Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Tibetan Sky Burial Part II

A sky burial is a traditional Tibetan burial technique that disposes of the dead by offering it to nature. Prior to a sky burial, the body is covered with a white cloth and placed face down on the side of a hill. The cloth is removed and the tomden(religious master of ceremonies) anchors the body to the ground while chanting mantras. Most Tibetans are Buddhist believe in rebirth. In addition to being in line with religious beliefs, sky burial is also a practical solution for the disposal of human remains; Tibet, and much of the surrounding region where sky burials are performed, is a high-altitude climate, rendering firewood for cremation in short supply and the ground rocky, often frozen and difficult to penetrate for grave sites.

 The tomden taked his saw-like knife and cuts the body into smaller sections. While the body is being prepared, vultures wait in the distance or circle above. Once the body is cut into smaller sections, the tomden steps away to allow the vultures(dhakinis) in to feed. When all of the meat is eaten off the bones and only the hollow carcass remains, the tomden returns to the body and smashes the bones and the brains with a hammer before mixing the crushed remains with barley flower, tea and sugar. This elixir was then shared with the birds as well. After the body and skeleton were completely devoured, all that remains are patchy red spots.

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Other posts on Tibetan sky burial here and here

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