interesting documentary just now on a self mummified Tibetian monk. Caught it halfway. The researcher tried to find out how he mummified himself and why.

apparantly there're another 2 self mummified monks in Japan. Abt 100 years old. The Tibet one is abt 500 years old. (Columbus landed on america 400 years ago).

The hypothesis is that these monks mummified themselves as a form of sacrifice. To alleviate the sufferings of the common pple by taking on their suffering and to give them hope. There was an eye epidemic during the Japanese mummy monk's time and he took on the suffering by using a knife to dig out his own eye.

the ultimate act of compassion and non-attachment i guess.

they managed to mummify themselves by starving for months (thereby shrinking their organs and ridding the bacteria that causes decay) and then basically meditated to death. Documentary also showed the micraculous physical and scientific effects of meditation.

cool.
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"But if my life is for rent
and I don't learn to buy
Will I desire nothing more than I get
Cos nothing I have is truly mine"
-modified lyrics from Dido "Life is for rent"

I thought this were the lyrics and thought wow it sounds like a model buddhist song. but i found the real lyrics and now it sounds more like a sad love song.

i like the line "Cos nothing i have is truly mine".