Customs And Rituals Followed In A Buddhist Funeral
Buddhist funeral rites and rituals are filled with religious significance for Buddhists. Devout Buddhists believe that the soul is given liberation fr...
Buddhist funeral rites and rituals are filled with religious significance for Buddhists. Devout Buddhists believe that the soul is given liberation from the worldly cycle of life and death from the deceased’s mortal body during the funeral services and is allowed to reach a new level and move to a greater existence.
The Buddhist funeral services which conclude with cremation in most cases, are done by Buddhist monks with the help of the bereaved family. When a person has passed away, Buddhist monks read sutras from scriptures to liberate the good energies from the soul. To avoid any decay in case of delayed cremation, the deceased’s body is prepared carefully while the religious chanting is being performed. The body is bathed and laid to rest in a coffin along with incense sticks, candles, flowers and a photograph of the deceased person.
The Abhidharma, a holy Buddhist text is read daily by visiting monks during the funeral period even when the cremation is delayed to accommodate the visitors from distant places.
The Buddhist monks finish the final rites on the day of the funeral and the head priest gives a speech recounting the noble deeds and actions carried out by the deceased and comforting the bereaved family members and friends. The Pansakula, an important ritual that is expected to pass on blessings and positive energies to the departed’s soul is carried out during the final chanting while a white cloth is being wrapped around the coffin.
Prior to cremation, a member of the family or the nearest kin is requested to make a short speech about the deceased person. A light meal for all the visitors is organized after the Buddhist funeral rituals and the cremation is carried out.
Although some variations in rituals can be seen, these are the general ritualistic procedures carried out during funeral service by followers in Thailand, Tibet, China and many other countries, where a huge number of Buddhists live.
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