Water+and+Buddhism

Water has a single significance in Buddhism and similarly to other religions, it is used in a funeral.

Water is poured into a bowl before the monks and the body. As it fills and overflows, the monks say, “As the rains fill rivers and overflow into the ocean, so likewise may what is given here reach the departed."

This is most similar to the Hindu practice of pouring the body’s ashes into the river to aid the soul on its path to heaven.



Bibliography: Costecalde, Dr. Claude-Bernard. The Illustrated Family Bible. New York, New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 1997. Encyclopedia: Cavendish, Richard. "Water." Man, Myth & Magic. 1970. http://www.bbc.com http://www.sacredland.org/world_sites_pages/Ganges.html