Religiously Significant Aspects Of Buddhist Funerals
Buddhist funeral rituals and traditional ceremonies are replete with religious significance for Buddhists. Buddhists believe that the soul is given freedom from the cycle of life and death from the deceased person’s body during the funeral services and is able to find a new level and move towards a greater existence.
The Buddhist funeral ceremonies which conclude with cremation in most cases, are done by Buddhist monks with the aid of the bereaved family. After a person has died, Buddhist monks chant from the holy scriptures which are believed to free the soul’s positive energies. To avoid any decay in case of a late cremation, the deceased’s body is prepared cautiously while the chanting is going on. The body is washed and put to rest in a coffin along with fragrance sticks, candles, flowers and a photograph of the deceased person.
If the funeral is deferred by some days for distant relatives to get a last look, the monks visit the dead person’s home everyday and recite verses from the Abhidharma, an important Buddhist holy scripture.
On the day of the funeral, Buddhist monks go through the final rites and the head monk voices his condolences to the family and speaks words of consolation to them along with tribute to the deceased person remembering his life. During the final religious chanting and ceremony, the coffin is wrapped in white cloth and a ritual of passing on blessings and positive energies to the soul of the deceased, known as ‘Pansakula’ is carried out.
Before the cremation takes place, a close family member is requested to say a few words about the departed individual. The Buddhist funeral services end with a light feast for the attendees after the funeral.
Although some modifications in rituals can be found, these are the broad ritualistic procedures followed during funeral service by followers in Thailand, Tibet, China and many other countries, where a large number of Buddhists reside.
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