Norms, Values, and Beliefs of Tibetan Buddhist Culture

The generally mysterious practice of dealing with corpses in Tibet has “great religious meaning behind it”("Sky Burial in Tibet." 2003), and is in fact normal for them to do so because it is in adherence to their Buddhist beliefs. These people do not hold the same perspective of the bodies that other ethnocentric societies would see it as. Instead, they believe that the carcasses are merely pounds of flesh that do not any longer exhibit any human characteristics because the life force that had previously inhabited it has already passed on. In allowing the vultures to consume the meat, it can be inferred that Tibetan Buddhists place value in providing a source of food and energy for the vultures and for nature. This practice often allows individuals to come to terms with the realities of life and developing a relationship with nature.