In some Buddhist countries cremation is regarded not as a form of burial but as a rite performed before laying the body to rest. According to the doctrine of the five elements, it is considered best to lay a person to rest in accordance with their element. When the astrological "golden vessel" is opened, the rite follows the element: for the fire element the body is cremated and offered to the fire; for the earth element it is cremated and laid in the earth; for the wind element scattered to the wind; for the water element laid in water; and for the wood element trees and shrubs are planted.
The fire mandala and the remaining four elements are brought together and the body is offered to the deities of the fire mandala as an oblation, becoming a relic. Through this rite the deceased is firmly blessed with the vow to attain a peaceful, higher rebirth.
Our company was the first in Mongolia to introduce a modern cremation service based on advanced, internationally compliant technology, establishing a memorial centre with permanent security and continuous prayer in the west of Ulaanbaatar — a wholly new step toward bringing Mongolia's funeral sector up to international standards while preserving the tradition of cremation.
Over the past 16 years, the cremation service initiated by Ulaanbaatar Buyan LLC has dignified the memory of more than 30,000 departed in an environment of continuous prayer, landscaping and security — helping prevent some 60 hectares of the capital's land from being permanently lost to burial use.
At the "Memorial Central Complex" in the 20th khoroo of Bayanzurkh district, east of Ulaanbaatar, the company combines traditional religious rites with modern technology to provide transport, storage, cremation, the consecration and enshrinement of ashes in a stupa, and the dignified placement of ashes in a dedicated wall within a green memorial park.
The significance of cremation
It enables enshrinement in sacred places
It makes every possibility available for placing the deceased in a place of honour. Cremation greatly eases the enshrinement of high lamas in temples, the honouring of the eminent, and bringing ordinary people home to a place of faith or to their native land.
It benefits the ascent of the soul
Through the offering to the fire mandala, the various negative deeds of this life are fully cleansed by the prayers and rites performed during cremation, opening the way to a good rebirth in the next life.
It benefits land use
Today there are around 1,000 hectares of cemetery land around Ulaanbaatar. With an average of 6,500-7,500 deaths a year in the capital and about 80% buried in the ground, cemetery land keeps expanding, raising many attendant problems. Cremation prevents large areas of land from being rendered unusable for centuries.
It benefits the environment
In oxygen-poor conditions, anaerobic decomposition takes 3-5 years for soft tissue and 40-50 years for hard tissue, releasing more than 20 toxic gases into the air, while bacteria from buried remains spread into and contaminate the ground. Such bacteria can survive for many years and cause disease. Cremation prevents these environmental risks.
