Sky burials are a funerary practice in the Chinese provinces of Tibet, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia and in Mongolia.
The majority of Tibetans and many Mongolians adhere to Vajrayana Buddhism, which teaches the transmigration of spirits.
This means they do not see a need to preserve the body, as it is now an empty vessel, so they dispose of it through a sky burial.
Morbid: A
lama walks past a flock of vultures after a sky burial. The sky burial
is a funerary practice in which the body is cut up and fed to the
vultures
View: Local lamas and tourists look at a flock
of vultures. Sky burial is the usual means for disposing of the corpses
people who are not high lamas
Beliefs: A vulture sails above a flock resting
on a hillside. The majority of Tibetans and many Mongolians adhere to
Vajrayana Buddhism, which teaches the transmigration of spirits. There
is no need to preserve the body, as it is now an empty vessel
Dispoasal: The function of the sky burial is to
dispose of the remains in as generous way - the donation of human flesh
to the vultures is considered virtuous because it saves the lives of
small animals that the vultures might otherwise capture for food
Ritual: The body parts are left in the Tower of Silence for a year, exposed to the elements and birds - men and women are placed in different sectionsIn the days leading up to the ceremony monks - known as lamas - may chant mantra around the body and burn juniper incense.
The body is then chopped into pieces by either monks - known as lamas - or more commonly, by rogyapas (body-breakers).
Eyewitness accounts suggest the body-breakers do the grim task in high-spirits - according to Buddhist teaching, this makes it easier for the soul of the deceased to move on.
It is difficult to ascertain the exact process as Tibetans strongly object to visits by the merely curious, but it is thought the whole body is given to the vultures.
Process: Local lamas walk past the Tower of
Silence after a sky burial. The corpse is broken up into small chunks
and juniper incense is burned to summon the vultures
Glimpse: It is difficult to ascertain the exact process as Tibetans strongly object to visits by the merely curious
Tradition: A lama prays in front of a flock of
vultures. Prior to the procedure, monks may chant mantra around the body
and burn juniper incense
Reflection: A Sky burial is a funerary practice
in the Chinese provinces of Tibet, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia and in
Mongolia proper
When only the bones are left, the pieces are
broken up with mallets, ground with tsampa (barley flour with tea and
yak butter, or milk), and given to the crows and hawks that have waited
for the vultures to depart
High spirits: Eyewitness accounts suggest the body-breakers do the grim task in high-spirits - according to Buddhist teaching, this makes it easier for the soul of the deceased to move onSome stories suggest the body parts are left in the Tower of Silence for a year, exposed to the elements and birds - men and women are placed in different sections.
Then when only the bones are left, the pieces are broken up with mallets, ground with tsampa (barley flour with tea and yak butter, or milk), and given to the crows and hawks that have waited for the vultures to depart.
The function of the sky burial is simply to dispose of the remains in as generous a way as possible - this donation of human flesh to the vultures is considered virtuous because it saves the lives of small animals that the vultures might otherwise capture for food.
The function of the sky burial is simply to dispose of the remains in as generous a way as possible reports TravelChina- the process is considered virtuous because it saves the lives of small animals that the vultures might otherwise capture for food.
