Perusing Tukdam Deaths: In Conversation with Donagh Coleman

Screened at the Dharamshala International Film Festival 2022, Tukdam: Between Worlds (2022) delves into the Tibetan Buddhist culture around death through the specific practice of tukdam. Distinct from narratives of self-sacrifice, tukdam is a phenomenon where advanced meditators (who are mostly male) die in a consciously controlled manner. Entering what is called a “subtle consciousness”, the meditator’s body shows no signs of rot for days/weeks even after being declared clinically dead. It gives out no smell, sits upright in life-like simulation of a living body in meditation, and is preserved and venerated for extended durations in situ. Director Donagh Coleman explores this phenomenon through the lens of witnesses—such as an embalmist, a family member (who is also an intensive care nurse), and a team of scientific researchers working to understand a spiritual occurrence within and beyond biomedical standards of Western medicine. 

In this conversation with Najrin Islam, Coleman talks about the fieldwork and research conducted for the documentary. He speaks about connecting with the families of Buddhist lamas (monks), as well as the ultimate incertitude of science in the arena despite groundbreaking research till date. The director also addresses discussions around mind/body dualities attendant to understanding such a gradual death, and the need to not accept neuroscience as the paragon of legitimacy. Tukdam: Between Worlds is woven around images of death and their aftermath among living bodies in terms of both personal grief and anthropological curiosity. As a documentary filmmaker working with both film and radio, Coleman’s gaze on his subject is immersive, and this is attested by his previous work on Tibetan life as well. In this film, he delves into an enduring “mystery”, and challenges its designation as such by dissecting understandings of death and ways of dying, consciousness, and personhood across cultures, authors, and intellectual traditions. Coleman is currently pursuing medical anthropology at UC Berkeley, continuing his research on tukdam deaths. 

^{(Featured Image: Still from Tukdam: Between Worlds (2022) by Donagh Coleman. Image courtesy of the director and Dharamshala International Film Festival; Video by Aprajita Gupta.)}

To learn more about the films screening at the Dharamshala International Film Festival, please click here, here, here and here.