Religiously Significant Aspects Of Buddhist Funerals
Buddhist funeral rituals and traditional ceremonies are filled with religious significance for Buddhists. The ceremonies carried out during the Buddhist funeral are believed to set the person’s soul free from the shackles of life and let it find a transformed and elevated life thereafter where it comes closer to enlightenment.
In a typical Buddhist funeral, the body of the departed is cremated and Buddhist monks in the presence of family members carry out the funeral rites. After a person has died, Buddhist monks chant from the holy scriptures which are expected to liberate the positive energies of the soul. To prevent any decay in case of delayed cremation, the deceased’s body is prepared cautiously while the religious chanting is being performed. After bathing the body, it is placed in a coffin with candles, wreaths, fragrant incense and a photograph of the deceased.
If the funeral is delayed by a few days for distant relatives to bid their final goodbyes, the monks visit the dead person’s house everyday and chant sutras from the Abhidharma, an important Buddhist book.
On the day of the funeral, Buddhist monks go through the last rites and the head monk voices his condolences to the bereaved family and speaks words of consolation to them along with tribute to the dead person recounting his life. The Pansakula, an important ritual which is expected to pass on blessings and positive energies to the soul of the departed is done during the last stage of chanting while a white shroud is being wrapped around the casket.
Before the cremation, one of the family members or closest kin has to speak a word or two about the deceased. Following the cremation, a light feast is organized for the people assembled at the funeral.
Some alterations in the specific rituals may be found in various cultures, but these are the important ceremonies followed during a Buddhist funeral in many countries like Tibet, Thailand, and China by the followers of the faith.
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