The Sky Burial in Tibet

“Sky Burial”. Just looking at these two words, you will know that there are some mysterious stories. Actually, the Sky Burial or Celestial Burial is one of the most traditional funeral methods in Tibetan area. It exists not only on the Tibetan Plateau, but also in Tibetan settlements in Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan, etc.

For Tibetans, sky burial is the most common ceremony, but for tourists who know little about it, sky burial seems to be a mysterious religious ceremony which can make the dead go to a mysterious heaven. Because of its unknown and mysterious characteristics, many international and domestic tourists who take a Tibet tour want to watch the sky burial, but they are often told that they can't watch it and can only see groups of vultures flying from afar. This article will tell detailed story of sky burial to you.

What is Sky Burial? Why do Tibetans need Sky Burial?

Sky burial, as the name suggests, is different from cremation and earth burial. Sky burial is to put the corpses of the death on the celestial burial platform for vultures to devour, so as to enable the dead to enter into reincarnation.

In the belief of Tibetan Buddhism, people will enter into reincarnation after death and can reincarnate. People have a previous life and an afterlife. What they do in this life will affect the reincarnation of the next life. And the sky burial is the core ceremony of this belief. After giving the body after death to vultures, people can get better reincarnation in the afterlife. Based on this belief, the sky burial has become such a long history and traditional funeral ceremony.

From the perspective of modern society, the sky burial is also a kind of relatively environmental protection funeral ceremony. It can not only let the dead get a long rest, but also protect the soil and water so that generations can survive.

The sky burial ceremony is not a unique ceremony in Tibet. In Mongolia, Yunnan, Sichuan and other places, Tibetan inhabited areas also have this special funeral ceremony and the sky burial platform. In many articles, sky burial is often associated with heaven, but this statement is not accurate. Even in the religious belief of Tibetan Buddhism, sky burial is not directly related to heaven. Of course, every local Tibetan has personal understanding of sky burial. Although tourists are not allowed to watch the sky burial ceremony, our drivers and guides may be willing to talk to you about the sky burial. The words from the Tibetan people may give you a different understanding of the sky burial.

Which Places in Tibet has the Sky Burial?

There are many places in Tibet where sky burials can be carried out. There are also many sky burial platforms of different sizes around Lhasa. The sky burial platform is usually on the hillside, and there is a temple nearby. The well-known sky burial platforms are at Drigung Thil Monastery and Sera Monastery. In fact, there are also small-scale sky burial platforms around some small temples on the mountain. Where there are vultures, there is a sky burial platform nearby.

Vultures of Sky Burial

The sky burial platform will not be open to tourists. Even if there is no celestial burial ceremony, tourists are not allowed to visit it. If necessary, our guide will also introduce the relevant information of the sky burial platform to you.

In addition, even if there is no ceremony, it is not allowed to take pictures of the sky burial platform from far away. We hope you will abide by the local regulations and do not take pictures of sky burial which is a great disrespect to the dead.

Why Tourists can’t Watch Sky Burial?

1. The sky burial ceremony involves a serious topic of death and can’t be opened to tourists as entertainment.

2. The nature of sky burial ceremony is funeral, which is relatively private.

The sky burial is a completely private memorial ceremony. Relative died, in the process of the memorial ceremony, people do not want to be disturbed, and be surrounded by tourists.

In Tibet, the sky burial is a sacred and inviolable ceremony. It is also a private and not public funeral. As tourists, we can keep our interest in this mysterious ceremony, and we can learn about the mysterious ceremony in unknown areas in various ways. The best way to understand sky burial is not to watch a sky burial ceremony directly, but you can learn it from our drivers and guides.