Finals week felt like a death ritual Tibetan Buddhists and Varanasi Hindus tend to share similar death rituals. Especially in the sense that there is a ritual for death, which suggests that death is a process and not a moment for both religions. While there are strong similarities between the two practices and views on death, there are also some key differences that I believe truly reflect the values ​​of each religion. I will compare and contrast the Tibetan celestial burial and the Hindu cremation of bodies on the banks of the Ganges. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first distinct comparison is that Buddhists and Hindus have specific characteristics that constitute a good death, but the specifics of these characteristics differ. For Hindus, some characteristics of a good death include being pure of all bodily secretions, which means practicing the aesthetics of starvation. Additionally, since every life is projected astrologically, this means that dying a good death does not mean dying prematurely. Untimely death takes away the right to the death ritual and that person should not be cremated along the Ganges. Another intrinsic characteristic of a good death would be to die in Varanasi, a place which automatically enhances all good karma and any chance of attaining moksha. On the other hand, for those of the Buddhist faith, there aren't as many distinguishing factors that play into a good death, it's more about being spiritually prepared for it. Some Tibetans even practice their own death at burial sites. The key is to be completely detached from worldly things like the body so that with this mindset of impermanence it is easier to achieve enlightenment after death. Both religions also have distinct characteristics that constitute a bad death. For Hindus, as I mentioned earlier, dying a bad death would mean dying prematurely or by tragic accident. This includes death from chicken pox, leprosy, snake bite, or death of anyone under the age of 5. These are all deaths caused by chance and therefore not allowing a person to properly perform his dharma. These individuals, rather than being cremated, will simply be thrown directly into the Ganges. Similarly, in Buddhist tradition, those who die a pestilential death will not undergo their death rituals, but unlike Hindus, they also do not include criminals for reasons of karmic value. Tibetan Buddhists exclude tormented individuals and criminals by burying them in the ground, as Thubron reminds us, in order to “prevent their reincarnation and eliminate their species forever” (TMT 151). Some more obvious differences lie in the practices themselves. For Hindus, death is a process that begins long before clinical death. Those who are approximately 2 weeks before their death can be admitted to Kashi Labh Mukti Bhavan, a palliative care center that allows individuals to die peacefully without conventional medicine. As quoted in ER #14 City of Death and Liberation, “patients came not to heal, but to die in an atmosphere in which their last thoughts can be directed to God” (ER#14 130-131). Surrounded by his family and the hum of mantras, the individual is pushed towards death by hunger. Just before death, a mantra is whispered into the dying person's ear by a guru who has meditated on the wisdom needed to guide..