Uncovering the horrific customs of Xizang: The emergence of corpses

Since the democratic reform, there have been large-scale demolition, and there are few of the old low doors left. However, ancient low-door houses can still be seen on Bagor Street in Lhasa. This is indeed a mystery to those who don't know. You may think: "This is not a design mistake, is it?" This is not the case.

1. The origin of low-door houses

Building low-door houses is actually a means of preventing walkers from breaking in. "Walking corpse" is Tibetan."Weak Lang" refers to a person who gets up and runs around after death, endangering the living. The so-called "weak man" is neither resurrected nor a fake corpse. The Tibetan term "weak Lang" refers to some evil or hungry and cold people who die without finishing their sins and feel regretful. Therefore, after dying, they rise up their bodies to complete the sins of their evil lives or seek unobtained food. But this can only be achieved while the body is intact. In this way, the burial customs in Tibetan areas themselves provide an excellent opportunity to recover corpses.

In Tibetan areas, especially in cities and towns, no matter who dies, it is not immediately sent to the celestial burial platform to feed the eagles. Instead, it is placed in the person's home for a few days, asking monks to chant scriptures and pray, rescuing the dead, and sending them to life. The body is left at home for at least three to seven days before being buried. If a corpse occurs, it usually occurs during this period.

2. The omen of a corpse

Many elderly people and celestial burial masters said that they had seen corpses raised many times. However, the corpses were not sudden, but were preceded by warnings. The faces of those corpses that were about to be lifted were swollen, their skin was purple-black, their hair stood up, and blisters were formed on their bodies. Then they slowly opened their eyes and sat up. Then they stood up and raised their hands and ran straight forward. All corpses had one common characteristic: they couldn't talk, they couldn't bend down, and they couldn't even move their eyes. They could only stare straight ahead, and their bodies ran straight forward. If you encounter a living person, you will use a stiff hand to "touch the top" when lifting the body, so that the living person will die immediately and also become a corpse.

People often say that there are five types of corpses: the first is from the skin, and the second is from the flesh. These two types of corpses are caused by the skin or flesh. The third type is called "blood rising", and this kind of body rising is caused by its blood. These three types of corpses are easier to deal with. As long as you use knives, guns, arrows and other instruments to poke its flesh and let the blood go out, you can make the body fall to the ground immediately and no longer endanger people. The fourth type is called "bone rise", which means that the main factor leading to this kind of corpse rise lies in the bones, and only by injuring the bones can we deal with it. The fifth type is called "mole rise", which means that the reason why he becomes a corpse is a mole on his body. This is the most difficult type of corpse to deal with. It runs around and harms people before it hits its mole. Therefore, we can only lure and kill them but cannot capture them.

Of course, in those ancient times, this measure to prevent corpses was only used in areas where houses lived in southern and eastern Tibet, but in the vast areas of northern Tibet, especially the herders living on the edge of Hoh Xil, it was impossible to adopt this kind of preventive measure, and herdsmen often lived in fear.

3. The hometown of the corpse

The world famous Hoh Xil region is short of aquatic plants due to cold and oxygen deficiency. The herders living in this area can only wander around due to environmental constraints, living by aquatic plants, moving their homes every two or three days, and staying in a nomadic state all year round. There was no stable place for people to live, and no fixed celestial burial platform after death. At the same time, there are no temples or monks in these areas, let alone those complicated funeral ceremonies. People generally practice wild burial and abandoned burial. Wild burial is when a person dies, his body is stripped naked and thrown into the wild. Where he dies, where he is thrown. Abandoned burial means that after a person dies, the living family members move away and abandon the deceased on the old site.

Anyone who uses this burial method will usually take off his clothes, and the clothes he wore during his lifetime will be covered on the deceased's body intact, looking like a living person sleeping.

The burial customs of this nomadic tribe are more likely to cause corpses. Although they were unable to build low doors to resist the rise of corpses, people also took some corresponding measures when there was no other way. For example, when a body, especially a body found to be lifted, is thrown into the wild, a rope is tied to a natural stone pile or large stone to prevent the body from being lifted and running away to harm others. Despite this, corpses often occur. People often encounter corpses.

For example, there was a herdsman named Wuerba in the tribe of Nagullai (now under the jurisdiction of Nima County). After his death, on the afternoon of the day when his body was sent to the wild burial, a crow fell to peck at it. After a few pecks, the zombie suddenly got up, grabbed the crow with one hand and ran away, thus leaving the saying that "Wuerba's corpse catches birds" in the tribe.

This is the reason why corpses were found in Xizang. The special geographical environment creates special customs. This custom may seem very scary at first glance, but it also contains deep cultural heritage.