Taoist Funeral Customs

When you consider that a traditional Taoist Funeral has very few rules that have been set, it’s easy to see how much detail is put into a funeral service. The Taoists put great importance into the various rituals performed during a funeral. Their beliefs about death are contradictory at best, and at worst are openly criticized as being practices that are against Taoist principles. This leads to the fact that many people are confused about what a Taoist Funeral really is. But when you think about what a funeral is really all about, you start to see how the intricacies of a typical Taoist service fit into a standard funeral. In this article, I will discuss some details about the Taoist funeral.

Like most funerals, the Taoist one usually starts with a ceremony of welcome to acknowledge the arrival of the guests and their standing among the assembled mourners. At some point during the welcome, the coffin is welcomed into the room by the funeral director, and then followed by more body procedures such as washing and cutting of the hair. After the body is prepared, the coffin is placed inside and a red dot is placed on it for identification purposes. Then the coffin is pulled inside the hearse, and the process of transporting it to the cemetery begins. For some reasons, the coffin may be carried by the family members, or they may carry it themselves if they are strong enough.

Rites during the funeral service vary according to the culture of the Taoist group in question. In a Taoist Funeral, there are five main rituals: Washing of hands (shan tu), Reading of poem ( liu fu), Reading of poem( liu fen), Doubting of tablets (dui stupa), and final rumination. It is the wailing of a tom hoe that is the central theme of the Doubting of tablets ritual. If the body was not cremated, the wail is allowed to continue until the next day when the body is brought back to the family home for final preparations.

Ancient Taoist Funeral Customs

After the body is prepared, the family performs the customary wake. This usually involves opening of the eyes and offering of prayers to the deceased. The taoist priest performing rites during a taoist funeral performs the ritual of placing incense in a bowl on the coffin and then lighting a fire in the presence of the dead. According to traditional legend, lightning caused the fire to spread across the coffin, but lightning prevented the fire from consuming the incense. Thus, the incense became the source of the name in Chinese language for the ashes that were dispersed after the cremation of the deceased.

The fuang liu dau, or funeral ceremony, immediately follows the wake. This ceremony commemorates the life of the deceased and his accomplishments. Liu means five and refers to the five significant achievements that he was born with, the first being learning to count. The fuang liu dau takes place at the beginning of the seventh day after death and carries on for two days.

During the fuang liu dau, the coffin is rolled out of the house, guarded by body guards called cai fu jing, and a five-legged ox is placed on the coffin at its side. The body is then wrapped in a red silk sheet, and ox skin rinsed and fresh bamboo powder applied. Worn bamboo strips symbolize five good deeds that have been accomplished by the deceased. On the final day, the coffin is then taken to the temple where the mortal remains are given final goodbye and the remains are cremated in the presence of relatives and friends. Ancient Taoist funeral customs have changed little over the centuries, but the focus remains the same of leaving a lasting legacy to your loved ones.