Saturday 30 January 2010

Buddhist Funeral Traditions And Their Significances

By June Parks

The fundamental teachings of the Buddha form the core of the Buddhist religion which is practiced in many countries in the globe today. This religion involves love & mercy for mankind and realization of the Ultimate Truth.

Buddhist funerals show these teachings of Buddhism. When a Buddhist person dies, in order to guarantee that their soul gets to a higher level in the next life, mandatory rites should be observed. To guarantee the deceased's deliverance from this birth and bidding them the best for their next life, prayers are done to invoke the good energies of the dead.

A traditional ablution of the deceased marks the beginning of the Buddhist funeral rites. Then comes the stage of reading out from religious texts by the priests, thereby guiding the soul to the path of spiritual freedom. The teachings of Lord Buddha, which talk about the value of practising virtue and compassion in daily life, are read aloud. Meanwhile, the deceased is prepared for the final rites. The relatives generally keep some money in the casket along with the deceased. This is believed to help the dead person cross the River of Three Hells to reach his destination.

Then the friends and relatives pay their last respects to the dead person as the casket is put at the altar. Visitors are required to pray for the deceased and the family and relatives give their condolences. The priests performing the rites keep chanting the sutras as the proceedings move on. Once the recital is complete, people bow before the altar to pay their final regards. After the ceremony, the family members of the departed distribute gifts to the attendees for sharing their grief.

Once these rituals are completed, the family members can decide to either cremate or burry the deceased according to their family beliefs. The rites and rituals are a means of bringing peace to the family of the deceased as they know their prayers are aimed at elevating the status of the departed in his life after death.

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