Tibetan Sky Burials Feed Vultures

Across Tibet in the Himalayas, Tibetan Buddhists practice sky burial partly because permafrost and solid rock make graves difficult, while scarce wood above the tree line complicates cremation. After a lama prays over the seated body for two days, attendants break the spine, fold the corpse, and typically transport it to the burial site by yak. Rogyapas, or body breakers, dismember the remains and feed the flesh to vultures, then grind the bones and mix them with barley flour, tea, and yak butter for crows and hawks. Buddhists view the body as an empty shell after the spirit leaves, allowing the deceased to perform a final act of generosity by feeding other creatures.

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