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refers to a practice of Buddhist monks observing austerity to the point of death and mummification. This process of self-mummification was mainly practiced in Yamagata in Northern Japan between the 11th and 19th century, by members of the Japanese Vajrayana school of Buddhism called Shingon ("True Word"). The practitioners of ''sokushinbutsu'' did not view this practice as an act of suicide, but rather as a form of further enlightenment.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Sokushinbutsu - Japanese Mummies )〕 Those who succeeded were revered, while those who failed were nevertheless respected for the effort. It is believed that many hundreds of monks tried, but only 24 such mummifications have been discovered to date. There is a common suggestion that Shingon school founder Kukai brought this practice from Tang China as part of secret tantric practices he learned, and that were later lost in China. Today, the practice is not advocated or practiced by any Buddhist sect, and is banned in Japan.〔Jeremiah, Ken. Living Buddhas: The Self-mummified Monks of Yamagata, Japan. McFarland, 2010〕 == In popular culture == * The practice was satirized in the story "The Destiny That Spanned Two Lifetimes" by Ueda Akinari, in which such a monk was found centuries later and resuscitated. The story appears in the collection ''Harusame Monogatari''. * In the ''Megami Tensei'' games, a practitioner of Sokushinbutsu known as Daisoujou makes numerous appearances. * In the ''InuYasha'' series, a monk by the name of Saint Hakushin went through the process of Sokushinbutsu in times of famine and war in order to be able to protect his people forever as a living buddha. During the process he realizes the people outside are waiting for him to die and begins to resent them, allowing his undead mummifed body to be convinced to help the main villain with his vast sacred powers. * In Osamu Tezuka's ''Phoenix: Karma'', Saruta's mentor commits suicide in this manner because he has been driven to despair by the government's misuse of Buddhism for political gain. * In the Sandman Slim novel ''The Getaway God'' the main character works with a Sokushinbutsu who remained alive and meditating for 400 years before resuming activity. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sokushinbutsu」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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