The Attendant Friends, Each Of Whom Has
Carried A Piece Of Wood To The Burning-Ground, Arrange The Fuel With
Butter On The Furnace, The Corpse Wrapped In The White Sheet Is Put
In, And Fire Is Applied.
The process of destruction in a rich man's
case takes about an hour.
During the burning the lamas read in high,
hoarse monotones, and the blacksmiths beat their drums. The lamas
depart first, and the blacksmiths, after worshipping the ashes,
shout, 'Have nothing to do with us now,' and run rapidly away. At
dawn the following day, a man whose business it is searches among the
ashes for the footprints of animals, and according to the footprints
found, so it is believed will be the re-birth of the soul.
Some of the ashes are taken to the gonpos, where the lamas mix them
with clay, put them into oval or circular moulds, and stamp them with
the image of Buddha. These are preserved in chod-tens, and in the
house of the nearest relative of the deceased; but in the case of
'holy' men, they are retained in the gonpos, where they can be
purchased by the devout. After a cremation much chang is consumed by
the friends, who make presents to the bereaved family. The value of
each is carefully entered in a book, so that a precise return may be
made when a similar occasion occurs. Until the fourth day after
death it is believed to be impossible to quiet the soul.
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