Sunday 15 August 2010

TIBETEN SKY BURIAL

I was sent a link from Danny the other day and have been contemplating wether or not to post it. But after watching it again and trying to understand it at its basic level I have decided to post the link.

It is a photographic documentary of a ritual Tibeten sky burial where a body is basically given back to nature. In itself it doesn't sound to distressing but the images tell another story...

This is called the sky burial in Tibet. Since it is believe that a person re-incarnates after dying the body serves no real purpose. There is no need to preserve the body, as it is now an empty vessel. Birds may eat it, or nature may let it decompose. The body is cut in specific places, and left on a mountain top, exposing it to the elements. According to Buddhist teaching, this makes it easier for the soul of the deceased to move on from the uncertain plane between life and death onto the next life. So as barbaric as this might look, there is an actual purpose to this.

For those of a squeemish nature I would advise you not to visit the link below - for those who don't really mind here it is...

http://erooups.com/2009/09/11/burials_in_tibet_not_for_sensitive_souls_61_photos.html

It starts off fairly calm and sidate but soon changes into something fairly barbaric what our culture isn't used to witnessing.

This ritual embodies the research I have been undertaking over the last 2 months as graphic as it may seem.

You will have to excuse the content around the rest of the site as well!!!

4 comments:

  1. Did I send you this? It sounds twisted enough for it to be me but I'm not sure I've seen it before.

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  2. Have you seen the place in America where they study decaying bodies by leaving them in the trunks of cars and stuff? I think Stephen Fry may have visited the place for his U.S. programme.

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  3. Hi Danny - it was on one of the links you posted on facebook a couple of days ago - some great stuff on there re- decay and natures cycle.

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