this is some interesting shit right here. throughout the last few centuries, there have been these buddhist monks who have undergone ritual self-mummification for the purpose of becoming a living god. and the process by which they did it is seriously insane. there are three phases to the self-mummification process, each lasting 1000 days or a little under three years.
phase one: for the first 1000 day period, the monks were on a strict diet that consisted of only small amounts of wheat dough, walnuts, hazelnuts, and nutmeg gathered from the surrounding forest. this was done to drastically reduce body fat, since fat decomposes quickly after death. basically it increased the chances of successful mummification. they also practiced rigorous physical activity, prayer and meditation on a daily basis.
phase two: for the second 1000 day period, the diet was reduced to only bark and roots from pine trees. this was done specifically to reduce the water content of the monk's body. during this phase, they became extremely weak and skeletal in appearance. the monk continued to subject himself to long periods of prayer and chanting mantras. towards the end of this phase, the monk drank tea made from the sap of the urushi tree. this sap is extremely toxic, and even its vapors can cause a rash. it is usually used to make a highly durable coating for lacquerware. drinking this tea caused the monk to vomit, sweat and urinate extensively, further reducing the fluids in his body, as well as causing a large build up of poisons. these poisons, however, were an important part of the mummification process, because they would also kill any organism that attempted to decompose the monk's flesh after death.
phase three: now this is insane. during the final 1000 day period, the monk was buried alive in a stone shelter with nothing but a bamboo tube to the surface for air. the shelter was only big enough for the monk to sit up with his legs folded. the monk rang a bell every day to let the other monks know that he was still alive. once the bell stopped ringing, the tomb was sealed. after a period of time, the monk would be exhumed. if the body remained intact and was successfully mummified, he became a living god, and was enshrined and worshipped by the other monks. however, if the body crumbled or decomposed in the shelter, his efforts were for nothing.
pretty fucked up shit huh? peep flicks of some of the living gods. it's estimated that there are anywhere between 16-24 in existence today.
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