Sky Burial: Tibet’s Ancient Tradition for Honoring the Dead
I have heard of the practice but seldom have I seen a picture of it as graphic as this. I think Steve posted on it a few times. Also, 5 pages on vultures here.
According to Tibetan beliefs regarding burials and death, which is based on the Buddhist belief of reincarnation and transmigration, the soul leaves the body at the moment of death. The Sky burial represents an act of compassion, feeding the dead body which no longer has a function, to the sacred vultures as a final act of charity.
Shirley McLaine is a known believer of reincarnation. Page D. Styles
Well, it could be worse. Gila Monsters are a cool lizard. LOL
The disappearance of vultures can have unforeseen consequences, including for humans
It is us standing over their bones more than vice versa.
Interestingly enough, my first thought was, “Where these people totally organic in their food intake.” No lead poisoning, bad chemicals etc passed on up up the food chain. Better then our death rights of filling a corpse with chemical preservatives that drain into the biosphere over the decades.
always liked the lines from Robinson Jeffers’ poem on dying in the mountains and becoming a meal for a california turkey buzzard:
“What a life after death/
What an enskyment”
The Parsee towers of silence were in use quite recently,and may still be. A delegation of Parses went to Jemima Parry-Jones in the early 90’s to inquire about breeding a pesticide – free flock or two to resume their work , at least in a few Indian cities, during the pesticide crisis that killed off most of the subcontinent’s’ vultures then.