Written between 2014-2024.

"A mountain-dwelling religion called Shugendō emerged in Japan as a syncretism between Vajrayana Buddhism, Shinto and Taoism in the 7th century, which stressed ascetic practices. One of these practices was sokushinbutsu (or sokushin jobutsu), connoting mountain austerities in order to attain Buddha-nature in one's body.

Ascetic monks in Japan practiced nyūjō (入定), which caused their own death by adhering to a wood-eating diet consisting of salt, nuts, seeds, roots, pine bark, and urushi tea. They were then buried alive in a pine-wood box full of salt connected by a tube for air, and would ring a bell signaling they were alive. When the bell stopped ringing, the air tube would be removed.

The practitioners of sokushinbutsu did not view this practice as an act of suicide, but rather as a form of further enlightenment."
--

Recorded, arranged and produced by Oli Barrett.

Some field recordings on part 1 by Ben Gaymer.

Available as 320k MP3 or 24bit FLAC

Tracklisting:

1. Sokushinbutsu - part 1 - 20:24
2. Sokushinbutsu - part 2 - 20:02