Aquamation - Any Views on This?

[Tenma]

Out of curiosity, what would be a Tibetan Buddhist perspective regarding aquamation? Would it be just as acceptable as cremation?

[PadmaVonSamba]

Out of curiosity, what would be a Tibetan Buddhist perspective regarding aquamation? Would it be just as acceptable as cremation?

probably right up there with ‘sky burial’

[Johnny Dangerous]

There are traditional burials representing the body going back to different elements according to some sources I’ve read. I imagine this is not unknown.

[KeithA]

Out of curiosity, what would be a Tibetan Buddhist perspective regarding aquamation? Would it be just as acceptable as cremation?

During the height of Covid, I was a sexton for some Catholic cemeteries. Interesting and important work. They were not fans of this at all, but they had souls and mortal remains to be concerned with. It's basically dissolving a body (there are some remains). and then flushing it down the drain. Cremation was a big leap for them, this was too much.

Anyway, my non-Tibetan viewpoint is that it is a useful, and frankly lower energy, way to dispose of the form.

_/|\_

[Tenma]

There are traditional burials representing the body going back to different elements according to some sources I’ve read. I imagine this is not unknown.

If a lama were to take up aquamation, would the request be to preserve both the bones and the used fluids (rather than disposing of the liquid latter), thereby having relics of the water element?

[Johnny Dangerous]

There are traditional burials representing the body going back to different elements according to some sources I’ve read. I imagine this is not unknown.

If a lama were to take up aquamation, would the request be to preserve both the bones and the used fluids (rather than disposing of the liquid latter), thereby having relics of the water element?

No idea, but IME nobody really worries about relics for “normal” people.

I don’t know enough to say, I just know I’ve seen it said a couple of places where the body can be returned also to water, etc.

I’m sure someone else knows a lot more about this.