communication

[STUDENT’S NAME REDACTED]

10/21/2020

Public Speaking

Professor DeMercurio

Informative Speech Outline

Topic: Tibetan Sky Burial

Specific purpose: After hearing my presentation, the audience will be informed on the tradition

of sky burials practiced by Buddhists in Tibet.

Introduction:

I. Did you know that a person’s ashes can be used to create a diamond?

II. In Tibet, there are some Buddhists that practice a burial tradition called a sky burial.

III. Most people tend to plan or share with loved ones how they would want to be buried.

IV. I know I personally have given some consideration as to how I would prefer my loved

ones to go about my burial so that they can be prepared for when that time comes.

V. In order to understand this tradition, you must know how, where, and why a sky

burial is practiced by some Tibetan Buddhists.

First, let us look at how sky burials are done.

Body:

I. A sky burial is a long, complex process.

A. Like many other burials, it is a team effort with the help of others in the

community apart from the family.

1. After a death in a family, the body is wrapped in white cloth, then placed in a

section of the house for about three to five days (Shoma, 2016).

2. “Monks or lamas are asked to read the scripture aloud so that the souls can be

released from purgatory… Family members will choose a lucky day and ask

the body carrier to carry the body away to the celestial burial platform” (Sang,

2020).

B. After the initial preparation period, comes the actual ceremony.

1. At the location of the burial, the “master of the sky burial” burns incense that

attracts vultures and performs a series of rituals over the deceased (“Sky

Burial,” 2017).

2. Finally, the master of the sky burial will cut the body into smaller pieces and

leave it to be eaten by the vultures (“Birth, Death, and Rebirth,” n.d.).

Now, that we’ve learned about how a Sky Burial works, let’s go over where this tradition is

carried out.

II. Tibet is in a high-altitude region of China which contains many Buddhists – some of

which practice sky burials.

A. Sky burials take place away from the majority of the community.

1. The bodies are purposely taken to areas with a high elevation (Houchin,

2017).

2. “This is because the corpse is then supposed to be eaten by vultures, who tend

to congregate at higher altitudes” (Houchin, 2017).

B. There are two famous places in Tibet where sky burials are known to take place

in.

1. The Drigung Til Monastery is one of them (Sang, 2020).

2. The other famous place for Sky Burials is at the Larung Gar Buddhist

Academy (Sang, 2020).

Thus far, we have examined how and where sky burials are done, now we can go over why this

particular form of burial is chosen by some Tibetan Buddhists.

III. The Tibetan Buddhists have two primary reasons for why they choose this type of burial.

A. One of the reasons involves their geographical location in the world.

1. Digging a grave is not always possible because the ground is usually frozen,

making it difficult to dig (Houchin, 2017).

2. Vultures are often found in this region of China because they tend to live in

areas with high altitudes like Tibet (Houchin, 2017).

B. The other primary reason is that a sky burial relates to their beliefs.

1. Buddhists believe in reincarnation, so they believe a person’s consciousness

comes from a previous life and will continue into another life when they die,

but that all depends on their karma in their current life (“Sky Burial: Tradition

Becomes Controversial”, 2016).

2. Offering the body to vultures is viewed as a contribution to the earth that

provided for them, so it is essentially contributing to the circle of life (“Sky

Burial,” 2017).

These are the main reasons why this form of burial is performed.

Conclusion:

I. Today, we went over how, where, and why Sky Burials are performed. Prayers and

blessings are done over the body for three to five days before it is taken to be

consumed by vultures in high-altitude regions in Tibet. Tibetan Buddhists do this

because they believe in reincarnation and view the body as an offering towards the

earth which contributes to the circle of life.

II. After hearing about this tradition, has it made you consider your options for burial

after death?

References

Bush, R. O. (Director). (2016). Sky Burials: Tradition Becomes Controversial Tourist Attraction

[Video file]. National Geographic. Retrieved October 30, 2020, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BreEms4m_6U

Houchin, A. (2017, February 13). Tibetan Sky Burials. Retrieved October 31, 2020, from

https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/gravematters/2017/02/13/tibetan-sky-burials/

Museum of Art and Archaeology. (n.d.). Birth, Death and Rebirth: Sky Burial and the Cyclical

Cosmos of Tibetan Buddhism. Retrieved October 31, 2020, from

https://maa.missouri.edu/gallery/birth-death-and-rebirth-sky-burial-and-cyclical-cosmos-

tibetan-buddhism

Sang, K. (2020, August 24). Sky Burial in Tibet and Tibetan Funeral Customs. Retrieved

October 30, 2020, from https://www.tibettravel.org/tibetan-local-customs/tibetan-

funeral.html

Sohma, M. (2016, November 15). Sky Burial: Tibet's Ancient Tradition for Honoring the Dead.

Retrieved October 31, 2020, from https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-

traditions/sky-burial-tibet-s-ancient-tradition-honoring-dead-007016

Tibetpedia. (2017, July 18). Sky burial: How does it work? A window into Tibetan culture.

Retrieved October 31, 2020, from https://tibetpedia.com/lifestyle/sky-burial/