Buddhist Ideology and Death Rituals in China
Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world and includes extensive and internally diverse traditions with two main branches. This paper will focus on the Mahayana branch of Buddhism commonly practiced in China. Buddhist views on death and specific death rituals of Mahayana Buddhism in China will be explored. Two individual sects of Zen Buddhism and Pure Land Buddhism native to China will be offered to contrast different paths to enlightenment. This paper examines scholarly sources by Bell, Cuevas and Tsomo on the main objective of Nirvana in Buddhism relating to death and the afterlife, avoidance of Samsara, and death rituals such as cremation and mourning periods.
Buddhist Views on Death …show more content…
In the face of death one must prepare by cultivating the mind, this will help one face death peacefully and mindfully, while the virtuous actions throughout ones’ life will be the causes for positive rebirth (Tsomo, 2006, p.63). When one contemplates on death it helps them gain realization of the fragility and finitude of the body, helps dispel illusions of individuality and specialness, and motivates one to strive for liberation. The primary benefit for Buddhist meditation on death is that it motivates one to practice diligently (Tsomo, 2006, p.64). Standard meditation on death begins by “contemplating that all living beings inevitably must die, the time of death is unpredictable, and at the time of death only one’s spiritual practice, good deeds and mental cultivation will be of any value” (Tsomo, 2006, p.63). Buddhist death meditation promotes cutting through material attachments, this can include attachment to ones’ own …show more content…
Those who have sinned are doomed to deeper hells. The hells described are in a sense purgatories and are not for eternity. The Buddhist bodhisattva ‘Kshitigarbha’ becomes associated with hell in China and vows to remain in hell until the last occupant is released. This idea was then further fined into the 10 hells. The three years of traditional mourning in China were correlated with the ten courts where the deceased spends seven days at each of the first seven courts, then advances to the eighth court on the 100th day, the ninth court on the first-year anniversary, and the 10th court on the third anniversary (Welch,
Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world and includes extensive and internally diverse traditions with two main branches. This paper will focus on the Mahayana branch of Buddhism commonly practiced in China. Buddhist views on death and specific death rituals of Mahayana Buddhism in China will be explored. Two individual sects of Zen Buddhism and Pure Land Buddhism native to China will be offered to contrast different paths to enlightenment. This paper examines scholarly sources by Bell, Cuevas and Tsomo on the main objective of Nirvana in Buddhism relating to death and the afterlife, avoidance of Samsara, and death rituals such as cremation and mourning periods.
Buddhist Views on Death …show more content…
In the face of death one must prepare by cultivating the mind, this will help one face death peacefully and mindfully, while the virtuous actions throughout ones’ life will be the causes for positive rebirth (Tsomo, 2006, p.63). When one contemplates on death it helps them gain realization of the fragility and finitude of the body, helps dispel illusions of individuality and specialness, and motivates one to strive for liberation. The primary benefit for Buddhist meditation on death is that it motivates one to practice diligently (Tsomo, 2006, p.64). Standard meditation on death begins by “contemplating that all living beings inevitably must die, the time of death is unpredictable, and at the time of death only one’s spiritual practice, good deeds and mental cultivation will be of any value” (Tsomo, 2006, p.63). Buddhist death meditation promotes cutting through material attachments, this can include attachment to ones’ own …show more content…
Those who have sinned are doomed to deeper hells. The hells described are in a sense purgatories and are not for eternity. The Buddhist bodhisattva ‘Kshitigarbha’ becomes associated with hell in China and vows to remain in hell until the last occupant is released. This idea was then further fined into the 10 hells. The three years of traditional mourning in China were correlated with the ten courts where the deceased spends seven days at each of the first seven courts, then advances to the eighth court on the 100th day, the ninth court on the first-year anniversary, and the 10th court on the third anniversary (Welch,