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Almost Nirvana

Sokushinbutsu: Japanese practice of self-mummification

For over several hundred years until this day, mostly because of the widespread acculturation of the early

Japanese to Chinese beliefs and practices, Buddhism has grown its roots deeper into the hearts of itsfollowers which led to a radical self-renunciation. on!s of the Shingon sect, one of the two prominent

groups of Buddhism teachings in Japan "the other being #endai$, used to conduct a sacred ritual !nown as self-mummification which dates bac! at the dawn of %% th century until the ei&i era of the late %'th

century, when it was conse(uently banned.

#his tradition is !nown for elevating the current state of the mon! into the level of  Buddhahood . )t

 portrays ultimate self-abandonment and achieves the greatest form of enlightenment, together with the

 banishment of all material desires and possessions, and imbibing wholeheartedly all of the esoteric

teachings of the sect. )ronic as it may seem, this holy act has been morbid and even detesting in the eyes

of the moderni*ing views of the developing Japanese society that is now influenced by +estern

 perspectives. )ts practice reduced dramatically in the later years. )t was primarily accused as a special

!ind of assisted suicide.

Sokushinbutsu is the official term used for the mon!s who undergo this self-mummification process. #hey prepare themselves for three thousand days and then patiently wait for their bodies to attain their desired

form.

ummification is not new to the world as they have been used around the globe firstly by ancientcivili*ations to help their highly-valued departed ones, mostly royalty, in maintaining a desirable build to

wal! with in the afterlife.

gyptians, )ncas and other practitioners however performed their mummification to the dead. #he bodies

are removed of their organs that would cause decay, and are then coated with chemicals, wrapped, or 

fro*en for prolonged preservation. #he o!ushinbutsu do this however while they are still alive, meaning

as they die, they have already been mummified, intact of every body part.

According to historical data, the Yamagata Prefecture employed the most number of o!ushinbutsu in

Japan, and it started with the initiative of  Kūkai who was given later the title Kōbō-Daishi as he brought

the ritual from the ang  dynasty in China. Believers suspect that their leader is still alive up to this day,

hidden in his cave at !t" Ko#a where he was last seen more than a thousand years ago meditating.

#hree crucial stages govern the self-mummification process. For the first one thousand days, etremefasting is done, wherein only nuts and seeds composed their meals, together with strenuous physical

wor!. #he general ob&ective of this step is to gradually shed body fat and eliminate body fluids. +ater 

ma!es the body habitable to microorganisms and other small living forms after death, and therefore would

aid decomposition so it has to be drained out.

ven more etreme measures are practiced at the second one thousand days. Food is now only limited to bar!s and roots of trees li!e pines, while the vigorous physical training continues. )n additional, the

mon!s have to drin! a special tea brewed from the urushi tree, also !nown as the $hinese lac%uer tree,

which contains toic ergastic substances, chemicals stored by the plant, that prevent the growth of 

maggots or any organism in the body after death, &ust li!e how they protect the tree from rotting due to

fungal infestations.

#he sap gathered from this tree is commercially used to coat ceramics and other furniture. Another 

account incorporates the water inta!e from a particular river !nown for its high arsenic content which is

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li!ewise deadly poisonous. /omiting and other symptoms now help the rapid dehydration of the body.

#his second step is mainly directed to the consumption of materials that would preserve them hopefully.

Following the last stage, the mon!s are already very wea! and bony in appearance. #he third one

thousand days is spent inside a closed vessel where they meditate in their lotus position and then buriedunder the ground. From here, only a breathing tube and a bell connect them to the outside world. ach

day, they would ring the bell to signify that they are still alive. 0owever, as the days advance, their bodiescan no longer put up much fight. 1nce the bell fails to ring, usually after a few wee!s, the breathing tube

is pulled out and the tomb is resealed until the thousand days have passed.

any mon!s tried to perform the ritual but only a handful was successful and now revered as Buddha.

#hroughout Japan, only siteen to twenty-four accomplished the self-mummification process, and are

currently displayed or shrined in their respective temples guarded by their followers.

#he reason for this small number is the condition of their bodies when they are rediscovered from their 

graves. )f not decomposed, then they have succeeded and are raised to Buddhahood. 1n the other hand, if 

decayed the bodies are placed bac! in their tombs and are honored for their sacred underta!ing and

un(uestionable efforts for enlightenment.

#oday, the ritual has completely disappeared and the o!ushinbutsu are &ust important relics portraying

the rich practice of Buddhism in Japan. #hey continue to remind their people that Nirvana where all living

creatures are laden with eternal happiness is achievable even here on arth.

 Now, even without becoming mummies through the three-thousand-day preparation, facing alone life2s

ups and downs while practicing the teachings of the mind  can provide the gift of enlightenment and

rewards of self-sacrifice without the pain and agony to death.

Above all, the morale revolves around the fact that what the world can initially give us is an almost-

 Nirvana eperience --- it is up to us to ma!e it wholesome and everlasting.