If You Die In Thailand, What Do You Want To Be Done With Your Body?

[travelmann]

Ive told er indoors to chuck me outside on our land and let nature take its course.

[janverbeem]

What hygienic has to do with it.You scared you gonna get ill?

Ever attended a 'traditional' Thai preparation for a cremation ? Will save you the (literally) juicy details and not want sound like bashing their 'culture'...

1) cremated bodies are not reduced to fine ash but bones. This is because the oven temps are not super high gas furnaces as one gets in the west - as such, family should be prepared for a potential shock when collecting your ashes... you are more likely to be a 'mini me' skeleton than a fine powder.

Cheers

That's not too bad, the remains of the bones are very soft and easy to crush and turned into fine powder by hand in a stone mortar and pestle. Did it before no big deal, because the little light-gray bone pieces don't look 'nice' indeed.

Thank you for the explanation but I guess you didn't get my point.YOU ARE DEAD,at least lets hope so, when they cremate you.

[moe666]

At least none of the above are as gruesome as in India.

One of their many religious groups called the " Parsis "

( quite an influential group actually - many mega rich

people in India are Parsi ). Anyway Parsis dont bury

bodies - they simply leave them on the roof of the temple

or tall buildings and let the big birds pick the corpse clean

In fact in some high rise condo buildings in Bombay near a Parsi

temple it is not unusal to find human bones on your balcony

or window ledge after being left behind by a bird......

These people are actually Zorastrians who do not believe in burial or creamation they give the body up to nature to as it wishes with the bodies.

[moe666]

Witnessed a creamation at Chokechai in Jan. most of the bones where reduced to ash, there where a few teeth and the joints of big bones left but most everything else gone and no little skeleton in the metal collection box.

[cardholder]

That's not too bad, the remains of the bones are very soft and easy to crush and turned into fine powder by hand in a stone mortar and pestle. Did it before no big deal, because the little light-gray bone pieces don't look 'nice' indeed.

"Don't look nice ?"

What are you going to do with them - make earrings out of them ??????

The bones are often placed in a stupa or in the wall of the local wat. Some are kept for dispersal elsewhere (I attended one dispersal off a speed boat in Pattaya Bay) and some are kept for 50 day and 100 day 'celebrations'.

When they lay the 'ashes' out on the corrugated iron sheet (and make it into the shape of a body with bits of clothing as well) it is funnywatching the Thaise root through the ashes looking for decent sized bones and teeth. Theeth are considered to be particularly lucky.

[Cobalt60]

I have no preferance either way, I told her....Suprise me.

[cardholder]

The downside of cremation is that it is not environmentally friendly. It wastes energy and gives off alot of pollution and toxic waste. The most efficient and least harmful method is a quick burial without embalming in an area away from people's water wells.

One of the ongoing arguments in Thailand is an attempt to introduce double chamber crematoriums to reduce pollution and stink. Orawon Passornsiri and Suriyapong Watanasak, Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, studied the problem:

Nowadays, most of coffins are made of chipboard or particleboard that looks like real wood. Both produce many pollutants such as dioxins and heavy metals. Coffin handles, inner lining, sanitary sheets including decorations around the coffin are all made of artificial materials mainly plastic. Glues in chipboard and paint, containing formaldehyde, are also pollutants when burnt. Clearly, cremation is a practice that generates and releases extreme smoke pollution that contains cancer-producing materials such as dioxins and furans (Association of Burial Grounds, 2003; Cunningham et al, 2003; Environmental Health Department, 2001; Kruaysawat, 1999; UNEP Chemicals, 2001). Moreover, mercury emissions from dental amalgams during cremation may cause huge effect to the environment. Mercury will leak from these fillings because of mercury's low vapor pressure and add to the mercury levels already present in the body. The hazards of mercury are severe even in small doses. Once present in the body mercury immediately and continually affects the functions of the kidneys and can affect the central nervous system. Loss of balance, prevalence of antibiotic resistant intestinal bacteria, and risk of low fertility are other health effects of mercury (Malony, 1998; Scarmoutzos and Boyd, 2003, UNEP, 2003).

When you cremate, this is the legacy you leave. Think about it.

I am part owner of a new crematorium in the UK and we spent £500k on a cremator and associated abatement plant to deal with the mercury emissions. Pulling the deceased's teeth before cremation was, apparently, not an available option.

I cannot see wats in Thailand investing in the necessary equipment to cremate at 800 centigrade and an even greater amount to keep the 'nasties' out of the environment.

[geronimo]

As far as I am concerned drop me in the dustbin. In a few days they will cart me off and leave me on the rubbish tip with all the other rubbish.

Other people have different ideas though.

The g/f says I will be given a proper cremation at the Temple.

My son tells me he would like to be here for a temple cremation too.

Looks like I am outnumbered and outvoted.

Doesn't say much for your life in Thailand does it?

Doesn't say anything about his life in Thailand!

[electrozebra]

As far as I am concerned drop me in the dustbin. In a few days they will cart me off and leave me on the rubbish tip with all the other rubbish.

Other people have different ideas though.

The g/f says I will be given a proper cremation at the Temple.

My son tells me he would like to be here for a temple cremation too.

Looks like I am outnumbered and outvoted.

Doesn't say much for your life in Thailand does it?

Doesn't say anything about his life in Thailand!

There was an element of humour in that

I do have a will that states where I want to be buried including the plot number. That will was made after a heart attack and before I came to Thailand and I really ought to change it because it could cause difficulties if I do remain here.

[Member]

Thank you for the explanation but I guess you didn't get my point.YOU ARE DEAD,at least lets hope so, when they cremate you.

Well and if not, no reason to worry because you will be dead for sure AFTER they cremated you.

[Bagwan]

What concerns me most is that my wife gets every last brass farthing that she is due after I kick off. She will inherit our home and everything that I still possess and already owns the farms in Lomsak. We have both made wills stipulating those who will benefit when we've gone. We have made arrangements that no Thai lawyer is involved in any way . We have done the big framed picture 'bit' and we have set out details of our bank accounts, both here and abroad, with account passwords so that most of the red tape can be circumvented. My wife or any close relatives are not equipped to deal with BS Government departments or banks who, having lost millions of our money, still refuse to meet simple requests as they are 'safeguarding' our assets.

A friend of mine was cremated at the wat on Pattaya Tai. His widow said that after the monks had been paid off and the food paid for, the total bill was 40K baht. My stepson, as with most young lads, spent time living in a wat as a probationer. Three days into his stay he rang to say that he had attended a funeral, chanted for a bit, and was paid 3k baht for his trouble. I offered to buy him an Uzi and he could then retire in 6 months.

She who does the ironing is adamant that I get a proper sending off. I told her to dig a big hole in a favourite quiet spot on the biggest of our farms just by a tree and put me down there. She could come and talk to me when feeling the need - and I couldn't answer back. I have argued that I am not Buddhist and have no time for organised religions so it would not be appropriate to have a wat ceremony. Her point is that my funeral arrangements are nothing to do with me. I will be dead so she will do as she wants.

We have agreed that she will put my corpse in the back of the truck, leg it up to Lomsak and have my mortal remains sent up the chimney of the village wat there - although I'm pretty sure it will be an open air affair. That should save he a few thou'.

My tilak is off course correct in saying that funerals are for the benefit of the living. Those who cry , cry for themselves. I prefer to think of funerals as joyous affairs and a celebration of a life that is no more.

[lazygourmet]

Why not making from the ashes a jewel to remember.... bit insane, ain't it ?!?

[NanLaew]

Nowadays, most of coffins are made of chipboard or particleboard..... extreme smoke pollution that contains cancer-producing materials such as dioxins and furans (Association of Burial Grounds, 2003; Cunningham et al, 2003; Environmental Health Department, 2001; Kruaysawat, 1999; UNEP Chemicals, 2001). Moreover, mercury emissions from dental amalgams.... risk of low fertility are other health effects of mercury (Malony, 1998; Scarmoutzos and Boyd, 2003, UNEP, 2003).

When you cremate, this is the legacy you leave. Think about it. [/size]

When you say "nowadays", why do your reference stuff that's between 8 and 13 years old?

[thequietman]

i have told my wife i want to be buried close to my home and not to be burned in the traditional thai way. at first she fought me on this and then relented.

i want to be buried face down with my ass sticking out of the ground. that way she will have somewhere to park her bike. she is happy with this arrangement.

[happyrobert]

i have told my wife i want to be buried close to my home and not to be burned in the traditional thai way. at first she fought me on this and then relented.

i want to be buried face down with my ass sticking out of the ground. that way she will have somewhere to park her bike. she is happy with this arrangement.

And the gas can keep the tires inflated...

[Jajazazajaja]

Id like to be stuffed and preserved outside my building so i can keep an eye on them kids that hand around this soi.

[IanForbes]

This is what I did with my elderly relatives. I'm not sure what my kids have planned for me...

[travelmann]

This is what I did with my elderly relatives. I'm not sure what my kids have planned for me...

your family have "unusal" features, I take it a muslim funeral isnt on the cards then??

[IanForbes]

your family have "unusal" features, I take it a muslim funeral isnt on the cards then??

Yes they did, but then they never learned to push themselves away from the table.

As for myself, what I'd like to have happen to my body is not legal. I'd like to be ground up into tiny bits AFTER I've died and deposited back in the rivers for the fish and insects to clean up the pieces. Unfortunately, my kids will have to go the cremation route. I'll be happy if they have a big party afterwards and everyone have a good time. They will know that I had as good a time as any man could ask while I was alive.

[nocturn]

i will leave it to those that love me to dispose of my remains, whatever they choose should offer them comfort, not myself.

i am much more concerned with the disposal of my assets than the disposal of my ass.

[Beetlejuice]

Id like to be stuffed and preserved outside my building so i can keep an eye on them kids that hand around this soi.

This is what worries me.

If I leave all the arrangements to my family, they will probably have me stuffed and mounted then propped up some place in the garden as a scarecrow to save on funeral costs.

[mca]

I'm going to donate my body to science.

Science fiction

[haveaniceday]

Interesting thread, thanks