Spiritually Important Aspects Of Buddhist Funerals
A Buddhist funeral consists of elaborate last rites performed according to sacrosanct customs and traditions. The funeral ceremony, according to Buddhism, symbolizes the liberation of the deceased person’s soul, which was trapped in the mundane world of existence, and its search for a new life after death.
Monks are invited to carry out the rites and rituals during a Buddhist funeral, that usually ends with cremation. The dormant positive energies are released from the soul by the chanting of the correct sutras by monks who read from the holy scriptures. To avoid any decomposition in case of delayed cremation, the deceased’s body is prepared carefully while the religious chanting is being performed. Once the body is bathed, it is put along with candles, bouquets and incense in a casket along with a photograph of the deceased person.
When the last rites are delayed to allow distant relatives to arrive for the last glimpse of the deceased, monks visit the home daily to read and recite from the Buddhist religious book Abhidharma.
On the occasion of the funeral, monks perform the last rites and their chief gives a brief speech in tribute to the dead person focusing on his contributions in life and consoling the aggrieved family that death is destiny. The Pansakula, an important ritual that is expected to carry blessings and good energies to the departed’s soul is carried out during the last stage of chanting while a white cloth is being wrapped around the casket.
Just before cremation, a family member or a near and dear one is requested to make a short speech about the deceased person. A light 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 tradition with some variations based on the local customs.
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