| Article |
|---|
| Article name |
Representations of the Soul in Buryat Funeral Rituals |
| Authors |
Suvorova A.S. graduate student, aryunasuvorova@mail.ru |
| Bibliographic description |
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| Section |
Oriental Studies |
| UDK |
391/393 (571.54) |
| DOI |
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| Article type |
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| Annotation |
The analysis of literary materials and field data suggests that funeral ceremonialism of Buryat
Buddhists was generated on the basis of the traditional outlook and Buddhist practice. In the
representations of Buryat Buddhists about the soul, vital force, the fate of the soul after death there
are several layers that are far from being homogeneous; they include different religious elements of
Shamanism and Buddhism. Concerning the belief of Buryat Buddhists in the rebirth of the soul of
the dead in one of the six realms of Sansara, the whole cycle of funeral ceremonies is performed to
accumulate good deeds for improving the karma of the deceased on which the future place of the
regeneration of his soul depends. At the same time, Buryats believe that there exist negative effects
of the deceased on the surviving relatives. Therefore, in funeral rituals Buryats observe protective
ceremonies and believe in various signs and marks.
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| Key words |
soul, afterlife, funeral ceremonies, Buryat Buddhists, reincarnation, good deeds,
distinctive marks (signs). |
| Article information |
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| References |
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| Full article | Representations of the Soul in Buryat Funeral Rituals |
