The Sky Burial
Mon, Nov 9, 2009
Post filled in: Feature Post, Great Pics, Other
First of all, it has to be said that this once common burial practice in Tibet is pretty hard to ‘digest’ for our ‘civilized’ world, and there’s a big chance you’ll find the pictures shocking. As adepts of Buddhism, Tibetans believe the single most important part of a person is its spirit, and after death, there is no reason to preserve the body, which is just a hollow vessel. Also, wood is quite scarce and the soil is really rocky, making it hard to dig a grave. That’s pretty much why, after a somebody dies, the corpse was cut in specific locations and placed on a mountaintop where vultures feed off of it or it just decomposes.
My first impression when I first heard of it was quite severe; but thinking about it better, it does seem to make sense. I mean, digging a grave would be extremely hard and impractical, while finding enough fuel or wood for cremation would be practically impossible. Also, the spiritual meaning is not hard to understand, when you think outside the western ideology. The deceased is providing food for a part of nature, which is a proof of generosity, one of the most important things in Buddhism.
The Tibetan name for this ceremony is jhator, which literally means “giving alms to the birds”.
“Sky burial and open cremation may initially appear grotesque for Westerners, especially if they have not reflected on their own burial practice of embalming. For Tibetan Buddhists, sky burial and cremation are templates of instructional teaching on the impermanence of life.” (unknown)
It appeared grotesque for the Chinese government too, who prohibited it from 1950 to 1980, and non-Tibetans are allowed to witness this ceremony, though filming or even taking pictures is considered highly offensive. The full procedure is quite expensive, and for those who can’t afford it, simply placing the deceased on a high rock is the favorite option.
The ceremony takes place in light spirit, as the rogyapas (monks) who perform the ceremony talk to each other as when doing any other physical labor. There are different ways to do this; basically beating the body and bones together to a pulp is not uncommon, while some witnesses reported breaking the bones and cartilages with sledge hammers.
The vulture in this ceremony is nicknamed the “Eurasian Griffon”, and even with its big appetite, it can’t eat all that it’s being offered, because in some places there are even a few sky burials per day.
I had some quite interesting talks regarding this ceremony, so please share your opinion on this, it’d be great to see what you guys think about it.
Andrei is no scientist, but from an early age, he has been fascinated by science; that's why he went to college, and signed up for Geophysics. Feeling that there's a huge gap between science and average people, he rallied TP, started ZME Science, and gave it a green twist too. 
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November 10th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I don’t mind this. I mean, to me it’s incredibly practical. People are primarily concerned with the passing of the soul into it’s selected afterlife, so what happens with the body is irrelevent often.
November 10th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
I think it makes an amazing amount of sense. We humans have gotten the idea that we are above nature even though nature keeps reminding us that we aren’t. I wouldn’t mind being “buried” in this fashion myself.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:10 am
I think it is logical! A circle of life, death and rebirth as their belief dictates.
It’s their way.
Or should they be like the americans where they mummify a body and fill it with toxic materials that pollute our environment…
NO this seems practical and logical, also why burn a body because it will fill the air with smoke too and anyways a stated the wood is scarce…
Let the scavengers have the bodies, afterwards collect the bones and place them in the family homes/crypts what have you.
Pragmatic I say!
November 11th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Quite frankly, I would choose this method of dealing with my remains, if the option were available. Even as an atheist I see something profoundly spiritual about this practice.
November 11th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
You said that it is incredibly offensive to photograph the ceremony. Are these your photographs? And if so how did you convince them to allow you to take them?
November 12th, 2009 at 6:19 am
i agree that the practical importance of this form of burial outway any other consideration…
November 12th, 2009 at 7:09 am
Embalming is not so much a Western practice as its more common and popular in the USA. In temperate/warm densly populated countries in Europe leaving bodies exposed on hillsides might cause some health risk. What is becoming more popular is cremation and sometimes spreading of ashes in the country side or at sea.
November 13th, 2009 at 2:51 am
Dead is Dead.
November 13th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
I found out about sky burial many years ago when I checked out a video from the library about Tibet. Footage actually showed monks throwing body parts (leg/arm) up into the air as birds hovered above to catch, hence sky burial. Guess they don’t do that much any more? Any way, it was REALLY COOL and since I’ve always wanted that sort of burial for myself.
I love birds and would be honored to feed the likes of those in that first picture. Beautiful. You probably find me very strange for that. I believe our bodies are wonderful, though temporary hosts for our souls. We the body dies, let it provide one last duty by contributing to the cycle and continuation of another life.
Thanks for your blog!
November 17th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
this is great. we do come from this erth and we go beck to the ground in some way or another. whsh this could happen aruond hear.
November 21st, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Only for very cold/or very hot and dry places where not so many people dies, otherwise deseases are near!
November 22nd, 2009 at 11:17 am
Its a fine idea, although the sledgehammering of the body of one’s nearest and dearest might be a littlehard to bear.
December 13th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
LIFE FEEDS ON LIFE
December 23rd, 2009 at 11:37 pm
I was raised without religion and I don’t believe there are any gods. Unless I’m forced to decide, I plan to give no direction for the disposal of my body, I care not what happens to it. Funerals are for the living.
This method seems like a practical solution to a very real problem. Far better than tying up acre upon acre of arable land for cemeteries.
December 26th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
This burial makes sense, in my old burial practice (in borneo), dead bodies were put in a large human size basket and hung on trees. The bodies then were left to rot or some animals would eat it. I think of it this way, any other methods that do not involve the graveyard is very practical because we’re running out of space anyway. Cremation is best.
December 27th, 2009 at 8:36 am
Thanks/ It’s great/
December 27th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Give back to Mother Earth as She has given to you.
January 3rd, 2010 at 6:41 pm
This is honestly disgusting!!! While it does not matter what happens to you after you die, the last thing I want to see is some dirty animal gnawing on mine or any of my loved ones. Your body will eventually return to the earth and I would prefer that my body is returned to the earth by feeding a tree, not coming out of a vultures butt and then going to the tree.
January 5th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
Yes, Matt. Animals are so disguisting, i dont even like hearing about them, unless im eating their flesh after burning it and dumping it on my plate.
In all seriousness, id prefer to donate my body to science. Or eve better, get stuffed by a taxidermist, and used as a practical joke by my family.
Imagine being turned into a hoat hanger when you pass on.
“Oh thats just great grandad, hes been in the family for generations. Just throw your coats over him…”
January 5th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Matt, your ignorance doesn’t deserve the time to give you a proper answer. Go back to myspace please.
For the Author:
Thanks for the interesting article!
January 7th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
I think thats pretty cool actually. I’ve thought that i dont want to be preserved because decomposition is the re-encarnation of your life force back into the earth. Though I think I’d rather be buried unembalmed in a simple wooden casket, I find this method beautiful. The thought of giving your body back to that which created it, instead of preserving it as though you’ll need it again sometime, I find truly majestic and deeply spiritual
January 9th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
I am not keen on some vulture chomping on my eyeballs, never mind tearing my dick off with its sabre like beak. Ew!
January 21st, 2010 at 9:00 pm
I think it’s beautiful.
January 22nd, 2010 at 7:07 pm
Thanks for your reaction everybody ! I’m glad you found it interesting and it’s also nice to see some of you share my belief that this way of burial is actually really both highly practical and spiritual.
January 31st, 2010 at 8:29 am
I suppose it’s better than having our families bank balances picked clean by those more ‘civilised’ vultures known as undertakers.
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:39 pm
hey, It guarantees they won’t come back as a zombie
I like this idea simply because of decomposition. As someone who doesn’t believe in God, I want my body to go right back into nature after I die. My spirit will fade away.
February 19th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
I have said often that I would like to have my own body fed to some wild animals. I had never heard of this practice before, I believe it is pretty awesome, mainly because it’s practical and the whole circle of life idea. Very cool article.
February 23rd, 2010 at 1:35 am
Were I not so set on donating my body to science/medicine, this would be my preferred “burial.”
March 1st, 2010 at 12:18 am
Great idea, I would enjoy the chance to give back to nature in this way. I wonder if I can get my mother-in-law to agree to fly to Tibet soon?
March 1st, 2010 at 11:29 am
I’ll never have myself or anyone I know recommended to be “burried” this way. I do get the whole “being part of nature” thing, but i’dd rather not have animals feeding of my mom like she’s some juicy snack. I do not want myself or anyone else remembered as a chain in the cirle of life, I want them to be remebered as a respectfull person who’s body I spend time and love on. I think your body is still an important part of your memory, even when we hypothetically would have souls.
Socially, this is way freaky
March 2nd, 2010 at 11:39 pm
_ Uma matéria interessante… isso mostra a nós ocidentais que, o que mais importa na vida é o bem que deixamos para trás, o resto é apenas passageiro; SOMOS APENAS UM ARCABOUÇO SEM NENHUM VALOR! Parabéns; nota 10 pela reportagem. Um abraço.
March 4th, 2010 at 12:49 am
I think this should be taken a step further for North Americans. When coupled with the technology of a tree chipper, this becomes the basis for the church of the holy meat grinder. Instead of just feeding the birds, the remains of an avid fisherman could chum his favorite waters or a hunter could be spread in his favorite area so the bears and coyotes could get a meal. It would even speed up the composting of the gardening enthusiast. Many possibilities for a green funeral.
April 9th, 2010 at 1:53 am
I thought I would translate Paulo’s text. Some of this I’m not translating word for word, but into the way that makes the most sense for us anglophones.
“An interesting article… this shows us westerners that what matters most is the good we leave behind, the rest is transient; WE ARE ALL MERELY SKELETONS WITHOUT VALUE! Congratulations; I give a 10 for the reporting. A hug.” (‘a hug’ is a typical way of terminating a distance conversation with someone you respect in brazilian culture)
I really love this idea. I’m agnostic, and would do without the ceremonial aspects, but I do like the core principle. I think I’d like to be fed to a cooler animal though. Like a pack of feral cats, or a cow with mad cow disease. Better yet, infect my body with Hertzfeld-Jakob’s and then feed me to a cow. The cows have had their way for far too long.
April 25th, 2010 at 10:24 am
Dead is dead is dead. Scavengers evolved to keep the earth clen. The duty of a corpse is to feed scavengers, not to crowd the earth with graveyards and all that other baggage that the human race bring with them.
May 11th, 2010 at 12:50 am
I respect the choice of every culture. In fact, I share the same belief that the soul is what defines the person, and the body is just a vehicle.
What eludes me is the fact that humans are able and willing to feed on carcasses. Things like smashing bones and cutting the body is regularly done on behalf of those who eat meat. Often at price of unbearable suffering of animals being slaughtered. What to speak of fur, which is often taken off animals still alive and conscious.
You call these picture shocking? Try googling for pics from slaughterhouses or from factory farms. A group on the Facebook is called: Everyone Would Be Vegetarian if Slaughterhouses Had Glass Walls.
May 11th, 2010 at 12:55 am
“as adepts of Buddhism, Tibetans believe the single most important part of a person is its spirit, and after death, there is no reason to preserve the body, which is just a hollow vessel.”
Wrong.
May 11th, 2010 at 4:13 am
“as adepts of Buddhism, Tibetans believe the single most important part of a person is its spirit, and after death, there is no reason to preserve the body, which is just a hollow vessel.”
Wrong, that is Klingons.
May 11th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Not sure how family would feel about this after their loss.I do feel though outside consideration for mournershowever that this is practical…shame just for vultures…man eating animal..this kinda makes more sense to me.Would think better option though to feed the earth with my ashes.
May 11th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
this is my wish
May 12th, 2010 at 1:18 am
Huh! I am a Christian, and I find this a fascinating idea! I think it is better left as a Tibetan practice however, as that is a part of what defines them as them! If we all start doing it, where does that leave the beauty of the simplicity and the specialism of it? – Just my thoughts!
C S Martin
May 12th, 2010 at 1:41 am
This ritual is not about being practical, it is about having the body of your dead relative soar above the Earth
May 12th, 2010 at 4:03 am
@FRANKXXX,
You wouldn’t say that if you saw some scabby vulture ripping crap out of your mates testicles. That is definitely a practical consideration to me.
May 16th, 2010 at 4:13 am
There is actual evidence, that this practise has a long tradition. Some scholars think, that this kind of burial was the purpose of an archaeological site in Turkey: Goebleki Tepe. The theory is, that the relatives bring the deceived to the the site, that was build like stone circles, and leave them there. Some hundered kilometres away in Catal Hoyuk (also Turkey) there where depictions found, showing birds eating humans. Goebleki Tepe dates around 10.000-9.000 BC and Catal Hoyuk around 7.000-6.000 BC. Quiet interesting.
May 16th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
Sure it seems practical, but id rather not have my body hacked to pieces/made into a puld with a sledge hammer/axe. if it were me id rather have my body just left for the vultures to do their way with. As for natural, i dont no any species that hacks up its own dead and feeds it to vultures. If u are talking about practicality why don’t they just eat the body after taking the time to mutilate it, canabalism seems to be just as practical as this practice. but wateva if thats wat these people want to do thats fien with me.
May 21st, 2010 at 1:50 pm
This is how I’ve always wished I could end my physical being. The idea of being embalmed and buried to rot in a box is completely repugnant to me. Being cremated in some oven and then having my ashes, which might or might not really be my ashes, put in a jar or scattered just seems silly. Going right back into the earth, as food or as part of the soil: that makes complete sense. I love the idea of my body returning to the world so efficiently. That said, getting hacked up first doesn’t feel necessary. Let the vultures/wolves/crows/worms/bacteria do it.
May 21st, 2010 at 7:39 pm
I can imagine the sounds of limbs and bones being hewn with hammers making a lasting impression. A face being, for want of a better word, desecrated by hungry animals; being transformed from familiar mask of identifying features and outward emotional expression to skin, muscle, tendon and fat. Whatever is edible is consumed, and eventually, given time… nothing.
Except of course, the absence of their bodies is not a complete absence. They are as much a part of the cosmos as they ever were. Existing in the cycle of birth, life and death.
A very potent teaching method for a very potent lesson.
I think I’d need my spiritual cap firmly screwed to my head to endure something that would undoubtedly have a massive impact on my entire person.
May 25th, 2010 at 12:30 pm
FOR ME SKY BURIALS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MURDEROUS; I FEEL LYK THESE PpL R SUMWUT MURDEROUS –BUT THN ON THE other HAND ,UNDERTAKERS…ITS CREEPY THERS THIS BALANCE GOIN ON(it also makes me wonder dus society n culture/govt make us murders;interesting question ryt?)…
TO GET TO MY MAIN IDEA OF THE POINT;WUT IF WE CAN BRING BACK LIFE ;I MEAN EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT THE SOUL MATTERS N THE BODY DNT ;BUT WUT IF WE CAN LIVE AGAIN ;
WUT IF SCIENCE CAN DO TAZ FOR US(read on/Google/bing it:crystal skulls or crystal skulls mayan;its a hint of suntng,i can tell)???anyway; i see what i see –N I JUST SED IT…PIZZA WANTS TO COME UP NOW BUT IM OK …HUGS EVERYONE….LI’S(LAUGHING NWARRDS)…
May 25th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
@S’S
If your want your opinion to be taken seriously and not as just some preteen scrawl, maybe you should spell right and, oh, maybe not use ALL CAPS.
I think this is a wonderful idea. I wouldn’t do it myself (would rather donate to science, make things better for everyone in the future), but it is incredibly efficient, and very spiritual if you believe in that sort of thing.
May 26th, 2010 at 5:37 am
I can imagine that this is how the people do it in Tibet, and this is (ofcourse) fine by me. Who are we to judge? Although I can honestly say, I couldn’t watch vultures ripping the body of my deseased son or daughter (or any loved one) apart, but that’s maybe my Individualistic western upbringing speaking…
But again, that’s for everybody to decide for themselves… Thanks for sharing the article though.
May 26th, 2010 at 9:19 am
The first time I learned about this kind of burial was reading “El medico del Tibet” from Lobsang Rampa, After the master teach all his knowledge, he dictate to Lobsang ( an british aprenticce) what to do with his dead body: carry to the top of a mountain, take off all the clothes, use it or bring to others, and (with a ig rock) break the skull. Lobsang is perturbed by the commands, but the master teach him that he will not carry any of his body or clothes with him. Perturbing for the british, natural for a tibetian. Like many others say in this blog, is just a matter of respect others cultures
May 26th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
hot damn, free food
May 26th, 2010 at 11:14 pm
I just heard about this from my friend who spent time in Tibet. He told me that they commonly remove the arms and legs. Not sure what the purpose of it was but interesting nonetheless.
May 27th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Because tomorrow is promised to no one, I have left instructions for myself. “Whatever is the cheapest.” No financial burden on anyone. Take that money and spend it on a party. Tell some jokes at my expense. I’m sure there will be plenty.
Donate the body if anyone will have it after harvesting anything that might be useful to science or medicine. I won’t be in it, I don’t care.
May 28th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
Glad I stumbled on this. I think it’s a beautiful ceremony, I’d love to have this be the way my body returns to the earth when I die. I feel like it’s the most respectful thing you could do, allowing the nutrients in a person to directly enter the cycle instead of preserving flesh, sticking it in a box, and burying it underground.
May 29th, 2010 at 12:48 am
@Steve:
Do you realise exactly how idiotic you sound, given that they don’t give any special significance to bodies once they’re dead?
The only person being offensive here is YOU, by trying to impress your own utterly superstitious and self centered beliefs onto other people’s cultures.
May 29th, 2010 at 12:54 am
first of all i don’t see a problem with this. different strokes for different folks…. and it seems alot more practical than what we do. i would feel a little wierd about the pulverizing though. and to peter, you are the only other person i have heard of besides myself who wants to be taxidermed. although you’re joking and i am serios as a heart attack.
May 29th, 2010 at 5:40 am
Wow, this is disgusting… I am not spiritual at all, probably why I can’t see any of the so called spiritual over this.
May 29th, 2010 at 8:06 am
This was how we used to deal with our dead in Europe in prehistoric times. Round barrows and longbarrows are filled with the skeletons of excarnated bodies. The bodies would be left out in the open and then the bones would be placed in the burial chambers where they could be easily reached for many years. If you are white, your ancestors did this.
May 29th, 2010 at 9:43 am
This makes more sense than ritualistic burials. If we keep burying people, I wonder how long it will be before the entire planet is one giant cemetery. I always thought it was a waste of land and resources. With people breeding the way they do, it won’t be long.
May 29th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Not keen on the smashing the bodies bit (I think the vultures can rip my flesh to shreds just fine without help, thank you), but nevertheless I would not mind this form of burial.
May 29th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
I absolutely love this type of “burial”. Being an animal lover i want to help animals as much as possible. If that means giving my own body to them when i die for nurishment to help keep that species alive, that would be my first choice to deal with my body when im done with it.
Too bad america frowns upon death and nature..
May 31st, 2010 at 6:33 am
The first time I heard of a practice like this was while researching the Zoroastrian faith. I fell in love with it, and it is my favored method of taking care of a body after we pass on. I hope that one day I can be let to go in this way. The birds are very thorough, and leave nothing behind whereas land-based carrion eaters carry away pieces and often leave them to rot in miscellaneous places, increasing the chance of spreading disease.
May 31st, 2010 at 8:22 pm
Fckin’ savages! You PETA worshipping tree huggers shit bricks when I gut hogs I kill to eat with a bow and arrow, but you praise this circle of life bullshit when a backmountain chinese redneck pulverizes his brother with a sledge hammer to make him more palatable to the buzzards? Hypocrisy at its finest.
May 31st, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Gosh, Marcus, sounds like you’ve got all the answers.
So you want to be pumped full of chemicals and put in a box to rot in your Sunday suit, or set on fire? Those are our current “civilized’ choices… Either way, it won’t be pretty – a hunter should know that. And you’ll eventually get nibbled on by something. That’s how it works.
June 1st, 2010 at 11:25 am
Someone ought to buy them a woodchipper, it’ll make things much easier.
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:50 am
I’ve been to Jewish funerals, Catholic, Christian, Baptist and Shinto. The Shinto service was by far the most emotional and personal.
The family gathers for a ceremony and then spend the day together. Then they all sleep in a room together with the casket at the side with a candle burning. In the morning there is another ceremony and the casket is taken to be cremated. After the cremation, the family gathers around of the charred bones. The head of the family, the eldest son, takes special mismatched funeral chopsticks and sifts through the bones for the specific bones to be kept in a family vessel. Then each family member uses the chopsticks and chooses a bone to their liking and places it in the urn. Then the family meets up again to eat and drink together.
It was quite profound.
In the west, we have some very strange ideas about death, but what can you expect.
June 6th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
If taking pictures is severely offensive, how/why did you take these.
June 11th, 2010 at 4:59 am
Makes perfect sense to me…after all the corpse is only the clothes we leave behind and if it can benefit the birds. I’d be happy for this to happen to mine ~;o)
June 29th, 2010 at 9:57 pm
i did not think that such a type of burial existed.I always thought that cremating or burning were the only alternatives.Even if i respect other cultures and have no prejudices against this type of burial,i find it hard to accept that after one’s death,his body can be reduced to pieces by hammering.Ok ,the one who is dead is already dead,but i wonder what the deceased person’s family goes through when disposing the body of their loved one in this way.However i congratulate the author for this great article.The photos are gruesome but if it were’nt for these i would never know what is sky burialThank you very much.
July 1st, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Paul, why do you say the west has “strange” ideas? It’s just different. This Tibetan custom would be considered grotesque by the cast majority of cultures on earth but it’s their practice.
Different people have different customs. That’s all.
July 12th, 2010 at 10:57 am
horrible life
July 13th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Sky burial is interesting in theory, and it makes sense to me. The only questions I have deal with the scavengers. Is this becoming a reliable food source for them? And if so, how might this effect the evolution of vultures?
If it’s a reliable food source, perhaps the vultures and other scavengers might come to feel more comfortable around humans. This paves the way for either pest problems or domestication, both of which could have effects on the bird. Domestication is probably unlikely, but pest status could be a problem for all involved.
Animals also exhibit different behaviors according to the scarcity or availability of food. Less food often means more aggression; more food often does not lead to fights between animals of the same group. How might this affect the social behavior of the birds in a long term sense?
July 14th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
I actually came up with the same concept independently. While thinking about how I want to be buried, I decided that just thrown on the forest floor would be ideal but difficult for society to accept, and thus difficult on those left behind.
July 18th, 2010 at 6:21 am
Judging by the responses, this is one of the most thought provoking articles I’ve ever seen. It’s a wonderful article and seems like everyone has a definite opinion. To me, the funeral homes,directors,etc. are the real vultures. Try reading “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain” by Jessica Mitford; of course funeral homes and cemeteries are neccessary evils but the amount of money people spend on burying their dead could end world hunger! Mihai, your writing was so well written – and with such respect. My sister died two weeks ago and I didn’t think I could handle this but to see how many people are willing to leave their bodies to science is so encouraging. My darling sister’s death was so unexpected, yet my parents ended up paying $4,000 just for a hole in the ground. Plus all the additionals,…at a time of grief and vulnerability, it’s a travesty! Thank you for giving me something unexpected also, some peace and appreciation for those who responded with sincerity and respect
July 25th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
Thanks for posting this. The squeamish responses are expected if you’ve allowed a western upbringing to hard-wire the gray matter in your melon. As a western Vajrayana monk, I think this is incredibly practical and altruistic. The more we’re familiar with death the less macabre and eerie it becomes. There are several other vids and pics on the web of this process. The Tibetans regularly seem as relaxed during this ceremony, as one might be, at any sort of get together. Brilliant post again. Thanks for putting this up and try and keep an open mind. The more flexible the software is in that cabbage on your shoulders the more adaptive you’ll become. Peace of mind
August 17th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
thenx good job
September 3rd, 2010 at 12:58 pm
It’s wonderful to check out web-sites along with information and many thanks for the discuss which you’ve gave. Commonly, I’m pretty stunned, but etc…
September 5th, 2010 at 11:24 am
Although a lot of people seem to think this is a good way to dispose of their body after their own death, I would urge them to think again – the way to best deal with a dead body depends on the immediate environment. Although sky burials might work well in sparsely populated, cool, climates, if it’s temperate, warm, humid, or there are a large number of people around, such a practice would spread disease at an incredible rate. For example, Native Americans in the area where I grew up typically buried their dead in the ground, but without artificial perservatives the body decomposed just fine. In other areas, it might have been better to let the hot, arid climate naturally mummify a body (this is the popular opinion of how the ancient Egyptian tradition of mummification came about) or in yet other locales weighing the body down and putting it in the ocean might be the best method.
So, if you’re thinking about a natural burial alternative where there are no harsh chemicals used and your body is part of some greater cycle of life, don’t just pick something from the other side of the world because you like the idea. Instead, look into what the indigenous people of your area did, since it’s probably the most appropriate given the local climate and ecosystem.
September 5th, 2010 at 2:32 pm
Why is this called a burial? I see no one being buried.
I personally would like to be buried at sea. Although I would like to be in a Kevlar© bag with floats attached, so that no sea creature could feed on me and hopefully I would keep washing up on the beach at Bournemouth. Then the local authority who threw me off the beach when I was huddled under the pier at two am, hiding from the torrential rain back in 1978, would be obliged to return my rotting cadaver back to the sea with all the horror that man handlinging a Kevlar© bag of decomposed flesh entails.
Justice would be seen to be done.