The Death Rituals of Hinduism and Buddhism

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Angela Macias 9/27/12 The Death Rituals of Hinduism and Buddhism Hinduism and Buddhism are two very different religions, however they do have similarities. They both differ in their beliefs and meanings of life but still are devoted to their practices and carry them out in very specific ways. They both have many sacred rituals that are important to them and how they are performed is crucial to their beliefs. The type of rituals that interest me the most with these two religions are there death rituals. Even though all Hindus are characterized as one religion and Buddhists are also characterized as one religion they have different sectors; some do things differently than others the majority of them perform these death rituals that I am about to explain. Before a Hindu family can reestablish purity to a death polluted home and begin socializing again they have to perform the first rites of feeding the soul who they believe wanders off as a ghost or known to them as a preta from 12 days to a year (Esposito, p. 355). In order to do this people that mourn the deceased offer pinda puja, which are ritual rice ball offerings to build up it’s preta and continue on its afterlife journey. Hindu’s cremate the bodies of the deceased and carrying the body to the cremation site or the Ghat is the job of the men. The women of the house of the deceased have to stay home and clean to start purifying the home. The children’s part in the death is for the eldest son to light the father’s pyre and the youngest son to light the mother’s. Shraddha rites for parents, especially fathers, are done yearly on the death anniversary. Lastly, men who cremate must collect the burned remains so the family can then immerse them into a Holy River (Esposito, p. 355) Buddhism, on the other hand, is centered on the doctrine that the cosmo is governed by karmic law so ritual traditions naturally

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