By Michael Hunt
During Buddha’s time, there lived a woman named Kisa Gotami. She married young and gave birth to a son. One day, the baby fell sick and died soon after. Kisa Gotami loved her son greatly and refused to believe that her son was dead. She carried the body of her son around her village, asking if there was anyone who could bring her son back to life.
A village elder took pity on her and suggested to her to consult the Buddha. She immediately went to the Buddha’s residence and pleaded for him to bring her son back to life. “Kisa Gotami,” said the Buddha. “I have a way to bring your son back to life. But I need you to find me something. Bring me a mustard seed, but it must be taken from a house where no one residing in the house has ever lost a family member. Bring this seed back to me, and your son will come back to life.”
Having great faith in the Buddha’s promise, Kisa Gotami went from house to house, trying to find the mustard seed. At the first house, a young woman offered to give her some mustard seeds. But when Kisa Gotami asked if she had ever lost a family member to death, the young woman said her grandmother died a few months ago.
She kept moving from house to house but the answer was the same—every house had lost a family member to death. Kisa Gotami finally came to realize that there is no one in the world who had never lost a family member to death. She now understood that death is inevitable and a natural part of life.
Putting aside her grief, she buried her son in the forest. Shen then returned to the Buddha and became his follower.
Each day, over 150,000 people die. Death is inevitable. We will all die. Here's how some of the religions deal with the departed.
Buddhism
| The early Buddhists followed the Indian custom of burning the body at death. The Buddha’s body was cremated and this set the example for many Buddhists, even in the West. When someone is dying in a Buddhist home, monks come to comfort them by chanting verses to them, such as: "Even the gorgeous royal chariots wear out; and indeed this body too wears out. But the teaching of goodness does not age; and so Goodness makes that known to the good ones." After death, while the dead person is being prepared for the funeral fire, the monks continue to chant in order to help the dead one’s good energies to be released from their fading personality. The monks come with the family to the funeral. The family and all their friends give food and candles to the monks. Goodwill is created by these gifts and it is believed that the goodwill helps the lingering spirit of the dead person. It is believed that towards the end of this time the dead person will see a brilliant light. If the radiance of the Clear Light does not terrify them, and they can welcome it, then the person will not be reborn. But most flee from the Light, which then fades. The person then becomes conscious that death has occurred. At this point the Second Bardo begins. The person sees all that they have ever done or thought passing in front of them. While they watch they feel they have a body but when they realize this is not so, they long to possess one again. Then comes the Third Bardo, which is the state of seeking another birth. All previous thoughts and actions direct the person to choose new parents, who will give them their next body. In Japan a form of Mahayana Buddhism called Zen is practiced. Japanese Zen masters sometimes know when they are going to die. Once master Hofaku called his monks together and said: "This last week my energy has been draining - no cause for worry. It is just that death is near." A monk asked: "You are about to die! What does it mean? We will go on living. And what does that mean?" "They are both the way of things," the master replied. "But how can I understand two such different states?" Hofaku answered: "When it rains it pours," and then calmly died. |
Judaism
Similarly, the traditional Jewish custom is to bury the deceased within 24 hours or if not, within 48 hours, said Rabbi Herbert Mandl of Kehilath Israel Synagogue.
"We don't embalm," he said. "Embalming is against Jewish law because you are not to tamper with the body. You are supposed to return the way you came, and embalming radically affects the body.
"Also, cremation is forbidden," Mandl said. "This is a major violation of Jewish law because you are destroying the body. If you have to keep the body for a few days, perhaps if a relative is coming from a distance or other extenuating circumstances, we would refrigerate."
Wooden caskets are to be used so they deteriorate in the earth, he said. The deceased is buried in a white garment similar to a gown, and the casket is closed at the funeral, which is a simple service with Scripture, prayers and a eulogy.
Services are usually conducted at funeral homes, and then the people go to the cemetery.
"Traditional synagogues usually do not take the body inside the synagogue," Mandl said.
Among Reform Jews, many of the deceased are buried in regular clothing, said Rabbi Mark Levin at Congregation Beth Torah in Kansas City. Burial generally is within two days, he said.
Following the funeral, traditional Jews would do an evening service at the home of the deceased's family for seven days, while Reform Jews do it for one, two or three days, he said.
The location of a Reform Jewish funeral depends upon the custom of the city, Levin said. In the Kansas City area, for example, the custom is mostly to have it at a funeral home. However, ma ny of his members' funerals are held at the temple.
Islam
In Islam, the deceased are to be buried within 24 hours.
This was highlighted in media reports of the death of Osama bin Laden. And controversy arose over bin Laden's burial at sea.
Each major religion has its customs concerning burial. Although they vary widely, the one common denominator is respect for the body.
Russell Mohammed, a director of the Mid-America Muslim Cemetery, said the 24-hour burial is not in the Qur'an but is a cultural practice from the faith's desire to respect the body and to a void decay. Since autopsies would injure the body, those are to be avoided, he said.
"Also, we don't embalm," Mohammed said. "This is disrespecting the body."
Since the cemetery is near the Islamic Center in south Kansas City, Mo., washing of the body is done at the center, he said. Then it is wrapped in a white shroud.
After that are prayers, and the body is taken to the cemetery.
"We don't normally use caskets, just bury in the ground, where it (the body) becomes part of the soil," he said. "The upper part of the body, the head, is turned toward Mecca.
"We respect the deceased just as if they were alive. The washing and the wrapping with a shroud is done carefully. We do not allow viewing of the body except for the immediate family after the washing."
Mohammed said some Muslim countries do not allow women to go to the cemetery because they think they will be too emotional.
"We allow them to stand at a distance, and after the burial site is covered, they can come closer."
Mohammed said that in some Muslim countries there are processions in the streets with the body in a casket. But that is not done in the U. S., he said.
"And we do not do a eulogy," he said. "Whatever you are going to say about someone, you say it while the person is alive."
Some Islamic clerics said bin Laden's burial at sea violated Islamic law. White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan said that the Obama administration consulted "appropriate special ists and experts" before making the decision and that finding a country to accept bin Laden's body and making burial arrangements would have taken longer than 24 hours.
Protestants
Requirements for Protestant Christian burials are few, said the Rev. J. Lowell Harrup of Northland Cathedral in Kansas City.
Although there is no required time frame, most funerals and burial are within three to four days, he said. Also, cremations are acceptable.
"There is great respect for the dead," he said. "The body is created by God and destined for resurrection, so we see sacredness in death itself."
People often specify what they want to be buried in, he said.
At the church, the tradition is for the funeral to recount the good of the person's life, and a Bible-based sermon is preached.
"People need hope and encouragement that there is more to this life than right now," Harrup said. "I want to bring comfort but also remind people that this is something we will all face, an d we need to be aware that there is an eternity beyond. I emphasize that Jesus has provided a place."
In most African-American churches, the funeral includes prayer, Scripture, music, condolences from organizations the person was involved in, remarks from family and friends and a eulogy.
The casket usually is closed during the service and often re-opened afterward for the final viewing, but in some churches that is being discouraged because it is stressful for the family, s aid the Rev. Brenda Hayes, a pastor in St. Louis.
"The service is viewed as a celebration of the life that was lived and a victory won through faith," she said. "The mood is upbeat, recalling the Scripture that those who die in Christ are absent from the body but now present with the Lord.
"Sometimes it is called a 'Homegoing Celebration,' going home to be with the Lord. The music is more about rejoicing. Prayers also are offered at the gravesite as the deceased is committed back to God."
What used to be called a wake now is called family visitation, Hayes said.
"The wake used to be the night before, and often the body would be in the family's house, and people would come there and everybody would be sad."
Now, the visitation is often right before the service, and cremation is becoming more common, she said.
Sometimes it is several days to a week between the death and the funeral, especially if a lot of family members are coming from out of town.
Also, in the African-American tradition, "We dress them up," Hayes said. "Dressy dresses or suits, hair done, makeup, jewelry, things that were the person's favorite."
Catholicism:
In the Catholic tradition, the deceased is buried as soon as arrangements can be made, said Deacon Ralph Wehner, director of sacred worship for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.
"The church prefers that the body be present for the funeral and if the person is to be cremated, that is done after the funeral," he said. "We require ashes to be buried in an urn, not scattered or sit on someone's mantel.
"The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that body must be respected, and it is not respectful to scatter ashes or leave them somewhere."
A vigil most commonly is held the night before the funeral, he said. "Vigils used to be in the funeral home but a trend is to have it at the church.
"The funeral Mass includes the reading of Scripture and prayers for the soul of the deceased and the family, prayers that express the hope and mercy of God and prayers for the saints in heaven to assist this soul and for all who have died."
Wehner said most people choose what they wish to be buried in.
If a person is buried in a Catholic cemetery, the ground already has been blessed. If buried in a non-Catholic cemetery, the priest would bless the gravesite. This would happen, for example , for a military person who is buried in a military cemetery.
Finally, even if the spouse is not Catholic, he or she can be buried with the Catholic spouse in a Catholic cemetery, Wehner said.
Hinduism:
In the Hindu faith, there is no burial. The bodies are burned.
In India ceremonial customs vary depending on the region, said Atul Trivedi, an area Hindu priest.
And in India, the body is burned in a special ceremony, he said. In the United States, cremation takes place at a funeral home, and the ashes are put in an urn and given to the family, if requested.
At the ceremony before the cremation, everybody wears white, and the priest offers prayers that the soul finds peace, said Arvind Khetia, an area Hindu.
If possible, the ashes are taken to India to be spread in holy water.
"There is no burial because the soul already has moved out," he said. "The body is a temple as long as the person is alive."
