Probably not, LOL.
Is there any truth in the claim that some Shingon monks in Japan can "self-mummify", gradually turning themselves into mummies?
Yes, the claim is true. Some Shingon Buddhist monks in Japan practiced a form of self-mummification known as Sokushinbutsu (即身仏), a process in which a monk would undergo an extreme ascetic regimen to gradually mummify themselves while still alive.
🛕 What Is Sokushinbutsu?
Sokushinbutsu is the practice of deliberate self-mummification carried out mainly by Shingon Buddhist monks between the 11th and 19th centuries in northern Japan. The monks believed that through intense discipline, they could achieve Buddhahood in their physical body without dying in the conventional sense.
The most well-known cases are found in Yamagata Prefecture, particularly around Dainichi-Bō Temple.
More than two dozen self-mummified monks have been discovered.
⚰️ How Did the Monks Self-Mummify? (The 3-Phase Process)
The self-mummification process took around 1,000 days (almost 3 years) and followed these steps:
📜 Phase 1: Extreme Fasting & Physical Depletion (1,000 Days)
The monk followed the "Mokujikigyō" (木食行) diet—consisting only of nuts, seeds, tree bark, pine needles, and roots.
This led to extreme weight loss, eliminating body fat that would normally decompose after death.
Intense meditation and fasting prepared the monk spiritually for the transformation.
💀 Phase 2: Starvation & Dehydration (Next 1,000 Days)
The monk switched to a liquid diet of tea made from urushi (lacquer tree) sap.
Urushi is toxic, making the body inhospitable to bacteria and parasites, preventing decomposition.
Near the end, the monk ceased all food and water intake, leading to death by starvation and dehydration.
🛕 Phase 3: Burial & Mummification
The monk was placed in a stone chamber or wooden box just large enough for them to sit in full lotus posture.
A small breathing tube allowed air into the chamber.
The monk rang a bell each day to signal they were alive. When the bell stopped ringing, the chamber was sealed.
🧐 Did It Actually Work?
Most monks did not fully mummify—their bodies decomposed after death.
However, about 20 monks successfully mummified, and their preserved bodies are still displayed in temples today.
These Sokushinbutsu mummies show remarkably well-preserved features, supporting the idea that their extreme diet, dehydration, and urushi ingestion prevented decomposition.
⚠️ Why Did the Practice End?
The Japanese government banned Sokushinbutsu in the late 19th century, considering it a form of suicide.
However, Shingon Buddhists still venerate the existing mummified monks as living Buddhas.
🌟 Notable Sokushinbutsu Monks
Shinnyokai Shonin (新如海上人) – A fully preserved mummy at Dainichi-Bō Temple in Yamagata.
Tetsuryūkai Shonin (鉄竜海上人) – Another famous sokushinbutsu whose remains are enshrined at Honmyōji Temple.
Would you like information on where to see these mummies in Japan or details about the philosophy behind self-mummification? 😊
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