Last night I stumbled upon this dude on Youtube who tells ghost stories, outrageous true crime stories, and just some weird stuff.
This particular one was about the Buddhist ritual called Sokushinbutsu. It's basically a many-years long ritual that self mummifies the monk, but only if they do it correctly and have supposedly entered a state of nirvana before passing away.
The first stage is this: For 1,000 days, the monk is secluded in the woods. He must only eat things found in the forrest foraged by himself. Some resort to eating rocks to curb their appetites and fill their stomachs. They are supposed to do a lot of meditation and physical exercise when not hunting for foods. This is to reduce the body fat of the monk and make them leaner. Once completed, the monk is considered ready to enter the next stage, though many choose to redo this first stage many times before advancing to prepare themselves.
The second stage is for the next 100 days, they would not eat any food, drink only a small amount of salt water, and many would also drink a special tea that contained the toxins found in poison ivy or poison sumac. This toxic would kill off any microbes or bacteria that were in the body, such as those that start the decomposition process upon death. But it also would cause them to face the allergic reactions of the toxin throughout their GI tract..
If the monk has somehow gone through these first two stages, they enter the final stage. In this stage they are placed in a wooden box in a seated lotus position, with charcoal poured into the box around them, buried 10 feet in the ground, and only a bamboo pole for a breathing tube. They have a bell stringed to their box that they ring each day to let those watching over them know they're still alive.
When they no longer ring the bell, they are presumed dead. At this point they are pronounced dead and their box is now a tomb and is sealed. 1,000 days later the box is opened. The body is then inspected for signs of decay. If the body is decayed, then it is assumed they wussed out or did something wrong, and obviously did not reach the state of nirvana they should have. Their bodies are unceremoneously buried. If though, after 1,000 days their bodys are in a mummified state with prestine preservation then it is assumed they did achieve enlightenment and their mummified bodies are put on display and worshiped by the monks in their former temple.
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This particular one was about the Buddhist ritual called Sokushinbutsu. It's basically a many-years long ritual that self mummifies the monk, but only if they do it correctly and have supposedly entered a state of nirvana before passing away.
The first stage is this: For 1,000 days, the monk is secluded in the woods. He must only eat things found in the forrest foraged by himself. Some resort to eating rocks to curb their appetites and fill their stomachs. They are supposed to do a lot of meditation and physical exercise when not hunting for foods. This is to reduce the body fat of the monk and make them leaner. Once completed, the monk is considered ready to enter the next stage, though many choose to redo this first stage many times before advancing to prepare themselves.
The second stage is for the next 100 days, they would not eat any food, drink only a small amount of salt water, and many would also drink a special tea that contained the toxins found in poison ivy or poison sumac. This toxic would kill off any microbes or bacteria that were in the body, such as those that start the decomposition process upon death. But it also would cause them to face the allergic reactions of the toxin throughout their GI tract..
If the monk has somehow gone through these first two stages, they enter the final stage. In this stage they are placed in a wooden box in a seated lotus position, with charcoal poured into the box around them, buried 10 feet in the ground, and only a bamboo pole for a breathing tube. They have a bell stringed to their box that they ring each day to let those watching over them know they're still alive.
When they no longer ring the bell, they are presumed dead. At this point they are pronounced dead and their box is now a tomb and is sealed. 1,000 days later the box is opened. The body is then inspected for signs of decay. If the body is decayed, then it is assumed they wussed out or did something wrong, and obviously did not reach the state of nirvana they should have. Their bodies are unceremoneously buried. If though, after 1,000 days their bodys are in a mummified state with prestine preservation then it is assumed they did achieve enlightenment and their mummified bodies are put on display and worshiped by the monks in their former temple.
The Monks Who Spent Years Turning Themselves into Mummies—While Alive
Japan's self-sacrificing sokushinbutsu were a very determined lot.
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