Death
Religious Studies A: AQA GCSE Religions, topic 1.2.5
Death and Mourning Rituals in Buddhism
For Buddhists, death is the end of this life and the beginning of the next.
Death in Buddhism
- For Buddhists, all the karma that a person has accumulated during the course of their life determines their next rebirth at the moment of death.
- Death reminds people about the Buddha's teaching on impermanence.
- Bodies are almost always cremated.
Theravada traditions
- Death rites are the only events in the cycle of life ritual that Theravada Buddhist monks will play a major role in.
- Monks are given a cloth offering which represents the rags that monks would have worn during the life of Buddha.
- A monk will visit the deceased home a week after their death to give a sermon to their close relatives and friends.
Death in Various Traditions
Different traditions have different ways of practice in death.
Mahayana traditions
- Buddhists in China have numerous ceremonies in the 49 days after death which mark the time between death and rebirth.
- The Amitabha Sutra is also recited.
- Mahayana traditions are also found throughout Japan.
Tibetan traditions
- As a person is dying, the Tibetan Book of the Dead is read, in order to help them pass on to their next life.
- This ritual is repeated for 49 days, which is the period of transition between lives.
Test yourself on Death
What usually happens to the body when a Buddhist dies?
Which of Buddha's teachings does death remind Buddhists of?
In the Mahayana tradition which Sutra is recited?
In Tibetan traditions for how many of is the ritual of the dead repeated?
How long is the period between death and rebirth in the Mahayana and Tibetan traditions?