Self-mummified monk - Sokushinbutsu

Japanese: 即身仏 - そくしんぶつ

This refers to a practitioner who has attained sokushin jōbutsu, but usually refers to a person whose body has been mummified and is still extant. In general Buddhism, sokushin jōbutsu is merely an idea, whether in Shingon, Tendai, or Zen Buddhism. However, the Japanese view of religion includes the belief in living gods, and if a divine spirit possesses a living human, that human becomes a god in that very body. Since sokushin jōbutsu occurs when a Buddha possesses a person, in Shugendō, mountain ascetics act as shamans and demonstrate the power of the Buddha in predictions, oracles, and prayers, which is sokushin jōbutsu.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

即身成仏した行者のことであるが，通常その遺体がミイラ化して現存するものをいう。一般仏教の即身成仏は，真言宗も天台宗も禅宗も，観念上の即身成仏である。しかし日本人の宗教観には現人神（あらひとがみ）の信仰があって，生きた人間に神霊が憑依（ひようい）すれば，その人間はその身そのまま神になる。仏が憑依すれば即身成仏なので，修験道では山伏が巫覡（ふげき）として予言，託宣，祈禱に仏力をあらわすのが即身成仏である。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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