London: The senior Buddhists have claimed that the mummified monk found in Mongolia on 27 January is in a deep meditative trance and not dead.
Forensic examinations are under way on the remains, found wrapped in cattle skins in north-central Mongolia, the BBC reported.
Scientists have yet to determine how the monk was so well-preserved, though some think Mongolia's cold weather could be the reason.
Dr Barry Kerzin, a physician to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, told the Siberian Times that the monk was in a rare state of meditation called "tukdam" and if the meditator can continue to stay in this meditative state, he could become a Buddha.
The identity of the monk is unclear, though there are speculations that he was the teacher of Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov, who was also found mummified.
