RAAP—068
FU HOU
The posthumous preservation of Venerable Fu Hou, a senior Buddhist monk affiliated with Chongfu Temple in Quanzhou, southeastern China, exemplifies a rare and venerated mortuary practice within select East Asian Buddhist traditions: the mummification and gilding of monastic remains. This ritual, typically reserved for monks of exceptional virtue and spiritual attainment, reflects longstanding regional beliefs in the sanctity of incorruptibility as a sign of enlightenment or profound moral purity.
Venerable Fu Hou passed away in 2012 at the age of 94, having dedicated his life to Buddhist practice from the age of 17. Following his death, his remains were ceremonially washed and treated by two specialists in mummification. His body was then seated in a meditative posture and sealed within a large earthenware jar. Upon reopening the vessel three years later, temple authorities reported that the body exhibited minimal decay, maintaining its upright position with the skin desiccated but otherwise intact—a condition interpreted by the monastic community as evidence of his spiritual purity.
Subsequently, the remains underwent a meticulous preservation process, involving cleansing with alcohol, wrapping in gauze, and successive applications of lacquer and gold leaf. The body was dressed in monastic robes and prepared for enshrinement within a custom glass case equipped with protective security measures. According to the abbot Li Ren and regional accounts, the incorruptibility of Fu Hou’s body affirms a local Buddhist belief: that only monks of exceptional virtue are able to resist the natural process of decay. The gilded relic now resides at the temple site, where it functions both as an object of veneration and as a source of inspiration for the laity and monastic community alike.
Venerable Fu Hou passed away in 2012 at the age of 94, having dedicated his life to Buddhist practice from the age of 17. Following his death, his remains were ceremonially washed and treated by two specialists in mummification. His body was then seated in a meditative posture and sealed within a large earthenware jar. Upon reopening the vessel three years later, temple authorities reported that the body exhibited minimal decay, maintaining its upright position with the skin desiccated but otherwise intact—a condition interpreted by the monastic community as evidence of his spiritual purity.
Subsequently, the remains underwent a meticulous preservation process, involving cleansing with alcohol, wrapping in gauze, and successive applications of lacquer and gold leaf. The body was dressed in monastic robes and prepared for enshrinement within a custom glass case equipped with protective security measures. According to the abbot Li Ren and regional accounts, the incorruptibility of Fu Hou’s body affirms a local Buddhist belief: that only monks of exceptional virtue are able to resist the natural process of decay. The gilded relic now resides at the temple site, where it functions both as an object of veneration and as a source of inspiration for the laity and monastic community alike.