An incorrupt monk in Buryatia is a phenomenon of life after death. Is the deceased Buddhist monk still alive? Lama who sits for 80 years after death

Blocks 26.02.2024

Blocks

86 years old sitting in lotus position with straight back

If you still don’t believe in miracles, it’s time for you to visit Buryatia: there, in the Ivolginsky datsan, 40 minutes’ drive from Ulan-Ude, under a glass bell sits a man who died 86 years ago.
Sits in the lotus position with a straight back, not supported by anyone or anything. Scientists do not understand why the body not only does not decompose, but for some reason exudes a fragrance. And most importantly, why anyone, even the last skeptic, feels awe when standing nearby and at the same time feels a huge surge of spiritual strength. Buddhists know that Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov, their beloved Hambo 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 Buddha achieved full enlightenment. The monastery even built a special greenhouse for this tree. Anyone can find healing here, spiritual or physical - the monks treat parishioners with Tibetan medicine and perform rituals.

There are rumors that the datsan can also give healing - they say that the incorrupt body of Khambo Lama Itigelov has such a miraculous gift, which can be worshiped in the Ivolginsky datsan. 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 very old man, sat in the lotus position and left his body at the beginning of the last century, commanding his disciples to bury him, but take him out of the grave when he was 70 years old. The disciples followed his instructions and today, about eighty years after his “death,” Lama Itigelov still sits in the lotus position in the main dugan (temple) of the Ivolginsky datsan.

The incorrupt body of the former Head of Buddhists in Russia, Lama Dash Dorzho Itigelov, who died 80 years ago, is one of the cases of energy-informational transformation of the highest level of practice of self-development of the Spirit. Expert research demonstrates amazing results: Itigelova has all the signs of a living person - soft skin, movable joints, and weak brain activity. Every six months Lama even gains or loses up to half a kilogram of weight.

On strictly certain days, long queues of people line up to see the lama, “sitting” under a glass bell, wanting to touch the shrine; according to rumors, healing and fulfillment of desires are not uncommon here.

Lama's blessing
Who is Lama Itigelov? In 1911-1917 this man was the head of all Buddhists in Buryatia. But people from all walks of life came to see him, including Nicholas II himself and his family: the fame of Dasha-Dorzho Itigelov’s healing abilities reached brilliant St. Petersburg. But Hambo Lama did not tell the sovereign what a terrible end was in store for himself and his entire family. For what? You can’t escape 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, remaining in absolute calm: “They won’t have time to take me.” In general, he knew and was able to do a lot, this unusual lama. He wrote a great many works on Buddhism. He thoroughly studied Tibetan medicine and left a huge treatise on pharmacology. All of Buryatia was hunting for his blessing. This is understandable - how could it be otherwise when all the soldiers who received Itigelov’s blessing before leaving for the Russo-Japanese War returned home safe and sound? 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 spent 10 years improving his spirit. On June 15, 1927, he called all his students and told them: “Come to me in 30 years - look at my body. And in 75 years I will return to you.” The students stood around the teacher, confused. They were even more surprised when he sat in the lotus position and asked them to read the Buddhist prayer “Good wishes for the departing.” They refused - after all, this prayer is read only to the dead. Then Itigelov himself said it and at that very second stopped breathing. The lama's body was placed in a cedar coffin and interred. And they dug it up 30 years later - in secret from the authorities. The monks made sure that the body remained incorrupt, performed the necessary rituals, changed clothes and buried it again. The second time the monks were convinced of the safety of the body in 1973, but they extracted Itigelov from the ground only on September 10, 2002 - exactly 75 years after his death - in accordance with the will of the teacher. This is where the most interesting things began - for people 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 in appearance - he retained all the signs of a living creature: he remained warm and still had soft, elastic skin. A man who had been in a coffin for 75 years still had ears, eyes, fingers, teeth, eyelashes and eyebrows in place! All his joints, without exception, bent! Itigelov was transferred to the Ivolginsky datsan, specially built for him, dressed in new clothes and placed under a glass cover, which, if it protects from anything, is only from dust. The Buddhists did not undertake any other tricks to preserve the Lama. But since then, the body has undergone virtually no changes - except that 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 were “torn to pieces” by scientists. For researchers from the Russian Center for Forensic Medical Examination of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, this was enough to admit the incredible: “The condition of the tissues is such that it fully corresponds to the intravital characteristics. We are not aware of cases of such preservation, this is a kind of scientific mystery... In many respects, the body of 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 be held on July 12, September 9, October 26 and November 28. Don’t try to get to the datsan before 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—many people, including the powers that be, crave the lama’s blessing. Vladimir Putin himself visited Itigelov twice—is that why he became President of Russia twice? Whatever the road that leads 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 the Teacher’s scarf with it and receive a certain blessing. In principle, you don’t have to do this, just as you don’t have to try to reach the Hambo Lama’s hands at all costs: he will already notice the one asking and reward him according to his faith and merits.

In September 2002, a sensation spread around the world. In Buryatia, in a rural cemetery, the lama, the head of the Buddhists of Russia, Dasho Dorzhi Itigelov, who passed away in 1927, was exhumed from his grave. The monk’s body has not decomposed and has not undergone any changes in 75 years. Moreover, the schema-monk sweats, hair and nails grow.
The monastery itself is located in the middle of the steppe. It is surrounded by a mountain range on four sides from human eyes. Despite the fact that the republican center is located very close, and the highway to Ulan-Ude is not far away, city residents avoid 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 scarves hang on the bushes, which are believed to keep the souls of deceased 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 incorruptible Lama rests. “The very fact of the appearance of Dasha-Dorzho on earth is a mystery,” says the head of the project to study the phenomenon of Itigelov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Russian State University for the Humanities, Galina Ershova. “As a nine-year-old boy, the future monk came to hire work for one of the local farmers, holding a staff in one hand and a skull in the other. Buddhists consider this a sacred symbol. Until the age of 15, Itigelov tended sheep, and when he grew up, he reached the Aninsky datsan in Buryatia, where he studied Buddhism for 20 years.”

Having become an enlightened monk, Dasho-Dorji studied medicine and philosophy, gaining fame as a healer known throughout Russia. Legends say that the monk, like Christ, could calmly walk on water. In 1911, Itigelov was elected Pandito Khamba Lama of the Buddhist clergy of Russia. During his lifetime, the schema-monk 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, foreseeing repression, resigned as spiritual leader and retired to his native datsan. Not long before his departure, foreseeing the destruction of the clergy, the lama called on his supporters to leave the country of the Soviets. And when asked why he didn’t leave himself, he answered, “They won’t have time to take me.”

In the summer of 1927, the monk gathered his followers, announced that he was leaving, and began preparing for death. Before this, Itegelov ordered his students to bury him in a cedar box in 6 days. “I’ll come back to you in 30 years, then you dig me up,” the schema-monk said in parting. Then the lama began to meditate. On the seventh day, Hambo Lama's head dropped to his chest. This was a signal to the students that the consciousness of the great teacher had moved to Nirvana.

The monks opened the grave as the teacher ordered in 1955. Itigelov's body remained unchanged. After changing the schema-monk’s clothes, they buried him back. Khamba Lama was recovered again in 1973. After making sure that the body was safe and carrying out the necessary rituals, they buried it again. The monk was finally raised in 2002. Representatives of the authorities and forensic medical experts were present during the exhumation. The relics of the Buddhist saint have not been touched by time.

“We carefully examined the llama’s body, drew up a protocol, as required, and signed it,” says the head of the personal identification department of the Russian Center for Forensic Medicine, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Viktor Zvyagin. “The body is in such a condition as if he had died quite recently. The mobility of the joints, the turgor of the skin - 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 materials from two years ago, when the exhumation took place. There are no artificial methods known to science to maintain this state of the body, such as mummification, embalming, etc. were not used in this case. There are no traces of an autopsy, removal of the brain and internal organs, we did not find any injections, cuts or similar influences.

From the Certificate of external inspection of the exhumed body of Dasho-Dorzhi Itigelov, carried out on 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 indicating a previous opening of the body cavities for the purpose of possible embalming or preservation were found.”
After conducting a study of skin particles, scientists came to sensational conclusions. The llama's cells not only did not die, but continued to divide. In other words, most likely all life processes in the monk’s body continue, only they are slowed down millions of times.
“In world practice, this is the only officially recorded case of such preservation of a 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 were removed and special chemicals were used. It is not uncommon to find bodies in permafrost, but they quickly disintegrate upon contact with the outside environment.”

Anomalous news from around the world: anomalia.kulichki.ru/

Sits in the lotus position with a straight back, not supported by anyone or anything. Scientists do not understand why the body not only does not decompose, but for some reason exudes a fragrance. And most importantly, why anyone, even the last skeptic, feels awe when standing nearby and at the same time feels a huge surge of spiritual strength. Buddhists know that Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov, their beloved Hambo Lama, as he once promised, returned to the world of the living and again began to work miracles.

There are rumors that the datsan can also give healing - they say that the incorrupt body of Khambo Lama Itigelov has such a miraculous gift, which can be worshiped in the Ivolginsky datsan. 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 very old man, sat in the lotus position and left his body at the beginning of the last century, commanding his disciples to bury him, but take him out of the grave when he was 70 years old. The disciples 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.

Lama's blessing.

Who is Lama Itigelov? In 1911-1917 this man was the head of all Buddhists in Buryatia. But people of various faiths came to see him, including Nicholas II himself and his family: the fame of Dasha-Dorzho Itigelov’s healing abilities reached brilliant St. Petersburg. But Hambo Lama did not tell the sovereign what a terrible end was in store for himself and his entire family. For what? You can’t escape 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, remaining in absolute calm: “They won’t have time to take me.” In general, he knew and was able to do a lot, this unusual lama. He wrote a great many works on Buddhism. He thoroughly studied Tibetan medicine and left a huge treatise on pharmacology. All of Buryatia was hunting for his blessing. This is understandable - how could it be otherwise when all the soldiers who received Itigelov’s blessing before leaving for the Russo-Japanese War returned home safe and sound? 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 spent 10 years improving his spirit. On June 15, 1927, he called all his students and told them: “Come to me in 30 years - look at my body. And in 75 years I will return to you.” The students stood around the teacher, confused. They were even more surprised when he sat in the lotus position and asked them to read the Buddhist prayer “Good wishes for the departing.” They refused - after all, this prayer is read only to the dead. Then Itigelov himself said it and at that very second stopped breathing.

The lama's body was placed in a cedar coffin and interred. And they dug it up 30 years later - in secret from the authorities. The monks made sure that the body remained incorrupt, performed the necessary rituals, changed clothes and buried it again. The second time the monks were convinced of the safety of the body in 1973, but they extracted Itigelov from the ground only on September 10, 2002 - exactly 75 years after his death - in accordance with the will of the teacher. This is where the most interesting things began - for people 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 in appearance - he retained all the signs of a living creature: he remained warm and still had soft, elastic skin. A man who had been in a coffin for 75 years still had ears, eyes, fingers, teeth, eyelashes and eyebrows in place! All his joints, without exception, bent! Itigelov was transferred to the Ivolginsky datsan, specially built for him, dressed in new clothes and placed under a glass cover, which, if it protects from anything, is only from dust. The Buddhists did not undertake any other tricks to preserve the Lama.

But since then, the body has undergone virtually no changes - except that 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 were “torn to pieces” by scientists. For researchers from the Russian Center for Forensic Medical Examination of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, this was enough to admit the incredible: “The condition of the tissues is such that it fully corresponds to the intravital characteristics. We are not aware of cases of such preservation, this is a kind of scientific mystery... In many respects, the body of 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 be held on July 12, September 9, October 26 and November 28. Don't try to get to the datsan before 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 - many people crave the lama’s blessing, including the powers that be. Vladimir Putin himself visited Itigelov twice - is that why he became President of Russia twice?

Whatever the road that leads you to the lama, remember a few simple rules for visiting the datsan. Stock up on a hadak in advance - a dedicatory scarf: you will touch the Teacher’s scarf with it and receive a certain blessing. In principle, you don’t have to do this, just as you don’t have to try to reach the Hambo Lama’s hands at all costs: he will already notice the one asking and reward him according to his faith and merits.

The monastery itself is located in the middle of the steppe. It is surrounded by a mountain range on four sides from human eyes. Despite the fact that the republican center is located very close, and the highway to Ulan-Ude is not far away, city residents avoid 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 scarves hang on the bushes, which are believed to keep the souls of deceased 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 rests the body of the incorruptible Lama. “The very fact of the appearance of Dasha-Dorzho on earth is a mystery,” says the head of the project to study the phenomenon of Itigelov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Russian State University for the Humanities, Galina Ershova. “As a nine-year-old boy, the future monk came to hire work for one of the local farmers, holding a staff in one hand and a skull in the other. Buddhists consider this a sacred symbol. Until the age of 15, Itigelov tended sheep, and when he grew up, he reached the Aninsky datsan in Buryatia, where he studied Buddhism for 20 years.”

Any falsification is excluded. not only because believers would consider it sacrilege, but also because we had the opportunity to compare our observations with materials from two years ago, when the exhumation took place. There are no artificial methods known to science to maintain this state of the body, such as mummification, embalming, etc. were not used in this case. There are no traces of an autopsy, removal of the brain and internal organs, we did not find any injections, cuts or similar influences.

From the Certificate of external inspection of the exhumed body of Dasho-Dorzhi Itigelov, carried out on 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 indicating a previous opening of the body cavities for the purpose of possible embalming or preservation were found.”

After conducting a study of skin particles, scientists came to sensational conclusions. The llama's cells not only did not die, but continued to divide. In other words, most likely all life processes in the monk’s body continue, only they are slowed down millions of times.

“In world practice, this is the only officially recorded case of such preservation of a body,” says Zvyagin. “Of course, there are known cases of mummification and embalming of bodies. 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 were removed and special chemicals were used. It is not uncommon to find bodies in permafrost, but they quickly disintegrate upon contact with the outside environment.”

The body of a Buddhist lama from Russia, Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov, who died 80 years ago, has not decomposed to this day.

According to legend, on June 15, 1927, Pandito Khambo Lama XII Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov sat in the lotus position, gathered his students and gave them the last instructions: “You will visit me in 75 years.” Then he began to read a prayer and went into nirvana.

Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov was buried in a cubic cedar sarcophagus in the same position (lotus position) in which he was at the time of his departure.

When Buddhist monks exhumed his body 48 years later, in 1955, they were surprised to find no signs of decay.

In 1973, 22 years later, the sarcophagus was reopened and were again stunned to find the body in an incorruptible state. The monks kept it secret, fearing that the authorities might destroy the body as part of an anti-religion campaign.

The monks exhumed the body again in 2002. The body remained incorrupt. This time they informed the public about the miracle and called on scientists to study this phenomenon.

The llama's body looked as if it had been mummified, although in fact no mummification had been carried out.

“With the permission of the highest Buddhist authorities of Buryatia, we were provided with approximately 2 mg of samples - these are hair, skin particles, sections of two nails. Infrared spectrophotometry showed that the protein fractions have intravital characteristics - for comparison, we took similar samples from our employees. There was no cadaverous smell either during the opening of the sarcophagus or now,” said Viktor Zvyagin, head of the personal identification department of the Russian Center for Forensic Medicine.

“A sample taken 75 years after the body was buried shows that the organics of the skin, hair and nails of the deceased are no different from those of a living person,” Galina Ershova, a history professor at the Russian State University for the Humanities, told Pravda.Ru. .

Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov in 1927, the year of his death. Photo: Wikipedia Commons

“His joints are flexible, the soft tissues are elastic just like those of a living person, and after they opened the sarcophagus where the llama’s body lay for 75 years, there was a very pleasant aroma,” Ershova added.

A statement from scientists and pathologists who examined the body in 2002 said it was "in the condition of someone who had died 36 hours earlier."

“Over the years of practice, I have encountered quite a few examples of organ preservation, but this was either the result of mummification or extreme environmental conditions,” Viktor Zvyagin told a Buddhist TV channel in a telephone interview. - But this is something else, incomprehensible to me. This is a phenomenon that requires the most detailed study."

According to the results of the examination, the structure of the protein in the llama’s body is not damaged, it is the same as that of a living person.

The incorrupt body of Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov became a shrine for Buddhists in Buryatia. It is located in the Ivolginsky Buddhist monastery (datsan) in the regional center of Ulan-Ude.

Palace of Khambo Lama Itigelov in the Ivolginsky datsan. Photo: Wikipedia Commons

In 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the monastery. The President spent some time alone with Itigelov at the beginning of his visit. Before leaving, he went to see him again to say goodbye, according to Putin's press secretary.

The President noted that Buddhism is one of the traditional religions of Russia. He also promised government support for the monastery.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Ivolginsky datsan in the village of Verkhnyaya Ivolga, Republic of Buryatia, April 11, 2013. Photo: ALEKSEY NIKOLSKYI/AFP/Getty Images

In the Soviet Union, many manifestations of religion were suppressed, hundreds of lamas were killed and 46 Buddhist temples and monasteries were destroyed. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Buddhists throughout Russia began to restore destroyed temples.

History of Hambo Lama

Khambo Lama Itigelov studied at the Anninsky datsan in Buryatia for 23 years. He received degrees in medicine and philosophy (studying the nature of emptiness). He also created an encyclopedia of pharmacology.

In 1911, Itigelov became Hambo Lama, the head of Buddhists in Russia. In the period from 1913 to 1917, he opened the first Buddhist temple in St. Petersburg. He published religious treatises and united many of the factions of that religion.

Hambo Lama was invited to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, and on March 19, 1917, Russian Tsar Nicholas II awarded him the Order of St. Stanislaus.

During the First World War, Itigelov helped the army with money, clothing and medicine. He also built many hospitals where lama doctors helped treat wounded soldiers. For his contribution, Itigelov was awarded the Order of St. Anne.

In 1926, he warned Buddhist monks of the coming "Red Terror" and advised them to flee to Tibet. But he himself never left Russia. His prediction of the Red Terror came true. In the decades that followed, the communist regime killed an estimated 30 million people.

Hello, dear readers!

Our story today is about a miraculous return after many decades, about the acquisition of faith and the unique capabilities of the human mind. Read about the “sleeping” Buryat monk Dashi Dorzho Itigelov.

Is it possible to meditate for more than 85 years? Why is the state in which the most famous incorruptible monk in Buryatia remains today? , Dashi Dorzho Itigelov , goes beyond the limits of understanding and modern scientific ideas? Is it possible to talk about the phenomenon of life after death?

The information presented in our article overturns the usual ideas about the structure of the world.

First, some historical facts

Buddhism on the territory of modern Buryatia dates back to the 2nd century BC. However, we can only talk about the massive penetration of religious teachings into Transbaikalia starting from the 17th century.

After the state borders between Mongolia and Russia were officially defined in 1722, the Buryat tribes took their place within the Russian Empire.

The year 1741 was marked by another significant event for the followers of Buddha: reigning Elizabeth Petrovna signed a decree in which Buddhism was recognized as the official state religion, and lamas received confirmation of their leading role within the confession.

Starting from the second half of the 19th century, schools and monasteries became a stronghold of progressive spiritual and scientific development for the Buryats.

Demonic times for all religious denominations came with the events of 1917. Having called religion “opium,” the 18th year of the last century was marked by the passage of a law separating all religious movements from the state.

Buddhism in the struggle between power and dissent was no exception. There was a large-scale destruction of the spiritual knowledge created and accumulated over centuries. More than 1,800 lamas, distinguished by a high level of education, were subjected to repression, hundreds were sent to prison, hard labor, and were shot. Buddhist temples were turned into slaughterhouses and cynically destroyed.

The next period of thaw and the beginning of revival occurred in the post-war period, when in the 46th year of the last century permission was received to open two datsans: Ivolginsky in Buryatia and Aginsky in the Aginsky national district of the Chita region.

The period starting from 1991 can be safely called the second real revival of the Buddhist movement in Russia.

What do we know about Itigelov

Pandito Khambo Lama XII headed the Buddhist denomination on Buryat territory from 1911 to 1917. His image is an object of worship not only for the Buryat branch of the teaching, but also for the entire Buddhist community as a whole.

This is an imperishable monk in Buryatia who continues to be in a state of meditation for more than 85 years. His life, departure and return are shrouded in mystery. But let's talk about everything in order.

Stages of the journey

According to surviving data, Dashi Dorzho Itigelov was born in May 1852 and was orphaned early. At the age of five, he was accepted as a farm laborer into one of the families, but the owners, seeing exceptional talents in the boy, helped ensure that the child ended up in the Aninsky datsan.

Starting from the age of fifteen and for as long as 23 years, Itigelov comprehended the intricacies of Buddhist teachings, Tibetan knowledge of medicine and other sciences. Since 1898, he independently taught the philosophy of Buddhism, reaching the level of a lama.

The year 1911 was marked by an important event: Itigelov was elected Pandito Khambo Lama XII, becoming the head of the Buddhist movement in Eastern Siberia. In this position, he is known for his exceptional patriotic feelings both for the people of Buryatia and for Russia as a whole.

Thus, during the First World War, under his leadership, hospitals were opened to treat the wounded, and the charitable society he created helped collect money, food, and medical equipment for the front. For his patriotism, he was deservedly nominated for imperial awards of that time.

“To find an outlet in eternity, you must constantly help people.” (Dashi Dorzho Itigelov).

last years of life

There is a version that the reason Itigelov had to leave his leadership post in 1917 was illness.

However, according to surviving evidence, he foresaw the coming of Soviet power, the upcoming repressions, persecutions, destruction that the followers of the Buddha would have to face and decided, by refusing his post, to begin preparations for his upcoming revival, continuing to simply serve in the monastery .

Having reached the age of 75, Pandita Khambo Lama XII Dashi Dorzho Itigelov, on the day of the full moon in June 1927, gathered his disciples and, having previously left them instructions, plunged into samadhi and achieved nirvana.

Lama's will

When leaving, Itigelov secured a promise from his students that they would carry out his last lifetime instructions. The instructions concerned how to dispose of the Teacher’s body:

Once the lama reached the level of nirvana, it was necessary to place him in a sarcophagus made of cedar wood, maintaining the lotus position customary for meditation, and bury him.
It is the responsibility of the students to periodically monitor the condition of the lama’s body. Specific dates were named in the 57th and 73rd years of the last century. If, upon examining the body, signs of decay of the flesh were noted, the body had to be set on fire.
It was necessary to open the cedar tomb exactly 75 years later. It was after this period that the Great Lama scheduled his return.

The burial was checked at the direction of the head of the Buddhist movement of that time twice, in 1955 and in 1973. Each time, it was discovered that there were no changes in Itigelov’s condition.

Return

After the specified period, the monk’s will was fulfilled. In 2002, on September 10, after the necessary legal procedures, a wooden sarcophagus was removed from the ground. To the surprise of everyone present, who expected to see something similar to the mummy of a monk, it was discovered that the lama continued to remain in the same lotus position, like a living person who had been meditating for many years.

His skin, hair, nail phalanges, all parts of his body looked as if he were in a state similar to hibernation. All joints retained mobility, there were no signs of decomposition of biological tissues. After 75 years, the amazing return of Pandito Khambo Lama XII took place, as he promised.

The Unsolved Mystery of the Monk

The best forensic scientists and medical experts were involved in the study of Itigelov’s phenomenon. The research lasted more than three years. The biological material that was obtained: sections of the skin, nail phalanges and hair of the monk, were subjected to detailed study using the latest modern technology.

The conclusions that the experts made can be briefly summarized as follows:

there are no signs of embalming of the body or its artificial preservation;
all internal and external organs, sensory organs are preserved, there are absolutely no signs of their destruction;
during spectral analysis of tissue samples, no data characteristic of the destruction of protein molecules were found; the tissues looked as if the monk was still alive;
skin turgor is preserved, all joints are mobile, there are no specific odors accompanying the processes of decomposition of flesh;
the body turned out to be capable of maintaining and retaining heat up to 34 degrees, while the ambient air temperature at the time of measurements ranged from 17 to 23 degrees.

Scientists are faced with an inexplicable, from the point of view of modern science, phenomenon. It is still unknown what the state in which the monk is in can be called, because at the cellular level the presence of some semblance of signs of vital activity has been reliably confirmed.

Based on scientific research, scientists have formulated a hypothesis about the great role of thought, consciousness, and the unexplored capabilities of the brain.

“Be clean among the sea of filth of dangerous troubled times...”

These prophetic words of Pandito Khambo Lama XII sound like an instruction to the modern world community. The monk is the author of more than 50 philosophical treatises, however, the best textbook he left for the edification of all living is his body, demonstrating the power of thought and spirit over the flesh.