These are just a few rites and symbols you can see at a Buddhist funeral service. Be aware that Theravada and Mahayana are the two main divisions of Buddhist funeral service traditions practiced in Singapore.

For this reason, at a Buddhist burial service, you will typically see many families praying to a Buddha statue. During the parade, you’ll hear a lot of chanting. The stages of life and death will be depicted in great detail during the ceremonies. Some traditions represent the origin and purpose of pain, while others represent its resolution and emancipation.

You will typically be expected to light a joss stick when you attend a Buddhist funeral service wake. It should be noted that lighting a single stick suffices; lighting more would not be necessary.

Monks chanting at the altar are expected if a Buddhist burial ceremony adheres to Theravada teachings and traditions. On the first day of the funeral, you will typically see them. They will especially be present on the last night of the funeral in question and on the day of the funeral itself when the body will be burned.

The monks will also sing one last chant before cremation. The procession will then go to the crematorium for the actual cremation before ending at the burial site.

An Fu Funeral Services Pte Ltd accommodates both Mahayana and Theravada traditions. On request, we also accommodate other customs. Don’t hesitate to contact us right once to make arrangements if you would like to keep any rituals or family traditions during a Buddhist funeral service in Singapore.

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What Is A Buddhist Funeral Like In Singapore ?

Buddhists don’t have set-in-stone protocols for their funerals, but you can expect either an open casket funeral, a funeral that takes place just before cremation, or a memorial service that takes place after burial/cremation. Whatever form it takes, the funeral will typically involve prayer and meditation, often led by a monk or monks. Chanting will be led by family members if no monks are present.

Buddhist Funeral Traditional In Singapore

There can be a wake, during which mourners may pay their respects to the deceased person and express condolences to the family. There will likely be a portrait of the deceased person in front of the casket. This serves as the centerpiece of the altar that’s set up by the family for the wake. The altar also has candles and other offerings such as flowers, Buddhist blankets and fruit. There will be incense burning too. If the wake is taking place in a funeral hall, flowers may be displayed modestly. Buddhist tradition in Singapore dictates that an image of Buddha should be placed near the altar, too. Buddhists generally favor cremation, but embalming is allowed as well. Families choose according to their personal preference. There are no rules governing when the burial or cremation takes place.

Things to know about Buddhist burial practices and rituals

The Buddhist belief in death is based on a cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. Buddhist customs regarding death, therefore, seek to assist recently departed loved ones in passing on to the next world. Many Buddhist denominations have their own burial traditions, which are often determined by local cultural practices, so the rituals they practice can differ from one denomination to another. Despite this, the majority of Buddhist practice some form of death ritual that you will come to know from this blog post. To know more about Buddhist funeral services, let’s dive deep into this.

Buddhist beliefs regarding death:

The atman, or self, is reborn in a different form after death, according to Buddhist belief. Either an animal or a person could be our reincarnation. We may be reborn as a god or a demigod, according to some Buddhist schools of thought. Our choices in this life affect what we’re reborn as. If we live moral lives and accumulate positive karma, which are the spiritual results of our deeds and thoughts, we will be reborn into happier circumstances. The word samsara refers to this cycle.

Buddhist funeral traditions

Buddhists observe a visitation, funeral, and burial or cremation when someone passes away, as do many other cultures and religions. For three, five, or seven days, the majority of Buddhists honor their departed. This is so because even numbers are perceived as “complete,” whereas odd numbers are perceived as “becoming.” The selection of an odd number of days serves as a reminder that the atman of the person is in a state of transition during this time.

Burial or cremation

Cremation is often favoured in Buddhism, while burial is also permissible. Normally, the burial or cremation takes place right after the funeral. In order to give the initial stage of reincarnation time to occur, some Buddhist traditions, notably Mahayana Buddhism, have the burial a few days after the deceased individual passes away. Some schools of Buddhism wait until the body has been properly prepared for cremation before holding the funeral. They might have to wait anything from one week to one month. The body should always be left as undisturbed as possible before burial or cremation. The last rites are often performed by Buddhist monks the morning of the burial or cremation.

Buddhism and cremation

Since they believe it helps to separate the soul from the body, Buddhists support cremation. It follows the tradition created by the Gautama Buddha, who was executed by being set ablaze on a funeral pyre. Buddhism simply sees the physical body as a container for the atman. As a result, the body is of little use after death. Seeing the corpse reduced to ashes serves as a poignant reminder of this as well as the fleeting nature of everything. The family typically gathers to see the cremation in a designated viewing chamber. After that, the ashes are placed in an urn. The urn might be kept or buried. Buddhists can choose to disperse their ashes in a sacred area.

The bottom line

After reading the above-written points, hope you know those essential things that you should know about Buddhist burial practices and rituals. If you or your relatives want to get Buddhist funeral services, contact An Fu Funeral Services Pte Ltd. They have years of experience in handling Buddhist Funeral Services in Singapore.