Buddhist Funerals – Significance And Traditions

A Buddhist funeral consists of extensive last rites performed according to sacred customs and traditions. The rituals carried out during the Buddhist funeral are believed to liberate the deceased person’s soul from the shackles of life and enable it to find a transformed and elevated life after death where it gets closer to enlightenment.

The Buddhist funeral ceremonies which conclude with cremation in most cases, are carried out by monks with the aid of the bereaved family. After a person has died, Buddhist monks chant from the religious verses which are believed to free the soul’s positive energies. To avoid any decay in case of a late cremation, the mortal remains are prepared cautiously while the chanting is going on. After washing the body, it is put in a casket with candles, bouquets, fragrant incense and a picture of the deceased person.

The Abhidharma, a holy Buddhist scripture is read everyday by visiting monks during the funeral period even when the cremation is deferred to accommodate the visitors from distant places.

On the day of the funeral, monks perform the final rituals and their head monk delivers a short speech in honour of the dead person focusing on his achievements in life and comforting the bereaved relatives that death is destiny. Other rituals like wrapping a white cloth around the coffin during the religious invocation and Pansakula, a custom of passing on virtues and blessings to the soul of the deceased are also carried out.

Just before cremation, a member of the family or the nearest kin is requested to make a short speech about the deceased. A special meal for all the visitors is arranged after the Buddhist funeral ceremony and the cremation is carried out.

A great number of people in Thailand, Tibet, China and some other Asian countries with a large Buddhist population follow the Buddhist funeral system with some slight alterations according to the local customs.

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