buddhism death rituals

A detailed Summary of buddhism death rituals


When we think of death we generally think of it as being a time for mourning and sorrow for that are loved ones are no longer with us. Buddhism has an entirely different approach towards death and the burial rituals that most of us are accustomed to. For a Buddhist a funeral is not a time to mourn but prepare the individual for his/her rebirth. Mourning is useless for illness, old age, and death for they are all inevitable; there is no way of avoiding them in a Buddhist perspective.

I feel that the most important time in a person's life is when they are first created and brought into the world. A Buddhist looks at death ceremonies as being the primary concern rather than birth of a newborn. Buddhism there is no soul, therefore nothing will survive the death of the body. Rebirth is caused by the deceased cravings for existence. Buddhist believe that a persons rebirth is determined by their state of mind right before they take their final breathe. If he/she is at a state of agitation, his chances of a happy and pleasurable rebirth a very slim. On the other hand, if one is at peace before they die, they are much more likely to have a very happy and peaceful rebir


Before the burial rice is placed in a bowl at the cemetery for the ghost to eat, and when the corpse is buried the bowl is placed with the body inside the coffin. A coin is also placed inside corpse mouth called a ferry fate. There is a notion that the soul in passing from its present to its future must cross a river on a ferry, which the coin will be used to pay for the ferry of course. A vase, holding a flower, is placed by the head of the corpse so that the ghost may use it to worship Buddha. It remains there until the funeral is over, and is then broken.

When the body is taken from the house to the cemetery, it is to be removed from the back door or the back window. Moving out of the front door would bring bad luck since that is the last way the deceased had entered the house alive. As the corpse is lifted to the pallbearers shoulders, there is a brief ritualized wailing from the female relatives. This is the only time where outward mourning will be seen. The funeral procession is walked single file with the men then the women behind them.

After death the deceased lies in his own house for a minimum of three days before he is buried or cremated. Immedi

Some common words found in the essay are:
Nirvana Karma, , seven days, seven days funeral, immediately death, paritta ceremony, days funeral,

Approximate Word count = 797
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

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