Tukdam: Tibetan Buddhist Meditators Who Remain in Meditative State After Clinical Death
By
tock
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Summary
The article explores the Tibetan Buddhist phenomenon of tukdam (thugs dam), where experienced meditators die in meditative equipoise and their bodies don't show typical signs of death like decomposition, smell, or rigor mortis for days or weeks after clinical death. From the Tibetan Buddhist perspective, these meditators are resting in a subtle state of consciousness with associated subtle material energy present in the body, dwelling in the luminosity of emptiness. The article appears to be part of the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art's content exploring this spiritual and cultural practice.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledIn what Tibetan Buddhists call tukdam (Wylie transliteration: thugs dam), experienced meditators die in meditative equipoise.
Their bodies do not show the usual signs of death—such as smell, rigor mortis, or decomposition—for days or even weeks after their clinical deaths.
They appear lifelike, and many even remain sitting upright in meditation posture.
From the Tibetan Buddhist point of view, the meditators are resting in a subtle state of consciousness with an associated subtle material energy present in the body.
In tukdam, clinically dead meditators are said to dwell in the luminosity of emptiness.
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