Photo: Shugendō
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.
Photo: Dylan, Annetta, wythe
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.
Photo: Pink Tentacle
Photo: Pink Tentacle
As this article indicates, there was a high level of arsenic in the bloodstream caused by the ingestion of parts of the Urushi tree. Despite the beetles and maggots being thwarted by the arsenic, spices and other perfumes were doused on the mummy or decomposed corpse (because the body obviously stunk). As one would conjecture, the three year process prior to submitting oneself to the coffin to starve to death was a mentally challenging one. Thus, the other brothers of the monastery watched and cared for the monk going through the mummification process. Mental illness, delusions, hallucinations and aggressive behavior overcame the monk who starved himself through those years.
Some Japanese feared or still fear that the soul has become twisted and malevolent, with a hatred for all living things. These burning souls often bring with them dark knowledge from the afterlife, and use it to cause pain, sorrow and mischief.
The mummies also possess the accessories they had prior to death. However, their eyes have been removed. Even so, they are considered able to see into the souls of the living and be able to perceive reality perfectly. It is believed that there are three types of mummies of monks.
The more common, happy Sokushinbutsu types of monks are meditative and serene or so the law in Japan proclaims. The mummies of these monks can cast spells and perform healings. They can also remove spells. The mummies are only found within the monasteries that the monks died in.
Photo: Experience
The mummies that are considered neutral are insane and either catatonic or imbecilic, though occasionally insights about their god, or the afterlife, can be gleaned from their ramblings. You will see that the Japanese consider these mummies less than ideal, not to be fully trusted.
Less common in occurrence are the chaotic mummified souls of monks. According to this site,they are "malevolent and cruel; they usually kill the other members of their order or flee their company, and can most often be found lurking in ruins, caves or graveyards. They are sometimes accompanied by ghouls, who they exercise a strange power over, or, rarely, weak-willed evil humans who venerate them."
Esoteric Buddhism, or secret teaching, is all about self-sacrifice. The monks' suicide is to bring them to lordship so that they can bless others with their divine powers. The Christian condemnation of suicide is strictly inapplicable in this sense. A Japanese man named Mikkyō created this doctrine and called it Buddha Mahāvairocana after studying under the faithful guidance of other doctrines. It is not directly related to any named Buddhas. This Body of Principal is intrinsic and enlightening.
Though I would not personally want to be mummified and found this subject very disturbing, the more I looked into it and researched it, I do, however, appreciate the beauty and magnificent physical and mental awesomeness that encapsulates such a process and the religion behind it.
