Mummified Buddhist Body Found at Mt Jiuhua

A mummified Buddhist body was found at Mt Jiuhua. This is the 14th mummified mortal body found there. On February 23, Jiuhua Buddhism Association held an oblation ceremony for him.

The mortal body was well kept and no trace of damage was found on it. His face looks like that of a live person and his thews are still elastic. His monastic name is Mingjing and family name Xu Fangzhu. He was born in March 1928, Shuangqiao village of Langxi county, Anhui Province, and went to be ordained as a monk Mt Jiuhua in 1984, and passed away in August 1992. After his death, he was kept in a vat, only charcoal and lime were laid in it to prevent it from decay, and no other antisepsis was used.

Mount Jiuhua lies in the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The area belongs to semi-tropical monsoon climate with abundant rain all the year round. Except Mount Jiuhua, no such mortal body was ever found in other three Buddhism mountains, and so far scientific circle has no definite assertion about the phenomenon. The discovery has not only added many connotations to the Buddhist culture at Jiuhua Mountain, but also provided great value for scientific research and for the development of local tourism.

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