T H E E N D C O M M U N E

A Case for Tibetan Asceticism

Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov, a Buddhist monk of the Tibetan tradition, died in the year 1927. Itigilov is best known for leaving behind a body supposedly “incorruptible”, being resistant to organic, macroscopic decay. Itigilov left a testament that he wanted to be buried exactly as he died, bodily fixed in lotus posture. In his testament he also made clear that his body was to be exhumed after an unspecified number of years. In 1955, many years after his death, loyal monks exhumed his remains in secrecy in fear of persecution from the anti-religious communist authorities. The body was then accordingly not subject to any substantial decomposition. Another exhumation of the body was performed in 1973, with the same outcome. Finally, in 2002 the body was exhumed once again and reportedly thoroughly examined by medical professionals, stating the condition of the body to be the apparent age of “no more than 36 hours”. To this day, Buddhist monks show their reverence by shaking his hand, and some enthusiasts even believe that Itigilov never died, but is currently in a state of hibernation―having achieved a transcendent state of nirvana