Tara Sanctuary and Natural Burial Ground 

A Resting Place

A project to create a beautiful ecological burial ground and retreat site:  a place to honour death and the preciousness of life.

We are setting up a charity, and looking for suitable land near Bristol, UK.  The project is for the benefit of all.  It is run by a team who are mainly Buddhists.

It exists to:

1) Make a beautiful place for burials, visiting graves, resting, dwelling, being with death, reflecting and meditating.

2) Support people of any faith, or none, to create meaningful funeral and burial ceremonies.

3) Be part of the shift towards a more open and insightful relationship to death

4) Benefit the environment through biodiversity, tree planting, and low carbon infrastructure.

5) Create a context for Buddhist retreats in nature with a powerful reminder of the fragility and preciousness of human life.

6) Create a non-profit livelihood guided by the Buddhist ethical precepts.

7) Build community through connection with and care for the land.

1) A beautiful place

The intention is to create a beautiful, peaceful place for burials and visiting the graves of loved ones, for people of any faith, or none.  People will be welcome to hold funeral and burial ceremonies of any kind (provided it’s within the law).  There may be Buddhist imagery on-site, or this may only be in the retreat area of the site.

Through developing the land as a nature reserve, planting trees with the space to grow to full maturity, and operating in a sustainable way, the project connects with future generations.  This link with life in the future will create a bigger context for burials and funerals to take place in.  Bereavement is for many people one of the most intense of life experiences, and being able to bury loved ones in a beautiful place, which is part of a bigger vision, can be hugely significant and healing.

There will be places to sit quietly or meditate, eg benches and bowers, as well as walking meditation routes.  People might come not to visit a grave but just to rest and reflect.

It will also be possible for cremated remains to be buried here, and to have a memorial tree planted.

2)Support with creating ceremonies

When people are bereaved, sensitive support with all the details of arranging burials and ceremonies can make a huge difference.  The process of deciding the form and content of a ceremony can touch on what most matters to us in life.

3) A more insightful relationship to death

There is a growing movement, which we are aligning with, to combat the taboos around death and dying, and support people to meet these experiences with greater awareness and openness.

Part of the natural or ‘green’ burial movement is giving people support and information so that they can, if they wish, be involved in more of the process of dealing with the death of a loved one, going beyond the current Western cultural tendency to keep death at a distance.

Our project is a member of the Association of Natural Burial Grounds – part of the Natural Death Centre http://www.naturaldeath.org.uk. They are a charity which has long supported the growth of natural burials and environmentally friendly funerals and works to increase awareness of issues around death, dying and spirituality.  We will follow their ethical and environmental guidelines and code of conduct.

4) Benefit the environment

The benefit will be through biodiversity; tree and shrub planting; natural burial; and eco-friendly facilities for burials, funerals and retreats.

Biodiversity

The site will be developed as a nature reserve.  Possible habitats include:

Woodland pasture (space for a few trees to grow to maturity, surrounded by wildflower meadow)

Woodland (deciduous)

Wildflower meadow

Orchard

Coppice

Tree planting

Tree planting could help us achieve a zero or minus carbon footprint. It will be possible to plant a tree or shrub in memory of someone buried there, and also to sponsor a tree for someone buried elsewhere, for a birth, or just as a gift to the land and project. Tree planting days could allow people to get involved, get fit, and learn more about trees and land care.

Natural burial

Natural burial – otherwise known as ‘green’ burial – is being buried with minimum impact on the environment.  There are a number of factors, such as using only natural materials for coffins, and not using chemicals to artificially preserve the body.

Eco-friendly burials and funerals

We will work towards providing simple, beautiful and eco-friendly facilities, independent of mains services where possible, using solar and wood-powered technology, compost toilets etc.

Initially, ceremonies would be in canvas structures, with wood burners in winter.  In the longer term, we might seek planning permission for a low-impact building.

We will build up all necessary kit and it will be stored on-site, with only food and other consumables brought in, thereby keeping the use of diesel to a minimum.

Eco-friendly retreats

The retreats will offer the chance to ‘live lightly’, ie with minimum environmental impact. People will bring their own tents to sleep in,  and communal facilities for cooking, washing and gathering will be simple and use low-carbon, sustainable technology.

Safeguarding the land for the future

The project will be a registered charity, which will own the land freehold.  The land will, therefore, be protected by charity legislation and the Charity Commission.  On purchase, a covenant will be appended to the land deeds to stipulate its continuation as a nature reserve and retreat site into the future, when there is no longer space for further burials.

A proportion of the money given for each burial will be invested in an endowment fund for future maintenance of the land.

5) A context for Buddhist practice

Part of the vision is to hold Buddhist camping retreats on a part of the land.  The retreats area would be separate, with its own entrance.

The connection between retreats and burials

Retreats might be planned in conjunction with burial taking place, or include rituals to honour people buried there – eg planting of memorial trees. For those who are Buddhists, it offers the opportunity to organize or participate in funeral ceremonies in a context where Buddhist practice regularly happens.

Reminders of death as a context for practice

The reminders of the impermanence and preciousness of life will create a powerful context for Buddhist practice, as remembering and reflecting on impermanence is integral to Buddhism.  We are making a link with the tradition where Buddhist practitioners in the past would meditate in cremation grounds. Even outside the retreats, the site will be a space for meditation and reflection.

Retreat days

Work on the land could provide an opportunity for retreat days, combining mindful work with sitting and walking meditation, talks, rituals, etc.  These days could connect the project to nearby Buddhist communities (sanghas), as well as to the local community.  The project team is mainly from the Triratna Buddhist Community, and hopefully, there can be a strong connection with the Triratna Centre in Bristol.

6)A non-profit livelihood guided by the Buddhist ethical precepts.

The project offers the opportunity to expand gradually, starting with the simple provision of burial plots.  Some natural burial grounds provide only this; others offer a full funeral arranging service.

Burial plots: Income from burial plots would be the primary income stream to support the charity.

Land work: maintaining the land and developing it into a nature reserve will be a core part of the livelihood.  We would hope to get volunteers involved,  get support from local wildlife trusts, and attract grant funding.

Facilities for funerals and wakes

As described under 4) above.

Buddhist Retreats

Retreats will be a collaboration with other existing charities, such as Buddhafield.

Vegetarian catering for wakes

This could be run by the charity, or be an independent livelihood.

Guided by the Buddhist ethical principles

The ethical ‘precepts’ or ‘training principles’ are:

1.  Not killing or causing harm: positive counterpart, love and kindness

2. Not taking the not given (this includes not exploiting, manipulating or taking advantage of people). Positive counterpart generosity.

3. Not committing sexual misconduct. Positive counterpart: Stillness, simplicity, contentment

4. Avoiding false speech. Positive counterpart: truthfulness

5. Abstaining from intoxicants which cloud the mind. Positive counterpart: mindfulness/ awareness.

The project aims to accord with these precepts, both in its overall purpose and in how it operates.

The environmental aspect is in line with the first precept of avoiding harm to life.  Also, the project aims to offer burials and retreats on the basis of generosity, so that its benefits are available to all, regardless of financial circumstances – expressing the second precept of generosity (see below).

Running on generosity

We are currently intending to offer burial plots on the basis of donation. This will be tried initially, reviewed, and continued if successful. There will be suggested donation rates including a contribution to an endowment fund to finance the long term land maintenance.

Retreats will also be offered on the basis of donation, aside from booking fees.  There are a number of retreat centres which have operated successfully for many years on this basis.

We very much hope that we can successfully run the project on the basis of generosity and that if we succeed, this could inspire other projects to do the same.

7) Building Community

Having loved ones buried or commemorated here will naturally tend to connect people with this place.  Maybe they will want to get to know it intimately, learn about the habitat, trees, plants and wildlife, and help care for it.

We also hope a sense of community will grow from the shared connection with the place, bringing a desire to work together on it, support the project generally, and for those interested in Buddhism, to practise together on the retreats.