Do Buddhists pray for the dead?

Question

In several Japanese movies, I've seen family members go to the grave of their deceased and they appear to be praying, but I wondered are they actually praying or in some way trying to connect with their loved one? Thanks!

Answer 1

the monks chant in order to help the dead one’s good energies to be released from their fading personality....
It is believed that as soon as the death of the body has taken place, the personality goes into a state of trance for four days. During this time the person does not know they are dead. This period is called the First Bardo and during it lamas (monks) saying special verses can reach the person to them....
In the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism, to which most Chinese Buddhists subscribe, it is believed that, between death and rebirth, there is an intermediate period called Antarabhava in Sanskrit or the Bardo in Tibetan. It is an important period which has an influence on the form that the rebirth shall take. If the family ensures that proper assistance in the form of prayer and remembrance ceremonies are duly performed, the departed is better able to take a favourable rebirth.

Answer 2

I'm a Buddhist and most Buddhist say that Buddha is their God. See, most religion have different gods or beliefs, as for Buddhist there are many types, the Chinese ones, the Japanese, Indian, its the same concept but different ways it was told. Buddha was Hindu than he found the meaning of life and we do pray to Buddha and not always to the dead.

Answer 3

It depends on the Buddhism. Strictly speaking, praying for the dead would have no effect on the dead person since they are in transition before being reborn and a person in this transition cannot be effected by prayer since there is no cognitive or physical action possible by that 'person'.

Prayer is primarily for rectifying the mind of the individual praying. So praying for the dead person helps the individual praying. How would depend on the individual. If you are praying for a good passage for that individual this will help you when you die since it will give you some form of positive mindset for when you die. Having a good mindset at the time of death is very important since your after-death experience depends on your mental motivation.

That all said, who really knows?

Answer 4

Theravada Buddhist do not pray for the dead.We have what we called the 'transference of merit'.
Whenever we preformed any wholesome deeds such as meditation,chanting of the sutta,offering of foods,offering of robes,etc. we would transfer the merit gained from the meritorious deeds to our departed family members and friends with the following verses:

'IDAM ME NYATINAM HOTU SUKHITA HONTU NYATAYO'(3X)

Let this merit accrue to my departed family members and friends,and may they be happy.
SADHU SADHU SADHU!

Answer 5

buddhist are slightly different in different countries.

in asian countries its generally the same, except for Japan, where its slightly different.

and its also different in india too, and then there's tibet buddhist.

its somewhat changed along the way as people brought the religion into their countries.