May
24
/ 2022
Over 1,000 years ago, an esoteric sect known as Shingon – which combined elements from Buddhism, Old Shinto, Taoism, and other religions – developed a horrifying practice of self-mummification of the living body. The goal was to demonstrate the ultimate act of religious discipline and dedication. The practice, known as Sokushinbutsu, was pioneered by a Japanese priest named Kukai, and involved drying out the body over a number of years through a gruelling process, which inevitably resulted in death and preservation of the body. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"96480","attributes":{"alt":"A monk that achieved self-mummification (atlasobscura.com)","class":"media-image","height":"473","style":"width: 610px; height: 473px;","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"610"}}]] A monk that achieved self-mummification ( atlasobscura.com ) The steps involved in mummifying one’s own body were extremely rigorous and painful. For the first 1,000 days, the
