Theravāda Buddhist afterlife beliefs and funerary practices

Abstract

This chapter examines death in the Theravada tradition through the lens of funeral practice, which incorporates normative discourses on death and suffering as well as karmic tales of fortune and woe. The Theravada tradition is often characterized as the oldest school of Buddhism. Funeral practices in the Theravada tradition reflect the belief that death is a transition that must be navigated properly. The funerals of high-ranking monks are similarly elaborate and often prolonged. Funeral practices highlight the active connection between the living and the dead. Ethnographic accounts of Theravada funerals focus on the interaction of the family with the monastic community. During the funeral rites, monks chant Buddhist verses to facilitate the passage of the deceased to the next life. In contemporary Thailand, funerals are big business and the majority of temples now have crematoriums; the latter became a standard feature of temples in the twentieth century.