What are the funerals in the world?

There are four commonly used funeral methods in Tibetan areas: sky burial, water burial, cremation and earth burial.

In addition, pagoda burial is also a common burial custom in Tibetan areas.

When a critically ill person is about to die, the family members should quickly notify the family members who are still far away to go home, and notify the relatives of the clan so that they can come to pay their respects. At the same time, they should invite a reputable living Buddha in the area to come and recite "

"Transcendence Sutra" is by my side day and night.

Before the body of the deceased has stiffened, several experienced men will tie the body with ropes so that the knees and mouth are connected, and the hands are crossed in the legs. Then they are wrapped in white cloth, or tied into a squatting position, and dipped in cotton.

Apply cedar branches soaked in water in advance, gently scrub the deceased's body, and then gently close the mouth and eyes so that they cannot be opened.

If the deceased is a man, his hair must be shaved (usually done a few days before); if he is a woman, his hair must be braided again, and finally he must be wrapped in white cloth and placed in a corner of the room.

The body is buried according to the instructions of the monks who come to chant sutras, or the corpse is placed indoors or in a tent. The number of monks who come to recite sutras for the deceased can be as many as dozens or as few as a few, depending on the family's financial situation.

During the chanting period and within 49 days after death, the sutra hall of the deceased’s home is not only a place where monks chant sutras, but also light Buddha lamps of different sizes on a long wooden table to pay homage to the gods.

The corpses are usually buried at home for 3 to 7 days. They cannot be kept for even-day funerals. They are only kept for 3 days in hot weather. In cold weather, rich people ask monks to recite the Seven Seven Forty-Nine Heavenly Sutras, and the corpses are also kept for the same number of days.

When the monk chants scriptures and pays homage, family members, relatives and friends should kowtow in front of the coffin and recite scriptures. During the memorial ceremony, no elegiac couplets are hung, no memorial tablets are written, no filial piety is worn, and no gorgeous clothes are worn.

In the later stages of the ceremony to pay homage to the deceased, the living Buddha presides over the whole village and chants the Eight-Character Mantra (a mantra of Benbo religion, pronounced Om Zhimen Ye Sanlai Deng) or the Six-Character Mantra (

It is a true scripture of the Gelug Sect's "Yellow Sect" (pronounced as Om Mani Bai Mark Eye). The family members of the deceased should make alms, such as cooking rice and meat rice, which is called "Tuba" in Tibetan, or distributing candies, etc., in order to accumulate virtue on behalf of the deceased.

Do good.

Under the auspices of the living Buddha, other monks recited sutras and each held their own musical instruments, such as suolas, gongs, bowls, etc., chanting sutras and playing music at the same time, creating a solemn and sad atmosphere.

during this ceremony.

The more money donated, the better. It shows that the family members have shown their filial piety towards the deceased. They not only give generous remuneration to the monk, but also provide him with food, accommodation and hospitality.

At the deceased's home, after the memorial ceremony is completed, the living Buddha will determine the funeral time, location, and burial method by divination, and the family will prepare for the funeral.

Sky burial: Common in pastoral areas, the corpse is fed to eagles, and after the funeral time is determined by a divination by a living Buddha or a lama, the deceased's relatives or family members carry the corpse on their backs or use oxen to carry it to the sky burial ground. Incense is lit before the funeral procession to lead the way.

When arriving at the sky burial site, the lama who went there first simmered mulberry leaves and chanted sutras. The sky burial master laid the corpse on its back on the ground. The lama recited some words and made a few symbolic cuts on the abdomen or back of the deceased. Then the sky burial master laid the corpse on the ground.

Cut it into pieces and feed it to the eagles.

At the sky burial ground, direct relatives generally do not come to participate in the dismemberment of the body, and there are not many people who come, at most a dozen or at least a few.

In pastoral areas where sky burials are prevalent, people pay special attention to protecting the eagles around the sky burial sites, because these eagles do not eat any small animals except human corpses.

Cremation: It has a long history in Tibetan areas and is also the most sophisticated burial method in funeral ceremonies.

Its main objects are living Buddhas, great Khenbu and noble famous people, and ordinary civilians are not allowed to use it.

However, in agricultural areas, cremation is also performed for abnormal deaths such as those who died of infectious diseases, murders, hangings, etc.

Each village or tribe has one or two crematoriums, and the crematoriums for living Buddhas and those who died abnormally are different; the general divination of living Buddhas is determined to be in a holy highland, while those who died abnormally are in the so-called impure places on lower ground.

There are also differences between the burial sites of men and women who died normally. The burial sites for men are mostly at the upper threshold, while the burial sites for women are mostly at the lower threshold.

The funeral time is determined by the living Buddha's divination in advance, and cremation is determined. One or two days in advance, the men of the village build a square platform with adobe or turf at the crematorium, usually about 1 meter high, with ventilation holes underneath, and use the chopped flammable firewood.

Place the racks on the platform regularly and overlapping them.

The funeral is usually carried out at 5 or 6 o'clock in the morning. The corpse coffin is carried to the crematorium by one person or 2 to 4 people, because there are two long poles tied to both sides of the coffin.

A lama leads the way and mourners are escorted to the crematorium.

When you arrive at the crematorium, untie the ropes of the deceased, place the coffin on the pyre, face the west, and pour ghee on the body and coffin.

At the beginning of the cremation ceremony, several monks sit cross-legged and chant scriptures. The mourners also have to chant scriptures and burn the wooden poles and other utensils used to carry the coffin.

Cremating the corpse until the bones turn to ashes is like a fire that takes advantage of the wind and burns more and more vigorously. It is considered a good omen when the corpse is completely transformed; if the fire flickers on and off for a long time, it is considered unlucky.

After the cremation, the ashes are collected and scattered in the wind on high mountains, thrown into the water by rivers or bridges, or placed in jars and buried underground.

When the cremated people came back, they were warmly entertained by the family members of the deceased. Everyone drank and dined to express their gratitude and condolences.

The invited monk chanted sutras day and night for the first few days, and after the funeral, he only chanted sutras during the day.

When the living Buddha passed away, the monks chanted sutras for many days without compensation to show their memory and respect.

For those who died abnormally, their families pay special attention to chanting sutras and reciting sutras for salvation.

In areas where cremation is practiced, people believe that there is an evil atmosphere after cremation and it will rain the next day.