That is possible. An incorruptable body is considered a sign of holiness in Buddhism (maybe not all sects). I would venture to say that the idea of pre-preserving the body before death grew out of the more basic practice of fasting in order to overcome one's physical nature. A central tenant of Buddhism is that the physical world is false (not evil, just not the true Reality), and a distraction and impediment to one's attaining Nirvana. A major focus of Buddhist asceticism was to divorce one's mind and spirit from the physical needs and sensations of the world, to better focus on and perceive the real, spiritual, world. It is likely that the incorruptability of a body after death is seen perhaps as the ultimate (or very high degree anyway) of triumphs over the physical -- even one's dead body is free of the corrupting influence of the physical world.
And Buddhists don't like swords, oddly enough. And there is no sword visible in this statue. How interesting ... and ethnographic ... and weapon-related. [Deparately trying to keep the thread from spinning COMPLETELY off into the outer reaches of OT-land.
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5th May 2005, 10:28 PM
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