Tibetan Sky Burial
Sky burial is a unique part of Tibetan culture. It is specifically found among
Buddhist people of the Himalaya region. I have wanted to write an article
about it for quite some time, but have put it off until now.
Sky burial is a very private matter. Unfortunately, over the past 7 years of
living in the greater Tibet area I have heard stories of foreigners showing up
while a sky burial is being performed and taking pictures. Why they would
want to take pictures at a funeral, particularly a sky burial funeral, is beyond
me. I have delayed in writing about sky burials because I have not wanted to
have more foreigners interfere with them. But, I feel now is an appropriate
time to write a little about it.
I have a good Tibetan friend of mine who recently wrote an in depth report
about sky burial. Though I have read several books concerning the matter, much of this article will be based on
information from this friend of mine. I personally have never been to a sky burial while it is taking place. I would NEVER
go unless it was for a Tibetan friend of mine and I was personally invited by the family. If I were invited to a sky burial,
under no circumstance would I take pictures of it. It is much too personal to
be captured on film. All the pictures on this article are from sky burial sites,
but NOT when one was in progress.
There are 4 main types of burial in Tibetan culture, with sky burial being the
most common. The other 3 types are water burial, ground burial and fire
burial. Sky burial sites are found all over Tibet. Nearly every town will have
a sky burial site in the mountains outside of town. The most famous places
for sky burials are the monasteries of Drigung and Ganden in central Tibet.
When a Tibetan person dies, usually monks come to the home and pray for
the deceased for 3 days. During this time the body is left untouched. Most
Tibetans I have talked to say it is not appropriate to show sadness or grief during this time. After the body has been
prayed for, it is wrapped in white cloth and then moved to the sky burial site. Many sky burial sites will have a small
temple nearby. The monks who perform sky burials often live in the small temple. These monks are trained specifically to
perform the tasks involving sky burial. Tools that are used for sky burial include large knives, small axes and a
sledgehammer.
Once the body reaches the sky burial site, it is unwrapped. The monks put on white aprons and take out their razor sharp
knives. Members of the family, usually the men, will stand off to the side while the monks begin cutting the body into
small pieces. The body is cut on a large stone (pictured above). Once the cutting of the body begins, it does not take long
for the vultures to come. They begin circling above the body and then fly down to the ground in anticipation of being fed.
Vultures are considered to be holy to Tibetans. Many Tibetans have told me that
the vultures that consume the bodies during sky burial eat nothing else. They only
eat dead bodies.
Once the body is finished being cut up, the vultures are given the body. It does
not take long for the body to be consumed. Usually, the body is gone within a half
an hour. The bones that are left over are crushed with a sledgehammer and mixed
with tsamba (barley flour) and then fed to the birds again. By the time it is all over, nothing is left of the body except for
maybe small bone fragments, some hair and a few small pieces of skin.
Sky burial is one of the most interesting aspects of Tibetan culture. The process varies slightly in the different regions of
Tibet. If you happen to be invited to one, it is definitely not something that needs to be captured on film. The greatest of
respect needs to be shown during a sky burial.