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Buddhists/buddhist beliefs on the dead

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Expert: - 6/4/2007


Question
this might be a little intruding but im doing an assignment on weather the dead of the past should be left alone by archelolgist i was wondering what the buddhist belive sould happen and the religious rituals for the past
thankyou

Jadeellen

Answer
Hi Jadeellen,

Thank you for asking me.

There is this true story of a Buddhist man who died.  Then someone claimed that he was a Christian and should be given a Christian rite.  Along came the Muslims who also claimed that this man was actually a Muslim.  There was a furore between the Christian and the Muslim groups.  Someone quickly went to see a Buddhist monk to ask for advice.  The Monk said, "We Buddhists do not fight over dead bodies!"

The moral of the story is that when a person is dead, he IS dead and gone.  It is only important when the person is still living.  Of course, in reality the matter is not so simple because of human emotion for the dead; but this is not Buddhism.  In Buddhism, there is no taboo or superstition whether "to dig or not".

Smile from justinchoo :-)

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Justin Choo

Expertise

When in doubt seek it out. All your questions will be answered, and you may not have to agree with the answers. Such is the beauty of Buddhism. You are free to decide. I follow the Theravada tradition, and have been studying Buddhism for more than 40 years. Please view my profile for more details. I have answered more than 1500 questions since joining this category. You may like to give me the honor to answer your question.

Experience

I was brought up in the 50's as a Buddhist. For the past 40 years I have read numerous books on Buddhism and listened to numerous talks on Buddhism by well-respected and learned monks and lay teachers. I conduct Buddhist classes for parents of Sunday School children in a Theravada Buddhist Temple. My teacher was the late Chief Reverend, The Ven. K Sri Dhammananda of The Brickfields Buddhist Mahavihara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You can view the relevent website in memory of my revered late teacher @ http://www.ksridhammananda.com

Organizations
I am a life member of the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia.

Publications
YOU ARE INVITED TO VISIT MY BLOG @ http://lifeislikethat999.blogspot.com/ Published a book called "The Rainbow And The Treasure". It is a compilation of extracts from various sources to introduce Buddhism to beginners. (Currently out of print)

Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Commerce And Administration, Victoria University Of Wellington, NZ.(1974)

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