Happy events such as birth and marriage, and sad occasions like sickness and death in a person’s existence very often necessitate the observance of certain rites, which have been performed in every society from time immemorial.
Such rites, which origi- nated even long before the various major world religions became established, have been handed down by our forefathers, and in the passage of time, have gradually assumed the form of traditional customary practices until the present day.
We continue to practise many of these rites through ignorance and fear, not daring to change or discard them even with the acquisition of a modern education and sophisticated life-style.
In particular many of the rites performed on sad occasions like death and funerals are shrouded in mystery and superstition, and very often incur a tremendous financial burden on bereaved families.
This is one of the major reasons why many Buddhists are easily converted to other religions because it offers good ammunition for other religionists to hurl their criticisms and attacks on the Buddhists.
It is imperative that the Buddhist community in this country should awaken to this situation and make courageous efforts to make reforms in the performance of their rites and rituals in consonance with correct Buddhist reli- gious principles.
This book presents in a simple and understandable man- ner the various rites which could be performed by Buddhists on happy and sad occasions in their lives. It is hoped that they will make efforts to understand them and practise them when the occasion arises. By so doing, they will not only attain satis- faction and a sense of security in the knowledge that they are performing proper Buddhist rites, but also help to enhance the image of their own religion in the eyes of others.
