>Tibetan sky-burials, when the physical remains are placed on stone and prepared and then the vultures are allowed to eat (won't go into gruesome detail) but it is a harmony of death and rebirth and acceptance that the natural world goes hand in hand with our human mortality.<

Nicely said moss. There are countless depictions in Himalayan art of birds and beasts carrying off bits of human remains.* As with many rituals, however, there is a practical reason for this custom. The ground in Tibet is frozen for much of the year (making burials difficult) and there are few trees in the country either, making cremation impractical.

* <b>Himalayan Art</b>. Macmillan SBN 120 663