I agree I never said that we do it better. I was only reporting what I saw. I don't see anything inappropriate with it. However, regardless of how well prepared you are, even when witnessing a "western" style burial, which is very "clean", one becomes emotional. In this case - when the event is much more graphic, the emotions are overwhelming.
Not sure you understood The whole story is about a police officer who basically attacked me, not a vendor on the street that threatened me.
I had a lot of fun with the local population. It looks like government officials are the problem, not the locals...
Thanks Thanks for your comment.
I didn't put too much thought into the title and the only impression that I was trying to make is that it was a very intense emotional experience that is very hard to put in words.
Sky burial. . .Really No body had been spotted . .I would've loved to see how the body looked like. . .And another thing not really the birds will eventually poop their loved ones so it's more of toilet burial . . .
one man's meat's another's poison. Dear Eldar, i just finished an article titled "Christian Burial: the two cries in one". I now see and read your story. I want us to note that no burial whatsoever is better or worse than the other. The only difference is the culture!! Loves. From Mcharles.
No matter where... It does not matter whether our body's final grave is the earth, sky, water or fire. If our grave is by fire (cremation), we turn to ash, not too different from the earth around us. If our grave is by earth (burial), our body gives nutrition to the ground, which benefits the life that grows from the earth. If our grave is by water (a practice in some cultures), the lives that swim by the sea are given nutrition. If our grave is by sky (sky burial as seen here), we are giving nutrition to the life that soars in the skies.
In many ways, it's the cycle of how even in death, we can still sustain life, giving something even after we had passed away, one form or another.
thanks
hello
sir / madam
i like a diamond polishing photogaph
if you have other photgrph send me please i like it
Thanks
With best regard
Kanu Asodaria
Great entry, educational. I don't think this is weird at all. If anything, it seems more natural than burying a person within a coffin to rest eternally in the ground. All they're doing is making the flesh and body easier to consume in its entirety. We're all made of energy. If by consuming the flesh and returning that energy back to the universe, are we not, in a sense, living forever? Sure, it may not be consciously, but I'd rather "live on" supplying energy to other life forms. Not sitting in a box, buried six-feet underground.
I mean, think about it, if we didn't bury our dead, they'd eventually be consumed by bugs, scavengers, etc. It's a natural circle of life. And to all the douchebags complaining about the pictures, I find them educational, not ghoulishly entertaining. I didn't know about this practice and the pictures actually show that it's less barbaric than it probably sounds. So relax (especially you Jeff Mertz), not everyone looking at this tradition is a psycho, some of us have respect for traditions we don't know much about. And pictures keep our imaginations from turning what I believe to be a great way to be returned back to the universe, into a horror film within our minds.
So we do it better? I am sorry that this experience disturbed you so much. A little research or reflection might have helped.
If you believe that the soul leaves the body then the body is just flesh and is not the person that was loved and cared for. In addition, in the West the body is either burned, begging the question of what happens to the ashes and smoke, or is embalmed and then stuck in the ground in a box. I think this only seems more civilized if you do not witness the entire process. In any case, it is easy to argue that the Western 'tradition' is more wasteful. Also, in Tibet the ground is rock hard and wood is harder to come by so burial is less feasible. So the body, which is devoid of life, soul, or consciousness is used to feed animals, which are believed to have some consciousness even if it is below the level of human beings.
Obviously I have considered these things so I would not be shocked to witness such a ceremony, even if I thought it was a bit odd.
Certainly too bad that the relatives were not prepared for it, which seems very odd indeed.
OH MY GOD MY IAM AN INDIAN AND MY FIANCE IS TIBETAN BUT HE NEVER SHARED WAT THE FACT OR A EYE OPENER U SHARDE WID ME IAM SURE I WILL ASK HIM IAM SHOCKED
Long live Longji I visited these rice terraces in March 2008 and loved the place. Have travelled to China several times and this is one of my favourites. It was clear blue skys when I was there. Had lunch at the restaurant at the very top and the views were magnificent. A couple of new small 'hotels' were being built in the traditional timber style and looked like being great accommodation .
Sky Burial I watched this funeral rite on You Tube and found it fascinating, and wholesome. What a way to return a piece of the earth back unto itself, and "recycle". I think this would be a very honorable way to be "buried".
Returning after 20 years Hello, I was part of the 1990 American Pumori Expedition and now, 20 years later, in October 2010, I am returning to Nepal. My goal is to spend some days in Kathmandu and see what develops from there. I'd love to trek to Pumori base camp, but I don't think I'm in shape for it.
I am considering taking the route into Tibet and go to Mt. Everest North base camp. I enjoyed the photos the insperation fo the idea of going into Tibet. Thanks, Bob "The Adventurer"
A beautiful ceremony I find the ceremony beautiful, spiritual, practical and responsible. In one sense, we are part of a cycle of life and just as we have fed on other living and dead things to survive, I see no reason why other creatures should not do the same to us when our time is done in our current form. I can certainly see the practicality of it living in a mountainous region where rock is more plentiful than dirt and the dirt that is there isn't often deep enough to bury a body. The lack of trees make a cremation impractical unless you want to use animal manure but I'm not sure that is a step forward. Lastly it is environmentally conscious as there are no preservative chemicals put into the ground for burial or a unnecessary fuel consumption with the resulting pollution in cremation. This is a wonderful way of providing one last act of giving the only thing you have left to give. It is beautiful and I wholeheartedly hope that this means of "burial" does not disappear.
shocking? How about injecting a dead body with preservative, dressing it up in fancy clothes, painting its face with garish make-up to make it look like it's sleeping and putting it in a fancy box that costs as much as would feed a family for six months and then bringing people in to look at it - oh, in a building that has no relationship to the dead, the mourning people or, in many ways, to death.
That's shocking.
stay away from Xinjiang-er Sorry for your experience in Xinjiang, China.
Most locals in Xinjiang province are Muslims. They're minorites in China that are living a relatively poor life compared to the Han majorities. Even in metropolitan cities of China, we stay away from people from Xinjiang. They hawk in the streets and will threaten you to buy things as long as you touched the goods. And they ofen make money by stealing.
So, try to avoid them next time you come to China. It's easy to tell a Xinjiang-er since they resemble people in Middle East countries such as Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan...
sky burials I have read and heard about sky burials from the Tibetan students I've taught, but never have seen pictures. We, in the U.S. are so used to a sanitized burial...we never see the body. We only get an expensive urn (cremation)...
Thank you for your photos.
Tashi Dor Monastery Is Tashi Dor monastery a part of Ganden Monastery or which tradftion does it follow? I couldn't get much info about this Monastery .. how many monks are there... etc. Tashi Dor looks much smaller... Have you been there? How many monks are living there and which monastic tradition do they follow?
As I said connected with the lake I found hints to this monastery but nothing of much value. Hope you can help me some infos.
definitely shocking yes the pictures are really graphic and living on the side of the world that doesn't practice sky burial, i am mortified beyond words. but i respect their culture. and that is what all that matter.
R Eldar
Rotem Eldar
I agree
I never said that we do it better. I was only reporting what I saw. I don't see anything inappropriate with it. However, regardless of how well prepared you are, even when witnessing a "western" style burial, which is very "clean", one becomes emotional. In this case - when the event is much more graphic, the emotions are overwhelming.