Our numbers are growing. Space is at a premium, and cities across the world are running out of land to bury their dead.
Researcher Natasha Mikles is asking - how is Japan, grappling with the tension between environmental needs and Buddhist religious beliefs?
Since 1999, a temple in northern Japan has offered tree burials - families place cremated remains in the ground and a tree, planted over the ashes, marks the gravesite. Those choosing tree burials are not necessarily Buddhist but the practice reflects Japanese Buddhism’s larger interest in environmental responsibility - unique among different Buddhist traditions.
Tree burials in Japan are a minority practice but are slowly becoming popular. Burial practices are slowly changing the world over.
What could this mean? Tree burials cost less than traditional practices. But it reflects the flexibility of religious and spiritual practices as they address environmental and social factors.
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