Tibetan Sky Burial

As a Buddhist, the impermanence of life and everything surrounding us is a reality. An older member told us not to do bad things. As they would bring karma, and we would be born in hell if we did evil deeds.

At night, when we go to the bad, we prostrate ourselves to the altar before Buddha images and statues as if it were our last. If we are lucky enough to wake in the morning. We thank the Buddhas for the blessing. Would live those days as if they were our last. We would try to devote maximum time to the practice of Buddha's teaching. This is another reason why everyone in Tibet will always have the rosary in their hand and recite the mantra as much as possible.

When someone reaches the last stages of life. They give up all household activities to the family's younger members and devote their rest time to Buddhism. Some even give up everything to become monks or nuns and leave house hold for monastery. Many start accumulating things required for their death rituals, like a white cloth to wrap their bodies in after death.

Every house has a small pot containing holy pills and holy herbs to give to someone before their last breath.

Immediately after the deceased passed away. A family member would go to the nearest monastery or Astrologers to get an astrological prediction and procedure to follow. We would need clear information about the person's date of birth, or the astrological animal, and the element of the time when the deceased was born. He will then give clear information about what time the body has to leave home for burial. What practice a family member should perform, and which Buddha's Thangka or statue the family member should make for the deceased.

The family would soon invite monks from the nearest monastery to recite the prayer and read a Tibetan book of death (བར་དོ་ཐོས་གྲོལ) to guide the deceased into the path to next life. This prayer would last until the burial time.

After this, we would hold weekly prayers on the day of death. All the family members and relatives would gather to give a helping hand and make offerings to ease the family members' expenditures for all the rituals. During the weekly prayers, we offer prayers. We must prepare many eatables for this prayer, including the Tsampa cake. And we will distribute them to all the neighbours, friends, and family.

The family member must also offer a butter lamp within 45 days after the deceased's transmigrational journey to the next life. It is commonly believed that it helps the deceased as a lamp to see in the darkness on his journey. Average family members would make hundreds of butter lamps at a time, and the rich would create thousands.

After consulting with the astrologer, the family member must also make a statue or Thangka of Buddha. This image of Buddha would become the only remembrance of the deceased in the long term. We have lots of Thangka in our house for our grandfather and other family members. It is believed that every Buddha image we ask for will guide the deceased to the next life smoothly.

Suppose the family home is located near Lhasa city. One family member would bring a butter lamp to the Jokhang temple in Barkhor Street.

Every relative would gather in the deceased's house to prepare for the burial. At five in the morning, family members would take the deceased body out of the sky burial. Usually, the dead body would remain in the house for two to four days, depending on the favourable time predicted by the astrologer.

The family members offer the Khata (white scarf) to the deceased. The dead body is then brought to Barkhor Street for one last circumambulation of the Jokhang temple, and it is taken to the sky burial site. After the circumambulation of Barkhor Street, only a few male relatives continued to the burial site to help the cutter and make sure everything went smoothly.

At the burial site, when the cutter is offering the dead body to the bird. There will be monks to recite the prayers.

After a year, There is one final ritual. The family holds an annual prayer. It can be held either in the family home or at the monastery of their choice. This prayer wishes good fortune and well-being for the next life.