special chemicals were used. It is not uncommon to find bodies in permafrost, but they quickly disintegrate when in contact with the external environment.
It's hard to believe, but it's simply impossible to imagine that, according to scientists, the recently found mummy of a Tibetan monk, which is already more than 200 years old, is still "alive".
Scientists in Ulaanbaatar came across a 200-year-old mummy of a Tibetan monk, which was discovered in the province of Songinokhairkhan.
The mummy is in a sitting position in the “lotus-vajra” position, that is, the palm of the left hand is open, and the right palm is turned down and clamped, symbolizing the sermon of the Sutra. According to the ancient traditions of Buddhist lamas, this state of a person indicates that the monk did not die, but is in a deep state of meditation, and the longer he stays in such an unusual oblivion, the closer he is to the Buddha.
In a detailed study of the mummy and after a number of different examinations, scientists made an unequivocal conclusion that the protein functions of the mummy's body have a vital state, and "the monk is still alive," he is simply in a very long and deep trance.
According to scientists led by Professor of the Mongolian Institute of Buddhist Art Genkhugiyun Purevbat, such a trance into which the monk entered is called “tukdam”, and the monk himself is the teacher of Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov, who voluntarily sat in the same lotus position and read the posthumous prayer , died. This event took place on June 15, 1927.
Before sitting down and dying, Itigelov prepared himself mentally and physically for almost ten years, and bequeathed to his students to be buried intact in a sitting position. Then, after 30 years, they dug up and looked at it again, and finally it was returned only after 75 years. So everything was done by his disciples. A cedar box was built, in which a seated lama was placed and covered with ordinary rock salt, and then buried with full honors in the ground. After 30 years (in 1957) Itigelov was dug up again. Those present were amazed by what they saw - the monk, as if alive, was still sitting in the same position, only he was not breathing. They changed his robe, read the necessary prayers, and the improvised same sarcophagus with the monk was buried again, and was dug up again only in 2002.
In fact, the lama returned to our world, as he wanted after 75 years. The forensic medical examination of the city of Buryatia documented the fact that there is no natural decomposition of the body, even a putrid smell is absent. soft tissues elastic, the joints bend and retain their mobility, there is no sign of any embalming or application of any oils on the body. Even the lama's orange robe has not lost its strength and brightness of colors.
By the way, Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov (Pardito Khambo Lama XII) is a religious Buryat figure, and in 1911-1917 he was the head of the Buddhists of Siberia.
Until now, the lama sits on the podium, in his solemn lotus position, in the Ivolginsky Monastery specially built for him. His body can be said to be imperishable, for 88 years now it has been in the same state and has not been subjected to either decay or decomposition. Many believe that the llama is alive and could return to our world only if his body was dug up a little earlier. Or simply the revival of the lama does not occur because there are no longer alive those to whom he promised to return.
But be that as it may, in fact, we don’t really know for sure, but with these examples of “living” mummies, we can accurately state the fact that the power of faith is simply omnipotent and immense, and in many ways, it’s not yet possible for a person to understand this, not explain.
