Burial Customs
( 2005-10-27 )

Kept in monastery halls, stupas vary greatly depending on the rank of the occupant of each. Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas are given gold stupas, covered in sheets of solid gold, while the successor to Tsongkapa's religious throne in the Ganden Monastery is eligible only for a silver stupa. Other materials include bronze, wood, and clay.

5. Infant burial

Another form of burial is that used when infants die, and consists of placing the body inside a clay pot, sealing the mouth and casting it into a river. Alternatively, the pot may be preserved inside a storehouse.

After a family member dies, lamas are sent for to chant sutras for the dead seven times "seven days," totaling 49 days. Generally speaking, no matter what kind of funeral, in the past, monks had to be invited to perform religious rites to release the soul from the body before the corpse could be disposed of.

A rich family will hold a sacrificial ceremony for the dead on the 30th day, when one lama is sent for to chant sutras. On the first anniversary, commemorative sacrificial activities are performed in the family home, and relatives, friends, and neighbors gather there, bringing hadas, tea, wine, meat, butter, and money. The host prepares food to thank the guests for their help during the past year.