1st Edition

Buddhist Rituals of Death and Rebirth Contemporary Sri Lankan Practice and Its Origins

By Rita Langer Copyright 2008
256 Pages
by Routledge

256 Pages
by Routledge

256 Pages
by Routledge

In Buddhist thought and practice, death has always been a central concept. This book provides a careful and thorough analysis of the rituals and social customs surrounding death in the Theravada tradition of Sri Lanka. Rita Langer describes the rituals of death and rebirth and investigates their ancient origins, analyzing social issues of the relationship between monks and lay people in this... Read more

Introduction  Part 1 Death and Dying  1.1 Contemporary Sri Lankan Practice  1.2 Commentary to the Practice  1.3 Some Historical Roots: Time of Death  Part 2 Funeral  2.1 Contemporary Sri Lankan Practice  2.2 Commentary to the Practice  2.3 Some Historical Roots: Handling the Remains  Part 3 Post-Funerary Rites  3.1 Contemporary Sri Lankan Practice  3.2 Commentary to the Practice  3.3 Some Historical Roots: Giving of Merit.  Conclusions. 

Biography

Rita Langer is currently Research Fellow in Buddhist Studies at the University of Bristol, UK. Focusing on Southeast Asia (Thailand and Laos), she is continuing her research into Theravada death rituals as part of a larger AHRC funded project, 'Buddhist Death Rituals of Southeast Asia and China'.