Why do some ethnic minorities, such as Mongolians, take corpses to designated places for wild animals to swallow?

Celestial burial is a traditional way of funeral for Mongolian, Tibetan and other ethnic minorities. After death, people take their bodies to designated places for eagles (or other birds and animals) to swallow, thinking that they can take them to heaven. Like burial, water burial and cremation, it is a belief, a way to express condolences to the deceased, and a social and cultural phenomenon in essence. Its origin, form, content and the implementation of the ceremony are all influenced by natural geographical environment, business methods, foreign culture and other factors. Celestial burial means feeding the dead bodies to vultures.

Vultures eat and fly to heaven, while Tibetans think that the dead have ascended to heaven smoothly. Celestial burial is held in celestial burial sites, and there are fixed locations in various places. After death, a few days later, the Lama was asked to chant Buddhist scripture and choose a funeral day. Funerals are usually early, and some people send the bodies to the celestial burial master to burn incense for the gods first. Vultures gathered around the celestial burial ground when they saw the fireworks. The celestial burial master immediately stripped the body of clothes, dismembered the body according to certain procedures, and stripped the bones. Mash the bones with stones, mix them with Ciba, and cut the meat into small pieces for later use. Finally, whistle to inform vultures not to feed them in the order of bone and meat until they are completely swallowed.

Celestial burial is the most acceptable and common funeral custom in Tibetan areas. Inferred from the ancient tomb sites in Tibet, celestial burial may have originated after the 7th century. Some scholars believe that this burial method was founded by the Deligong Kagyu School. In AD 1 179, Zhigongba people built Zhigong Temple in Zhigong, Mozhugongka County, which promoted and improved the celestial burial system at that time.

Regarding celestial burial, Tibetan Buddhism believes that lighting mulberry smoke is paving a colorful road, respectfully inviting Daku to board the celestial burial platform, offering her body as a sacrifice to the gods, praying to redeem the sins of the deceased while she is alive, and asking the gods to take her soul to heaven. The vultures attracted by mulberry smoke on the celestial burial platform do not harm any animals except human bodies. Tibetans call them "God Birds". It is said that this burial method is an imitation of Sakyamuni's behavior of "giving his life to feed the tiger", so celestial burial is still popular in Tibet.