Have you ever heard of such a phenomenon as self-mummification? You won’t believe it, but meditation masters who could achieve total relaxation were able to put themselves into such a state.
It’s a strange storyThe 17 monks who lived in the Buddhist monasteries between 1081 and 1903 managed to do just that. They were followers of a rare practice called Sokushinbutsu.
To date, people have been able to find 24 such mummies. You may ask, what is the point? By doing so, they were demonstrating the highest level of discipline and a willingness for maximum self-sacrifice. That was the purpose of this religious action
Why? Paul Williams, an expert in the study of Buddhism, was able to establish that Sokushinbutsu was first practiced as early as 1,000 years ago. Its founder is a monk whose name was Kukai. After his death, he received another name and is now known to the world as Kobo Daishi.
You may have heard of him.
He was personally at the origin of the exoteric current in Buddhism called Shingon. Later, around 806 A.D., he opened his own school, which was very popular in the Japanese islands. Over the years, he began to reduce the portions of food he consumed until he gave it up completely. He met death in a clear mind and continued to repeat mantras even in the last moments of his life.
Some historians claim that he was able to enter a state of anabiosis and actually stayed alive through meditation. It is also believed that he was able to return to life several thousand years later.
It is worth noting that the monks sincerely believe that such suffering will guarantee them a place in paradise and that their suffering will pay off. In my opinion, not a bad motivation for such an extreme act.
How to do it? There is an approximate algorithm of actions that anyone who decides to do Sokushinbutsu should follow. First you must change your diet: only nuts are allowed for 1000 days. All this time you must continue to serve and benefit the people around you.
After the nut diet, the next period of identical duration begins. Now you are allowed to eat only pine needles and bark.
By the end of the period you will be almost completely dehydrated and ready for mummification, as the percentage of fat will be minimal.
With few exceptions, you were allowed to drink tea from the same bark.This drink prevented insects from penetrating the body and hastened the onset of “death”. Afterwards, you must enter a specially prepared tomb. In fact, it’s a crypt, so cramped that even a gaunt man could barely fit into it.
A small slit was left through which oxygen could enter. There was a little bell that the monk would ring to let him know he was still alive. When the bell was not rung for several days, the crypt would close completely.
Bottom lineThe monks waited another 1,000 days and opened the tomb. If the body showed no signs of putrefaction and decay, it meant that the process was successful. In that case, the hero was taken to the temple and worshipped as a deity.
If the body began to decompose, it was buried in the ground with all the honors it deserved.