ABSTRACT

The objectives of this thesis were 1) to study cremation ceremony appeared of Theravada Buddhism 2) to study cremation ceremony in the community of Thepraksa Sub-district, Sangkha District, Surin Province 3) to analytically study Buddhist morale appeared in cremation ceremony in the community of Thepraksa Sub-district, Sangkha District, Surin Province.

The result of the study of cremation ceremony appeared of Theravada Buddhism was found that death meant the process of ending life, the end of breathing, and the end of life activities of which everyone had to face with. It could be said that no one on this earth would not die. Therefore; there were various philosophers, religious savants, and academics had tried to search the truth about death. Hence, there were plenty of views on death for example; one viewed that death was only the physical phenomenon of the ending of human beings but the spirit had to go on because the spirit was immortal; the other viewed that death was not only the physical phenomenon of ending of human beings but also the end of spirit. In the view of Theravada Buddhism, death was the real truth and explained in various aspects such as component of death, type of death, cause of death, and pros and cons of death. Buddhism did not view death in negative way but viewed it as the good will to build wholesome thing in mind. The Buddha used the various phenomena of lives as instruments in teaching, warning of not to neglect in age, hastening to do good things, and practicing diligence to attain the higher fulfillment. In terms of cremation ceremony appeared in the scripture of Theravada Buddhism, it was found that the cremation ceremony would be arranged only for the important persons like the Buddha, the Buddha’s father, and some of the Buddha’s followers. For the general persons, their dead bodies would be immediately buried, discarded as animals’ food, and floated in rivers.

The result of study of cremation ceremony in the community of Thepraksa Sub-district, Sangkha District, Surin Province was found that they were the communities of Khmer comprising thirteen villages. The sampling selection were twenty six samples including two persons from each village i.e. monks, undertakers, donors, and community leaders. The instrument used in this research was interview form.

The result of an analytical study Buddhist morale appeared in cremation ceremony in the community of Thepraksa Sub-district, Sangkha District, Surin Province was found that there were various ceremonies but they were not nonsensical. There were plenty of values on mind. The former sages presented religious principles of Dhamma as the morale for younger generation to realize and practice. There was amount of morale appeared in cremation ceremony like morale of the practice for the dying person, the treatment to the dead body, the chanting for the dead body, the ordination for the dead body, the bringing the dead body to cremation place, the cremation process, the collection of the body ashes, and making merit for dedication to the dead body. Each of the mentioned morale was set as the practical code to develop the living persons to realize the truth of life.

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