Right into Mahasamadhi!!
Most Impressive! (And, not Zen Buddhist)
Right into Mahasamadhi - Freshly on Utube
This guy’s comment is on point with the reality of the situation, as he says from stuff he’s learnt.
Mrkyin Nyunt
In fact, the monk in this scene is not a Japanese Zen monk; his reverence is a Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk. We may call him a Djannalabhi monk ie. the monk who has attained Djanna which means Samadhi or the higher concentration power of mind. I've learnt that not all Djannalabhi monks can do so; those who has learnt and understand some Suttas (Buddha's teaching sermons in Sutta Pitaka) such as Anapanassati sutta (of Uparipannasa of Majjimanikaya) properly and thoroughly and applied them in practice precisely and got full enough proficiency, only can do so. A venerable Buddhist monk said that those Anapanassati Djanna proficient monks can know their own exact time and place to be gone and happily and calmly attain the Nibbana. Kindly be noticed that all Lord Buddhas, including Gotama Buddha, were born in India and the Buddha use the language, Magadha, so called Pali.
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I don't doubt that this is possible. This particular video looks a little odd in that they immediately placed the monk into the coffin and closed it. I think that normally they would wait, check body temperature and heartbeat. I heard one story where a lay meditator went into samadhi and his wife could not wake him. The emergency medical team pronounced him dead and then he woke up on a table at the morgue.
One monk at the Las Vegas monastery recently died. I heard second hand information from a lay friend that his body remained warm for several hours after he was pronounced dead. This was taken to be a good sign that he passed away to a good destination since the body did not turn cold quickly. It was assumed that his mind was focused at the time of death.
As for Buddhist monks leaving the body at the time of their choosing, or maybe just seeing ahead when Yama is coming, I think it is definitely achievable. Genuine Theravada Buddhist monks keep all the precepts from the time of the Buddha with very little modification for modern developments. They speak little, sleep little, and eat little. They cultivate the Brahma viharas of loving kindness, sharing in other's good fortune, compassion, and equanimity. The daily fast at the temple I go to is from noon until 6 a.m. the following day. The monks are required to study the Suttas, memorize prayers and pass comprehensive examinations. They meditate. They observe celibacy. They have the protection of robes and precepts. And in return they have received generous support of lay followers for the past 2600 years.
It's all about practice and development of insights, samadhi and jhanas BEFORE the time of death. Practice and restraint! And of course this depends on the vipaka (results of previous actions) that follows one for the near and distance past from this and previous lives.
The annapanasatti practice can definitely lead to this achievement.
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This practice/path has to be very potent and elevated in order for even the very advanced to come to accept to simply step into the other side with no-fuss, given the preponderant identification with and, extremely desperate attachment to the physical body.
The traits of the practice are attractive and serious, that is my opinion. So much focus on death denotes a greatly advanced level of renunciation. And, perhaps at that point checking for vitals before incineration or incidental immolation might be easily and graciously overlooked?
Indeed, I’d say that this is akin to Lord Buddha and his true teachings! Although this extraordinary feat does not in and of itself does not give insight into the destination of such an exalted individual.
