Sokushinbutsu

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/sokushinbutsu

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the practice name?Sokushinbutsu
2. What is the geographic origin?Primarily associated with Japan, with potential roots in Chinese Tantric Buddhism
3. Why did monks want to become living Buddhas?Monks believed that by cleaning their bodies and minds very carefully, they could go beyond death and protect their village, heal sick people, and keep bad things away.
4. How did monks prepare for Sokushinbutsu?They followed a very strict training that could last many years. It involved long periods of fasting, deep meditation, and special purification rituals.

Asceticism: A lifestyle characterized by severe self-discipline and abstinence from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious or spiritual reasons.
Tantric Buddhism: A branch of Mahayana Buddhism that emphasizes esoteric rituals, meditation, and the use of mantras and mandalas for spiritual realization.
Mokujikihō: The practice of eating trees, referring to the extreme diet of nuts, seeds, bark, and roots undertaken by Sokushinbutsu monks.
Esoteric: Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.