Different cultures have very different attitudes to death - and different funeral ceremonies as well. In predominantly Buddhist Thailand, the deceased are almost always cremated. A Thai friend asked me why in the West we bury people in coffins in the dark and cheerless ground, to be decomposed and eaten by worms. I explained to her the Christian idea of resurrection, which she seemed to find rather bizarre. In Thailand, she said, we believe that by cremation we are sending the body up to Heaven - a nice idea visibly manifested.
Crematoria vary between town and country. In most towns, one or more of the temples will have a building at the back, tall and narrow and decorated in the same way as other temple buildings. Inside is an oven and a tall chimney, where the body is cremated. In country areas, a consecrated field contains a stone platform, and perhaps thirty meters away some simple buildings providing shade.
After death, the body is returned home, where it remains on display for either three or seven days. There will be monks in attendance, chanting in Pali (the language of the Lord Buddha). The family provides food for the villagers (usually with the neighbors’ help). Close family members pour water from silver cups over the deceased. Important people may be embalmed, and put on display for longer periods, some indefinitely.
One Thai friend asked me if I would like to meet his uncle - a very 'high' monk in the area. Of course I said yes, and my friend led me into the temple, then disappeared round the back. I followed slowly, but could see no monk. “Where is he?” I asked. My friend nodded to his right, and I looked down to see an embalmed monk - in a glass case!
When the cremation time approaches, the body is placed on a cart, in a white thin wooden coffin with gold filigree. The coffin is surrounded by a thin wood-and-paper mock-up of a Thai temple, brightly coloured. Many flowers are placed on the cart, and a large picture of the deceased is prominently displayed. Using a long, thick rope, and led by a group of monks, friends and family pull the cart to the cremation ground. Everyone at the funeral wears black, or black and white. (For this reason, one should never wear black when visiting sick people in hospital).
At the cremation ground, the coffin is placed on the stone platform. The spectators are offered soft drinks and light refreshments. Following a final incantation from the monks, the coffin and mock-up temple are set on fire. This is often done in quite a spectacular way. The coffin is first drenched in gasoline. A thin wire runs from the viewing area to the coffin. A firework - a rocket - is attached to the wire, and whizzes sharply along it to the funeral pyre, setting all ablaze very quickly, to dramatic and somewhat shocking effect.
After a few minutes, most people leave for the party back at the home of the deceased, at which local food and alcohol is served. Three men stay behind to make sure that the body is completely burned, and the ashes collected. This can take some hours.
For the Thais, death is not quite such a solemn or serious event as in the West. After all, reincarnation is widely believed in, and Thais have the very realistic and pragmatic attitude that since we all have to die, why worry or obsess about it, and why get so upset about something that is so entirely natural? Which is certainly not to say they feel the loss any the less.
It is believed that the soul of the departed remains in heaven for forty days before reincarnation. During this period it is seen as possible, using a medium, to contact the departed; after that time the soul will have entered a new body - which may or may not be human. If the deceased led a good life, then they will get a better incarnation next time. If not, then they might come back as a dog, or some lower form of life.
Cripples and handicapped people must have led a sinful previous life – although they are not in themselves seen as being ‘bad’ now. It is meritorious to give money to these people. ‘Making merit’ to ensure a good next life is good practice. A few years ago, a very poor old lady in Bangkok won several million baht in the lottery. She spent the entire amount on a new temple – truly thinking ahead!
วัฒนธรรมที่แตกต่างกันมีทัศนคติแตกต่างกันมากการตาย - และพิธีงานศพแตกต่างกันเช่น ประเทศเป็นพุทธ ชีวิตอยู่เกือบตลอดเวลา cremated เพื่อนไทยถามผมว่าทำไมตะวันตก เราฝังคน coffins ในมืด และ cheerless พื้นดิน ย่อยสลายไป และกินหนอน ผมอธิบายให้เธอคิดคริสเตียนของการฟื้นคืนชีพ ซึ่งเธอดูเหมือนจะหาค่อนข้างแปลกประหลาด ในประเทศไทย กล่าว เราเชื่อว่า ด้วยการเผาศพ เราจะส่งตัวขึ้นสวรรค์ - ความคิดที่ดีมองเห็นประจักษ์Crematoria แตกต่างกันระหว่างเมืองและชนบท ในเมืองใหญ่ วัดอย่างน้อยหนึ่งจะมีอาคารหลัง สูง และแคบ และตกแต่งอาคารวัดอื่น ๆ ในลักษณะเดียวกัน ภายในมีปล่องไฟสูง ที่ร่างกายมี cremated และเตาอบ ในประเทศ เขตไร ๆ ประกอบด้วยแพลตฟอร์มหิน และบางทีสามสิบเมตรจากอาคารบางอย่างให้ร่มเงา หลังความตาย ร่างกายจะถูกส่งกลับบ้าน ที่มันยังคงอยู่บนแสดงวันที่สาม หรือเจ็ด จะมีพระสงฆ์ในการเข้างาน สวดมนต์ในบาลี (ภาษาของพระพุทธเจ้า) ครอบครัวมีอาหารสำหรับชาวบ้าน (ปกติด้วยความช่วยเหลือของเพื่อนบ้าน) สมาชิกในครอบครัวใกล้ชิดเทน้ำจากถ้วยเงินมากกว่าชีวิต บุคคลสำคัญอาจเป็น embalmed และใส่ในแสดงผลนานขึ้น บางอย่างไม่มีกำหนดOne Thai friend asked me if I would like to meet his uncle - a very 'high' monk in the area. Of course I said yes, and my friend led me into the temple, then disappeared round the back. I followed slowly, but could see no monk. “Where is he?” I asked. My friend nodded to his right, and I looked down to see an embalmed monk - in a glass case!When the cremation time approaches, the body is placed on a cart, in a white thin wooden coffin with gold filigree. The coffin is surrounded by a thin wood-and-paper mock-up of a Thai temple, brightly coloured. Many flowers are placed on the cart, and a large picture of the deceased is prominently displayed. Using a long, thick rope, and led by a group of monks, friends and family pull the cart to the cremation ground. Everyone at the funeral wears black, or black and white. (For this reason, one should never wear black when visiting sick people in hospital).At the cremation ground, the coffin is placed on the stone platform. The spectators are offered soft drinks and light refreshments. Following a final incantation from the monks, the coffin and mock-up temple are set on fire. This is often done in quite a spectacular way. The coffin is first drenched in gasoline. A thin wire runs from the viewing area to the coffin. A firework - a rocket - is attached to the wire, and whizzes sharply along it to the funeral pyre, setting all ablaze very quickly, to dramatic and somewhat shocking effect.After a few minutes, most people leave for the party back at the home of the deceased, at which local food and alcohol is served. Three men stay behind to make sure that the body is completely burned, and the ashes collected. This can take some hours. For the Thais, death is not quite such a solemn or serious event as in the West. After all, reincarnation is widely believed in, and Thais have the very realistic and pragmatic attitude that since we all have to die, why worry or obsess about it, and why get so upset about something that is so entirely natural? Which is certainly not to say they feel the loss any the less.It is believed that the soul of the departed remains in heaven for forty days before reincarnation. During this period it is seen as possible, using a medium, to contact the departed; after that time the soul will have entered a new body - which may or may not be human. If the deceased led a good life, then they will get a better incarnation next time. If not, then they might come back as a dog, or some lower form of life. Cripples and handicapped people must have led a sinful previous life – although they are not in themselves seen as being ‘bad’ now. It is meritorious to give money to these people. ‘Making merit’ to ensure a good next life is good practice. A few years ago, a very poor old lady in Bangkok won several million baht in the lottery. She spent the entire amount on a new temple – truly thinking ahead!
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