Shinto Funeral Ritual

Kotsuage

2014

The Dalai Lama was one of many who took part in a purification ritual; participating in an elaborate Shinto ceremony, honoring the nearly 16,000 lost in the 2004 Asian tsunami.

Bunkotsu

However, not all of the ashes are buried. During the bunkotsu stage, some ashes are given to close family members to put in the home shrines. One shrine, like the one above, may have the ashes of several ancestors.

Koden

The body is cremated, but in Shinto what happens to the ashes is most important. The ashes must be placed in an urn within an above-ground mausoleum. If bones appear among the ashes, then the family observe the kotsuage ritual of one member picking up the bones with chopsticks and passing them to another member, who then places them in the urn

Koden is the giving of an obituary gift. Friends and family of the deceased give monetary gifts to the family. This helps to reduce the financial burden of the burial services. Here, these three men are accepting gifts on behalf of the family. The average amount to give is between 5,000-50,000 Yen which is

$50-$500 US Dollars.

It overlaps without a beginning or an end, symbolising the Buddha's endless wisdom and compassion.

It indicates continuity as the underlying reality of existence. It is conjectured that it may have evolved from an ancient naga symbol with two stylized snakes.

understood to establish an auspicious connection between the giver and the recipient.

This is because the knot represents a connection, a link with our fates, binding us to our karmic destiny.

“The Indian Buddhist master Nagarjuna says that if you allow yourself to remain depressed you won’t be able to overcome the problems that confront you. Therefore it’s important to keep up your spirits and remain confident that you can do what you set out to do.”

Funeral Ritual

There are over 20 procedures. Four of the most interesting are: kichu-fuda, koden, kotsuage, and bunkotsu.

Shinto Funeral Ritual

“If tragedy strikes, don’t lose hope. Transform it into an opportunity to make things better.”

kichu-fuda

Mourning custom lasting one day, during which time intense grief is expressed.

The mourners wear only black and some carry a rosary as a prayer aid.

A Shinto priest performs ceremonies that include chanting, singing and praying to begin and end this period of mourning.

Shintō

kami-no-michi

During this time of mourning, the family can perform other rituals, such as koden. This is a gift of money from friends and relatives to the close family of the deceased; its purpose is to help with the funeral costs.

Death & the Afterlife in Japanese Culture

Buddhism generally has a negative view of death as the descend to place called gloomy underground realm with a river separating the living from the dead.

However, there is another path toward apotheosis "to deify" and "making divine"; also called divinization and deification) is the glorification of a subject to divine level.

The several structures comprised of the Torii Gate, each have a different purpose.

~hoyden - sanctuary, where the kami are enshrined

~heiden, or hall of offerings,

~haiden or hall of worship,

~ honden is the building that contains the shintai, which is the the sacred body o f the kami.

~temizuya, the fountain where visitors cleanse their hands and mouth

~shamusho the office that supervises the shrine.

~ small shrines, as for example Ise Shrine could be as tiny as a beehive OR as Larger roadside shrines found on roadsides called the hokora.

Shintō: a set of japanese cultural, religious and spiritual beliefs. The literal meaning is "the way and spirit of the gods"

Bibliography

kami

Bibliography:

"Dalai Lama Offers Hope To Tsunami Victims In Japan." The Inquisitr News. Inquisitr, 8 Apr. 2014. Web. 7 May 2014. <http://www.inquisitr.com/1205541/dalai-lama-offers-hope-to-tsunami-victims-in-japan/>.

Sato, Yoshinobu. "References." Shinto Funerals. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2014. <http://www.worldclass.net/TeachingGlobally/WorldReligions/shinto_funerals.htm>.

Picken, Stuart D. B.. Historical dictionary of Shinto. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2002. Print.

Mason, J. W. T.. The meaning of Shinto. Victoria, B.C.: Trafford, 2002. Print.

sacred spirits which take the form of things and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and fertility.

by Linden Rost