Shingon Buddhist Sect mummies.
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Read abt this in some books and websites.
Quite shocking to see Shingon Buddhist monks mummified themselves last time. Dun really understand what they hope to achieve. -
i think it's differing from the Egyptian form of mummifing, and i think there's no use of preservatives. as though the meditator used meditation to preserve the body from decaying per se. just like famous Master Hui Neng.
this is a form of body relic.
6TH PATRIARCH OF CHINESE CH'AN - HUI NENG
(638 - 713 C.E.)
"A year before his death, Hui Neng ordered his disciples to built a pagoda in Xinzhou's Guo'en Temple. When the time came he put on his kasaya robe for the last time and sat cross-legged in mediation in a shrine of the pagoda, abstaining from food and drink until his body had been completely consumed. Following his death, one of his dispels propped up the Master's back with an iron bar tied with gauze and coated his body with layer of raw paint until the lacquer grew to three or four millimeters thick, leaving only one tiny opening at the bottom. Then the body was put onto a wooden seat and encased in two huge glass urns sealed together with plaster. At the bottom of the lower urn, lime and charcoal had been laid so that the decaying organic matter could trickle down and be absorbed. Thus, the genuine life-size image of Hui Neng was preserved. However, a debate arose as to where to install the sacred statue. Some of his disciples insisted it belonged in his native place where he had finally consecrated himself; others argued it should go to Nanhua Temple where he had founded and practiced his school of Buddhism. Finally, one disciple declared it should go where it was facing, and that settled the issue." - Nan-hua Website
Shakyamuni Buddha himself was (of course) cremated, as are/were most Buddhist monks/nuns of the present and past (excluding the Tibetan monks/nuns), but the Buddha's relics were then distributed to many Buddhist monasteries around Asia. The most famous of these are the Buddha's Tooth Relics which still may be viewed in Kandy, Sri Lanka, Beijing, China and in Singapore. Even my own temple has some of the flesh and bone relics of the Buddha. The mystery is that the miniature pearl colored and shaped bone fragments increase and decrease in number. It is said that they increase as a result of merits created by the members of the temple, and decrease with the lack of merits gained, or with increased demerits.
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I agree with what sinweiy said
In the japanese Buddhist tradition ,they feel mummified the dead is a testimony of the teachings he left behind
Which Most of the mahayana does not advocates this
a dead body doesnt testify any of the teachings .It only for remembrance
this is a form of attachment
Great attained master like Tibetan Master also have said ,in their deathbed , they want to disintegrate and in harmony with the Universe -
I never heard of self-mummifications. What I know is if a practitioner has certain attainments his body will automatically not decay completely and become a body relic. He will also usually die seated in meditation position.
See: Shariras/she li zi/relics
The topic on body relic is discussed a few times in the URL. Press ctrl+f and search 'body relic'.
As for Shingon self-mummification, I searched the net and found this reply by an administrator of another Buddhist forum in regards to this practise:
This is not Shingon proper, but a Japanese offshoot of Shingon, heavily mixed with the Japanese cult of mountain gods and Shinto, called Shugendo. -
These Japanese monks are mad!!!Originally posted by An Eternal Now:I never heard of self-mummifications. What I know is if a practitioner has certain attainments his body will automatically not decay completely and become a body relic. He will also usually die seated in meditation position.
See: Shariras/she li zi/relics
The topic on body relic is discussed a few times in the URL. Press ctrl+f and search 'body relic'.
As for Shingon self-mummification, I searched the net and found this reply by an administrator of another Buddhist forum in regards to this practise:
This is not Shingon proper, but a Japanese offshoot of Shingon, heavily mixed with the Japanese cult of mountain gods and Shinto, called Shugendo. -
Hi,
this practice used to be done in older times within the Shugendo lineages but was never really practiced within the orthodox Shingon schools in Japan. However, it is believed commonly (by those practicing Shingon) that the founder of Shingon in Japan - Kukai - did not die and is in some form of meditation until Maitreya Buddha appears. Whether his body is mummified like that in the picture above is not known though, although i have been to his mausoleum on Mt Koya before.
Nobody practices it nowadays.
Gassho -
Oic.. thanks for clarifyingOriginally posted by sanath:Hi,
this practice used to be done in older times within the Shugendo lineages but was never really practiced within the orthodox Shingon schools in Japan. However, it is believed commonly (by those practicing Shingon) that the founder of Shingon in Japan - Kukai - did not die and is in some form of meditation until Maitreya Buddha appears. Whether his body is mummified like that in the picture above is not known though, although i have been to his mausoleum on Mt Koya before.
Nobody practices it nowadays.
Gassho