How far would you go for your beliefs? If your faith called for it, would you give up your life? What if, to get to heaven, you were called upon to take your OWN life?
Sound bizarre? To a sect of Buddhists called Shugendo it certainly wasn’t. These monks and nuns are known now as the Sokushinbutsu, and are considered “living” buddhas (seems odd to call them living, but whatever). They went through a long, painful process in order to preserve their bodies and achieve Buddhahood and the state of Nirvana. To put it in Western terms, they mummified themselves alive in order to go to Heaven.
