What Happens 49 Days After A Buddhist Funeral?

Now that the Buddhist funeral has been completed, the next important thing for you is to observe the 49 days following the death of your loved one.

In ancient times, most Buddhist and Taoist funeral wakes are held for the full duration of 7 days. The wake duration has since been reduced to a shorter timespan like 3-5 days because of practical reasons like smaller families (which means lesser hands to help out at funeral wakes!).

In the past, medicine is not as advanced and there is the fear of diagnosing someone dead by mistake. Hence, wakes are held for 7 days to ensure there is no resurrection of the dead person.

The first 7th day after the death of a fellow Buddhist believer is an important day as it is believed that it is the day where the decedent's spirit will come back home to visit. It is believed that when Buddhists believers die, they are not aware of it initially and hence their spirit lingers around still.

You can switch on the lights in the house during this period to guide the deceased's spirit back home. However, it is best for you and your family to sleep on the 7th night to avoid seeing the decedent's spirit. This is to prevent a scenario where the decedent would not bear to leave this place.