Tibetan Buddhism is recognized as a religion in exile, living in desolate mountainous regions such as the Himalayan regions This divergent group carries culture and identity through history within their villages and religion is regularly expressed through the use of ritual Rite of passage rituals are extremely significant to religions throughout the world as they represent the mark of a transition within an individual’s life, Within Tibetan Buddhism many rite of passage rituals occur. One of the most significant of these is the Tibetan Sky Burial, a ritual that recognizes the death of an adherent and has been adapted to the harsh climates and region of the Himalayas and Tibet which is where Tibetan Buddhists have been forced to live due to religious suppression by the Chinese in recent years.
This ritual has extreme significance on Tibetan Buddhism due to it assisting with the acceptance with the loss of adherents within the religion and is a practiced response to suppression within the religion Buddhism is a practical philosophy that teaches that the suffering of the world is the direct result of human desire. Buddhism is known as a religion of enlightenment as the religion itself arose when Siddhartha Gautama began his quest for personal enlightenment and is a flourishing religion throughout Lhe world. Within the religion of Buddhism, many different sects occur with diverged beliefs and practices based on geographical location and diverged principles.
Three main branches of Buddhism have been formed over time and these are Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana. One of the sects that occurs within Vajrayana Buddhism is Tibetan Buddhism, a religion that is mainly situated within the exiled regions of Tibet, as a response to the suppression of religious freedom within China in recent years, including the mountainous regions that surround civilization. Tibetan Buddhism is founded upon the four traditions of Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelugi Tibetan Buddhism has the belief in the process of reincarnation which links in with the principles associated with Karma and Nirvana. One of the most significant differences between that of Tibetan Buddhism and other Buddhist beliefs is cultural, due to the significance the remote geographical land of Tibet has on the teachings of the religion (Dr. N Ash, Tibetan Buddhism Beliefs and Practices)
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Tibetan Buddhism as being a sect under the Vajrayana doctrine focuses largely in developing the mind through means of ritual and meditation. The combination on the emphasis of ritual within the Vajrayana doctrine and the significance of the remote location of Tibet and other regions in which Tibetan Buddhism is practiced results in rituals that reflect the importance of the culture and geographical location within. The Tibetan Sky Burial is a ritual that is extremely significant and regularly practiced within the remote locations of Tibetan Buddhism. As death regularly occurs in these civilizations and ritual plays a significant role in expressing physical and mental religious beliefs and emotions, the Tibetan Sky Burial is a response to the requirements of dealing with the deceased in a way that can be done in remote locations whilst still reflecting the values held within Tibetan Buddhism and the Vajrayana Doctrinei.
In order to analyze rituals Arnold Van Gennep constructed a three-phase schema to identify the ceremonial rites rituals to mark significant transitions in the social status of individuals, Gen nep’s process involves the pre- liminal, liminal and post-liminal stages of a rite of passage ritual. Pre-liminal focuses on the stage of separation from an individual‘s previous life Within death this is the stage where a person actually passes away, marking the end of their time in their current life, The Liminal stage represents when the individual is spiritually moving into their next life dependant on the Karma they achieved in their current life.
The Post-Liminal stage is the final step in a rite of passage ritual and in relations to the process of death, within Tibetan Buddhism this would represent when an individual has achieved a new status and is either beginning a new life within their cycle of rebirth or achieving Nirvana if they have obtained good Kharma. The Tibetan Sky Burial involves the process in which the deceased body is disposed of in remote locations where Tibetan Buddhism is practiced. It is their belief that the human body is simply seen as an empty vessel in which after death the soul has already migrated to another spiritual realm.
Therefore the significance of the body to an adherent is minimal and the disposal of the body can be used in favor of Tibetan Buddhist adherents practicing the ritual. This is done in the form of Karma, as Vajrayana doctrine states that all living things depend on each other, and in the act of providing food and nourishment for the vulture will result in good Karma for the practicing adherents. It is the belief of Tibetan Buddhists that vultures are Dakinis (angels) and the Dakinis will take the flesh and body into heaven. In preparation for the ritual, the body of the deceased is placed in a fetal position, allowing the body to leave life in the position it entered.
The Lamas of the community lead a procession for the funeral towards the charnel ground, chanting throughout in order to ‘guide’ the soul of the deceased adherent, After the chanting has ceased, the body is cut up and prepared by an individual that is not a Buddhist, as this is act is considered to be against Buddhist beliefs There is therefore usually only a few eligible people for this task within these remote communities Juniper incense is lit during this process, as it is believed to summon the Dakinis to their task. The Tibetan Sky Burial ritual has been practiced within Tibet and the Himalayas region for thousands of years, The conquer of the Chinese over the Tibetan Autonomous Region has caused religious suppression of the practice of Tibetan Buddhism and forced the religion into an exile towards the mountainous regions of Tibet and surrounding areas.
