When a family member passes away, a person is not exempt from sorrow no matter what her or his religion is. What the religion in which an individual belongs to can do is help the mourning individual to accept his or her loved one’s death.

The basic teachings of the Buddha form the crux of the Buddhist religion which is practised extensively in many nations of the world today. Buddhism involves quest for the Ultimate Truth as well as a spirit of compassion and true love for every living being.

Buddhist funeral rituals also rely on these basic principles of the religion. After a person dies in a Buddhist family, certain rites have to be practised in order to ensure that the deceased’s soul rises to a higher stage of life after death. The positive energies of the dead are invoked to pray and wish the best for the dead person’s next life beyond this birth.

A traditional bath to the body marks the beginning of the Buddhist funeral rites. The second stage entails invitation of monks, who read out religious texts and thereby aid the deceased in finding liberation. The teachings of the Buddha, which speak of the value of practising virtue and compassion in life, are read aloud. Meanwhile, the body is prepared for the final rituals. The deceased is usually provided with some coins put in his casket by the family. This is supposed to help the dead person cross the River of Three Hells to reach his ultimate destination.

Then the friends and relatives come and pay their last respects to the deceased as the casket is placed at the altar. While friends and relatives offer condolences, attendees are expected to offer prayers for the deceased. Monks who perform the rites continue to recite the appropriate sutras. Once the recital is complete, people bow at the altar to pay their last respects. After the proceedings, the family members of the deceased distribute gifts to the attendees for sharing their sorrow.

Once these rituals are carried out, the body may then be either cremated or buried according to the beliefs of the family. These rites are meant to allow the family to overcome their grief by offering prayers that will elevate the dead to a higher pedestal of enlightenment and knowledge.

Our professional funeral directors can arrange Christian funeral or Buddhist funeral, and other religious funerals. We have the experience arranging for rituals that are characteristic of religious funeral services.