Funeral (Buddhism)

Funeral (Buddhism)

In Buddhism, death marks the transition from this life to the next for the deceased.

Among Buddhists death is regarded as an occasion of major religious significance, both for the deceased and for the survivors. For the deceased it marks the moment when the transition begins to a new mode of existence within the round of rebirths. When death occurs all the karmic forces that the dead person accumulated during the course of his or her lifetime become activated and set about determining the next rebirth. For the living, death is a powerful reminder of the Buddha's teaching on impermanence; it also provides an opportunity to assist the deceased person as he or she fares on to the new existence. A guidance article about the subject has been published by BuddhaNet and the different traditions from Buddhist schools have also been discussed. Academic reviews on this subject have been extensively undertaken and published.