sokushinbutsu

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/ˌsɒkuʃɪnˈbʊtsuː/

noun

A Buddhist monk observing austerity to the point of death and mummification.

OriginJapanese 即身仏 →
Scrabble 22
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Meanings

nounsokushinbutsu (plural sokushinbutsu)
  1. historicalA Buddhist monk observing austerity to the point of death and mummification.

Origin

  1. Japanese即身仏
  2. Englishsokushinbutsu

From Japanese 即身仏 (そくしんぶつ, sokushinbutsu, literally “Buddha immediately [turning into] his body”).

More words from Japanese

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

sokushinbutsu. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sokushinbutsu

MLA

“sokushinbutsu.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sokushinbutsu. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sokushinbutsu,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sokushinbutsu.

Source: sokushinbutsu on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.