Buddhist Funerals - Importance And Customs

by Andrei Tan

In a Buddhist funeral, the followers of the faith believe in carrying out detailed rites and rituals during the funeral proceedings. The rituals performed during the Buddhist funeral are expected to liberate the deceased person’s soul from the chains of life and enable it to find a transformed and elevated life thereafter where it comes closer to enlightenment.

The Buddhist funeral services which end with cremation in most cases, are carried out by Buddhist monks with the aid of the bereaved family. When a person has died, Buddhist monks read verses from holy books to allow the good energies to be set free from the soul. While the chanting is on, the deceased is made ready for the funeral service and for friends and relatives to bid a final adieu, so that there is no decomposition even if the cremation is delayed. The body is bathed and put to rest in a casket along with fragrance sticks, candles, flowers and a photo of the departed person.

If the funeral is deferred by some days for distant relatives to get a last look, the monks visit the dead person’s house everyday and chant verses from the Abhidharma, an important Buddhist holy scripture.

On the day of the funeral, monks perform the last rites and their head monk delivers a short speech in honour of the dead person highlighting his achievements in life and consoling the aggrieved family that death is destiny. The Pansakula, a significant ritual which is expected to carry blessings and good energies to the soul of the departed is carried out during the last stage of chanting while a white shroud is being wrapped around the casket.

Prior to cremation, a family member or a near and dear one is asked to make a short speech about the deceased. After the cremation, a light feast is arranged for the people gathered at the funeral.

A large number of people in China, Tibet, Thailand and some other Asian nations with a large Buddhist population follow the Buddhist funeral tradition with some variations based on the local customs.

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