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A Chinese Buddhist monk who had shown remarkable dedication to his faith during his lifetime was honored years after his death and mummification by being turned into gold.
Fu Hou had been a monk for the Chongfu Temple, located on the hill in Quanzhou, China. Because of the holy life he had led and his intense devotion to Buddhism, he was mummified upon his death in 2012. Years later, his temple carried out a rare and special post-death process given only to those they considered truly holy.
Bizarre Ritual Has Corpse of Chinese Monk Fu Hou Turned Turned into Gold
During his lifetime, Fu Hou had begun to devote himself to Buddhism at a very young age—13 years old. He continued to practice his faith until he died of old age in 2012. He had been 94 years old at the time. One request that Fu Hou left behind as part of his last will was that he be mummified after his death. His fellow monks at Chongfu Temple carried out his request because they also recognized his lifelong, remarkable dedication to Buddhism. Upon his death, his body was instantly treated by mummification experts and placed inside a large jar in the sitting position.
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Fu Hou began his devotion to Buddhism at the age of thirteen and continued to practice as a monk until he died in 2012, when he was 94.
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Three years after Fu Hou’s death, it was discovered that his preserved corpse was still largely intact, something that truly astounded the people of Quanzhou. The only sign of decay that they found was that of his skin drying out. In the Buddhist religion, it is generally believed that bodies that have been mummified and yet have remained intact even years after are genuinely virtuous souls.
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Three years after his mummification, Fu Hou’s corpse remained largely intact.
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According to a report by People’s Daily, Fu Hou had been a figure of great inspiration in his community. His fellow monks described him as someone with a truly kind heart who was also a great preacher.
Upon the discovery of his intact corpse, the temple decided to give him a special post-death process that’s only given to those who have led truly holy lives. First, his mummified corpse was covered in gauze. The next was a layer of lacquer to prepare the body for the final stage—the painting on of the gold leaf lacquer.
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Fu Hou’s mummified body was covered with gold leaf at the final stage of the special post-death ritual.
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According to Li Ren, the Chongfu Temple’s abbot, “Monk Fu Hou is now being placed on the mountain for people to worship.”
The temple intends to put an anti-theft device in place for better security measures and to deter thieves who might take an interest in Fu Hou’s golden corpse.
Watch the video below
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