Sokushinbutsu

A was the mummified body of monk who wished to attain enlightenment by becoming a living Buddha. They would abstain from eating until they died. They would meditate during that during while being surrounded by candles in order to dry their body faster. The final step before become a sokushinbutsu was for the monk to be encased in am underground tomb. It would only be large enough to allow them to sit in the lotus position and ring a bell connected to the outside so their followers would know if they were still living or not. There was a tube that allowed air into the underground tomb. Over 100 years before Inuyasha had awoken from his spell, Saint Hakushin mummified his body in order to save the people from the pestilence in the region.