Japanese Buddhism End of Life Rituals - Essay Example

? Japanese Buddhism End of Life Rituals Task Japan death-related rituals are dominated by Buddhism religion since all the procedures practiced are influenced by the religion. Scholars state that mortuary system was not initiated by Buddhism but was established in the tradition of the reburying rituals for the survival of the religion. Scholars have structured a unified deep structure in Buddhist funerals in sectarian lines, and affirming that all the Japanese death rituals are under the Buddhist guidelines and the way of belief. The rituals conducted for the dead individuals are conducted by a living being that has goals and targets in life to be achieved (Stone & Walter, 2008). The core aim of Japanese Buddhism end of life rituals conducted in Buddhist customs is to cause happy moral state of mind and to evade anguish, by cultivating affirmative sentiment of encouragement. Consequently, a Buddhist follower is taught, and psychological prepared to be ready for death, since it can occur at any time. It is believed that death promotes exceptional spiritual achievements to be accomplished when it occurs. Introduction According to Japanese Buddhism end of existence rituals and tradition, Buddhist believes that life is a practice for death. They believe that death occurs in stages and does not happen instantly as myriad individuals take it. Death is perceived as a transition from the current life a person is living to the next spirit life (Gerhart, 2009). The living are reminded the Buddhist traditions during the burial rituals. The steps of Japanese Buddhism end of life rituals include; cleaning of the corpse and selecting the arrangements; the wake service; and the funeral and crematorium. 1. Cleaning of the Deceased & Selecting the Preparations The body of the dead individual is cleaned and washed by family members or at the health care, and orifices fixed with either cotton or gauze. After the cleaning, women are worn the traditional kimono and men in either a suit or a tradition kimono. Finally, the body is put make-ups and perfumes skillfully by a cosmetic expert working for a mortuary. The moment a person dies, an envoy from the mortuary is required to approach the deceased family, particularly to the eldest son, who decides the appropriate date for the burial festival. The family also has the responsibility to choose the type of casket, food, visitors, and the type of altars such as the tall altars that are expensive when decorating (Stone & Walter, 2008). The body is conserved by putting dry ice that preserves the body that is placed in front of family altar for closer observation. The relatives and friends of the deceased are expected to be dressed in black suits and kimono or dress. The remains is positioned in the casket and dry ice added inside by individuals for the mortuary. The people are expected to put other stuffs such as traditional white kimono, money for the fee across the 3 hell stream. Moreover, a triangle and things that the deceased used to exploit such as cigarettes are put in the casket. If the death ritual is expected to be held at home, the casket is positioned in front of the family altar; furthermore, if it is to be held at the mortuary hall, it is placed at the main altar. People who attend the death ritual are expected to indicate names and give condolence money also known as Koden. The altar is purified by incense that is burnt in front of the altar on a table located next to the casket. Relatives are expected to offer prayers and incense individually in front of the coffer. 2. The Wake Service The priest is expected to arrive at the scheduled time and speak to family members waiting for all attendee to arrive and sit on the floor. The priest is bows many times, lights incense and reads the sutra loudly and prayerfully after every person has settled down (Chambers, Martell & Morris, 2006). The family members are given a sign, which requires them to stand from their hierarchical order and go the altar. They are expected to bow twice and offer incense. Other members do the same after the family has finished the ritual. This finalizes the wake service depending on the Buddhist sect, every person attending the funeral is expected to chant the ‘mantra’. The body of the deceased is left to stay overnight on the altar, and a close relative is left to watch the body. 3. The funeral & Crematorium After the wake service, funeral is the next program that follows, and the body is shifted to a temple. The body is placed before the altar of the mortuary built in the facade of the temple altar. A posthumous name is written on a wooden tablet inscribed and placed in front of the altar (Bregman, 2010). The priest is required to read the sutra and partway, and give a sign for the initial start of offering the incense (Chambers, Martell & Morris, 2006). Similar to the wake service, family members are expected to give incense in hierarchical array then followed by the visitors who have attended the death rituals. The visitors are expected to carry rosaries, which they wrap over their hands. There is always a person assign to offer the incense and is expected to sit on a cushion in front of the urn in a Japanese style that is located in front of the altar. He then bows with rosaries around his hands and places a pinch of the incense on the blazing incense in the urn. He does this after bringing it close to the forehead of the departed body. A group of 3 religious individuals are expected to repeat the same ritual performed by the individual. The person then sits on the cushion and bows before returning to his place. The priest continues to chant by reading the sutras in a Buddhist traditional manner. The people bow as he leaves the room and thanksgiving is offered by a family representative after finishing. The final viewing of the body takes place and viewers are expected to put flowers on the casket as a sign of love to the deceased (Stone & Walter, 2008). The body is then carried to hearse by the pallbearers that are curved and looks like a temple on wheels. This is the last phase of death rituals of Buddhist. The casket is put on a sliding tray to the oven. The family observe as the body is placed in the crematorium and told to collect the remains at the time. According to the beliefs the family member use another route when returning to take the remains to avoid the provoking the spirit of the dead. Each person is given chopsticks to select the bones that are later put in the urn, which is either taken at home or in the grave. Conclusion The Buddhists conduct their death rituals through the following steps that are adhered to effectively; wake service, funeral and crematorium. There are two aspects that determine the after death rituals practiced in Japan that include Buddhism and folk customs. It is a significant to remember that Buddhism accepted the current death rituals of cremation only for its survival and not because of its tradition and principles. For a person to understand Japanese funeral rituals, is expected to comprehend the nature of the ‘spirit’ in Japanese’s way of life wholly. References Bregman, L. (2010). Religion, death, and dying. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger. Chambers, C., Martell, H., & Morris, N. (2006). End-of-life rituals. Slough: Cherrytree. Gerhart, K. M. (2009). The material culture of death in medieval Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Stone, J. I., & Walter, M. N. (2008). Death and the afterlife in Japanese buddhism. Honolulu T.H.: University of Hawaii press Read More