Dissolving Bodies in Water to Help Save the Earth

A forum for discussing aspects of dying and death. Please be mindful when posting in this section.
Post Reply
User avatar
Aemilius
Posts: 4604
Joined: Sat Mar 27, 2010 11:44 am

Dissolving Bodies in Water to Help Save the Earth

Post by Aemilius »

Within the last few years, some funeral directors have invested in more eco-friendly alternatives to traditional burials and flame cremations. One of these methods is a process known as Alkaline Hydrolysis, or water cremation.

svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
User avatar
Aemilius
Posts: 4604
Joined: Sat Mar 27, 2010 11:44 am

Re: Dissolving Bodies in Water to Help Save the Earth

Post by Aemilius »

Are there on comments, man ?? This video is radical: Towards the end of it you can see how corpses that have been dissolved in water solution are in plastic containers, and are then sprayed into a garden. Does that not evoke any feelings or emotions? -As a possible ending of your corpse.
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
User avatar
Queequeg
Former staff member
Posts: 14454
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:24 pm

Re: Dissolving Bodies in Water to Help Save the Earth

Post by Queequeg »

:shrug:

I can think of a bunch of more ecological options. Get a shovel, dig a hole, and throw me in. I promise I won't mind. Or leave me out in the open for the scavengers. I've said as much to my family, that this is what I want. They're the ones who have problems with things like that. Funerary rites are for the living.

There are probably hygienic concerns in areas with dense populations and little open space, but as a society we could figure it out if we wanted.

There was a series on HBO that was basically a meditation on death and funerary rites called Six Feet Under. The main character who was a funeral home director opted for a natural burial in a nature preserve.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
User avatar
Shotenzenjin
Posts: 614
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2020 11:23 pm

Re: Dissolving Bodies in Water to Help Save the Earth

Post by Shotenzenjin »

I've always thought sky burial is a good way to get recycled.
Generation's shall pass, our determination shall grow, at the foot of Mount Fuji
Like smoke that reaches far beyond the clouds.--nichimoku shonin. Third high priest of Nichiren Shoshu

Hokekko of true Buddhism https://nstny.org

Introduction to Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... VKyEQ_cxK9
Malcolm
Posts: 42974
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:19 am

Re: Dissolving Bodies in Water to Help Save the Earth

Post by Malcolm »

Dont ever laugh
As a Hearse goes by
For you may be the next to die
They wrap you up
In a big white sheet
From your head down to your feet
They put you in a big black box
And cover you up with dirt and rocks
And all goes well
For about a week
And then your coffin begins to leak
And the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out
The worms play pinochle on your snout
They eat your eyes, they eat your noes
They eat the jelly between your toes
A big green worm with rolling eyes
Crawls in your stomach and out your eyes
Your stomach turns a slimy green
And puss comes out like whipping cream
You spread it on a slice of bread
And thats what you eat when your dead
And the worms crawl out and the worms crawl in
The worms that crawl in are lean and thin
The ones that crawl out are fat and stout
Your eyes fall in and your hair falls out
Your brain comes tumbling down your snout
And the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out
They crawl all over your dirty snout
Your chest caves in and your eyes pop out
Your brain turns to saurkraut
They invite their friends, and their friends too
They all come down to chew on you
And this is what it is to die, i hope you had a nice goodbye
Did you ever think as a Hearse goes by
That you might be the next to die
And your eyes fall out and your teeth decay
And that is the end of a perfect... day
amanitamusc
Posts: 2124
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2010 3:32 am

Re: Dissolving Bodies in Water to Help Save the Earth

Post by amanitamusc »

The organized gangs have been doing this for ages.Wise guys, ya know. :shrug:
Rainbow body would be preferable. :twothumbsup:
User avatar
Aemilius
Posts: 4604
Joined: Sat Mar 27, 2010 11:44 am

Re: Dissolving Bodies in Water to Help Save the Earth

Post by Aemilius »

I have read about liquifying bodies in the detective stories of 1970's, but as far as I can remember, the chemistry of the process was wrong or very dangerous, compared with the new caustic water solution method.
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
User avatar
Hazel
Former staff member
Posts: 2090
Joined: Mon Sep 23, 2019 11:15 pm
Location: she/her

Re: Dissolving Bodies in Water to Help Save the Earth

Post by Hazel »

Aemilius wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:28 am Are there on comments, man ?? This video is radical: Towards the end of it you can see how corpses that have been dissolved in water solution are in plastic containers, and are then sprayed into a garden. Does that not evoke any feelings or emotions? -As a possible ending of your corpse.
Sad that our current norm is so wasteful, excited and hopeful about there being an alternative. I can't wait to try it!

The reviews say it's to die for!
Happy Pride month to my queer dharma siblings!

What do you see when you turn out the lights?
amanitamusc
Posts: 2124
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2010 3:32 am

Re: Dissolving Bodies in Water to Help Save the Earth

Post by amanitamusc »

Jerry Garcia's ashes are floating in space.They have coalesced in the form of a of a gravy ladle.
Russian cosmonauts have come the closest to it.23 miles.They report the contact high is extreme. :thumbsup:
User avatar
Aemilius
Posts: 4604
Joined: Sat Mar 27, 2010 11:44 am

Re: Dissolving Bodies in Water to Help Save the Earth

Post by Aemilius »

You are referring to Space burial:

"Space burial is the launching of samples of cremated remains into space. Missions may go into orbit around the Earth or to extraterrestrial bodies such as the Moon, or farther into space.

Samples of cremated remains are not scattered in space so as not to contribute to space debris. Ashes remain sealed in their small capsules until the spacecraft burns up upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere or reach their extraterrestrial destinations. Suborbital flights briefly fly ashes into space then return to Earth where they can be recovered. Small samples of remains are launched to minimize the cost of launching mass into space, thereby making such services more affordable.

History and typology

The concept of launching remains into space using conventional rockets was proposed by the science fiction author Neil R. Jones in the novella "The Jameson Satellite", which was published in the pulp magazine Amazing Stories in 1931. It was later proposed as a commercial service in the 1965 movie, "The Loved One", and by Richard DeGroot in a Seattle Times newspaper article on April 3, 1977. Since 1997, the private company Celestis has conducted numerous space burials flying as secondary payloads.

Maiden flights

The first space burial occurred in 1992 when the NASA Space Shuttle Columbia (mission STS-52) carried a sample of Gene Roddenberry's cremated remains into space and returned them to Earth.

The first private space burial, Celestis' Earthview 01: The Founders Flight, was launched on April 21, 1997. An aircraft departing from the Canary Islands carried a Pegasus rocket containing samples of the remains of 24 people to an altitude of 11 km (6.8 mi) above the Atlantic Ocean. The rocket then carried the remains into an elliptical orbit with an apogee of 578 km (359 mi) and a perigee of 551 km (342 mi), orbiting the Earth once every 96 minutes until re-entry on May 20, 2002, northeast of Australia. Famous people on this flight included Gene Roddenberry and Timothy Leary.

Suborbital flights

Short flights that cross the boundary of space without attempting to reach orbital velocity are a cost-effective method of space burial. The remains do not burn up and are either recovered or lost.

Moon burial

The first moon burial was that of Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, a portion of whose cremated remains were flown to the Moon by NASA.Shoemaker's former colleague Carolyn Porco, a University of Arizona professor, proposed and produced the tribute of having Shoemaker's ashes launched aboard the NASA's Lunar Prospector spacecraft. Ten days after Shoemaker's passing, Porco had the go-ahead from NASA administrators and delivered the ashes to the Lunar Prospector Mission Director Scott Hubbard at the NASA Ames Research Center. The ashes were accompanied by a piece of brass foil inscribed with an image of Comet Hale-Bopp, an image of a Meteor Crater in northern Arizona, and a passage from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The Lunar Prospector spacecraft was launched on January 6, 1998, and impacted the south polar region of the moon on July 31, 1999.

Missions are proposed by both Elysium Space and Celestis as part of a mission by Astrobotic Technology of Pittsburgh.

Notable individuals buried in space

Launched into Earth orbit

Gene Roddenberry (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991), creator of Star Trek.
Gerard K. O'Neill (1927–1992), space physicist.
Krafft Ehricke (1917–1984), rocket scientist.
Timothy Leary (October 22, 1920 – May 31, 1996), American writer, psychologist, psychedelic drug advocate, and Harvard professor.
Charles Oren Bennett (January 21, 1928 – 1999), space illustrator.
James Doohan (March 3, 1920 – July 20, 2005), actor best known for his portrayal of Scotty in the television and film series Star Trek.
Celestis also launched him into space in 2007 and in 2008.
L. Gordon "Gordo" Cooper, Jr. (March 6, 1927 – October 4, 2004), American astronaut. He was one of the original Mercury Seven pilots in the Project Mercury program, the first manned space effort by the United States.

Buried on the Moon

Dr. Eugene Shoemaker, (April 28, 1928 – July 18, 1997), astronomer and co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9.

Launched into outer space

Clyde Tombaugh (February 4, 1906 – January 17, 1997), American astronomer and discoverer of Pluto in 1930. A small sample of Tombaugh's ashes are aboard New Horizons, the first spacecraft to attempt to pass by and photograph Pluto. This is the first sample of human cremated remains which will escape the solar system to travel among the stars.

Future space burials

Leiji Matsumoto (born 1938), Japanese creator of numerous celebrated anime and manga series including Galaxy Express 999, Space Battleship Yamato and Space Pirate Captain Harlock announced his intention to have a symbolic portion of his cremated remains to be launched into space on a future Elysium Space mission.

Majel Barrett (1932–2008), American actress who played Christine Chapel in the original Star Trek series; wife of Gene Roddenberry. A symbolic portion of both her cremated remains and Roddenberry's cremated remains will be launched into space on a future Celestis mission.
William R. Pogue (1930–2014), American astronaut. and Luise Clayborn Kaish (1925–2013), American sculptor and painter.

Etc..."
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
Post Reply

Return to “Dying and Death”