Introduction
Cultures, languages, beliefs, and traditions in our globe are incredibly varied and rich. There are many varied rituals and traditions associated with the many stages of life that are practiced in different religions, but there are also some commonalities between the various cultures. Humans have known for a long time that numerous religions exist, but many may not have been familiar with their day-to-day activities. Every culture, from the ancient Maya to the Buddhists and Jains, is preoccupied with the inevitable end of life. The Buddhist perspective on death is undeniably positive as it helps in relieving pain and grief and preparing the living for eventual death.
Main Discussion
For Buddhists, dying is an integral and unavoidable part of life. Because of the Buddhist belief that man can only prepare to transcend death, the dying person’s loved ones strive to create an atmosphere of calm and serenity in the days leading up to their passing. 1The monks chant mantras to create a tranquil environment and remind the dying person to think of all the good they have done. If the person dies without suffering, they will be reborn into a better life. Buddhism allows for a period of calm after death, during which the corpse is not disturbed.2 Most of the time, it takes around four hours. For up to three days after a death, the body is not to be embalmed or moved according to Buddhist practice. When a person dies, according to Buddhist doctrine, they are instantly reborn into another life.
These individuals have the maturity to recognize that death is not always synonymous with loss or the conclusion of anything and have come to terms with the impermanence of life. It is the last stage of life as people know it, and it involves introspection and acceptance of one’s own mortality. For Buddhists, getting ready for death is an ongoing process. Buddhists have the mindset of someone who can set priorities and live each day to the fullest, because they believe that any moment could be their last.3 Interesting and unusual rituals for death and dying have developed among Buddhists as a result of the country’s blend of Buddhist beliefs and its own distinct culture.
The first distinguishing feature of Buddhist funeral rites is the belief in samsara, the cycle of rebirth and death. Samsara, often known as reincarnation, is the belief that after death, a person’s soul is reborn into a different form, depending on their activities in the previous life.4 Buddhists regularly participate in funerals, as well as the burial and cremation of deceased members of the faith. Though funeral rites in the various Buddhist traditions can take on diverse forms, they all aim to honor the deceased in an atmosphere of calm and harmony.5 Some of the most common elements of a Buddhist funeral include the lighting of candles and incense, the presentation of white or yellow flowers, and the offering of fruit. When given the choice between a burial and a cremation, Buddhists typically opt for the latter since they consider cremation to be more expedient in terms of separating the soul from the body.
As part of their funeral and mourning rites, Buddhists typically cremate the deceased or bury them in the sky. This practice dates back centuries and has been practised for a long time.6 The living are expected to learn from these rites and get a better understanding of the transient and ephemeral nature of life. One of the most important rituals is called “Jhator,” and it is performed to pay respect to both the living and the deceased.7 This means that they will expose the body of their loved one to all of mother nature and allow it to be consumed by vultures and other animals on the open field where the funeral will take place. They are reiterating the notion that the dead are contributing to the sustenance of living beings by dumping their body in this manner so that it might be seen as evidence.
At funerals, monks are given a set of white robes called pamsukula (forsaken), which are sewn into their regular robes. A phrase attributed to the god Sakka is then chanted by the monks to commemorate Buddha’s passing.8 It is a mantra that stresses how temporary human life is and why it should be respected and kept sacred. After this, a loved one pours water from a vessel into the overflowing cup to represent bestowing merit upon the departed. It is traditional for monks to visit the home of the deceased on the third day following the funeral (Mataka-bana) and give a sermon to the surviving family members.9 After three months, a sacrifice (Mataka-dana) is made in the deceased’s honor. Relatives of the deceased hold an annual almsgiving ceremony as a way of honoring their memory.
By adhering to these rituals, Buddhists make it clear how they feel about dying and death. Death, in the eyes of Buddhists, is merely a passage from this world to the next. Also, they consider death to be something to be accepted rather than feared (anatta), with the dying person being guaranteed a better afterlife if they maintain a good outlook.10 Preachings given to mourners typically center on the concept of impermanence (Annica) in an effort to reassure mourners that their loved one has passed on to a better place and give them time to get ready.11 To further demonstrate that Buddhists do not view death as an enemy but as compensation for the good deeds of the dead, the traditions likewise emphasize building merit for the deceased.
Buddhists have widely adopted the aforementioned practices for funerals. The children develop with the understanding that every person eventually dies. The children benefit from this knowledge by learning to prioritize meditation and inner peace over material possessions.12 Buddhists understand that the best way to get ready for death is to be at peace and do good deeds, even if they have to learn this the hard way in old age or on their deathbed. In the Buddhist belief system, a person’s good deeds are what ultimately determine their destination after death.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that the world is home to a wide variety of religions, humans would do well to recognize the many ways in which they differ from our own and learn from them. It is remarkable how many shared beliefs and practices exist between religions that have been practiced in vastly different locations and times. Death is indeed unavoidable and every man must die. There is nothing wrong with the Buddhists urging everyone to make funeral arrangements. To a similar extent, the argument that the quality of everyone’s afterlife is determined by how much emphasis they placed on simplicity and calm is persuasive. The Buddhist perspective on death is undeniably positive, relieving suffering and sadness and preparing the living for finality. Reincarnation, on the other hand, is a contentious idea that may be argued both for and against.
Bibliography
Desjarlais, Robert. “Subject to Death.” In Subject to Death. University of Chicago Press, 2021.
Dorji, Nidup, and Sylvie Lapierre. “Perception of death and preference for end-of-life care among Asian Buddhists living in Montreal, Canada.” Death Studies 46, no. 8 (2022): 1933-1945.
Gouin, Margaret. Tibetan rituals of death: Buddhist funerary practices. Routledge, 2021.
Hatcher, Brian A., Abhishek S. Amar, and Mark McLaughlin. “Death Matters.” The Journal of Hindu Studies (2021).
Scott, Rachelle M. “Theravāda Buddhist afterlife beliefs and funerary practices.” In The Routledge companion to death and dying, pp. 133-142. Routledge, 2017.
Truitner, Ken, and Nga Truitner. “Death and dying in Buddhism.” In Ethnic variations in dying, death, and grief, pp. 125-136. Taylor & Francis, 2019.
Upasen, Ratchaneekorn, and Sureeporn Thanasilp. “Death acceptance from a Thai Buddhist perspective: A qualitative study.” European Journal of Oncology Nursing 49 (2020): 101833.
Footnotes
- Truitner, Ken, and Nga Truitner. “Death and dying in Buddhism.” In Ethnic variations in dying, death, and grief. (Taylor & Francis, 2019), 126
- Desjarlais, Robert. “Subject to Death.” In Subject to Death. (University of Chicago Press, 2021), 98
- Scott, Rachelle M. “Theravāda Buddhist afterlife beliefs and funerary practices.” (In The Routledge companion to death and dying. Routledge, 2017), 140
- Gouin, Margaret. Tibetan rituals of death: Buddhist funerary practices. (Routledge, 2021), 48
- Hatcher, Brian A., Abhishek S. Amar, and Mark McLaughlin. “Death Matters.” (The Journal of Hindu Studies 2021), 67
- Hatcher, 87
- Hatcher, 99
- Scott, Rachelle M. “Theravāda Buddhist afterlife beliefs and funerary practices.” (In The Routledge companion to death and dying. Routledge, 2017), 135
- Scott, 139
- Upasen, Ratchaneekorn, and Sureeporn Thanasilp. “Death acceptance from a Thai Buddhist perspective: A qualitative study.” (European Journal of Oncology Nursing 49 2020), 101833.
- Dorji, Nidup, and Sylvie Lapierre. “Perception of death and preference for end-of-life care among Asian Buddhists living in Montreal, Canada.” (Death Studies 46, no. 8 2022), 1939
- Truitner, Ken, and Nga Truitner. “Death and dying in Buddhism.” (In Ethnic variations in dying, death, and grief. Taylor & Francis, 2019), 129