Sky Burial of Tibet (Warning-Viewer Discretion is advised)
This is not meant to shock, or scare you or frighten you. It is to enlighten you on a Cultural practice for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.
This practice is happening in Tibet now and for Tibetans it is accepted. It might not be accepted by other cultures and that is ok, but that does not mean how the dead are dealt with in Tibet is better or worse than any other cultures.
The zoroastrians of Bombay also have sky burials, where the bodies are left in a huge open air building for the birds to consume slowly.
WARNING: The pictures are very graphic so viewer discretion is advised.
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I extracted this from a website originating in Taiwan. Here: http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/jw!kGRWihqBRULUqIx59PXpTFU-/article?mid=3018
This depicts a Tibetan system with dealing with corpses. After prayers have been done by the Monks, the cementary workers will slice up the body of the dead, mix it with barley flour and with prayers scatter it to the vultures. It is the last act of giving for the person who has eaten flesh themselves their whole lives.
It reminds us that our bodies are borrowed and VERY TEMPORARY. It is not a good idea to attach so much to our bodies, but more to our minds. Our minds will leave the bodies and whether we bury, cremate or feed it to animals, we will have to leave it. We have left our bodies so many times in our previous lives and we have no memory of it and neither does anyone else. Some people might find it disrespectful to feed the bodies to the animals, but our bodies will be eaten by insects/maggots anyways when buried. What we do with the dead doesn’t so much affect the dead. It is more for the living. But then the living quickly becomes the dead anyways and then everything is forgotten.
So what is important, is to take care of the mind. Start now. Whenever you feel like quitting, remember your mortality and all the karmas you have accummulated. Nothing is harder than to control one’s negativities and fears, but death doesn’t stop anything, it is just carried over into future lives. So deal with yourselves now and overcome now. THERE’S NO ESCAPE FROM THE SELF.
Tsem Tulku
P.S. I don’t know what is written in Chinese below the pictures. I don’t read or understand Chinese. So this is my disclaimer please.
天葬的理念常表現於壁畫中（攝於白居寺）。
冰天雪地的西藏進行土葬並不容易，且遺體不易腐爛；
而進行火葬需耗費大量木材，在物資缺乏的高原上並不適用。
因應獨特環境產生的天葬，才是最適合老百姓處理遺體的方式，高僧圓寂則進行火葬或塔葬。
恐懼天葬事實上只是源於對死亡的恐懼，以及對肉身的執戀。
不管以何種方式處理遺體，人類的屍首最終都會消失，
烈焰焚燒的火葬、萬蟲鑽動的土葬也不見得不「殘忍」，
只不過是避免親眼目賭肉身毀壞的過程罷了。
請大家能明白天葬是一種信仰和風俗習慣，需要崇敬的心態來看待。
請注意了，正在吃飯或者正吃東西的朋友，請吃完後再看，以免浪費食物。
請注意了，大家先不要急著往下拉，等一會兒後再拉圖片就能全部顯示了。
在西藏民間，天葬是較為常見的一種喪葬形式。對於天葬，民間有許多禁忌，包括禁忌生人觀看。
今天就在這裡我們一齊解開天葬之迷。
果洛地區天葬台上的經堆（瑪尼經堆），既在石板上刻的「六字真言」。
01.果洛地區天葬台上的經布（瑪尼經布），既用「六字真言」印製在布上的經文。
02.年老的「熱甲巴」已喝完了一瓶白酒，想再吸支煙後再送亡者升天。
03.第一刀。
04.由正脊下刀，男左女右。這是一具男性屍體，因此第一刀須從左邊割開。
這是第一刀割開後的局部，可以清楚的看到刀割效果。
05.第一刀的連續性是很強的，不能一片一片的割碎，
而且一直要割到腳掌才算結束。
06.這樣可以清楚的看到第一刀切開後的情況和在第一刀割開前勒在屍1體頸部的繩結。
這根繩子有幾個作用，一是固定屍體，二是防止腹腔的氣體、食物溢出，
三是有宗教意義。這把刀的樣子與平日用的不同，是特製的。
07.從這張照片上可清楚的看到「熱甲巴」在將死者的第一塊肉割下後，
再割成塊。
08.將肉切碎後下一個動作程序是將左邊的腿取下。
09.將腿骨取下後（也可後取）再從相反方向的部位開割第二刀。
10.第二刀割大腿時的情景。
11.第二刀的程序和方法一樣，要一直割到腳掌後才可停刀。
這是割到足根時的情況。
12.分解肢體的順序應從小腿與膝開始。現已將小腿豎起，準備分解。
13.這樣看得更清楚一些，將腿扭成這個角度容易分。
14.「熱甲巴」熟練地將小腿與足分離。
15.分解大腿骨與骨盆就不是很輕鬆的事了。
16.將其大腿與骨盆分離下來了。
17.按順序要分離從肩峰開始至手部皮肉。
18.要一刀到底，這樣看是很清楚的。
19.也是一刀到底，一直割下。
20.這是打開後，既將胸腹皮肉割下後所看到的情況。
21.從這個部位下刀開腔。
22.把內臟全部拉出。
23.找出與內臟有聯繫的腹膜。
24.將腹膜切斷。
25.將五臟拉出放在一邊以便檢查
26.「熱甲巴」不都是普通的解剖者，而且要負責檢查死者死亡情況。
這是「熱甲巴」在叫死者親戚來看死者的五臟情況。
27.死者的親戚與「熱甲巴」一起在觀察死者內臟割開後的情況。
28.每一個器官都是要死者家的委派人一一檢查的。
29.檢查完畢後下個程序是解下骨盆。
30.先將腰脊上的肉與腰脊分離。
31.再將腰脊割斷。
32.這是被分離下來的骨盆和屍體情況。
33.骨盆的面積很大，需要砍成若干塊。
34.按程序要分離脊椎和肋骨了。
35.已破開了一面肋骨。
36.兩邊均已砍開，既分成圖中的三片。
37.將肋骨取下後，還需分成小塊，
但現在看到的是頭顱只與頸椎相連了。
38.將頸與脊椎從頸根部砍開。
39.用刀割斷與脊椎相連的韌帶。
40.取下脊椎準備分離成小段。
41.按間隙分成小塊。
42.這是最後的一部分了，先把繩子割斷（不解結扣）。
43.頭顱的皮肉都很緊很難分離，從這樣大的刀來看，
似乎「熱甲巴」也很難下手。
44.這對「熱甲巴」來說確實不是難事，
分離的第一刀都是從這裡開始的。
45.由後至面頰逐步開割。
46.面皮被割開後，需不停地將皮一同割下。
47.這是一具被割得很乾淨的頭顱。「熱甲巴」準備將其砸碎。
48.在砸骨的粉碎過程中，要把炒麵混合在骨肉中，
這樣一可以起粘合作用，防止血濺，還可以誘禿鷲的食慾。
49.當屍體一抬到葬場，禿鷲就飛來了。它們也十分關切施葬的過程。
看這只禿鷲是多麼聚精會神。
50.當肉送到一定地時候，禿鷲便會飛來食肉 我們離天葬台越走越遠了，
他們走後那裡會留下什麼呢？
Excellent! Nothing like seeing that the body is just meat. It is a vehicle while alive and food for the worms or the vultures once we are through with it. How better to truly understand how precious and temporary life is!
Thank you for posting this.
I am especially grateful that you headed with a respectful warning. I hope you might do the same for the dog eating video?
Very, very, very grounding post Rinpoche. I thank you for these images that show us the true result of our lives in the end.
Even in death we can cause soo much suffering for our families and loved ones, with our sometimes elaborate procedures of funeral parlours, coffins, time off work, catering, etc… just because someone has died. Yes they may have had a great life when they were living but now its just a shell we are looking at.
What a way to go out? chopped up and fed to the birds. Compared to highly attained beings whose bodies either don’t decompose, or emit odours or even sometimes totally disappear.
There is truth to the uncontrolled rebirth when we see soo many of these recorded masters of the past who showed us the complete opposite. I know i’ll probably have your typical funeral with all the expenses. But to have something like above would be a tribute to the fact our lives are impermanent, and our bodies are just carcasses after we have departed.
What sticks out is being the person who cuts up the bodies, day in day out… We are just like the many animal videos Rinpoche has posted before showing humans cutting up cows, chickens, pigs.
Here we are above, what makes us soo special.
Thank you Rinpoche
At 1st glance at the pictures of dead bodies being chopped up looks so grouse. And I can feel like my body is being chopped up into pieces too. You will have to look again contemplate and analyse deeper with Tibetan Dharma teachings in mind. Then you don’t see it so bad after all. The logic is there and its understandable. Tibetans practice this culture and its alright for their people. I don’t think cultures of other races in the world can accept this type of practice. The Chinese believe in cremation and burial for their loved ones which has to be done properly as a sort of respect for the dead and not cut their bodies up to be fed to the birds.
Dear Anila, please allow me to share this. Even in cremation, what is left behind is the bones and the skull cap. The immediate family members have to go after the cremation, each family “collect two bones” and put it in a vase. Once all the family members have done that, the cemetery worker will pick up the rest of the bones and the ashes, the skull cap last and if all doesnt fit in the vase, it is crushed and then the lid closed on top of the vase. As Rinpoche says what we do for the dead affects not so much the dead, but the living. Thank you
It makes no sense to cut them up. Simply leave them to the birds, the maggots, etc…
Cutting them up is grotesque and disgusting. It’s like promoting murder in sense and does seem disrespectful for your last memories of them to be their head rolling across some rocks as some birds devour them… its more something you see in cases of war when civilians and military bodies are left to rot in the sun.
They are cut up, pulverized and mixed with barley flour and then fed to the birds. The reason for that is that the Vultures do not get a taste of ‘direct’ human flesh hence perhaps attacking children later. Also pulverizing the bodies leaves no remains behind for animals to drag to villages.
All this pictures reminds me on Impermanence. Everything will vanish,our body, possesions, family, friends,… So we are attached and are sufferning from something which is not even ment to last. How sad.
I’ve seen corpses before in funeral and in documentaries. Most of them are much intact, other than those in wars (e.g. vietnam wars, etc) whereby only parts of the bodies remained intact. This is my first time viewing the sky burial process in this life time, and the process sends a very strong message of impermanance. Our body is nothing but pounds of flesh after death. It contradicts most of the ads run in tv nowadays, that induce and influence people to indulge and cherish their bodies more as they age, without realising that our bodies are not meant to last forever.
I used to not being able to stand seeing this kind of pictures at all but I managed to scroll down all the way from top to bottom.The explanations which Rinpoche wrote before the pictures began really helps,thinking that this body or our body for the matter of fact is really not ours to have permanently,we are just bones and flesh in the end,borrowed temporary to do something useful or not will be our choice,what matters most is our mind.Thank you very very much Rinpoche for this wonderful teaching.
We humans cut up bodies of animals, we seasoned and prepared their meats in my different ways and we say that the meats are delicious, nutritious and tasty. If animals can be sent to slaughter houses when they are alive to be killed for our consumption, at least in this case, our bodies are only cut up when we are dead. We will not feel any pain or fear as compared to the animals as our consciousness had already left our body and what remains is just a piece of junk.
It is very difficult to watch esp the first time. This posting and the posting on the monks helping to cremate the dead after the earthquake gives a strong message that what is certain is death, uncertain is time of death. The difference in the two posting is that the sky burial is a decision made by the dead individual or the family members. Both postings shows naked body, a shell we leave behind when we die. It is also believed that the sky burial is practiced in Tibet because trees are scarce and the ground is hard, so cremation or burial is difficult to arrange and that in offering the body to the vultures represent the final offering. This teaching is esp poignant as Rinpoche has chosen to share this on his birthday.
Thank you very much Rinpoche for this teaching.
with folded hands,
janice
This ritual is better than cremation, and equal to burial in a coffin, in my opinion. Cremation doesn’t allow the flesh to feed other beings, what a waste! At least the maggots and worms can eat you if you’re buried in a coffin! I don’t want to be cremated… I want to feed animals with my corpse. Much better than wasting the flesh in the incinerator to preserve my ‘honor’. Look I’m dead, DEAD, I don’t need honor, I need to help end suffering of other beings hungry belly by feeding them!
I guess if it makes my family feel nice and comforted to burn my corpse and stick me in a jar, whatever. Whatever helps the beings who are still alive is okay, because I will be long gone.
It’s a win-win situation really. Although I will guarantee you, the Tibetan method is the most cost-effective, and burdens your living relatives in the least possible way!
Your blog is so useful and so helpful to understand what is really important to work on now, in this life.
With my deepest gratitude!
This is better than getting buried or getting cremated. I really would want to get to have a sky burial when I die because I would be in a way helping a sentient being even after my death by feeding them my flesh.
The human body is actually just like a zombie. We are walking corpses. The body is just a vessel for our mind. When we die, we just get reincarnated into another vessel, either in hell or as a ghost, animal, human, demi-god or god.
I personally also do not know Chinese but I can slightly understand how sky burial is done from the pictures.
not sure I concur with every little thing, then again you mention some good issues.
Thank you so much Rinpoche. Thank you for allowing us to see this sacred ritual. I am amazed how compassionate those people’s faces are to be doing such a difficult task with prayer and respect. It does require special people, and they are not even wearing the gloves. Thank you.
Dear Rinpoche,
Why the family members are asked to see the organs that are taken out from the deceased’ body?
Very nice to see what the organs really look like. In cadavers the color changes due to preservation methods, so I haven’t seen this before. These pictures would be horrifying if it were someone I was attached to, I figure when I see death in people I don’t know it will bit by bit prepare my mind for when people I love die.
Thank you Rinpoche
If we can’t bear to see the pictures of a dead human body being cut up, imagine how the animals feel in the slaughter house – watching their families and friends being butchered alive and knowing their turn is just next in line !!!
On n’est bien peu de chose , c’est mon amie la rose qui me la dit ce matin…
Am thinking when i die how people should “take care” my body. I remember i signed up as a organ donor 12 years ago. In the column they asked, what are the organ you wanna donate out, i thick all the columm, that time i think we die already; what is our body going to use for? In Malaysia,we do not have this kind of meaningful ceremony, thus, by donate out the organ i guess is the same. Well, certainly i do not want to be buried and kept underground, i rather burn and my ashes put to the sea or gone with the wind. Anyway, Please do organ donation.
Dear Rinpoche,of course I agree with you that it is gross but it is no different when people chop off an animal like a cow or anything else. The Tibetans do it for a purpose and that purpose is for the cycle of life to continue. Why waste when animals can get their nourishment through bodies that would decompose anyway. Now I don’t know if this practice would work the same if they let the whole body out in the open so for the animals and insects to feed instead of choping it off lol Thank you for posting these very very interesting. As always much love and respect to you!! Blessings!!
Thank-you for the educational pics, I do belive that this is the most productive way to deal with your self’s
very good…here now..gone anytime