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The body of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes with wax face and hand coverings. The Catholic Church found that her body remained uncorrupted after death. (Wikimedia Commons)
Many people may have heard stories of incorruptible bodies in the world of Chinese cultivation practice. For example, there is the earthly body of a god at Jiu Hua Mountain, the body of monk Ci Ming at Di Cang Temple, and many others. However, this phenomenon does not only occur in China; it also exists in the Western world.
Catholic Saint Bernadette Brown died in 1879. In 1909, her body was dug up to be reburied. Two doctors witnessed the exhumation. They saw that the body was in excellent condition. The only way that a nun who had witnessed the burial 30 years before could tell that so many years had passed was by the weathering of the coffin.
In March 2001, the body of Pope John XXIII was dug up because the present pope decided that his predecessor needed a new resting place to accommodate the large numbers of people wanting to revere his tomb in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Amazingly, even though Pope John XXIII had passed away 37 years prior, the body was in excellent condition.
There have been many instances in history where bodies have been dug up and reburied. The records confirming many incorruptible bodies are undeniable. There are many records of people who have been recognized as saints in medieval England, whose bodies did not decay regardless of temperature or dampness, including Cuthbert, Werburgh, Waltheof, and Guthlac.
There are also numerous recent examples. Joan Carroll Cruz, author and tertiary in the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites, recorded in detail many cases of uncorrupted bodies in her book “The Incorruptibles” published in 1997. Those cases include St. Teresa of Avila, whose corpse, though buried in wet mud, has never decomposed.
There might be people who think that the truth of these records is hard to prove. In reality, the records of these events are well-preserved and complete. Many of these corpses can still be seen today. Furthermore, many workers and family members were eyewitnesses during the exhumations. This type of event has occurred throughout Christian history.
Why is it that the bodies of many cultivators of Buddhism and Christianity do not decay after death? This phenomenon baffles modern science, but it occurs regularly in the world of cultivation practice. The common understanding is that when spiritual cultivators purify their thoughts, elevate their morality, and return to their original true selves, their bodies also change accordingly.
