The Sky Burial, or jhator (which literally translates to “giving alms to the birds”), is a once-common Tibetan burial practice in which a human corpse is mutilated before being left on a mountaintop as food for vultures.

According to a fascinating article in ZME Science, the monks (rogyapas) who prepare the bodies for these burials do so in light spirits, despite the gruesome work it entails. For example, corpses are typically prepped for burial in one of two ways: by beating the body and bones together into a pulp or breaking the bones and cartilages with sledge hammers.

This may seem a little morbid to many (from 1950 to 1980 the Chinese government prohibited it), but Tibetan Buddhists believe the human body is simply a hollow vessel for the spirit and that recycling the flesh back to nature is, well, only natural. The article also notes that in Tibet wood is scarce and the soil is rocky, making it hard to dig a grave.

Of course not everyone in Tibet wants, or can afford a traditional Sky Burial for family members. The article states that a favorite option for those who can’t come up with the money is placing the deceased on a high rock, where the body is left to rot.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Click on the thumbnails to see full-size images. WARNING: Some of these images are graphic.

[Via: ZME]