Buddhist asceticism

is a type of Buddhist mummy. In Japan the term refers to the practice of Buddhist monks observing asceticism to the point of death and entering mummification while alive. Although mummified monks are seen in a number of Buddhist countries, especially in Southeast Asia where monks are mummified after dying of natural causes, it is believed that it is only in Japan where monks have induced their own deaths by starvation.

thumb|The dhutanga called "living under a tree without the shelter of a roof" (Pali: ''rukkhamulik'anga'').

The is an ascetic practice performed by Tendai Buddhist monks. The practice involves repeatedly walking a route on Mount Hiei, the location of the Tendai school headquarters, all the while offering prayers at halls, shrines and other sacred places. The longest observance of this practice takes 1000 days to complete, spread over seven years.