Chinese Buddhism

ONE-POINT INFORMATIVE SPEECH

Chinese Buddhism

When given the topic of Cultural Customs and the Custom of Death Rituals, I had to stop and think. I could not think of any cultures (different from our own) that relate to me or that I have common knowledge of. So I chose a culture that I knew nothing about. But thought would be interesting to research. My culture is Chinese Buddhism. And to the best of my knowledge, is different from any other culture/religion.

Chinese Buddhists believe that while on earth, they are in a stage called Transmigration. In transmigration, there are 6 realms of suffering: Heavens, Humans, Asuras (fighting spirits), Animals, Hungry Ghosts, and Hells. They believe that Buddhists who continually engage in self-centered activities will be continually reborn into transmigration by karma. And only by practicing the Buddhist teachings and devoting to the practice, may they achieve transcendence from the cycle of transmigration. In order to achieve transcendence, Buddhists believe there are 2 basic principals to focus on. The first is purification of bad karmas. The second is accumulation of merits. The major goal of a Buddhist trying to achieve transcendence from transmigration would be to accumulate as many merits as possible. Only services performed in a selfless and compassionate way will be accumulated towards the good merits needed for transcending.

Chinese Buddhists have very detailed and precise beliefs in regards to the dying process and death itself. The most important thing at the time of transcendence or rebirth is one's state of mind. The mind should be free from all worldly thoughts. Any family or friends should keep from any expression of grief, so not disturb the peace of mind of the person who is dying. When death is eminent, the dying person should stay in a comfortable and peaceful place, while a professional or older family member chants Amitabha. At the time of death, which would be what a Physician would consider death, Buddhists believe that the person is still dying and should be moved under no circumstances. They believe that the body of the dead should not be disturbed in any way for at least 8 hours, which is about the time it takes for the body to become cold. The chanting should continue during this time.