Sokushinbutsu: The Self-Mummifying Monks Of Japan

Dressed in ceremonial robes and resting in a meditative pose in the Dainichibou Temple on the foot of Mount Yudono, there is something uncanny about the mummified remains of Shinnyokai-Shonin. Yet Shinnyokai’s remains are not the most remarkable thing about this Buddhist monk who lived over two-hundred years ago. Nor, for that matter, is the story of his life. But instead, it is in the extraordinary way he chose to die. That is because Shinnyokai passed his final moments as he now rests: in meditation and mummified. Shinnyoka was a practitioner of Sokushinbutsu, a Shingon Buddhist Monk tradition that dates back to the 11th century. It refers to a three-year process that saw monks slowly mummify themselves alive while practicing a form of asceticism. Most failed in their efforts. Others, like Shinnyokai, succeeded. And they can still be found resting in holy places across the country. <a href="https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/sokushinbutsu-the-self-mummifying-monks-of-japan-cdc5ce336f41">Click Here</a>