FOR centuries, the golden glow of a life-size statue of Buddha has given its followers a feeling of serenity. Now a CAT scan has revealed what lies within.
The 11th century relic known as the Liuquan mummy was recently passed through a CAT scanner by the Drents Museum in the Netherlands.
It’s part of a major mummification exhibition at the venue.
Behind the serene, golden facade was found to be the mummified remains of a monk.
But that’s not the real discovery.
It’s not an altogether uncommon practice.
Instead, the scan found that the monk’s internal organs had been replaced — by rolls of paper covered in Chinese writings.
Amersfoort’s hospital employees conducted the scan in their spare time. A gastrointestinal doctor also sampled some of the preserved remains.
“He made a spectacular discovery: at the place where once had been organs, he found, among all kinds of rotten material, paper scraps that were printed with ancient Chinese characters,†a statement from the hospital reads.
Many believers assert the monks within such statues contain are not actually dead. Instead, they’re in a deep state of meditation.
In this case the mummy belongs to Buddhist master Liuquan, a member of the Chinese Meditation School.
The mummy, on its first ever trip outside China, is now being prepared for display in Hungary.
Originally published as Buddha’s amazing secret exposed
