Buddhist Death Rituals of Southeast Asia and China
Primary tabs
Grant Holder:
Professor Paul Williams; Dr Rita Langer; Dr Patrice Ladwig
Aims and objectives
We aim to establish a pattern of text and ritual for the Theravada countries of South and Southeast Asia concentrating on the death rites. In doing so we will accomplish the following objectives (listed according to project phases)
1.1 to compile a comprehensive bibliography of secondary literature on Theravada Buddhist death rituals in Southeast Asia
1.2 to define the parameters of research on Buddhist death rituals
2.1 to document a number of Theravada Buddhist death rites ('snap-shots') in selected temples in Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai) and Laos (Luang Prabang)
2.2 to establish the similarities and differences of Buddhist death rites of three Southeast Asian countries (Thailand, Laos and Sri Lanka)
2.3 to identify the pattern of Buddhist death rituals in Southeast Asia
2.4 to examine the nature of the monk-laity relationship in the context of Southeast Asian Buddhist death rituals
2.5 to investigate specific social issues by conducting a number of interviews (topical and based on questionnaire)
2.6 to establish the relationship between ritual practice and Theravada doctrine
2.7 to investigate and interpret the use of texts in the death rituals
3.1 to produce audio-visual materials for teaching and exhibitions by editing the audio and video footage in order to share the findings with academic and non academic public
3.2 to contribute papers to two academic conferences on Buddhist Studies (UKABS and IABS)
3.3 to produce a collection of academic papers to be edited together in a volume on Buddhist death rituals
3.4 to present the film footage and background information to a wider public in form of an exhibition at Leeds University, Bristol University and a popular venue in Bristol (such as Watershed, Bristol Museum, etc.)
production of a dvd from quicktime .mov files
production of mp4 files from .avi
in the future: transformation of .mov files into streamable formats for project webpage
| Project start date: 2007-01 | Project end date: 2009-12 |
Subject domains:
Era(s):
Country/region(s):
| Methods used | Category |
|---|---|
| Audio dubbing | Practice-led research |
| Audio mixing | Practice-led research |
| Disk publishing | Data publishing and dissemination |
| Moving image capture | Data capture |
| Photography | Practice-led research |
| Sound recording | Data capture |
| Documentation | Strategy and project management |
| Image enhancement | Data structuring and enhancement |
| Image manipulation | Practice-led research |
| Motion analysis | Data analysis |
| Sound analysis | Data analysis |
| Sound compression | Data structuring and enhancement |
| Sound editing | Data structuring and enhancement |
| Streaming media | Data publishing and dissemination |
| Security planning | Strategy and project management |
| Video editing | Data structuring and enhancement |
| Video post production | Practice-led research |
| Video and moving image compression | Data structuring and enhancement |
| General website development | Data publishing and dissemination |
| Manual input and transcription | Data capture |
Funding sources:
Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Read-Tuckwell bursary for the academic research on human immortality
Content types created:
Moving Image, Sound, Still Image/Graphics, Text
Digital resource created:
1. Caring for the Beyond: Two Buddhist Festivals for the Deceased in Lao Buddhism
A 30 minute film (edited and professionally cut) shot in September 2007 about two festivals for the spirits of the deceased. Both are annual rites and are performed in September at new moon and full moon. The first festival is called "Festival of rice packets decorating the earth" and the second "Festival of rice packets drawn by lots". The rituals are occasions for lay-people to help (i.e. feed and transfer merit to) their deceased relatives, but also involve a variety of 'special dead' such as deities that have a link to agriculture and the fertility of the rice fields. Filming locations are two temples in the capital of Laos, Vientiane, and two households of Buddhist lay-people who are involved in the preparations for the ritual. The focus of the film is on
1. the preparations that take place in the families before the festival involving the production of special food for the deceased and monks that is presented to them during the ritual.
2. the actual rites performed in the temple the day after the preparations.
Special emphasis is put on the objects (mainly food) that circulate between the living, the spirits of the dead and Buddhist monks as these objects create the link between the various ritual actors and lie at the basis of the communication of the living and the dead. The film features interviews with Lao Buddhist monks and lay-people (subtitled in English) and a voiceover explaining the cultural and religious backgrounds of the festivals. The film is constructed as a narrative depicting the ethnography of the two rituals, but is done in a style that is accessible for the interested public as it is designed for an exhibition that is part of the AHRC project.
2. A funeral rite of a peasant in Luang Prabang, North Laos (teaching material)
Approximately 30 hours of film (amateur editing) of a full sequence of a funeral rite for poor peasant (having had a 'sudden/bad death - motorbike accident) 'taking place in Luang Prabang in September 2007. The material is intended for teaching purposes and depicts the chanting of monks in temple, the procession from the cremation ground, the cremation itself and the collection of the bones of the deceased the following day.
2. Funeral rite of a government official in Vientiane, Laos (teaching material)
Approximately 2 hours of film (largely unedited) of a full sequence of a funeral rite for a government official taking place in Vientiane in November 2007. The material is intended for teaching purposes and depicts the chanting of monks in the household of the deceased, the procession from the house to the temple, the cremation itself and the collection of the bones of the deceased the following day.
3. Post-mortem ritual for honouring the deceased: The "White Cloth House Ritual" in Luang Prabang, north Laos (teaching material)
Short film (15 minutes, amateur editing) shot in September 2007 about a ritual in the north of Laos (Luang Prabang) which is called "White cloth house ritual". A small house containing daily life utensils is presented to the deceased. The Buddhist monks act here as intermediaries and receive the house and the untensils. The latter are believed to be transferred to the deceased who can then use the donations presented by his family and friends.
Access to digital resource:
Open Access
Data Formats created:
Apple QuickTime Movie (MOV), Microsoft Audio/Video Interleaved file (AVI), MPEG-4 Part 14 (MPEG4)
Institutions affiliated with this project:
| UK HE institutions involved: |
|---|
| University of Bristol |
| University of Leeds |
| UK HE institutions involved: |
|---|
| Ecole Francaise d'Extreme Orient (EFEO) |
Project staff and expertise:
| Principal staff member: | Professor Paul Williams |
|---|---|
| Other staff: | PhD student(s), Postdoctoral researcher(s) / Research assistant(s) |
| External expertise: |
| Metadata on this arts-humanities.net record | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) of record | Patrice Ladwig |
| Title | Buddhist Death Rituals of Southeast Asia and China |
| Record created | 2008-03-14 |
| Record updated | 2011-01-14 17:16 |
| URL of record | http://www.arts-humanities.net/node/2278 |
| Citation of record | Patrice Ladwig: Buddhist Death Rituals of Southeast Asia and China. <http://www.arts-humanities.net/node/2278> created: 2008-03-14, last updated 2011-01-14 17:16 |