A Buddhist monastery Investigations are underway in Thailand after authorities discovered more than 40 bodies on the ground allegedly used for meditation practices, police said on Sunday.
Forty-one carcasses were found on Saturday at the Pa Nakhon Chaibovorn Monastery in Thailand’s Phichit province, a senior police officer told AFP.
“The bodies were accompanied by death and body donation certificates,” he said, adding that no charges have been filed so far.
He said police contacted relatives of the deceased to confirm that the bodies had been voluntarily donated.
“We are trying to ensure that none of the dead bodies have been stolen,” said the officer, who requested anonymity.
The search came days after police discovered 12 bodies on Wednesday at another monastery in neighboring Kamphaeng Phet province, Thai local media said.
The head of the Phichit province monastery, Phra Ajarn Saifon Phandito, told Thai television channel PBS that the use of corpses was part of a “meditation technique” he developed.
“Many of the people who come to learn are abbots and all these monks… pass on the knowledge,” he said. “I don’t know how many people have adopted my technique.”
He also told another local TV station that “practitioners meditate in pavilions where coffins containing human remains are placed.”
Kom Pattarakulprasert, director of the Phichit Office of Buddhism, told the Bangkok Post that incorporating bodies in meditation was unusual.
“I asked Phra Ajarn Saifon Phandito if there were any carcasses and was told there were none,” Kom told the newspaper. “But when journalists discovered the 41 bodies, I was surprised by the conflicting stories. I will discuss with the local head of the clergy whether this practice is appropriate.”
Phichit police said they are working with authorities in other provinces to investigate how widespread the practice is.
