Archive for the 'Near Death & Reincarnation' Category

The Real River Styx…

A version of Dante’s hellish vision, captured on camera in all its morbid beauty…

 

Nick-Brandt-Calcified-Reflected-Flamingo-Lake-Natron-650x544

(Images: Nick Brandt)

 

Deadly lake turns animals into statues

by Rowan Hooper

 

“ACCORDING to Dante, the Styx is not just a river but a vast, deathly swamp filling the entire fifth circle of hell. Perhaps the staff of New Scientist will see it when our time comes but, until then, Lake Natron in northern Tanzania does a pretty good job of illustrating Dante’s vision.

 

Unless you are an alkaline tilapia (Alcolapia alcalica) – an extremophile fish adapted to the harsh conditions – it is not the best place to live. Temperatures in the lake can reach 60 °C, and its alkalinity is between pH 9 and pH 10.5.

 

The lake takes its name from natron, a naturally occurring compound made mainly of sodium carbonate, with a bit of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) thrown in. Here, this has come from volcanic ash, accumulated from the Great Rift valley. Animals that become immersed in the water die and are calcified…”

 

For the rest click here.

Share

Mummified Monk May Not Be Dead…

A decades long meditation so deep that you are mistaken for dead. The word for this state of being is “tukdam”.

 

Images of Rip Van Winkle come to mind…

 

 

_80772090_mm

 

Monk in Mongolia ‘not dead’, say Buddhists
The monk was found wrapped in traditional Buddhist robes

 

“A mummified monk found preserved in Mongolia last week has been baffling and astounding those who uncovered him.

 

Senior Buddhists say the monk, found sitting in the lotus position, 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.

 

Scientists have yet to determine how the monk is so well preserved, though some think Mongolia’s cold weather could be the reason.

 

But 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”…”

 

For the rest, click here.

 

On the same note, here is a story about a Hindu guru who may or may not be dead.

Share

The Mummy Inside

A 1,000-Year-Old Buddha statue hides the remains of a mummified monk. (Some practicing Buddhists claim that similar mummies are not deceased, but are actually in an advanced state of meditation!)…

 

monk

 

CT Scan of 1,000-Year-Old Buddha Statue Reveals Mummified Monk Hidden Inside

by Christopher Jobson (thisiscolossal.com)

 

“What looks like a traditional statue of Buddha dating back to the 11th or 12th century was recently revealed to be quite a bit more. A CT scan and endoscopy carried out by the Netherlands-based Drents Museum at the Meander Medical Centre in Amersfoort, showed the ancient reliquary fully encases the mummified remains of a Buddhist master…”

 

For the rest, click here.

 

Share

« Previous PageNext Page »