Buddhism: Rituals of Death & Mourning (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))
Revision Note
Written by: Angela Yates
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Ceremonies and Rituals Associated With Death & Mourning
How Buddhist Beliefs About Death Affect Funerals
Buddhism teaches that when a Buddhist dies, their kammic energy leaves their body and is reborn in a new one
Death therefore is not seen as an end, only a transition from one form to another
Although Buddhists will naturally grieve the loss of people they loved, they also keep in mind what the Buddha taught about impermanence being a natural part of life:
Funerals are a valuable reminder of this teaching of impermanence
Nothing lasts, and people suffer less if they are able to accept this fact
Funeral customs differ between the various Buddhist traditions and from one country to the next:
Some funerals may be noisy and elaborate, while others are simple and calm
Theravada Funerals
In Theravada communities, very little money is usually spent on a funeral:
Instead the family and friends may donate to a worthy cause and transfer the merit to the deceased
Rituals that transfer merit to the deceased may be performed by family members or other mourners:
For example, they might offer cloth to make new robes to a senior monk of a nearby monastery on behalf of the deceased person
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Remember that in Theravada Buddhism there is the belief that it is possible to transfer the karma created by your own good actions and deeds to someone else. Therefore, if someone donates to a worthy cause, the kamma they create is transferred to the dead person to help them have a more favourable rebirth.
''At the hour of death, the king and the beggar are exactly equal in that no amount of relatives or possessions can affect or prevent death. But who is the richer at the time of death? If the beggar has created more merits, then although he looks materially poor he is really the rich man.'' (Thubten Zopa Rinpoche; Nepalese Buddhist monk)
A shrine may display a portrait of the deceased person
This will be accompanied by:
Offerings to the Buddha of candles, incense and flowers
An image of the Buddha, which is usually placed beside or in front of the shrine
Monks often attend a funeral of a lay person:
They may give a sermon and perform Buddhist rites before the casket is sealed
The deceased may be cremated or buried, although cremation is traditional and more common.
A funeral procession is held where family members may walk behind the hearse (burial car)
All mourners send good thoughts to the family and think about the impermanence of life
Funerals in Tibet
There are slightly different funeral practices in Tibetan Buddhism
One traditional funeral practice is sky burial in which the body is left in a high place as a gift to the vultures:
This tradition developed for practical reasons: because the country was short of firewood and often too frozen for grave-digging
Now it is more common to burn the body instead
Revered teachers have always been cremated
Their remains are placed in a Stupa to become a site of worship
Whenever anyone dies, people hold ceremonies involving prayers and offerings of yak-butter lamps every seven days for 49 days after the death
Funerals in Japan
In Japanese Pure Land Buddhism, the coffin may be placed with the head pointing west
People at the funeral chant the name of Amitabha Buddha as they process around the coffin
It is common in a Japanese funeral for relations to gather after the cremation and pick out the bones from the ashes using chopsticks
Like funerals in Tibet, the remains may be kept for 49 days and prayers offered every seventh day
Worked Example
Explain two contrasting Buddhist rituals associated with death and mourning
(4 marks)
Answer:
In Theravada funerals, bodies are often cremated, (1) while in Tibetan Buddhist funerals there is a tradition of sky burial where the body is left in a high place as a gift to the vultures, although cremation is more common nowadays. (1)
In Theravada funerals, a monk will traditionally perform the rituals and give a sermon. (1) In Japanese Pure Land Buddhism, everyone present will chant Amitabha Buddha’s name while processing around the coffin. (1)
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