Home›Funerary Rituals›Obligation›Optional and voluntaryBrowse ByOptional and voluntaryThis page groups rituals by whether performing them is a required duty or a voluntary devotion. Wikipedia notes that "for daily prayers, practicing Muslims must perform a ritual recitation from the Quran in Arabic while bowing and prostrating." Browsing this way lets a visitor separate a mandatory rite from one an adherent may choose to observe or not.FactsLearn MoreOptional and voluntarySourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedRites performed at and after a death - preparation of the body, disposal by burial or cremation, and the observances kept for a fixed period afterwards. Nearly every tradition marks death by rite, but the rites answer different problems: the fate of the dead, the pollution of the living, the obligations of descendants, and the ordering of grief. 2StatusStanding as a Comparative CategoryWell-attestedA standard analytic category in the study of religion 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedRituals 1Learn MoreThe funerary rituals This group gathers funerary rituals, the rites surrounding death, the care of the body, and the passage of the dead: burial and cremation, mourning, and the ceremonies that ease or guide the deceased into the afterlife. A tradition's treatment of death reveals much of its view of the soul and the world beyond. The browser will find funerary rituals from across the traditions. The entries describe each rite's form and meaning, noting the beliefs about death and the afterlife that shape it.Optional and voluntaryFilter Results2 entriesOrigin Period Start YearAll-1500 (1)FrequencyAllOnce, or at a turning point in a life (2)Life Stage MarkedAllDeath and the disposal of the body (2)Scholarly StandingAllA standard analytic category in the study of religion (2)Social FormAllPerformed by a gathered group (1)Practice StatusAllLiving tradition, practised today (1)PractitionerAllHouseholders, those living in the world (1)Trained or authorised specialists (1)Native To RegionAllTibet (1)Holds ElementAllFire (1)TraditionAllTibetan Buddhism (1)Originated InAllTibet (1)Kind of ritualAllGeneral Funerary Practices (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 2CremationOptional and voluntarySky BurialOptional and voluntarySources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. Encyclopedia of Religiontier 1Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005s.v. Funeral RitesView the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.