Sokushinbutsu: The Torturous Self Mummification Of Buddhist Monks

[camerata]

Here's a good example of how the Dhamma can get totally perverted. Although, its origins are a bit murky, it seems this practice came about because of the belief that Japan's most famous monk Kukai never actually died, but is in some kind of meditative and enlightened state awaiting the arrival of Maitreya, the next Buddha.

Sokushinbutsu: The Torturous Self Mummification of Buddhist Monks

Would you slowly commit suicide for the sole purpose of religious enlightenment? There are approximately 24 Buddhist monks who did so in the Yamagata Prefecture that occurred in the early 1800s. This practice was folklore until Buddhist monk mummies were discovered in July of 2010.

Sokushinbutsu was tried by hundreds of monks, as it was the celestial trifecta of religious experiences in Japan. As stated earlier, only about 24 monks were successful. The experience of committing suicide by the monks began in an elaborate process of 1,000 days (a little less than three years) of eating only nuts and seeds to eliminate all body fat. Some folks would consider this a normal Hollywood celebrity diet. Over-zealous exercises were employed.

For another 1,000 days, the monks only ate bark and roots and began drinking a poisonous tea made from the sap of the Urushi tree, normally used to lacquer (eliminate) their bowls. In other words, there was profuse diarrhea occurring among the participating monks. Though the vomiting and diarrhea was important to later mummify themselves, the ideal outcome of drinking the sap of Urushi trees was to make their body poisonous and inedible to maggots. In turn, their body would not deteriorate by natural processes.

Finally, a self-mummifying monk would lock himself in a stone tomb barely larger than his body, where he would not move from the lotus position. His only connection to the outside world was an air tube and a bell. Each day he rang a bell to let those outside know that he was still alive. When the bell stopped ringing, the air tube was removed.

Another 1,000 days ensued. Then, some unfortunate monk was summoned to open the tomb and see if his body was mummified. If all was well, and mummification had been achieved, the monk was declared a Buddha and the body was put into the temple for viewing. Despite the lordship bestowed to the corpse, it was just a decomposed body and nothing more. The dedication and spirit of going through such a horrific process was still magnificent to the Japanese.

Full story.

[Xangsamhua]

Very interesting, thank you Camerata. And, yes, a bit warped from my point of view. Still, different strokes ...

Ritual suicide is still practised among the Jains in India, and the story of one young nun's efforts in this direction was describd by William Dalrymple in Nine Lives (Bloomsbury, 2009). There is some discussion of it from a Jain perspective at http://jainology.blo...ook-review.html

[GarryP]

Very interesting. Clearly there are extremes in most if not all religions.

[camerata]

In a similar vein, there was a practice where devotees of Kannon (the bodhisattva Avalokitasvara) would set sail from a beach on the tip of present-day Wakayama believing that somewhere out in the ocean they would be transported to Kannon's Paradise. Needless to say, they never returned.

[LazyYogi]

In a similar vein, there was a practice where devotees of Kannon (the bodhisattva Avalokitasvara) would set sail from a beach on the tip of present-day Wakayama believing that somewhere out in the ocean they would be transported to Kannon's Paradise. Needless to say, they never returned.

If I remember correctly, the way this was done was they had themselves sealed alive in a coffin on the little boat that was sent drifting in the ocean. Correct me of that is wrong.

Anyways, this is one thing I have never understood about Japan. Ritual suicide seems like it was very important in Samurai culture, and yet it is totally contrary to the Buddha's teaching. Killing oneself is the quickest way towards experiencing rebirth in a hel_l realm.