The Role of Prayer Rites After Death  

According to religious tradition, the prayer rites performed after death are of great importance and profound benefit in guiding the departed soul toward liberation and ascent to the higher realms.

In Buddhism, there are seven prayer services, each held at intervals of seven days, commonly known as the weekly offerings (cúng tuần).

In Caodaism, there are nine prayer ceremonies, each held at intervals of nine days, called the Ninefold Offerings (cúng cửu), through which prayers are offered to guide the departed spirit across the Nine Heavens of Transformative Creation (Cửu Thiên Khai Hoá).

Two hundred (200) days after the ninth Ninefold Offering is the ceremony known as Tiểu Tường (the Minor Blissful Ceremony). Three hundred (300) days after the Tiểu Tường is the ceremony known as Đại Tường (the Major Blissful Ceremony).

The Tiểu Tường and Đại Tường are rites of spiritual deliverance, guiding the departed soul through the remaining three Heavens of the Twelvefold Opening of Creation, including the Heaven of Emptiness (Hư Vô Thiên) and the Heaven of Primordial Chaos (Hỗn Ngươn Thiên).

The first nine Heavens of the Twelvefold Creation are collectively known as the Nine Heavens of Transformative Creation (Cửu Thiên Khai Hóa).

Prayer rites are exceedingly important; however, the specific ritual forms depend upon each religious tradition.

In Caodaism, prayer rites are ordinarily conducted only for Caodaist adherents. If the deceased was not a Caodaist, yet the family so requests, the local Administrative Council (Ban Trị Sự) may still conduct prayer ceremonies, though with certain ritual differences.

As for high-ranking dignitaries — such as the Pope (Giáo Tông), Dharma Protector (Hộ Pháp), Buddhas Disciple (Phật Tử), Legislative Cardinals (Chưởng Pháp), Subpreme Rank (Thượng Phẩm), Subpreme Life (Thượng Sanh), Đầu Sư (Cardinals), Immortal Disciple (Tiên Tử) and the Twelve Zodiacal Time Lords (Thập Nhị Thời Quân) — there is no Ninefold Offering, for their souls naturally transcend the Nine Heavens of Creation. Only the Tiểu Tường and Đại Tường rites are required.

Prayer may be understood as a form of guidance for the departed soul. One must know that when a person has just passed away, the soul still carries many attachments to worldly life, and may therefore be regarded as still confused.

Most especially, it may remain burdened by the Six Desires and Seven Emotions, and may not yet comprehend the pathways leading to the Heavenly realms. For this reason, the sacred scriptures recited during prayer rites serve to instruct the soul about the events it may encounter along the journey toward the Heavens.

Whether the soul may ultimately reach Nirvana depends upon the level of spiritual cultivation attained during earthly life, and most especially upon past karmic causes and effects.

Regarding levels of spiritual cultivation, they may be distinguished as follows:

•  First, the Human Way (Nhân Đạo): those who cultivate themselves by fulfilling their duties as human beings, honoring virtues such as Humaneness, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, and Trustworthiness; observing the Five Moral Precepts.

  Not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not indulging in intoxicants, not speaking falsehoods to harm others; not doing unto others what one would not wish done unto oneself; and fulfilling responsibilities toward family, parents, spouse and children, siblings, friends, neighbors, society, the nation, and all humanity.

  Such persons may be regarded as Saints, and they will assuredly ascend through the Heavenly realms with ease.

•  Higher still are the true practitioners, abounding in compassion for all beings, who know how to sacrifice themselves in service to others, as did Lord Jesus Christ, who offered His own body upon the Cross for the salvation of humankind.

  In such souls, one finds only genuine love, and no trace of the Six Desires, Seven Emotions, nor greed, anger, or delusion. These beings will surely ascend to the highest Heavens.

•  Higher yet are those who cultivate the Way of the Immortals, unentangled in worldly affairs, no longer bound by the Six Desires and Seven Emotions. While living, they are Immortals upon earth; upon death, they return to the Immortal realms.

•  Finally, there are those who cultivate the realization that all phenomena are “Emptiness,” utterly free from attachment to anything in the mortal world. Such beings, upon death, return to the Buddha realm.

Those who do not diligently cultivate themselves, whose hearts remain filled with the Six Desires and Seven Emotions, and who further commit wrongful deeds — these karmic burdens and emotional passions become heavy weights, causing the true soul to grow dense and sluggish.

Even if they hear all the prayer scriptures, even if they clearly understand the paths leading to the Heavenly realms, they still lack the strength to ascend through the Heavens.

Those without a spiritual path, who have not fulfilled their duties as human beings, upon the moment of death, when the true soul leaves the body, find themselves enveloped by layers of defiled Six Desires and Seven Emotions. These layers resemble heavy, thick cloaks, weighing the soul down, rendering it slow and burdened in its movement.