tibet and china Having been to China on a cultural visit I am become quite interested in anything to do with China. Before hand I believe I was a victim of western propaganda and have since been trying to find a blog that gives the view of the Chinese people. I found this site very interesting and am quite amazed at how offensive some people can be especially when they have not read your post properly. Maybe this is the problem with people who have such firm opinions. All I know is that China is about as different to the west as life on Mars would be and I think we should all find out more about it. Well done for educating me. PS. Correct me if I am wrong and without being offensive please but I thought Tibet had been part of China since Kublai Khan.
Tibet land - Chinese claims The fact that you claim this burial happened in mainland China and not in Tibet is misleading. Did you know that more than half of ethnic Tibetan territories have been Sino- sized and incorporated into mainland China? Just because the Chinese changed all the Tibetan area names into Chinese does not legalize the occupation. Did you know that the famous “Chinese Panda” bears are ethnically part of traditional Tibetan territory?
The meaning It is common to be critical of traditions one does not understand. The reason for the sky burial is to help the essence of the person and the family detach from the material form of the corpse since it is no longer the person. It seems strange from a western perspective, but having a corpse of a loved one stuck in box being eaten alive by worms and rotting with bacteria doesn't seem that much better. The body returning to nature is only shocking to those who are afraid of death in a deeper way.
Dunhuang The story of Dunhuang itself is also interesting. What some Chinese call looting can be interpreted a little differently by others. The Chinese archaeologist who was digging the site did not get enough funds, and in order to proceed he sold some of the treasures to European countries. Is this looting? I don't know...
No need to be so offensive If you read the rest of my blog you can see that I have been to Tibet and I understand the suffering and the history of the region. I am not making any arguments about how this region should be called, but it is important to me as a travelblogger that people can use my information for their trips, and since most guidebooks refer to this area as Sichuan I do so too.
well done i dont normally comment on blogs but i am impressed by the way you have created this site and impressed by the way you have addressed comments - well done. I have been to Litang myself and I have witnessed several sky burials and have photos as a result of being invited to take them, however in other cases i was asked not to take photos and of course did not. your photos are very tasteful and i would be interested in seeing the full collection. again well done.
re: legal issues i just wanted to say that i have read that sky burials were banned in the 1960s by the communist government but was legalised again in the 1980s so the above comment made by helen can be disregarded [no offence].
i think my opinion of sky burials has allready been written by many of the above commentators, lets just say i think of it in a positive way.
How the Mongolians live I recently checked out a DVD from our local Library about the Gobi Desert and how the Mongolians live. I found it most interesting how simple and unrestricting their lives are in comparison to the complexites and greed in America, yet how rough their surroundings are compared to how simple it is for us to get around here in the states. I thought that how thankful we should be, but maybe the Mongolians might be a lot more thankful than us if they lived in America for a season and discovered such struggles we indure all because of greed. Their families appear more interlocking than most families in America. Their families work together, our families are torn apart due to many factors such as high taste of living, divorce, love of money, daily violence within the family, and many other reasons.
I think that America can certainly learn from many other countries how simple life (itself) really is. Living is not difficult, it is what we surround living with is what makes living so difficult.
I don't envision a rollercoaster in the lives of the Mongolian peoples that is taking them downhill to destruction. However, I see them on steady plateau enjoying their families and simplicity.
Lithang and Tibet and China I find your argument that Lithang is part of Sichuan historically ignorant. Lithang is part of what the Tibetans refer to as the Kham province of traditional Tibet, most of which was colonised by the Chinese in and after the 18th Century. Is India part of UK? America of UK? Are all the European colonies part of their colonial masters? The only difference between TAR and other Tibetan regions and these decolonised nation-states is that the Chinese still control them! I hope in the future, if you have to travel to Tibet and write/comment about it, that you would be more sensitive to and free from the history written and current reality portrayed by victorious imperialists!
way to go Thankyou for an interesting set of pictures. Criticisms are based on your naivity but the pictures wouldn't have got here without some sense of going where angels fear to tread. All the comments are raw and instructive, like the sky burial itself. Vultures are sacred birds and don't kill to eat: they need these sky burials, so if the pictures and all the comments together heighten both awareness and respect then that in itself is `Jha-tor'.
Mt.Kailash Hi, I am planning a trekking trip to Mt.Kailash this June and from what I have read it has given me an indeapth picture of what to expect and the pictures also gave me a good sense of what to look forward to. Thank you. Your text is very well written.
amazing i dont find anything distrubing about these pictures and i found the article and pictures very informative. if you had the families permission to take photos i dont see a problem with on the surface it is no different then taking photos of a western funeral its just alittle more eye opening and graphic to us.
I have been studying Chinese for two years now after I went on a nine month trip through Asia. The issue of Tibet has always been interesting to me as my city, Santa Fe, has a sizable Tibetan population, and after a visit to Dharamsala, I gained a deep respect for the people and practices of Tibet. I had heard about sky burials from many sources, non of which were from an individual that had ever witnessed one. They all said that pictures were not permitted and outsiders were rarely allowed to observe.
That being said, I think this blog is valuable for many reasons. I think it unveils a little about a culture that is popularized but rarely understood. The discussion that resulted provides much of the information and argument that was not present in the blog itself. Thanks for not editing the comments like many of the readers wanted the blog to be edited.
I think the big problem and misunderstanding here is that Western attitudes toward death are vastly different from Eastern, especially Tibetan. Most Tibetans are Buddhist, which has a strong focus on the teachings of impermanence, expecially of the body. Tibetans understand that death is a natural and normal thing, inevitable for all of us. In Western society however, we keep our elderly and dying on life support, respirators, all manner of medications, just to stave off death for a little longer, instead of understanding that it is natural and a part of being a human on this planet. We will do anything to avoid death, and even after death, we pump the bodies formerly occupied by our loved ones full of chemicals in order to mimic the appearance of life. Death to a Westerner is something evil, horrible, and ultimately terribly unpleasant- we live in a culture that does everything it can to deny human mortality. To Tibetans, death is very much the opposite, just as natural as birth, and not something to treat as the end of the world. Of course there is grief and sadness involved, but many Tibetans understand the real meaning of death in a way we Westerners can never hope to. When asked what was the meaning of life, the eminient lama Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche replied "to prepare to die," an attitude which many Tibetans share. So, to those people making the comparison between these photos and photos of a Western style funeral, it's really apples to oranges- a different culture, different people, and very different attitude towards the entire concept.
Actually... I don't see this as any more disgusting than sticking a body in the ground so that it can slowly decompose to become worm food. Sea burials also provide food to the ocean's residents. Why is offering carrion to the vultures such a shocking thing? I think it's rather poignant, to be honest. I'd like to die knowing that my death gave something back to the planet (as fertilizer, as a food source to animals, whatever). Feed me to the birds when I go... that's totally cool with me. I suppose what people find horrifying is the bone crushing -- but I imagine that if they witnessed the full embalming process, they'd be equally appalled.
Looters i'm sorry this happened to you. there is a reason for this though, especially if you appear to be a foreigner. one of the things the Chinese government tries to prevent is looting, as it happened to dunhuang, among others.
i really do like your site. you've been to many places to China where i'd never dare to go.
Legal issues? Hi,
I want to thank you for a very interesting blog with beautiful pictures! I find your account of the sky burial very interesting. There is just one question that I have regarding your decisions to publish these pictures. One person made a comment that seemed to lose its impact because it was so angry, but it did have one point: apparently, sky burials are illegal in China. Considering this, wouldn't it have been a good idea to cover the face of the man in your picture? Have you considered how to protect the identity of the rest of the family, in case you find a place to publish the rest of your photos?
Completely aside from the question of whether or not it is respectful to take/publish these pictures, I think it is probably unlikely that the family who invited you considered all the implications it might have for them if some Chinese official decided to follow up on the story. Since you were invited, you might want to regard it as your duty to protect them from that, by not revealing their identities.
Thank you again for a very interesting blog!
Helen
Get over yourselves To those who are outraged, get over yourselves. He's not making any money off this and is in fact exposing people like us to knowledge not everyone has access to, and what better than photos to do so? A picture's worth 1000 words, but aside from that, he didn't even show anything grisly. When the first live human birth was shown in pictures, people were offended (though people will ALWAYS find SOMETHING to be offended about) but now it's practially accepted as a beautiful, natural thing. If the family didn't care, no harm done. And if you don't like it, close your browser and quit trying to police the Internet with your obviously superior wisdom about what's acceptable and what's not.
Thanks Thanks for posting these. I've read several written accounts of sky burials and have been very curious to see some images. These are the only series I have been able to find, and they are great!
There are others too Sky burial is also done in India by the Zorastrians(followers of the fire God). They too leave their dead for the Vultures to eat.....Their reasoning is that - even if a person is dead he should be able to help another creature - in this case by satisfying the vultures hunger...
http://tessy-george.blogspot.com/
Martin,
non-member comment
unblieveable
I cann't believe such a in humane action against other human body , human body must be respected though died . It is barbaric act